Continues immediately after the previous chapter. The two Optimus Primes, from the Transformers: Prime and the Transformers Animated universes, are meeting to discuss Megatron's anticipated war on this Earth.

Note: As done in previous stories of mine, I will use the designations "T:Prime" and "TFA" to refer to the respective dimensions and their characters when needed for clarity.

"It is good to see you again, my friend."

"Likewise, Optimus," said the Prime from Sari's dimension. "Although I wish it were under happier circumstances." The two Autobot leaders were meeting in Outpost Omega One's conference room to discuss plans to share their resources, in the event of Megatron's expected war on this dimension's Earth.

"One advantage we have, is the fact that Megatron has not yet obtained sufficient knowledge of the existence of your dimension, especially not of our ability to transit between the two," said T:Prime Optimus. "It is a very closely guarded secret."

"One secret for which we have the Cyber-Ninjas to thank," said TFA Optimus. "Protecting technology is one of their prime directives."

"Speaking of which, Sari has been such an incredibly valuable asset to us here," T:Prime Optimus shared.

"I'm glad! How's Jack doing?"

"Coming along very well, very well indeed. He is an eager student, very serious in applying himself."

"I see the same qualities in his mother," TFA Optimus smiled.

"Indeed." He nodded back approvingly.

"Now, as to how our Autobots can assist. I requested, and Ultra Magnus convened a special session of the Autobot High Council. We are prepared to bring over as many as 50 of our most seasoned battle bots and medics; and Jazz can bring 6 Cyber-Ninjas to fight alongside Captain Sari and Jack."

T:Prime Optimus closed his optics in silent thanksgiving. He leaned forward. "Thank you, Optimus, thank you! I only hope that someday I and our Autobots can repay your world in kind for this generous offer."


Skybolt approached the Nemesis from behind. Captain Sari and Raf stood in front of the transport tunnel, waiting for the word from Colonel Mitchell.

"Skybolt and Nemesis amidships," he announced, "proceed with the transport."

Sari spread her Cyber-Ninja sense out, to locate an unoccupied area of the Decepticon ship where they could arrive undetected. She would also dampen its alarms until Raf could find a console.

"Found one," she announced, and gave the coordinates to Ro.

"Transport ready, Captain," said the blue Sirian, and the two Skystrikers stepped into the tunnel.

Arriving on a lower - level deck, they proceeded to search for a console so that Raf could begin hacking into the Nemesis' systems.

Finding one, the super-soldier jumped up and began his work while Sari stood watch.

"I'm in," said Raf. "Uploading a worm to keep out any indication of our presence, or our activities. Proceeding to search for the files we need."

"Good, Raf," said the captain. "Not detecting anyone's approach. Keep going."

"Found some Intel, Captain, but very sketchy. Not much here."

"It's very possible, Raf, that Megatron's keeping much to himself, and possibly sharing only with Starscream," said Sari.

"I'm afraid everything here is relative to the Decepticon Technorganic's readiness and Shockwave's Predacons. No dates, no locations."

"Scrap."

"I do have the number of Technorganics, their names and capabilities, and confirmation of Shockwave's Predacons. Downloading."

"I'm detecting an approach. Better cut this one short."

"Oh, wait! One more thing!"

"Hurry!" She detected the clatter of approaching footsteps.

"Done." He jumped down.

"Ro! Get us out of here!"

"Acknowledged, Captain." And a bridge opened up. The Skystrikers ran in and left the Nemesis. The bridge closed up just as two Vehicons turned the corner.


Captain Sari and Raf met with Agent Fowler and the rest of the Skystrikers to brief them on the results.

"No specific dates or locations, unfortunately," said Raf. "But evidence is mounting that Megatron will definitely plan an attack."

"And what evidence is that?" Asked Fowler.

"Three things," replied Raf. "First, I have the Intel on the TechnoCons."

Raf handed Agent Fowler a thick folder containing the results of his research. "There are five, but only one, who goes by the name Skysword, has so far been deemed by Megatron to be fully trained. He was recruited by Knockout; his human name was Frank Jalisco and he came from a gang in San Antonio, Texas. His mods include energy falchion swords - somewhat similar to Captain Sari's energy swords, and an ability to bring forth a Negatronic force field; the rest of his mods are similar to Jack's."

The folder included Frank's FBI file, with photos, criminal records and other data. Fowler scanned the file. "A real boy scout," he grunted.

"He's evidently been designated the leader," continued Raf.

The next is a female, JoAnne McDonnell, from Billings, Montana. Like the remaining four, she has not yet been given a Decepticon name, or been permitted to wear the Decepticon shield. Like Skysword, she possesses similar mods to Jack's, with a couple of differences. First, she can shoot out a stream of blazing hot fire from her wrists; not as hot as Miko's, nor as powerful, but deadly nonetheless."

"I'll take her on any day!" Said Miko.

Raf chuckled. "I'm sure you'll get your chance. She also has something Shockwave calls an 'Energy Whip', which can set ablaze anything it strikes."

"A little pyromaniac," commented Fowler.

"Perfectly suited to her human profile," said Sari. Fowler took out JoAnne's FBI papers, showing the warrant for her arrest and their efforts to track her. He heaved a sigh and shook his head.

"The other three don't have a criminal background, but are troubled teens nevertheless. The third was a human named Adam Larson, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Known as a school bully and prone to violence. He disappeared from his family after sending a hockey player to the hospital. Some witnesses claim he was seen after the incident chatting with another teen. The Intel suggests that it was most likely Frank Jalisco. What's more alarming, witnesses said they drove off in a red, shiny sports car identical to Knockout's alt mode."

"The all-muscles of the team." Fowler commented, reading Adam's folder. Not having any criminal record, it was much lighter than JoAnne's and Frank's, although it did have a missing person's report that his parents had filed with the RCMP.

"Quite so. His primary weapon is a massive energy hammer. It adds a small blast to the impact," Raf explained. "Perfect armament for smashing."

"The two final TechnoCons have been the most problematic to train: human names Scott Norville from San Dimas, California, and Norman Osgood from the Paddington district of London, England."

Fowler raised an eyebrow. "Problematic? I would have thought that the Decepticons didn't give much leeway to problematic cases."

"Which suggests the high value Megatron places in these Technorganics," said Sari. "If he's willing to tolerate problematic trainees, he must believe they have an extremely strong tactical payback in the long run."

"The first one, Scott, was a bit of a drifter as a human. He was recruited by Starscream.

"Starscream recruited a drifter?" Miko laughed. "Figures."

"This one's close-combat mod is his sharp digits, which contain acid that can melt Cybertronian metal. Other than that, his mods are somewhat similar to Jack's, except he has no plasma jets. Instead, he summons a jet board from subspace."

"Like the Silver Surfer?" Miko was singularly unimpressed. "So let me get this straight: we've got Shaggy from 'Scooby Doo' riding a surfboard, who's gonna come up and try to scratch me? Pfft!" She made an "L" sign on her forehead.

"Miko, don't forget, he'll no doubt continue to get intensive training from Skysword," cautioned Sari, "and besides, if he doesn't straighten up, Megatron will get rid of him - one way or another. You know it won't go well for him."

"What about the other problem child?" asked Fowler.

"Norman - or 'Osgood', as he's referred to in the files - is quite the opposite from Scott. He's from England, and is quite the prodigy. Had applied for a scholarship to Oxford, but could not get recommendations from the Headmaster of his school."

"Discipline problems?" asked Fowler.

"No, he ran into serious disagreements with his professors over his extreme political and ideological views. In essence, he believes in the creation of a master race."

"A Nazi?"

"You could say that. He believes that inferior humans should be removed from civilization for the good of the future species. He was recruited by Shockwave."

Fowler chuckled. "Shockwave?! Well, that's no surprise! Why is he a training problem?"

"Because he chafes at accepting Frank Jalisco - Skysword - as his leader. He knows that he came from the streets, and hence, Osgood believes that, as someone of superior breeding and intellect, he should be the leader, not some gang member."

"This is actually a perfect representation of a Decepticon battle for leadership," commented Sari. "We'll see who eventually wins."

"Osgood possesses a clawed energy staff, which has multiple offensive capabilities," Raf continued. "It can grasp an opponent and send a powerful EMP-like shock to the system, similar to Knockout's electric staff; it can also project a strong lightning bolt a short distance."

"While Skysword possesses the leader-calm, Osgood has the scientist-calm. He's patient enough to wait and analyze. This nature is a perfect balance to Adam's more reckless attitude."

"It sounds like the Decepticons have proportioned out the five's capabilities and personalities well," observed Fowler.

"It certainly would seem so," said Raf. "I would speculate that Osgood would be teamed up with Adam, while Scott would partner with JoAnne. Skysword would lead all."

"So, at this point, only the Jalisco character has won the so-called honor of receiving a Decepticon name and wearing the logo?" asked Fowler.

"We assume getting a name - and receiving the Decepticon shield - is a rite of passage," said Sari. "Megatron will award those only after the other four have distinguished themselves in some way, to his satisfaction."

"And Jalisco - Skysword - has?"

"Yes," said Jack. "By brutally attacking Arcee, nearly slicing her head off, and destroying her vocorder. She can no longer speak. She now communicates like Bumblebee used to." He said this calmly, but with a steely look in his optics.

"Oh, I see," responded Fowler. "I'm sorry."

He turned back to Raf. "So you said three things. That's number one; what's number two?"

"Additional Predacons. Shockwave's already hatched one; her name is Ripclaw. She's the one who attacked Arcee and abducted Jack. He's ready to unleash two more, with plans for others."

"In the recent attack on Arcee, Skysword came riding down on Ripclaw's back," said Captain Sari. "It's not unreasonable to assume the TechnoCons will all want to attack in a similar way."

"Except for Shaggy; he'll want to use his surfboard," mocked Miko.

Fowler chortled at her remark. "And number three?"

"I grabbed this at the very last, before we had to escape the Nemesis," said Raf. "All there was in the file was a single phrase: 'Awaken the Sleepers'. I thought it might refer to awakening the Predacons or something of that nature, but that seems unlikely."

"We've got to relay this Intel to Prime. He's scheduled to have a meeting with the President and the JCS," Fowler opined. "Not that they will be all jolly to hear we have no idea when or where all Hell will break loose."

As everyone got up to leave, Fowler pulled Sari aside. "Before I do that, I think you and I should have a talk with Colonel Mitchell; and he may want to bring in Lt T'Resh."


"This is indeed eye-opening news, Captain," said Mitchell. "Of course, Skybolt and her crew will do everything in our power to join in the battle."

"And the Optimus Prime from my dimension is meeting with his counterpart from your world, so reinforcements will no doubt be negotiated."

"Including additional Cyber-Ninjas?" Mitchell asked.

"I am certain," she responded.

"Captain, with Colonel Mitchell's permission, I can put in a communiqué to Regulus III," said T'Resh. "As you know, we Regulans are fierce fighters with a powerful military, and the Decepticons wisely chose to leave us alone during the Cybertronian Great War. We have no fear, nor great love of Megatron."

"Absolutely, Lieutenant," said Mitchell. "Proceed."

"Thank you Lieutenant. It would be an honor to fight by your side," responded Sari.

T'Resh uttered a low feline growl and smiled. "The Regulans will look forward to joining the Skystrikers in battling the Decepticons!"


Meanwhile, in another region of the galaxy:

The Decepticon scout ship made its way across the black expanse between planets in this remote, unexplored system. The two occupants watched the overhead display, hoping to see whether the latest probe's findings revealed anything worthwhile. The scientist carefully studied the results: Class M planet; habitable zone; organic. The list of mineral deposits began scrolling down the screen.

"So? Anything better than what we've uncovered the last couple thousand other planets?" Asked his partner.

"Give me a moment!" spat the technical one.

Nothing remarkable. Just like the other planets they'd been checking out in this dismal sector of the galaxy. "Brilliant notion, Megatron," he sighed to himself, "send us out here in an uncharted region of space, with the remote chance that there might be Energon-rich resources to exploit."

Suddenly, a line-item caught his optic. "Eh? What's this?"

"What? What do you see?"

"Hold on! I want to look this over more carefully to confirm what I suspect is true."

"Dammit! You're always slowing things down by double- and triple-checking things! No wonder Megatron picked Shockwave as his head scientist over you!"

"Shut up!" He scanned the results again. Finally he announced, "It's true! This rock's a treasure trove of Energon!"

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Not yet."

The other one rolled his optics. "What the...Not...yet? Now what's the delay?"

The scientist pushed away from his console and glared at his partner. "OK, genius, you tell me. Where should we land?"

He looked back with a blank stare. "Uh, well, first, thanks for acknowledging my brilliance! Um…" He tapped a digit on his chin and looked at a map of the planet on the overhead display. Finally, with a triumphant voice, he announced: "Here!"

The scientist chuckled. "Riiight," he said mockingly. "Let's go and land...IN THE FREAKING OCEAN!"

"Well...maybe there's Energon...at the bottom?"

"Good idea...NOT!" Calming himself back down, he continued slowly, "If you let me study the scans, I will find the best landing site - on solid ground! That sound good to you?"

"Alright, alright, fine. Just...don't take so damned long!" And walked to another area of the ship.


Sometime later, after studying the planet's charts and comparing them to additional scan readouts, he decided on a landing site in the northern hemisphere. Descending down below the clouds, the two spotted a wide open field just beside a thick jungle. Landing near the edge, they got out of the ship and the scientist checked his portable sensor.

"Alright, where's the best vein located?" His companion asked.

"The topographical display shows a nearby cave, not far inside this jungle."

"Makes sense it'd be in a cave. Let's go!"

Working their way through the thick brush, their audio receptors suddenly picked up motion in the distance. "Local organic life. Won't be hard to deal with," said the scientist.

"Good. I need some target practice," said the impatient one, taking out his blaster.

Stepping through the bush, they suddenly came upon...a trail?

"What is this? Sentient life forms? Who's on this planet?"

"Oh, for cryin'...you're not gonna waste time studyin' this now, are you?"

Suddenly, the scientist was hit with powerful stings on his shoulder! He dropped his portable sensor and fell to his knees in agony!

"I'm hit! Damn, that hurt!"

A buzzing voice came from somewhere in the heavy growth. "Intruuderrrrzzzzzz!"

The other Decepticon fired his blaster in the direction of the voice. "Take that!" But all he heard for his efforts was a loud, low droning sound that started to ascend up, until it could be heard above the trees, circling the two of them, like a huge flying creature. Then came a voice, mocking them. "Sssstupid retro rats! How slowly he fires hizzz weaponsss! You think you can hit Wassspinnatorrr? You DARE to attack meeee? I killl youuu!"

Terrified, the Decepticon began firing wildly in all directions, but failed to make any hits on this hidden, circling tormentor.

It gave out a raspy, mocking laugh. "Timezz up! You failll! My turn!" And this time the other one was likewise hit with a painful sting! Falling to his knees, he grabbed his shoulder.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I told youuuu. I am Wassspinnatorrr!" And the robotic wasp landed in front of the two of them and transformed into bipedal mode. He towered above the Decepticons, a green and yellow wasp-bot with purple wings.

Recovering from his wound, he got back up. "You think I'll go without a fight?"

"Ooh! Blue bot wanna fight? Good!" And Waspinator let loose with a powerful right upper-cut, that sent the Decepticon...nowhere! His fist swung at thin air!

"Whaa…?" Waspinator turned around to look, and suddenly got a fistful between the optics, sending him backwards to the ground!

"That's for you, ugly!"

"Oww! So! Big blue bot's got skilllzz - can disappear?"

"Yeah! Wanna try to hit me again...tunnel drone?" He taunted Waspinator to keep him distracted, after glancing over at his partner, who had taken out his blaster and was getting ready to shoot the insect bot in the back.

"Wasspinnator not just have stingzz! Wasspinnator got moves! Get ready, blue bot!"

"Go recycle yourself!" He gestured with his servos, "I ain't movin! C'mon, give me your best shot...green pigbot!"

"That's it, you," thought the scientist, "I'll study your body in my lab, as he readied his blaster, when suddenly, a webbing shot down from above and grabbed his arm, pulling it up. "What the…?" He looked up, only to get another shot of webbing right in his face, blinding him.

"Huh?" Said the other, who received the same shot in his face. "Unghhhh! What is this stuff?" He yelled, trying to pull it off.

"Haaaaaa!" Yelled Waspinator, landing a punch right in his gut, "can't disappear now, can yoooou?" His opponent flew backwards, slamming into a tree.

"My, you're a big one," said a sultry female voice descending from high above. "Good, powerful arms; like your chest, too!"

Waspinator picked the scientist up and threw him against another tree, when, still blinded by the webbing, both bots heard rapid whirls as they got tightly pinned with strong threads from shoulder to pedes.

"Now, innndruuderzz, you die!" said Waspinator.

"Waspinator, sweetie? I think you've had enough fun with our guests," said the female voice. "Let's not get rid of them just yet, mmkay? Especially this big one - I like the cut of his jib!" She said in a wily female giggle. They both struggled, but were unable to break out of the strong, silky threads.

Coming up closer, she ripped off the webbing from the big blue one's face. He shook his head and saw the other occupant of this planet for the first time - an Autobot-sized, blue, black, and golden spider! She then transformed into a fembot with the same coloration and an insectoid abdomen in the back. She wore a helmet, and coming up from behind her shoulder blades, facing forward, were two large stingers.

He stared at her in utter confusion. "Airachnid?"

"Who?" asked the spider bot. She went over to the scientist and removed the webbing from his face as well. He stared at her in utter confusion. She returned to the big one.

"I thought you were Airachnid," said the first bot.

"No idea who that is, big boy," she responded in a sultry voice, stroking the back of her digits on his cheek. He jerked his helm away. "Hey!" she laughed at his rejection of her advances, "It's been a while! So who's this Airachnid?"

"Another spider bot. I thought you were she."

"Another spider bot! Well! Nice to know I have a sister around these parts. But sorry to disappoint you. Name's Blackarachnia. Now, tell me. Who are you two, and what are you doing here?"

"My name's Skywarp. We're Decepticons - like you, I see. And your partner over there," he said, noticing Waspinator's insignia.

"That's right," she responded. "And who's your buddy?"

"Thundercracker," he replied.

"What brings you to these parts?" she asked.

"We were sent on a scouting mission by Megatron to find planets with Energon deposits," Thundercracker replied. "Been out here in this remote sector of the galaxy for 10 solar cycles now. Not the most exciting mission. There's a lot more interesting things I can be doing, that's for damn sure."

"Oh? Do tell!" She crossed her arms and cocked her head.

"He's a scientist, with dreams of being Megatron's head geek, but Shockwave got the job instead," sneered Skywarp.

"Shut up, you!" Spat Thundercracker.

"Hey, it's true! You probably would have gotten the job if you weren't such a damned slug at getting things done!"

"Boys! Boys!" scolded Blackarachnia, "Behave, or I'll leave you here. My webbing doesn't wear out."

Thundercracker sighed. "Anyway, my scans finally indicated this planet's literally oozing Energon."

"That it is!" she replied.

"So? What's the story with you and junior over there?" He asked, looking at the wasp bot.

Blackarachnia chuckled. "Waspinator was an Autobot unjustly convicted of a crime he didn't commit. I...helped him out." She casually waved her sharply-digited servo in his direction.

"Him? An Autobot wasp?" The scientist looked incredulous.

"Hey, a Decepticon spider?" She shot back.

"Fair enough. So, I guess you two are, what, Technorganics?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"How'd you wind up here?"

"Oh! Uh." She thought about how to explain.

"Blackarachnia blew us up!" yelled Waspinator.

"Now, now, I didn't blow us up. I shielded both of us with my webbing!" She spat back at Waspinator. Turning back to Thundercracker, she continued, "My lab had a bit of a...malfunction."

"Lab? So you're a scientist."

"Oh yes! I did my best to build one here, but parts are very hard to come by. I was able to fashion an Energon processing factory. It's what's kept Waspinator and me alive all this time."

"So, where's your blown-up lab?"

"Back on Earth. When we got into my webbing, we were protected from the explosion, but then we got transported here - wherever 'here' is. I studied the star charts, but I don't recognize these constellations."

"That's because you're in an uncharted region of the galaxy," he explained. "That little blast of yours threw you millions of light years away from Earth."

"Hmm. Interesting! The blast may have created a temporary worm hole. I'll have to work on that. So, where's Megatron?"

"Back on the Nemesis."

"Well, good," and she ripped the webbing off of the two. "You wouldn't mind taking my friend and me to him, would you? We've been marooned on this planet way too long."

"How about showing us the Energon vein first?" said Skywarp.

"Oh, that," she laughed. "There's plenty here. Follow me." And she led the Decepticons, with Waspinator in tow, to the cave where her Energon-processing factory was located. "The vein's back here," she said, and took them to the largest one.

Thundercracker took out his portable device. It registered Energon levels off the charts. "Nice! Let me do some analysis."

Skywarp groaned. "Dammit! Here we go again!" He turned to Blackarachnia. "You wanna know why he never got the top scientist job? He's always takin' his time, analyizin' and studyin', and…"

Blackarachnia put a servo over his mouth and spoke soothingly. "It's OK, sweetie," she smiled, "let the nice scientist bot do his work. I have an idea! Why don't you let Waspinator show you some of the local organic life? You two can go get in some target practice." She turned to her green partner. "Wasp, dearie? Show Skywarp your hobby, m'kay?"

Waspinator's optics lit up! He motioned to Skywarp. "Come! Come! We go shooting!" And they left the cave. Blackarachnia turned to Thundercracker. "I see you have similar problems with impatient partners," she chuckled. "Now, follow me; my lab is down here." And she brought him further into the cave.


Alright, gather up your things, and let's head on back to the Nemesis," said Thundercracker. And with sufficient Energon supplies, the four boarded the Decepticon ship for a triumphant return trip.


Reporting back, Thundercracker and Skywarp brought Blackarachnia and Waspinator to the Throne Room door.

"Wait here, and he'll call for you," Thundercracker said.

"So, what news do you have for me?" asked the Decepticon leader.

"Lord Megatron, we've uncovered huge Energon deposits on a distant planet. But that's not all. We also found two Decepticons marooned there!"

"Marooned in that system? My lord, I don't recall ever sending anyone there," said Starscream.

"Nor I, Starscream. Bring them forward." And the two TFA Decepticons entered. Blackarachnia was in for a shock!

"Lord Megatron?" She asked.

"That is correct. However, I don't recall ever meeting you before. What is your name?"

"Blackarachnia. And forgive me, my lord, but the Megatron I know is very different."

"Oh?"

"My companion and I were involved in a transwarp energy explosion. I was able to wrap ourselves in my webbing, but the explosion took us away from my laboratory on Earth to that distant planet where Thundercracker and Skywarp found us. I suspect that the explosion created a temporary transwarp wormhole."

"Interesting. Shockwave, have you any thoughts about this?"

"It is very possible, my lord. Transwarp energy has the capability of creating a temporary space bridge."

"I could have told you that, Megatron," griped Thundercracker to himself.

"But that leaves this question of another Megatron. Tell me, Blackarachnia, you said your laboratory was on Earth. Yet I am the only Decepticon leader near this blue organic planet. How can that be?"

"If I may, my liege," said Shockwave. "I recall the Technorganic Sari indicating that she was from an alternate dimension."

"Wait! Sari? I know a Sari!" said Blackarachnia. "She was this little brat that had an AllSpark key and hung around the Autobots!"

"Is that so? Soundwave, show Blackarachnia a picture of this Sari that we know," commanded Megatron, "her human half." And the Intelligence Officer displayed a picture of her in "human" mode.

She stared at the image and her optics opened wide. "That's her!" She pointed. "Only older now. I'd recognize those stupid red pigtails anywhere." She turned back to the Decepticon leader with a quizzical look. "She's a Technorganic?"

"A very meddlesome one," he responded, then stroked his chin in thought.

"So it may be true!" he continued. "Your transwarp explosion didn't just carry you far from Earth, it carried you into an alternate dimension - ours!"

"Blackarachnia, you speak of having a laboratory. Are you a scientist?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Hmm. Perhaps you and Shockwave can work on studying this transwarp wormhole. I would be interested in finding out if one could be artificially created."

"Lord Megatron, if I may," said Shockwave, "I have completed my work on the Technorganics, and am nearing completion of the Predacons. Logic dictates that my attention would be best devoted to hatching them first."

"Ah, good point, Shockwave. Thundercracker!"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Since you have returned, and have succeeded in locating that planet as well as bringing us these two new Decepticons, perhaps you can work with Blackarachnia."

His optics lit up! "At once, my liege!"

"And who is this other bot? What is your name?" Megatron asked.

"I am Wassspinatorrr, Lord Megatron!"

"Interesting. Can you fight?"

"Yesss, my liege! I fight! I fight good!"

"He is an excellent warrior with good battle mods, my lord; Waspinator gave me a run for my money on that planet," said Skywarp.

"Excellent! Skywarp! Work with our new member; he may prove to be a valuable asset in our future plans."

"Yes, lord Megatron." And the four left the throne room.

"Future plans?" Blackarachnia asked Thundercracker.

"Beats me. I just got back after 10 solar cycles. We'll find out soon enough."


"Optimus Prime, I hope you have good tidings." the voice of the President sounded through the comm vid. He and the JCS were talking with him through a secure link.

"Unfortunately, Mr. President, that is not the case. The Skystrikers have retrieved Decepticon intelligence that only confirms my theory." Prime's grave response made all the humans nervous. He had previously alerted them of his suspicions about a possible Decepticon all-out attack.

"What is this Intel?" General Rogers inquired.

"It mostly concerns the 5 new Technorganics - known as TechnoCons - that have joined the Decepticon ranks. They were originally five troubled Human children that the Decepticons deemed as potential recruits. Special Agent Fowler sent you their dossiers."

Indeed, they had read the information about Frank and the others. It was slightly disturbing to know that some of their own, especially such young ones, could so readily turn against their kind.

"As we learned from our...experience with the Decepticon Kālī," General Bryce commented. "the only thing that can stop a Technorganic, barring a nuke, is another Technorganic. But the Skystrikers have only two."

"While that is true, General, the Skystrikers have something the Decepticons lack, and that is a Technorganic who is a full Cyber-Ninja," said Optimus. "None of the Decepticon Technorganics can match her powers or her skills. In addition, she is training the other Technorganic in the Cyber-Ninja arts, and he shows great promise."

"Is it your opinion that two Technorganic Cyber-Ninjas - one in training - can take on five Decepticon Technorganics?" the General asked skeptically.

"Perhaps, but there are other reinforcements that I can call on. I have met with my counterpart from the other dimension. He is bringing Autobot warriors to assist us, including Autobot Cyber-Ninjas."

"Nonetheless, there is more than just the TechnoCons for which we must gird ourselves. Besides the confirmation that Shockwave is spawning more Predacons, the Skystrikers retrieved another piece of information. Just one sentence: 'Awaken the Sleepers'."

"The Sleepers?" the President quirked an eyebrow for explanation.

"During the time that Megatron was in a comatose state, his Commander Starscream attempted to gather one Decepticon warrior to his side. The warrior's name was Skyquake, and eons ago, he had been sent to Earth in stasis. But he was not the only one. Megatron had ordered a handful of his most loyal soldiers to be dispatched to your planet to guard its Energon deposits. I hypothesize that Megatron now intends to awaken these sleeping warriors for the coming battle. Unfortunately, no information about the location of these slumbering soldiers was found."

"So we can't make a preemptive maneuver." General Rogers groaned. "Until the Decepticons make their move, all we can do is wait. Can't the Skystrikers make another attempt to hack into the Decepticon's battle plans?"

"Even if such an attempt was possible, Megatron likely is keeping the battle schedule away from any means that can be spied on. He is well aware that on several previous occasions we have infiltrated his warship. With so much at stake, the Decepticons will make sure that nothing is left to chance. All I advise is that we do the same." Optimus spoke heavily. He had practically just told them that thousands if not millions of people will die in a future attack and they could only prepare for it, not avoid it.


"Awaken warrior, and serve your Lord and Master." Megatron bellowed as the light touched the chassis of the awakening Decepticon. When the stasis vault was completely opened, a lone red optic peeked into the light. This warrior was enormous, with big arms and simple but huge fists. The Cyclops flier immediately bowed down to the imposing figure of the Decepticon leader.

"Almighty Lord Megatron, I live to serve you!" Lugnut worshipped. "Life, strength and victory to you and your immortal name, Master!"

The first of The Sleepers has been awakened! War is imminent!

Again, another cooperative effort with TheSealer!

(and thanks to saberstorm for finding a plot hole with Blackarachnia! [she never knew that Sari was a Technorganic; I've since fixed that in the story])

Thanks for reading. Please review.