Author's Note:Okay I feel like I have to say something. I've been bouncing the idea for the events in the last chapter (Megatron's actions) for a long time. I got some thumbs ups and some thumbs down for it and even one fairly nasty flame which has since then been deleted. I'm sorry if Rampage fans thought it was the worst death in the world and all that, but the fact is, this wasn't at all about Rampage. It was always about Megatron and him demonstrating just how powerful he is. He's been this way since the Technorganic War, relying more and more on himself rather than individuals. This will never be a story like BW with a bunch of Predacons running around. Megatron will be the one and only because a) Optimus is not likely to bring anyone back and b) Megatron himself believes he needs no one else. Sorry for the ramble but I needed to get that off my chest. That being said, enjoy and please review this chapter!
Chapter 4
City
It would be hard for any human to understand just what Optimus felt when he first laid eyes on the great city of the Autobots. He could not quite find a correct human lost city to compare it to. He was certain the humans equally marveled at their own creations, but it was not a metropolis of ancient civilizations or a great temple to gods long dismissed as myth. Put simply, Autobot City was a military fortress.
Built after the destruction of the Ark sometime early in the twenty-first century, it was considered the Autobots' new base of operations on Earth. The city stood on top Lookout Mountain right where the Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee state borders met. It was large even by Autobot standards, but to the human-sized Maximals it looked simply enormous. Even the ever cynical Depth Charge gave a low whistle, impressed.
"I wonder if Teletraan II is still online," Blackarachnia, ever the historian, rattled off some of the technical specs of the colossal structure. "It's not all here. Metroplex is gone; Probably taken back to the Cybertron of this time frame. But the rest of the city looks functional and probably the most impregnable place on the planet. It once withstood full scale Decepticon siege."
"Let's not distort history," Megatron pointed out more than a little smugly. "It barely lasted a day, over 75% of the population at the time was decimated, and Optimus Prime himself fell in the end. So not quite as impregnable as you claim."
Optimus sighed. He really wished the Predacon would stop baiting everyone around. If his fellow Maximals thought he wanted to bring Megatron along, they were terribly sourly mistaken. Aside from being a threat to the universe as they knew it, the Predacon was also the source of every single migraine Primal suffered upon their return to Earth. Unfortunately what he had told them was also true; he could not simply leave him behind, not with the fate of the Matrix and all the sparks within it at stake.
It was difficult to explain, and he had been surprised to learn that the humans had grasped part of the story before he had a chance to attempt to tell it. The Vok were not after Earth at all. Earth was just a stepping stone, but aliens had apparently set their sights on the dimension Cybertronians knew as the Matrix, the repository of all sparks before and after life. Sparks, being the purest form of a type energy in scientific terms, were of great interest to the Vok who were made of energy themselves.
He had been the guardian of the gates for what felt like an eternity – no matter how his team perceived the passage of time – and Optimus could not loose a single spark within it. He had to make sure the Vok never made it out of their own plane of existence. But he could also not simply leave Megatron, who posed just as great a danger to the sparks as the aliens, behind. Better to have his nemesis where he could keep an eye on him, at the expense of a headache or two and even the scorn of his entire team.
His former protoge had accused him of caring more for the dead than the living, and that opinion was only solidified by the revelation that it was the Matrix that was at stake. But Optimus was wiser now. He understood that to extinguish any spark within the Matrix was worse than death; it was a nothingness, what Megatron had recently sentenced Rampage to. Optimus was still chilled by the memory of the sight. If it meant being hated by all those he cherished, he would accept that no matter how much it saddened him, though Optimus was revealed to see that some were beginning to thaw.
Cheetor will be the most difficult, he reflected, casting a side long glance at the tall young man who was craning his neck to get a better look at the battlements of the city. I'll have to talk to him alone. Later.
"So..." Nightscream was standing between Blackarachnia and Silverbolt, probably more in awe than most having never seen the slumbering Autobots or the Ark itself in the Beast Wars. "It's ours? We can just... move in? That's it?"
"That's it," Cheetor confirmed.
"How'd you talk those S7 guys into this?"
"Spots can be very persuasive when pissed off," Rattrap commented.
That was very true. After having a glance at the files taken from the Boston office, the realization that the humans had withheld vital information from them dawned on all the Maximals. Apparently human scientists had been collecting energy readings from all the known alien sights around the world. Reading that confirmed what Optimus claimed; that Earth was merely a stepping stone to the ultimate goal of the matrix, a point to bounce off from. But whether or not the humans understood their findings – they claimed that they did not, of course – the fact that they withheld something this vital was enough to make the Maximals forget their anger towards their newly revived leader.
"This is what's going to happen," Cheetor was right up in Banachek's face. "You're going to clear Autobot City of all human presence. You're going to share everything you know or find out from now on, and you're not going to undermine our work! Anything less, and we're going to turn around, go back to Cybertron, and let Earth fry under whatever discharge that alien web generates when they turn it on."
Optimus had tried not to wince at this. Despite his enormous growth, 'diplomacy' was a word still entirely foreign to Cheetor's vocabulary. Half the threats may have been empty ones, but the humans did not know this. On the other hand, Dinobot and Depth Charge, who thus far eyed Cheetor somewhat dubiously, had both expressed great approval at this.
And now here they were, in front of history itself. There were many gates leading inside but, at the moment they stood on the opposite end of a river that surrounded half the city like the moat of some ancient castle. It was very much like the first time they had seen the Ark back in the Beast Wars, only now Optimus was grateful that despite Megatron's presence, the Predacon would not be able to use this former Autobot base to alter tie in any way. That did not mean that there was nothing within the city he could use against them at all if Megatron was inclined to do so, which he usually was. Optimus knew he would have to watch him very carefully, but as the old saying went, one kept his friends close and enemies even closer.
They began to make their way across the long bridge which was wide enough for a Cybertronian as large as Ultra Magnus to make full U-turns in vehicle mode. For the nine of them in human shape, it was easily a five minute walk to the entrance to the golden city. The doorway had been opened in preparation for their arrival, but two sentinels still guarded it.
The larger than life size statues of Optimus and Rodimus Prime stood on either side of the massive gate, silent and ever-vigilante. Primal allowed himself a moment to walk to the homage to his ancestor on the right and place his warm palm against the cool metal at the foot of the statue and simply stood there in silence. If he had glanced over his shoulder, he would have seen Cheetor wander over to the image of Rodimus and looked up at it admiringly.
Neither may have noticed the other, but their companions had not missed it. Rattrap jabbed Dinobot and nodded in the direction of the sentinels just as Blackarachnia pointed it out to Silverbolt and Nightscream. Most everyone stopped for a moment to watch as the present reacquainted itself with the past. Finally Optimus turned.
"Well," he said with a fair amount of enthusiasm, "let's take a look, shall we?"
* * * * * * * * * *
Rattrap was as used to being a fairly small transformer but at least in this case he was not alone. It was impossible not to feel small when most of the doorways – all but those belonging to the human quarters that made up a tiny fraction of the city - were around thirty feet tall. He did not mind too much though; the whole city brought back a great deal of nostalgia. It might have been ancient, but it was still a little peace of Cybertron in Earth.
He explored it with caution. The Autobots and humans may have been gone, but it did not mean that a wrong step or an accidentally pressed button or pulled lever would lead to the walls coming together to crush him in a nice gooey mess of technorganic mush. In that respect, the most interesting place in the whole city to him was probably also the most dangerous. More dangerous than the armory or the room with the great canon that could take out targets miles away both on the ground and in the air.
Wheeljack's machine shop.
His mouth was slightly agape as he walked around the room which was actually relatively small by Autobot standards but still looked enormous to Rattrap. Equipment that had been abandoned years ago, possibly as long ago as the Battle for Autobot City back in 2005, still lay scattered on the ground and on the tall table. The fun he could have with this...
A slightly morose thought came to him then; Rhinox would have loved this place. Not that he doubted that he and Blackarachnia could figure out how to adapt the Autobot technology to suit their purposes – according to her there would be a need for it soon –, but all this reminded him just how much he missed his old friend. But turning to walk out, he almost literally bumped into another old friend, this one very much alive... recently.
"I shall remember this place," Dinobot surveyed the room with obvious contempt on his angular features, "in order to avoid it in the future. The resemblance to your rat's nest back on the Axalon is striking."
"Still smelled better dan yours," he shot back, but the banter was uplifting. "Ain't like we're stayin' here." The raptor have him an annoyed quizzical look. "Hey, 'side from the monkey's... err... 'optimal' form, none of us were ever thirty feet tall. We're workin' here, but we're stayin' at some of the places the humans who worked here used."
"Wonderful," the former Predacon wrinkled his nose. "They smell worse than you."
* * * * * * * * * *
On the other side of the city was something akin to an enormous balcony that overlooked the valley bellow. Somehow Silverbolt found himself wandering over to it despite the fact that he still had not seen most of the city, but the cool high mountain air outside was refreshing so he did not mind. He did find it a little odd that there was almost nothing in the way of railing to keep one from falling off the edge or that it extended so far out almost like a runway.
"Nice place," Silverbolt turned at Blackarachnia's voice and saw his mate standing in the doorway "This must have been the Aerialbots' hangar."
"How can you tell?"
She jabbed her thumb up at a wall behind her, and Silverbolt had to crane his neck slightly to see the the graffiti high up on the side of the city. In blocky smudged letters were the words:
"Eat my exhausted fumes, Seecers!" ~~Slingshot
Under it, in a different hand, was written:
"That's 'Seekers', moron," ~~Air Raid & Fireflight
This was followed by:
"Clean this up before Silverbolt or one of the Primes sees it," ~~Skydive
And the last inscription on the bottom read:
"I don't know. I kind of agree with Slingshot," ~~R. P.
It took him a second to realize that R. P. stood for Rodimus Prime, and Silverbolt had to chuckle. "Cheetor's kindred spark?"
"Apparently. This is all probably from just before the city was abandoned," she smiled but then her expression turned serious. "Do you still have General Barnett's contact information?"
"Yes," he was slightly confused by the abrupt change in topic. "Why?"
"Because I have a feeling we might need him and his planes. Nightscream and I found something that I think would work against the alien nodes. We'll run it by the team – whatever that means these days – when everyone's all settled," she gave a little non-committal shrug and linked her arm through his and turned them both so they looked out into the wilderness. "I guess ewe just try to relax a little till then. Enjoy the scenery."
* * * * * * * * * *
There was a time, back in the beginning of the Beast Wars, when Cheetor was sure he kept trying to outdo his own stupidity with each new stunt he pulled. Sure, he had an inferiority complex – what kid doesn't? – but it was like he was purposefully trying to show Optimus that he was not useless by getting himself into more and more trouble every time.
It was sort of how he was starting to feel again – directionless, overwhelmed. The urge to run came over him, but he held back, in part because his leg was still bothering him a little, in part because as big as Autobot City was there were too many twists and turns to really pick up speed. There was also the fact that until Blackarachnia and Rattrap got the security to recognize them, it really was not safe. Traps that were meant to guard against Decepticons would make short work of him.
He did, however, decide to go for a long solo walk around the city to both familiarize himself with the former Autobot base and to clear his head. After what they learned, what Optimus had told them, much of the raw anger had dissipated, but he could not seem to shake the confusion and sadness. It was not that he did not understand. He did, but logic and emotions were two things that just did not mix well.
The walk did help a little Cheetor let his hand absently slide along the cool metal walls, almost imagining that he was in a labyrinth and touch was helping him to remember the way back. It was not far from the truth considering the size and complexity of the city. Still it brought to him a sense of wonder similar to when he had first seen the Ark. Much in the same way the aliens were a frightening unknown, seeing their Autobot history in person was exciting.
Maybe he should have kept his mind on the fact that the city could still be dangerous. Cheetor did not know if his fingers slipped over something or if he had accidentally triggered a laser sensor as he walked. He gasped as suddenly the floor seemed to disappear from under him as a trap door opened and threatened to swallow him whole. He had just enough time to grab onto a piece of metal plating that had come slightly undone within the walls of the long shaft. Somehow managing to cling to the almost completely smooth metal, Cheetor once again had a deja vu of his early and very eventful years when each stunt overshadowed the previous. Had he not done this whole near-death falling thing just a few days ago?
"Cheetor!"
More deja vu.
He looked up when Optimus' worried face came into view on the backdrop of the overhead lights. The older man instantly assessed the situation and leaned over, extending his hand down to him.
"Grab on!"
Not needing to be told twice, Cheetor swung his free hand up to grasp Optimus' forearm and scrambled up the side, letting the other man assist him against the insistent pull of gravity. The second he was all the way out, the trap door shut, instantly becoming one with the rest of the floor tiles once again. Cheetor let out a deep breath that he did not realize he had been holding. What a week, he though.
"Thanks," it was the first time he had spoken to his mentor without belligerence in his tone since the other had returned from the dead.
Optimus nodded, his lips pressed in a thin smile that one might offer to diffuse an awkward situation. Not that it did much good because the long silence that spread between them was still uncomfortable. At least Cheetor was not trying to run away this time, though Optimus quickly realized that if there was any resolution to be made, it would have to begin on his end.
"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I know it doesn't begin to make you feel better, but I am sorry for the way things have to be."
"Do they have to be like this?"
No animosity again. He just sounded tired, a state so constant lately that he was starting to become used to it.
"You know they do, Cheetor. You know I couldn't just leave him there. If I did, we wouldn't even have to worry about the Vok because, unchecked, Megatron would be the greater threat to the Matrix in that position."
Cheetor threw back his head and ran a hand through his golden curls with a sigh. "I hate fighting with anyone I care about," he said, "especially you, Big Bot. But, to be honest, I'm having a hard time..." he search for the right words to express what he wanted to say. "I know every spark in the Matrix is precious, no less than the sparks here, but I can't... every time I see him, I don't think about the Matrix. All I see is what we went through on Cybertron in the Technorganic War, what each of us suffered. I mean... did you see the looks on Nightscream and Silverbolt's faces?"
He did not know if he was expressing his emotions clearly enough, but Optimus seemed to understand because he nodded quietly.
"Maybe it's a good thing we're not on Cybertron anymore," Cheetor could not quite believe he was saying this but once it was out, he knew it was true. "If I was ever expected to lead everyone, I don't think I could do it. I couldn't put even the entire planet before my friends. I know they're willing to die for Cybertron, but I don't think I'd be able to let them."
"I think you would," the older man said. "I hope you're never in a position when you have to make that choice, but you would do whatever was right in the end. You're doing very well, Cheetor. I couldn't be prouder of the man you've grown to be. Stay focused on the team, and let me worry about Megatron and the big picture."
And, as Cheetor realized, this was not entirely new. He had taken up more and more responsibility in the field in the second half of the Technorganic War while Optimus communed with the Oracle and tried to understand the grand design. They had argued but never lost that mutual respect. Cheetor may have felt sometimes that Optimus underestimated him, but he also knew that the Maximal commander was the first to see his growth and acknowledged it by giving him the second-in-command position.
"I'll question your decisions," the young man warned him.
"I'd expect nothing less," his mentor gave him a genuine smile.
Author's End Note: I've been mentioning Autobot City in at least half my side fics but now the move is finally complete! And Cheetor and Optimus are talking again! Yay! The graffiti bit came to me today when I was in my school's computer lab working on a research project. There kind of conversations people have on bathroom stalls in here is hilarious and the fact that it stays up there is even more funny. Though, in this case, I'm not sure what Skydive was thinking. I expect this sort of thing from everyone else – even Rodimus! - but not from him. Oh, well ^^
Speaking of side fics, I guess I should mention "Orphan of War" here, if you haven't read that one. Since we see so little of Nightscream in this, I guess we can count that one as the thing from his point of view because it could easily take place after this chapter.