This chapter is brought to you in part by, the city of Flint, Michigan. Where, "Double wide" can mean your crib & your date.
Heading Out The Back
Arno Island, 9:30 AM
The scene was calm & peaceful. The chirping of birds can be heard in the forest as the sound of the water moves across the sandy beach of the island. A true paradise that anyone would enjoy in their free time. However, the beauty is short lived with the sight of the large Thunderwing, flying just above the tree lines before crashing onto his back & taking down about several acres of bush before coming to a complete stop.
(Begin Soundtrack: Dream Theater – As I Am; start time – 1:14)
The individual Seacons charge at the strange new transformer, hoping they as a group may fair better as the Micromasters hold their own assault until they see how their Decepticon enemies will do against this being called, Fallen. Seawing & Tentakill make a rushing dash towards Fallen. He waves a hand in front of him that seemed to unleashed a wave of yellow lightning that surrounds then & causes them to fall the the ground, their bodies paralyzed from the foreign power.
Overbite changes to his shark form & charges to attack Fallen from behind as Skalor rushes him from the front & attempts to strike him with a right hook. Fallen grabs Skalor's outstretched arm & swings him around, colliding him into Overbite & sending them both into the waters next to them. Snaptrap draws his sword & swings for Fallen's head, only to be caught in his hand by the edge of the blade as he grasps Snaptrap by the throat.
"You have no idea what you are dealing with. And are becoming tiresome opponents for me."
The area is suddenly overwhelmed with a blinding flash of light & with the screams of Snaptrap. Thunderwing rises to his feet as he sees the Seacon fall to his knees before leaning back slightly. Smoke billowing from his joints. His eyes totally void of their usual glow. The door to the complex below opens, allowing the rest of the Micromasters rush out with weapons in hand. Fallen takes little notice of them as he scans the horizon to determine his own whereabouts before turning his attention to Edward.
"All of you are trapped in this dimension with only one way out. And, you wish to challenge me in this manner while refusing to see that you are in a losing battle... Not that it matters in the end. I have someone I want to payback for what happened in the past & finish what I started. In turn, we all want something... Isn't that right, Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric."
Ed's eyes widened when he spoke his name. A whole new sense of fear began to fill him from top to bottom. This thing knew his name, and if he were to return to his side of the Gate, his friend's & family's lives would be threatened & countless more. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his brother again, not after "literally" going through Hell & back to make things right. He removes his overcoat & flack jacket & hands them to Heave, who stood behind him. He clenches his fists as the fear began to switch to anger as his right arm changes to its cannon form. "So, you're from our dimension. What do you plan on doing once you get back?"
"Well, that you will have to see for yourself... Hmm, on second thought, you'll be too dead to see it. But, you get the point"
"Well then, that's all I needed to know." Ed raises his arm & fires a blast of energy that strikes the large transformer in the chest, but unlike the one Seacon, Fallen stood firm as though mocking his attempts. The Autobots sudden follow his lead & begin to unleash their own barrage at the one called, Fallen. Tread Bold changes to his stealth bomber form flies into the morning sky about half a mile above Fallen before dropping his payload of warheads. The ground almost begins to shake as the bombs detonate around Fallen's feet, but still he stands unwavering by explosions around him.
Thunderwing grabs the door to the complex & pulls it off its hinges & tearing its hydraulics apart. He turns his attention to Fallen who waved a hand out in front of the Micromasters, sending a force of energy that sent falling to the ground bound by yellow bands of electricity. Ed looked on in shock, all of their combined efforts & it didn't even slow him down. Thunderwing suddenly lunges towards Fallen, running above Edward. Nearly stepping on him by a matter of a few feet. "Hey, you almost stepped on me, you lug nut!"
Thunderwing ignored his remark as he swung the large door above him, looking to crush Fallen's head. As he brings the door down, Fallen throws his right fist into the center & leaving a deep indentation. He pulls the now, dented door from Thunderwing's grasp & fiercely tosses it aside just as the giant connects onto Fallen's face with his right fist, sending a forceful shock wave that tears across the sandy beach.
Fallen returns the gesture by ramming his left fist into Thunderwing's stomach. The brute force of the impact shook the ground once more, shattering it beneath the giant's feet & causing him to fall to one knee from the shot to his gut. He returns the blow with his left fist into Fallen's abdomen, lifting him off the ground as the force shatters the ground once again. Fallen reaches up to strike the giant's face with his right & connects, sending a shock wave of his own that makes its way across the sand. All the while, the expression on Ed's face told the story.
"Enough of this nonsense & pointless fighting. I'm going to show you, just what you are dealing with!"
Fallen slams his fist to the ground, creating an explosion of atomic magnitude, shattering the ground beneath Thunderwing's feet. Followed by a dome of light that carried the force of the explosion outward. Pushing the waters back as the blast vaporizes everything on the East side of the island. Ed, Heave & Barrage just make it back to the entrance of the complex, seeing the lights along the walls flicker as the ground shakes. Barrage draws his weapon & fires at the ceiling near the entrance way, causing it to collapse down, blocking the exit.
(End Soundtrack)
After a short moment, the ground had steadied as the lights continued to flicker. Heave called for the elevator, only to receive no response. Barrage forced the doors open & sees the cables were still intact. "Time to have some fun, Heave. C'mon." Barrage grabs one of the thick cables & begins to slide down to the bottom of the shaft. Heave handed Edward his jacket & overcoat, a sense of slight hysteria filled his core. Heave was never one for excitement or danger, but his comrades needed help. Ed put his jacket & overcoat on as Heave motioned for him to climb onto his back before leaping for the cables & following Barrage.
They reach the top of the elevator after a couple of moments of travel. Barrage opens the service hatch & jumps down into the darkened compartment. Heave & Edward follow shortly after as Barrage forces the doors open. Only to see the way leading to the control room was blocked by a large amount of debris & rubble. The only light in the hallway was emanated from Groundpounder & Neutro's headlights as they work feverishly to clear the way.
They see another that looked like a cement truck, standing by with his arms folded. "Takedown, what's the situation?" Barrage asked. "We got survivors on the other side & clearing this as fast as possible... What the name of, Primus happened up there?" He asked as a police car & ambulance pulls up before changing to their robot forms. "Stakeout, Fixit. Nice of you two, to join us finally."
"Sorry, we would've been here sooner. But the entire base is a mess... Iron Works & Erector don't really have too much faith in this place. They'll give it an hour before it finally comes down on us if we don't get out of here." Stakeout stated just as Groundpounder cleared a way to the double doors that lead to the control room. He changes to his robot form & forces the doors open, grinding the hydraulic motors to scrap.
They take note of the damaged computer stations & fallen ceiling tiles that littered the floor of the darkened room. Edward rushes in with Stakeout & Fixit, knowing the clock was ticking as they could hear the sound of steel creaking & the loud pops of rivets breaking free. "Edward!" He turns to face the voice behind him, only to be met with a pair of arms wrapping around his upper back & a pair of something that's warm & soft, press against his cheek along with the necklace tapping his forehead. He's glad for the fact that the room was somewhat dark, helping to hide his blushing as she held him tightly.
"I'm okay, really... I've been through worse." The statement was "weak" at best & did very little to comfort. Lust loosens her hold & places her hands on his shoulders. "Don't bullshit me, Edward. You're not that good of a liar." He could only give a heartfelt smile before Countdown approached him. "All of our monitors lost the signal from topside after a strange energy reading was detected... What happened?" Ed turned to face the Autobot leader & began to think about how to explain what he witnessed, when the sound of steel tearing began to echo through the complex.
"The superstructure of the complex has been compromised. We have to get out now!"Stakeout shouted as he helped Road Handler to his feet. "The elevator doesn't have any power... Let alone, the rest of the base." Barrage stated. "Not a problem. The control room doubles as an escape pod." Countdown opened a small control panel on his right forearm & presses a round red button that was labeled, "In case of imminent collapse, press this button." He follows the instructions & shortly after, the room began to vibrate.
Topside 9:50 AM
Nautilator witnesses two large doors open from the center of the island just before a diamond shaped pod flies out from the newly opened hole. It flies up for almost two hundred feet before the rocket engines suddenly shutdown, causing it to drop like a stone. A shadow overcasts the weary Decepticon as the look of pure dread fills if facial features. "Not again..." The scene goes dark after the pod crashes to the ground.
Several moments went by before Ed's eyes fluttered opened as he felt a warm breeze entered the damaged structure through a large opening that seem to have been made, perhaps from the crash. He attempted to move himself, but found that to be difficult due to Lust & Wrath being on top of him. He attempts to free himself just as the two homunculi began to regain their senses.
Wrath rolls to his side, off of his legs as Lust lifted herself off of Ed's chest before glancing at him & noticing the slight red on his cheeks. She gave a seductive smirk, knowing that he would've gotten a peek down the top of her dress. Whether intentional or not, she couldn't help but to slowly lean forward & whispered into his ear. Wrath sees Edward's jaw hang open slightly as his face grew redder before she pecked at his cheek.
Standing to her feet, she rubs the top of his head & flicking the small strand of hair that stuck up like an antenna off the top of his teasingly. She walks outside, careful not to trip on any debris as Wrath looks at Ed, who was still in somewhat of a daze before shaking his head in disgust. "So, are you in love yet, or what?" Ed looked at him in an oddly, pondering on the question himself. But he quickly put it to the back of his mind, knowing that this was not the time to ponder such a concept as he rose to his feet.
She walks outside with a look of astonishment at the damage that was done. Ed & Wrath soon follow to survey the area. To Edward's amazement, the Seacons were still present, but scattered around the beach. And yet, (surprisingly) still in one piece, for the most part. Countdown emerges from the wreckage of the escape pod & opens his right arm once again as he joins Ed & the others.
"This is Countdown, to any Autobots in the area. Please respond." An eerie silence overwhelms the airwaves, sending everyone's nerves on edge. "Thunderwing, respond... Astro Squad... Anyone! Dammit!" A worried look falls on everyone before Countdown took note of the pod's damage. Before they saw Nautilator free himself from the wreckage. Ed rolls his right sleeve & changes his forearm to its gun form as Countdown armed his arm mounted guns, ready for an impending fight.
Edward pushes Lust behind him, forgetting the fact that it takes a lot to kill her, but she welcomed the gesture as Wrath hid behind Countdown. Nautilator staggers to his feet, reading for a fight. But at that moment, Thunderwing rises out from the ocean, slightly hunched over as he makes his way to the beach. Once there, he falls to one knee out of exhaustion & catching himself with an extended arm to maintain his balance. Also causing Nautilator to fall onto his rear-end from the shock of the monster hitting the ground. Countdown lowered his weapons, but Edward was being a little more cautious about the situation.
Ed looked him over, noticing the badly cracked & burned armor. His engines were powered down, possibly flooded from the water, which was spilling out from the cracks alone with a mixture of other fluids. "You look like hell. Are you alright?" The giant looked down at everyone before giving himself a quick glance at his own condition before giving a weary reply. "I need a vacation."
Countdown turned his attention back to Nautilator, who was still sitting quietly to himself, contemplating his options. "If you are looking for a fight, you will be on the losing side of the battle." Nautilator glanced at the monster that was still kneeling & now holding his abdomen as the cracks in his armor slowly began to repair themselves. All the while, hearing a low growl coming from the pit of his throat. Causing the Decepticon to cower from retaliating.
"Judging by your reaction, you seem to be a little more, submissive. Do you wish to answer my questions? Or, do you want to answer to our large friend?" Countdown asked, pointing to Thunderwing, who rose to his feet & clenched his fists. Cracking his metal knuckles as they drew inward & all Nautilator could envision, was himself being torn limb from limb. "W-What do you want to know?" He asked nervously. "Why are you here, and were are my comrades?" Nautilator only grinned with a sense of bravado, now feeling embolden by his new self-worth.
"In answer to your second question. I don't know... All I saw, were these four bots that started pickin' them up before disappearing with them. And they don't work for us, either. They didn't bare a badge like you or me." They looked at him oddly, curious about the whole story. Ed's right arm changes back to normal as the next question that he & everyone else most likely thought of asking came to mind "What did they look like? Besides the lack of emblems."
"They were all big... Built for death. One had a large cannon on his right arm, like Megatron & just as scary." Thunderwing's attention suddenly perked at the description of one of the kidnappers. "Galvatron, here? Where or how did he get here? And why the Micromasters? What are they planning now?" He thought, noticing the other Seacons were beginning to stir. "I have one question that I want an answer to..." Thunderwing said firmly. "Who the fuck is, Fallen?!" Nautilator just shrugged his shoulders as Countdown noticeably just looked disturbed by the name. As thought, it were a swear word.
Edward walked in front of him & stared up to meet his blue optics. "Well? You heard him. Answer his question." He said firmly. He turns his attention to the Decepticon, angry at the fact that there are no answers, just more questions. "What about you?" Again, Nautilator just shrugged. "Don't know... I don't believe in old fairy tales & superstitions." Ed ran his hands through his thick bangs in frustration. "Okay, what about the other four then? Any names that you can recall?" He asked.
"Yeah, a couple... One was called, Cyclonus. And another was, Grindcore." Countdown placed a hand to his chin in curiosity, questioning the names to his current knowledge files. His train of thought was interrupted by Lust, knocking on his chest plate, attempting to gain his attention. "Are you going to explain to us about this 'Fallen' character or are we going to have to force the issue?" She asked angrily, extending her fingernails.
Countdown felt very intimidated by everyone around him. However, the human saying, "Hell hath no fury, like a woman's scorn." suddenly came to mind, knowing that the woman before him, has the reputation of upholding such a threat. "Um, well... Our cultures are not so indifferent. We have what you call, 'spiritual beliefs'. At least some of us do... But many have moved away from that, saying it's just stories... Anyway, Fallen is supposedly to be one of the original thirteen Cybertronians under the mythic, Primus. The being that created Cybertron & its inhabitants... But, the one known as Fallen, had betrayed his creator by siding with the 'evil' known as Unicron. And so, was cast away into the Infernos."
Edward places his hands into his pants pockets, thinking this story is all to similar to man's biblical upbringing before Countdown continued. "Several millennia ago, there were some vague records on the sudden appearance of Fallen from when both Megatron & Optimus Prime disappeared & were presumed dead... Rumors flew about how he was locked away in the core of Cybertron."
"And now, he's free." Ed stated, folding his arms. "So, where could he be going? He added. "The one place that would have a back door out of this world... Scorponok's base of operations." Countdown stated, looking down at Edward. "Which is where?" The giant asked in a booming tone. Countdown looked up, unable to help but feel a slight sense of anxiety. "Roswell, New Mexico."
Home of the Deputy Director for the N.S.A., 3:00 AM
The phone rings on the nightstand in the dead of night. He flicks the light switch on the bottom of the lamp near the phone & sleepily looks at the Caller ID & recognizes the number. "Yes, sir... Is there a problem?"
"We now have a change of plans."
"How so?"
"I've lost contact with, Banzai-tron & his crew. They were in the process of bringing me the new inmates from Garrus-9 & have yet to report back. This I now fear the worst... On top of which, we have a new visitor. And he just made short work of the Seacons & Thunderwing."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'm not going to take such an act like this so... Wait..."
"Sir?"
"There's an intruder in the complex... Yes, it's the one that attacked Thunderwing & the Seacons... The Combaticons & Micromasters are engaging the entity."
"Sir, maybe it would be prudent if you left. Escape back to the other side."
"Perhaps you are right... Continue on with the plan as laid out..."
"Yes, sir. Within a short time, the network will be on-line... Now go, quickly."
The line goes quiet before he hangs up the phone. He worries for his leader's safety & well being but, he knows that now is not the time. There is work that is needed to be done in order for his success. He reaches for his cell phone & calls an all too familiar number to a research laboratory deep with in Area 51.
"It's me. You better release the virus now. Things have begun to escalate..."
Roswell, New Mexico. (30 minutes after the initial call.)
Ten miles to the Northwest of the city, Thunderwing changes from his jet form before landing hard onto the desert floor & skidding across, tearing the ground as though riding a surfboard & stopping just short of the entrance-way to the complex below, which was strangely left wide open. The giant folds his wings as he makes his way inside, appreciating the fact that the tunnel was designed for large combiner transformers.
He can feel the temperature begin to increase as he traveled deeper within the compound as his crew inside the cockpit witnessed what he sees on their respected monitors. Edward & Lust shared the center seat while Wrath finally got to sit up front as Countdown sat in the back. The seating arrangement was somewhat "awkward" at best, it was uncomfortable as well. Mainly due to the fact, the cockpit is now facing the ground. Although, things could be worse. They could roast to death outside. Especially, when it's 300 degrees Celsius. (572 Fahrenheit.)
As Thunderwing turned a corner, seeming to follow the burn marks across the ceiling, he spots the five Combaticons that littered the floor. Not taking note of the presents of the giant that stood over them. His nerves stood on edge as thought the feeling of death seemed to echo through these quiet halls. Countdown was having a difficult time understanding the data he was receiving from outside. "This is very strange... There are no other life readings except for what is in front of us..."
"It's as though, the base has been abandoned." Lust stated. "I don't think so... I'm detecting a dimensional anomaly... As though, something that was here & yet, not meant to be here..." Countdown retorted. "You mean, something like the dead returning to the living world, right?" Ed asked, surprising Countdown, along with everyone else. "That is one way of putting it, yes... Very good, Edward."
Thunderwing steps across the small pile of inactive bodies before stepping into a large room with a "Stargate" like portal that sat in the back of the room only many, many times larger. It appeared to be undamaged from the control console to the device itself. "This is it... Our ticket home. But, what about those guys out in the hallway?" The giant asked as he looked back. "They should be up & around in about an hour or so... We'll let the Seacons fill them in... Look at the console, so that I may be able to determine where Scorponok may have gone with his remaining crew." Countdown stated as he readied himsellf.
Thunderwing hunched down slightly, allowing those inside to see what he sees. Countdown lets out a small groan of frustration. Everyone knew, it can only be bad. "What's wrong?" Ed asked. "The coordinates have changed... He could've gone anywhere. As it is, I'm not sure where it may take us." Countdown answered. "Anyplace is better than here... I say we go." Lust stated. Wrath raised his hand in agreement. "I vote, go." Edward nodded his head.
"Alright, here we go." Thunderwing folded his wings once again before entering the gateway. Unsure of the soil they may be stepping on, let alone the world they may be walking into. And also failing to notice the pile of helicopter parts that sat in a nearby corner. Strangely similar to a military unit.