I want to apologize for the being so, so late. For the last few months, it's been it's been hectic for me. Writer's block, work, dealing with some legal issues that are connected to my mother's passing & spending my hard earned money on fixing my car. Trust me, it all gets old real fast.

Again, I'm sorry. Enjoy

The Heat is On. No, not the song.

Zata 7
"You want us to what?" Windsweeper shouted, taking a step back as the others take in the giant's statement. "For one, I'm pleased that you comprehend what I'm asking from you. Second, I for one am growing tired of this seemingly endless conflict between us... It has destroyed our home & left it into a wasteland. It has pushed myself into doing things that would—and are—considered abominable."

"There's an understatement." Triggerhappy muttered, but his comment did not fall on deft ears. The giant glanced at him with cruel intentions if Triggerhappy's tone didn't change, and quickly. He puts his arms up slightly in front of his chest with an intimidated look across his face. Thunderwing moves his attention back to the rest of his group, who were feeling just as nervous.

"Now, my future plans cannot begin with this 'inconvenience' that is an ancient Cybertronian named, The Fallen." The group of Decepticons looked at each other at the name, proving that no one knows or the very few that would know, have made sure that the information was kept secret only to the very elite."I want to know, where may I find, Shockwave?"

A few of them just shrugged, truly not knowing as to his whereabouts. "There might be one who would know." Windsweeper's answer grabbed everyone's attention, more so, Thunderwing's. "Bombshell, the Insecticon leader." He added.

"And where may I find him?"

"Not sure. Your guess is as good as ours. Windsweeper replied. "If you find a planet that has been stripped down to beyond nothing, just follow the trail of dead planets & you'll catch up with him sooner or later." Slugslinger added. The giant rises to his feet & turns his back to them, taking a few steps forward from the group, allowing them to take a quick sigh of relief. "Just remember, when I call on you, and those willing to come, shall be seated next to me in power."

Changing to his jet form & quickly leaves the planet, leaving the group of Decepticons in a conundrum. "So, now what do we do?" Slugslinger asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I have no idea... We're being asked to betray Megatron, which is a death sentence on its own. Although, our outlook is no better if we say, 'no' to Thunderwing. I know what he can be like on a good & bad day." Windsweeper replied.

Planet Aio.
"The Fallen? That's a piece of mythology I haven't heard in a very long time." The elder Autobot said, sitting on a large boulder, his hands resting on the handle of his cane. "Well, I was told, that I have to find this, 'Matrix' thing & use it to stop him." Edward explained. Alpha Trion only grind before calmly correcting Ed's statement. "No my friend... The Matrix's purpose, is to light our darkest hour... I don't see the Fallen, being that pending 'eleventh hour' moment... Besides, it has been said, that only a 'Prime' can defeat the Fallen."

"You mean, like, Optimus Prime?"

Alpha Trion grinned & nodded in answer, looking down at the alchemist. "Of course, that wasn't always his name. But, that's another tale... By the way, how is he these days?" Everyone just lowered their heads slightly. The silence only Alpha Trion feel a little more on edge as he already new the answer was going to be grim, but only wanted validation.

"Prime, was terminated just a short while ago... He went down fighting." Rewind answered, his tone was lower & more sorrowful, as though a child has lost his father. "Well, without a living Prime, there is no chance at stopping the Fallen. But, the Matrix, might be able to bring a Prime back to life."

Edward's eyes widened at the notion of the idea of bringing the dead back to life. That is nearly every alchemist's dream. "Wait, the Matrix can do that?" He asked.

"Well, the idea was never tried before and it alone, is a power that has no equal." Alpha Trion stood up & began to walk to a enormous hanger that was overgrown with vines & other miscellaneous brush. He walks to the right side of the large double doors to a simple control panel & presses the illuminated button that was in the center. The doors slowly creaked open, the bright lights from the two moons in the sky shine part way inside.

They stand in amazement of the contents of the hanger. Inside, was what can be only described as a space shuttle that seemed bigger than Thunderwing, (which is saying a lot) as it rested on a large blue troop transport module. Or at least, that's what it looked like to Edward, since it had doors off to the sides. Lust folds her arms under chest as she looks over the large ship from the threshold of the hanger. "I must admit, I am impressed."

"Then I am more than happy to accommodate you, madam." The voice took her & Edward by surprise. "Oh great, another one?" Edward thought, as the shuttle started to transform. The nose & cabin extend outward with a long red neck. Four legs stretch out, wrapped with red shin guards as the wings break at midway & fold back as the tail end stretches out with the same type of linkage as the Cybertronian's neck.

His neck arced down towards Edward, causing him to take a step back. "Two humans standing before me? On this planet? Please, don't misunderstand me for saying this, but this is quite unexpected." He said in a British like accent. To Lust, she found it attractive. It was foreign, intellectual & snobby all at once.

"Everyone, allow me to introduce, Sky Lynx." The elder bot stated before tuning to Edward. "Sky Lynx, the two humans before as well as the other Autobots, are in need of our help. It turns out, that history has come back to haunt us."

Sky Lynx turns his attention to the elder, seeming to know the premiss of his statement. "I see... Well then, let us not waste any time. Our journey begins." The quadruped steps out from the hanger & changes back to his shuttle form & opened the door off his the left of his personnel carrier. Edward sighed as he walked up the ramp, wishing for the old days, where it was just him & his brother, traveling the country in search of the Philosopher's Stone while being chased by the Homunculi. At least that was simpler.

Granted, this is a quick crash course in the idea of a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. As he took his seat next to a window, Lust removes her trench coat & hangs it off the back of the head rest of the seat next to his. Ed thought is was odd that the seat would be fit for a human to sit it & those behind him were made for those that are far larger. His concentration was broken when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lust was stretching her arms above her head.

Her tight shirt did little to hide her modesty. Luckily her eyes were closed so that she wouldn't have caught him staring at her. He looks away before she was finished so that he was not caught, also to hide the slight blush in his cheeks. "Attention passengers, we will now be taking off. Please make sure your seat belts are fastened securely. Thank you." Sky Lynx's engines ignite, propelling the craft forward. In the control room, Alpha Trion sits patiently for someone to ask him where they needed to go. He hoped for this day would never come, for it would only open the door for even greater perils to enter their already troubled lives.

"If I may ask, where shall we start?"

"Where it all started, Sky Lynx... Home."

In the back, Edward looks over to the female homunculus sitting next to him. She peers at him from the corner of her eye before letting a mischievous grin form from her lips. "What?"

"I'm just thinking of home. Hoping everyone is okay & that we'll have a home to go back to... And where in the hell, did that big lug nut go?"

"Well, I guess I should just tell you to keep your faith up, but then that might make me sound like I'm bullshitting you."

"I wouldn't think that... Besides, it might even help feel better."

He reaches into his inside pocket & pulls out the journal that he recovered from Spike Witwicky's body. Lust leans over to him, her trademark smirk showing clearly on her face as he glances into her eyes & begins to lightly blush. "If you think that might help, perhaps I could offer you some sex instead." Edward jumped back in his seat as he felt is face begin to burn more from her suggestion. "Edward, don't be so pathetic." She thought.

"It's okay... I'm good."

"I'm sure you are."

"Why does she have to tease me like this? This isn't the right time for this." Deep down however, he would love nothing more then to give in to her advances. He opened the journal to help take his mind off of Lust's provocative words as he searches for clues of any kind. At the top corner, he spots a date. December 21st, 2012. For some unknown reason, this seemed to be very influential, compelling him to read on. And, in essence, (creepily) being narrated by the ghost of Witwicky himself.

"It has been 2 months since the incident at the launch pads from 'The Dammed' as I like to call them. The Autobots call them, 'Cannibalizers'. Same difference if you ask me... Even the Decepticons left because things have escalated to a full epidemic. Even they were starting to fall under attack from these things. My God, it's almost like this were right out of a George A. Romero zombie film. But, this... these things are different.

We know this is some kind of viral outbreak. But, the strange part of this is, once infected, they didn't just attack people, they attacked cars, trucks, SUV's. Changing into living junk. The truth couldn't be buried any longer... Our global economy crashed overnight. We were able to save as many as we possible could & as much as we could.

How I felt then & at this current time, is the same as all of my fellow colleagues. Sending our families away, was the hardest thing to do. At least my wife & my son, Danial are safe somewhere.

As I write in here on this day, the ancient Mayans predicted the world would come to an end on this day... Actually it fell apart a few months prior to this day. It just now became apocalyptic. Even with all of our advanced technology & fancy machines, the Mayans saw this coming thousands of years ago."

Spike Witwicky

Ed feels as thought someone was reading over his shoulder. He turns his head slightly to & from the corner of his eye, he sees Lust peering over his shoulder but was surprisingly calm about it. He shifted his position to allow her a better view so that she wouldn't need to strain herself. He turns the page & continues reading.

Decepticon Base, Dublith.
Outside the base, the area's peaceful afternoon had now been broken with a tremendous explosion that has erupted out of the ground about fifty yards from the base's main entrance. The three bodies of Amon, Beelzebub & Asmodeus crash to the ground around the newly made hole in the ground. Amon pushes himself into a sitting position, only to have Megatron crash down in front of him. The size difference was hardly noticeable, but did nothing to prevent the Decepticon leader from clutching onto Amon's neck with his left hand & picking him off the ground. "Now, why don't you tell me about this 'father' of yours."

With a grin on his face & a small stream of blue fluid run off the side of his mouth, Amon only looked into the red optics of his enemy, seemingly not showing any intimidation. "You'll only get that information over my dead body." A sadistic smirk crossed Megatron's face, as though he was just tempted to do as he pleased with this intruder that he grasps. "That, my foolish friend, can be arranged. And, I'd be more than satisfied to oblige."

Asmodeus & Beelzebub get to their feet & make a quick charge towards Megatron. He sees them coming from the corner of his eye & tosses Amon into their oncoming path, knocking them both back before being blasted across the landscape by several laser blasts that seemingly drove them into the ground. Megatron looks over to the gun form of Sixshot, who transformed to his robot form & crashed to the ground, leaving indentations from his feet.

Blitzwing, Astrotrain & Skywarp suddenly appear from the hole in the ground. Sixshot Looks on as the intruders begin to regenerate their bodies. "Durable, aren't they?" He stated. "These heathens dare enter my base, interrupted my operations & tried to take one of my subordinates... I will not tolerate intrusions or incompetence. Decepticons, annihilate them!"

"I think not."

The voice emanated from behind a fiery portal that suddenly appeared beside the newly made war zone. The Fallen steps out, flames dancing off his upper back. He stands there, pride & anger showing in his posture. "I take it, that you are the one that they refer to as 'father'." The Decepticon leader asks.

"I guess, in some aspects, you could say that."

"Excellent, you've just saved me the trouble of finding you. Now, you can die with them." He points his fusion cannon at the Fallen who only raises a hand & then closes to a fist as Megatron attempts to fire, only to have the energy defuse & fade from the barrel of his cannon. With the same hand, he suddenly waves it with little effort & forces all of the present Decepticons to the ground in pain, surrounded by yellow electricity. All except, Blitzwing, who stood there frozen in fear as the Fallen approached him as well as his 'children'."

"Come now, Blitzwing. Time is wasting."

"No Thanks. I remember what happened last time."

(chuckle) "I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter. I wish to fulfill my dream. And this time, I shall not be denied."

A portal opens behind the Fallen, grabs Blitzwing & throws him into the portal, then stepping through himself as his children follow close behind. The electrified shackles around the present Decepticons, allowing them to return to their feet.

Starscream now enters the scene with Soundwave, but Megatron only greats them with a scowl &displeasure combined with a sense of utter humiliation. "Care to explain why you were absent from our most recent conflict, Starscream?"

"I was aiding, Soundwave in tracking the supposed leader of the intruders. We have a general idea as to where he came from & where he disappeared to."

"And?"

"The unknown enemies have an unusual energy signature. While studying the human's energy producing abilities that they call, 'alchemy', I discovered that the first three intruders had identical energy readings that appear to be similar to the energy that the humans use from a 'Philosopher's Stone'. The same stone, that was presumed lost." Soundwave explained in his usual echoed & yet, monotone voice.

"Hmm, I see... Well, since they seemed to enjoy intruding onto my property, I think we should return the favor... I want all available Decepticons ready when I give the word... And I will personally make those abominable followers of his wish that they were never assembled."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy.
On another distant planet, in a once dense forest, now inhabits a small group of Cybertronians. Or, at least they were until they turned themselves into giant bugs. An odd concept for the alien robots. Something that Megatron would undoubtedly find fault with & deem it abominable. Nonetheless, the known thief of this group, Chop Shop, has started his day as he usually does. Stealing from his comrades, they threaten him with bodily harm if he does not return what he stole & then he gives it back. But, only to steal it again at a later date.

Barrage, (the gun happy killer of the group) approaches Ransack, (one who is equally as cruel.) The mood is all but calm as their dislike for Chop Shop, comes to the surface. "I'm telling you, Ransack. We're going to have to do something about the kleptomaniac of our group."

"Yes, I fully agree... Perhaps we'll get lucky & he'll get stepped on."

"By what exactly? We're the only ones in this quadrant. What could possible be big enough to step on him?"

Out of nowhere, Chop Shop is suddenly crushed under the frightful weight of the large Cybertronian that had just arrived. The turn in absolute horror at sight, now believing the stories & rumors they've been hearing. The destroyer of Cybertron, was loose & now on a personal mission.

The giant looks down at the surprised Insecticons, also, looking on in some disgust. "Bombshell?" He spoke, the other Insecticons all point to him. Bombshell looked at his comrades, not believing how quickly they just sold him out & threw him under a proverbial bus. Thunderwing swiftly grasps him in one motion & brings him close to his face.

"I'm looking for Shockwave... Know where I can find him?"

"U-Uh, he... he was heading to planet 4576 in the old Sol system."

"4576?"

"Yes, the old human world called, Earth... Before it was abandoned."

"And why did he travel there? For what purpose?"

"I don't know... He wouldn't say, and I couldn't decrypt his files. Everything is always so secretive with him."

"Truly, Jhaixus' understudy." The giant released his grip & lets Bombshell fall freely to the ground. Thunderwing turns & takes a few steps forward before changing to his jet form & taking off into the creamy-orange sky.

The other Insecticons loomed over the one of two creators the had Chop Shop's twitching & deformed body. To Ransack & Barrage, this was a comforting sight. This was a wish that had come true. To the rest however, this was a cruel reminder as to how small they are compared to someone like Thunderwing, or Megatron for that matter.

Abandoned Earth, 30 minutes later.

Leviathan & Belphegor continue to dig into the hard earth of what was once central Mexico, uncovering six Cybertronians, all in stasis-lock . The first five resembling prehistoric dinosaurs. The sixth, seemed out of place. His armor was purple in cooler with an energy gun for a left hand. His head was octagon shaped with what seemed like a single eye in the center.

"This is boring & tiring... Want to go home."

"Oh, shut up, you ninny... We have to keep digging to free Grimlock, or you can tell father why we returned without him."

"..."

"Thought so... Now keep di-"

Leviathan's speech was broken by a sudden flash of light in the night sky to the South, followed by a furiously loud crack. His audio receptors picked up the familiar sound of twin turbine reactor engines. "No, it can't be him!" Without hesitation, he signals Belphegor to hide, who lazily complies. Leviathan's fear was confirmed, as the large jet reviled the giant that was in disguise. Thunderwing sets foot onto the barren ground.

Seeing the freshly dug ground & knowing that he was being watched, he did not falter from his own agenda. "how thoughtful of someone to uncover my former scientific brethren." He suddenly looked down at Grimlock & his fellow comrades. "What an ugly disguise... What did these poor fools do to themselves?"

He pulls the cyclops from the mass-grave & looks around for those spying on him. He catches a glimpse of a cannon barrel sticking up from two large nearby boulders. He mildly shakes his head in disappointment & decides not to follow-up with anything else. He takes off into the night sky, still in his robot form, leaving with his prize.

Leviathan comes out from hiding, bewildered at the sight that Thunderwing had left with just Shockwave. This was beyond his comprehension, not understanding why he acted in such a manor. He was told that by killing the homunculus that was piloting him, Thunderwing would return to his uncontrollable & violent self.

"Belphegor..." He looks behind the twin boulders to see his brother knelt down and, (in some shape or form) was sleeping or in "stand by". Leviathan kicks him in the head, knocking him over & waking him from his, "slumber".

"Get up, you idiot! We need to hurry & get out of here before that monstrosity decides to come back & try to kill us."

"...But"

"NOW!"

Several miles away, Thunderwing lands far out of sight & places the cyclops on the ground. "Rise & shine, Shockwave." He kneels down & holds his right hand over the inanimate body of Shockwave as black lightning begins to crack off his arm & surrounds the immobile Shockwave. His single eye flickers on as the rest of his systems begin to restart. The giant removes his hand away & rests his arms on his bent knee.

Shockwave's vision begins to focus as he pushes himself to a sitting position. He has been awakened from what only can be described as a hellish nightmare only to come face to face with an even bigger nightmare. He quickly cowers away, only to see the giant snicker in amusement. "Now, now, Shockwave... It's not quite what you think."

"Thu-Thunderwing?" The only response to his inquiry was a light nod. This was taking the Decepticon strategist/experimentalist by surprise. He cautious stands to his feet, never taking his sight off the monster before him. In a one-on-one confrontation, Shockwave would lose & be to personification of dead. But, curiosity quickly took hold & he noticed that he was at full strength once again, but still in need of repairs. "Care to explain how you've returned to your original mental state?"

"Let's just say, that certain circumstances have occurred that has aided in my return & 'lifted the veil', shall one say."

"Intriguing..."

"Now, you must be wondering why-"

"Why have you come all this way to free me from my earthly tomb? For what purpose?"

"Well, now... Scientific minds like ours do think alike sometimes... A fierce enemy has risen & is planning something. I believe I discovered one of his followers who failed to conceal himself very well."

"I see... Do you have a name to go with this enemy?"

"The Fallen."

The name suddenly sent Shockwave on edge. This was disturbing on some levels for him as the bitter memories of the, "Inner war" flooded back to him. "Are his followers still on this world?"

"Yes... They're not far. Perhaps we should go & have a small chat with them."

"Agreed..."

By this time Leviathan & Belphegor drag the deactivated body of Grimlock to the surface. "Alright, we have him. Now we need to get out of here before that planet killer comes back."

"Too little, too late." They turn to face the booming voice that spoke to them only to be met with a wide blast of purple tinted energy striking the ground & throwing them both back. Thunderwing lands on the ground & folds his arms as Shockwave hovers in midair in his gun form. "Gentlemen, this is were I'm going to start asking questions & you follow through with answers. Refuse, and I can always extract the information by force."

The Heat is On... No, not like the song.