My Life as a Teenage Autobot
Chapter 16: Keys to Victory
A/N: I decided that the story needs to continue beyond this chapter in order for my overall plan for the story to work.
The Autobots and Decepticons battled fiercely under the night sky of Egypt. Both factions decrypted another set of Iacon coordinates; this time in one of the Great Pyramids. Due to their small sizes, it was Jenny and Arcee's job to go inside the pyramid and retrieve the relic. "Any idea what it could be?" Jenny asked. "Given my experience, I've learned to prepare for anything." Arcee replied. "This way."
The female robots turned right down a corridor that led deeper into the tomb. Both of them wished they could just Bridge straight to the relic, but there was too much interference coming from the relic's location. Ratchet attributed it to the massive power signature coming from the relic's location.
Meanwhile, Optimus Prime was busy wasting Vehicon soldiers with the recently obtained Star Saber. He wielded the weapon like a true master; slicing and slashing at all of the Decepticons that stood before him. Before long, all of the ground based Vehicons lay in ruin. Jetfire was still busy taking out the Jet Vehicons while Bulkhead and Bumblebee assisted Optimus.
Unbeknownst to the Autobots however, Knockout and two Vehicons were also inside the Pyramid. They were taking a different route than Jenny and Arcee, but one that led to the relic nonetheless. "Ugh, why does the relic have to be here of all places? This sand is going to ruin my finish." He whined. The two Vehicons just looked at each other and shook their heads.
Back on the Autobots' end, Jenny and Arcee found the Iacon relic. It was in the pharaoh's chamber. On top of the sarcophagus lay a golden artifact that was definitely Cybertronian. Arcee moved to pick it up when Jenny suddenly stopped her. "Hold on. We need to be careful about this." She warned. Arcee cocked an eyebrow in response. "In all the movies, every time someone removes an artifact from a tomb, a bunch of booby traps go off." Jenny explained.
Arcee rolled her optics. "Look Jenny, you can't believe everything you see in movies…" she began. "..but you can believe that we're taking that relic." Knockout finished. His ever present snug grin still remained etched in Jenny's memory banks. "You!" Jenny exclaimed. "You and I have a score to settle, Knockoff." Jenny growled. "It's Knockout!" the Decepticon medic exclaimed. Arcee fired on the Vehicon escorts while Jenny flew into Knockout. He activated his buzz saw and swung it at Jenny but she blocked with a small plasma shield that came from her right forearm.
Arcee made quick work of the two Vehicon soldiers with her arm blades and made her way toward the relic. She reached over and gently removed it from the top of the sarcophagus and examined it carefully. I'm sure Optimus will know what this is. She thought.
Meanwhile, Jenny had Knockout pinned against a wall. She raised her right hand and extended her nails to three times their normal length. "Wait, can't we be reasonable about this?" Knockout pleaded. Jenny let her nails rest just above Knockouts left headlight. "No! Please! I beg of you!"
Before Jenny could ruin Knockout's precious paintjob, the whole pyramid began to shake. Vents, opened up in the ceiling and began to pour sand into the hallways. "Jenny, we have to leave now!" Arcee shouted. Jenny quickly swiped Knockout across the face and ran toward the exit. Arcee shifted into vehicle mode and sped in the same direction.
Knockout shifted into vehicle mode as well, but his car form wasn't exactly best suited to the 90˚ turns of the Pyramid's passage ways. Eventually he made it out, but not before the Autobots escaped through their ground bridge. "Knockout, I need a status report." Megatron requested over the comm link. Knockout sighed. "The Autobots have the relic." He informed."Then you will explain yourself once you get back to the ship." Megatron replied coldly.
At the Autobot Base…
"I knew there was going to be a booby trap." Jenny bragged. "Alright kid, you were right about that." Arcee admitted. "But if I hadn't picked up the relic, we wouldn't have had good cover for our escape." The two exited the Ground Bridge where the rest of the Autobots were waiting.
"I take it you two have the relic?" Ratchet inquired. Arcee held the mysterious golden artifact as an answer. Optimus looked pleasantly surprised at what Arcee and Jenny had found. "It is one of the four Omega Keys." He realized. "What now?" Bulkhead wondered. "During the final days of the War for Cybertron, my old mentor Alpha Trion told me that he discovered a way to revitalize the planet in the form of the Omega Keys."
"Only the combined power of all four keys can restore Cybertron to its former strength. Unfortunately, the Decepticons captured most of Iacon before I could retrieve the Keys. I assumed that the Decepticons destroyed them, but now I see that Alpha Trion sent them to this planet for safe keeping." Optimus explained. "We have to find those keys before the Decepticons. Otherwise, they'll take credit for saving Cybertron and frame us as criminals." Jetfire realized.
"Optimus, I am receiving an encrypted message from Mount Hotaka, Japan." Ratchet suddenly announced. "It is from Dreadwing." Optimus thought for a moment. "What does the message say?" Optimus wondered. "I am asking that you meet me at these coordinates. I mean no harm." Ratchet read aloud. "Ha! He thinks we're going to fall for that trick? We're just going to ignore him right Optimus?" Jenny inquired.
Optimus stared back at the girl with a reproachful glance. "Optimus… you can't be serious." Jenny said in an astonished tone. "Dreadwing has a strong sense of honor. However, we will close the Ground Bridge as soon as everyone is out." Optimus answered. Ratchet keyed in the coordinates and brought the swirling vortex to life.
Mount Hotaka…
Dreadwing waited patiently in the mist of Mount Hotaka. He sent the message only one day earlier, but he figured the Autobots would not take haste in meeting him. He used this time to ponder his future. The renegade Decepticon did not make any plans past simply betraying Megatron, but he assured himself that his tactically gifted mind would think of something.
While Dreadwing mulled over his options, a Ground Bridge Vortex appeared in front of him. Out came every Autobot except Ratchet. "Dreadwing, why have you asked us to come here?" Optimus asked as the Bridge closed. Dreadwing gestured toward the Forge of Solus Prime. "To present a gift, for the Decepticon cause is one I no longer believe in." Dreadwing answered. Optimus retracted his battle mask. "Then I present my offer to you again. Join us and aid our fight against Megatron." Optimus offered.
Dreadwing shook his head. "Just because I am no longer on his side, that does not mean I am on yours. Giving you the Forge is the only assistance I shall supply." He explained. Optimus walked over to the Forge and picked it up. "What do you ask in return?" The Autobot leader questioned. "Only that you use it wisely." Dreadwing replied. Optimus thanked the Decepticon and ordered Ratchet to Bridge them back to their base.
After the Autobots' Bridge closed, Dreadwing activated his and returned to the Nemesis. Megatron was waiting for him. "Where have you been Dreadwing?" he wondered. "I was scouting for Energon deposits in Japan, My Lord." Dreadwing replied. "If you were scouting for Energon, why was I unable to locate you via tracking beacon?" Megatron questioned. Dreadwing maintained a poker face. "The beacon must be faulty. Knockout and Breakdown…" Dreadwing began. "The Forge of Solus Prime also went missing around the time that you did. Isn't that curious?" Megatron interrupted.
Dreadwing was beginning to worry that Megatron had figured everything out. It certainly didn't help that the Seeker couldn't come up with a good sounding answer for that question. Before he could do anything, Megatron stabbed him through the Spark. He leaned in close to Dreadwing's face and said, "I had such high hopes for you." Megatron fired his fusion cannon and Dreadwing flew back into a wall before collapsing to the ground.
Back at the Autobot Base…
"What's so special about that hammer anyway?" Jenny wondered. "The Forge of Solus Prime creates whatever the user wants out of any material; provided that the user is a Prime." Optimus explained. "Okay… how does that help us?" Jenny inquired. Optimus turned to the Ground Bridge. "I will show you."
Optimus activated the Forge, which began to glow with a blue aura. He swung the tool into the Ground Bridge with great force. Jenny and the rest of the Autobots noticed that the Ground Bridge increased in size with every strike. After a few minutes, Optimus finished his work. "By the Allspark!" Ratchet gasped. "Optimus turned the Ground Bridge into a Space Bridge." Jetfire observed.
"Jenny, you can go home now!" Bulkhead exclaimed. Jenny smiled a bit. "Yeah. I guess I can." She answered. Bumblebee spouted off a string of beeps and buzzes with a confused inflection. "Yes Bee, I still miss my home… but I want to stay here a bit longer. At least until after we restore Cybertron.
All of the Autobots gave her strange looks. "It's just that you all saved me. Three times. And I feel that I owe it to you to help restore your planet." She reasoned. Optimus knelt to face Jenny. "If you wish to help us then that is your choice. However, I recommend that you ask your mother for permission." Optimus suggested.
Jenny used Ratchet's computer to contact Dr. Wakeman. It took, some convincing, but she eventually agreed to allow Jenny to stay. After Jenny finished talking with her mom, Ratchet decoded a new set of coordinates. This time, the location was in Siberia…