Chapter 10
Roadbuster´s strike force was ready. Besides himself there were the time traveler Ultra Magnus, Red Alert, Inferno, Getaway, Joyride, Slapdash, several of the female Autobots and the elite team called the Wreckers.
The leader of them was Impactor, a large grey warrior whose left hand had been replaced by a harpoon, the jumpstarters Topspin and TwinTwist, Whirl, a tall one eyed robot with helicopter altmode and Rack n´Ruin, a strange creation of twin robots who were connected on their shoulders and shared their name and identity. He was made out out of two identical looking, green colored bodies with silvery metallic heads who both had their own personalities, but were working as two parts of one unit.
This attack had been planned for years, but under different circumstances. As they originally thought about this operation they didn´t know that Cybertron would be under threat from a living planet from outside of known space.
They didn´t thought that this invader would destroy their moon-bases and the entire energon storage of their army with them.
And they couldn´t have known that the Decepticons would attack Autobot city and kill several of their fellow Autobots including their leader.
Yes, they couldn´t have known this as they first planned, but they had decided to still attack.
Originally this strike was supposed to be a part of a much larger operation. They were meant to join with forces from the moon-bases and Earth.
Their aim had been to retake the entire planet. Nothing of that would happen now.
Instead they were now fighting for their sheer survival.
Polyphex had been the capital of the Decepticon empire for millions of years. Their headquarters from where either Shockwave or Megatron were controlling the planet was there.
The main target of the Autobots right now however was something else.
Roadbuster was explaining his and Ultra Magnus plan to the other fighters. The main subject was the infiltration of the two mind-prisons on Cybertron, located in the sectors Poliphex and Kaon. The hope of taking the planet back had the most of them already given up.
Only one of them knew it better, the Ultra Magnus who came to this place from the year 2011. But he couldn´t say anything. Just like Roadbuster here could not tell his past self about his presence or what role he will have played in the rescue of the prisoners. If Magnus remembered back, he had never even told him directly about which prisoners had been saved and which not.
Good job Roadbuster, he thought to himself. He didn´t want to know if he would succeed and save everybody or if he would fail and they would all die, not if it wouldn´t change anything anyway.
Roadbuster was still telling the Autobots the details about their strategy.
"We will separate ourselves into two strike forces. I and Impactor will lead the first and Ultra Magnus along with Red Alert the second group", he informed them.
Ultra Magnus himself had his doubts if he should actually lead one of the teams, but he was the most qualified.
"Our objective is to save the personality cores of the captured Autobot prisoners in both facilities", Roadbuster continued. "They will be rebuild and reintegrated into the Autobot forces. This mission was supposed to be a part of the offensive to reconquer the planet, but now we have another priority. If this planet killer in our system will attack Cybertron the prisons with the personalities inside will be easy targets.
We will rescue the minds of the prisoners before a possible attack and bring them to safety. When we will wait for the Autobot forces that will come to stop this thing and help them." The last part of hiss instructions was accompanied by cheers from the assembled robots.
"You all know your orders. Get ready and go", he ordered.
They got on their way. Roadbuster´s group, who flew directly to Polyphex, had a captured Decepticon shuttle.
The Autobots who went to Kaon used the tunnels in the underground of the planet to get close to their target.
Ultra Magnus hoped for the best. He knew some of his comrades wouldn´t survive the day.
xxxxxxx
Decepticon flagship, in Cybertron´s orbit
Galvatron finally had the Matrix, bound with chains to his chest. A security measure in case something unforeseen should happen.
Now he would go and take either Unicron´s submission or his life.
He knew the planet devourers power and resourcefulness. If he could force him to serve his purposes this war would end in a matter of days.
His second in command Cyclonus didn´t seemed that comfortable with the situation.
"By all respect mighty Galvatron. Do you really planning to go completely alone to confront Unicron?"
He could hear some degrees of worry in his second´s voice but he also managed to keep his tone respectfully.
"I will go and free us of this creature, in one way or another. Like he himself said the Matrix is the only thing he fears. Now we will see how much." Galvatron said this with a glance the object that was chained to him.
"I should come with you", Cyclonus offered.
It was obvious that he was concerned that Galvatron might not succeed.
He decided to take this as a display of loyalty, even if Cyclonus offer somewhat suggested that he might fail and be in need of help.
"And what do you think your presence could change my friend? No I need you here to command the flagship."
The truth was it was simply too dangerous to take anyone with him. Unicron could still torture him into submission and force Cyclonus to attack him. The only ones trustworthy enough to come with him were his fellow creations and Unicron could turn them against him if he wanted.
No, he had to go alone. The Matrix would take Unicron down, it had to.
"Cyclonus you are both, competent and loyal, but you won´t help me there. You have to take care of things here." Galvatron raised his voice, but also placed a hand on his second´s shoulder. "Don´t worry, I will succeed, Unicron will soon be under my control or destroyed", he strengthened the grip of his hand, "and then we will wipe out the Autobots and the universe will be ours for the taking."
Cyclonus only nodded in reply and watched as Galvatron took a shuttle and left. He only hoped that everything would turn out well for them.
xxxxxxx
Air space over Polyphex
"We are coming in reach of their sensors now", Impactor announced to the Autobots on board the stolen shuttle.
"Will this hijacked ship be enough to get us through?" One of the other Bots asked them.
"It will", Roadbuster told him. "We will not land in any restricted area, so they won´t have any reason to check our ship more in-depth."
"You have clearance." The answer came over the communicator after a short time.
"Good so much for the easy part", Impactor told them.
xxxxxxx
The outskirts of the sector Kaon
They had just come out of a hatch from the tunnels. Ultra Magnus and Red Alert´s group consisted of them, the jumpstarters, Rack´n´Run, Getaway, Slapdash, Skids, Firestar and Moonracer.
"We are still a few miles from the prison", Getaway informed the others.
"We can drive the rest of the way in car form", Red Alert told them, "but there is no way to get any closer through the tunnels."
"Are you sure about this?" Ultra Magnus asked him.
"Yes, as much as I hate it to march through enemy territory like that, there is no possibility to reach the prison underground."
"Then we have no other choice. Autobots transform", Magnus ordered.
With this they changed all into their vehicle modes. It were still a few miles to drive.
"I hope our back up will be ready", Red Alert told Ultra Magnus.
"Don´t worry", he replied, "they will come when they are needed."
They drove through the nearly deserted landscape of Kaon. But they had bad luck.
Unnoticed, in some distance to them, two other figures were hiding between the buildings. The two Stunticons Dead End and Breakdown had noticed the Autobots and observed them from their hiding place.
"An entire strike group of Autobots", Dead End said.
"Yes they are heading directly into the direction to the mind-prison", Breakdown pointed out.
"They are trying to save the prisoners there before the end is coming", Dead End thought loud.
"Are you again prophesying the end of the world?", the other Stunticon asked.
"You have seen the thing in space over us", Dead End reminded him, "believe me, the end of our world is near."
"Yes", Breakdown admitted, "in one point you are right, maybe we should have already left the planet. Anyway we better inform the headquarter about this."
xxxxxxx
Decepticon flagship, in Cybertron´s orbit
Cyclonus sat in the command chair of the ship. Beside him, Scourge and the Sweeps were on board.
"Cyclonus I am getting a transmission from Cybertron", the Sweep who was sitting on the communication console informed him.
"It looks as if Dead End and Breakdown have seen a group of Autobots who were on the way to the mind prison in Kaon", he told the Decepticon second.
"I understand", Cyclonus answered. "Shockwave do you hear me?" He contacted Cybertron.
"Yes Cyclonus." The one eyed guardian of Cybertron reported. Shockwave wasn´t yet used to his new superior but he did his work like always. Like Skywarp always had thought, Cyclonus told himself, a bureaucrat, but a very efficient one.
"We got a transmission that a number of Autobots are on the way to the mind prison in Kaon. It seems that they have chosen this time to attack. It is possible that they will hit in the prison in Polyphex too", he informed Shockwave.
"That is a logical conclusion Cyclonus. I will let both prisons be guarded."
"I will deal with the Autobots in Kaon myself. Sent reinforcements to the prison in Polyphex", Cyclonus told him.
"I will do that."
As the conversation ended, Shockwave´s face on the screen was replaced with grey static.
"Scourge you command the ship in my absence", Cyclonus told him.
"Two Sweeps come with me", he ordered
Sweep number one and two looked at each other and followed him.
"Have you any idea why the Autobots would attack us right now?" One asked Two.
"Simple", he replied, "they think Unicron will attack and crush us all. So they try to get the prisoners out and then get away."
"Makes sense", one stated.
As the three Decepticons had reached the hangar, they transformed and flew in the direction of Cybertron.
xxxxxxx
Sector Kaon, mind prison
The Autobot force had arrived in the area right before the prison. Two Decepticons were standing guard at the door. Both seemed to be light ground force models with some sort of car as alt-mode.
"Take them out", Magnus gave the order.
At his comand Topspin and TwinTwist stormed forward, while Getaway and Slapdash fired from a bit larger distance.
The two Decepticons were completely surprised. They were hit by several blasts and fell down dead before they even had the chance to shoot back.
Despite being a soldier through and through by now, Magnus hated it to kill. But this was war. There was no time to hesitate or think about the dead, friend or enemy, he told himself.
Unicron would attack very soon and there were the personalities of over thirty Autobots in this building who would be destroyed then.
They blasted the door open.
"Jumpstarters, Rack´n´Ruin, Firestar, you wait outside and guard the entrance. The rest comes with me", Magnus decided.
xxxxxxx
"When will this guys finally arrive?" Motormaster asked loud. "We should just go by ourselves."
After another few minutes of waiting they saw the other Decepticons appearing. Cyclonus and the Sweeps transformed and landed right before them.
"That now is a really eccentric design", Wildrider commented as they saw the Sweeps.
"You better get used to us. There are many other where we came from", Sweep 2 answered him sarcastically.
"Where are they now?" Cyclonus asked Motormaster.
"They are already inside. We were just waiting for you."
"Good." Galvatron´s second in command smiled. "Let us go."
xxxxxxx
Sector Polyphex, the area before the mind prison
Roadbuster and his team came relatively close to the prison complex but then they had suddenly been attacked by enemy troops. The prison guards had already been on alert and now a number of other Decepticons were assaulting them in jet form from the sky.
"Something has gone wrong", Impactor called out, "they were expecting us."
"Yes but we have no choice, fight on", Roadbuster told him.
Besides the regular guards, the triple-changers Astrotrain and Blitzwing and the seekers Ramjet, Dirge, Thrust, Darkwing and Dreadwind were there.
This shouldn´t have been the case. Instead of a quick break in the Autobots were now in a full blown battle.
xxxxxxx
Sector Kaon, mind prison
Five seekers were currently charged with the task to oversee the Kaon mind prison. Skywing, a purple jet who had been one of Megatron´s group when they crashed on earth 20 years ago and his two wingmates Phantom and Counterstrike were three of them. The other two were Havoc, a jet with a blue body and brown wings and a mostly black one named Midnight. They all were typical F15 seeker of the same type as Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Autobots had infiltrated the prison, they had realized. Their comrades at the outside had been killed.
Now the five remaining Decepticons were trying to defend the building by involving the Autobots into somewhat of urban warfare, entrenching themselves into the different rooms, firing at their opponents and keeping them from getting further.
Despite that Ultra Magnus and his team mates were slowly reaching the prisoner storage.
xxxxxxx
Cyclonus and his warriors had reached the prison. They saw that four Autobots were still standing st the main entrance. The others were probably already inside. This Autobots were quick. They came to late.
"Good", Cyclonus ordered, "First we take the ones at the outside. The Sweeps and I lead the charge. You Stunticons follow right behind us. We surround and kill them and when we have done that we go in and wipe out the rest. Have you all understand that?" He asked.
As answer he got a passionate yes from everybody.
A moment later Cyclonus and the two Sweeps were flying right at the Autobots. They landed only a few meters in front of them and opened fire in the blink of an eye.
Closely behind them followed the Stunticons who attacked them from two sides.
Like the Decepticon guards before them, the Autobots had no chance.
As Topspin saw the assault coming, he draw his gun. But Cyclonus was faster and shot the Autobot directly through the head.
TwinTwist saw this and was enraged by the death of his brother. He tried to attack the Decepticons but was shot in the side by Wildrider before he had the chance to do something.
Rack´n´Run was under attack from the Sweeps and the Stunticons. Firestar got hit and went down for a moment.
TwinTwist tried to shoot back at the Decepticons but was shot by Sweep Two. The blast pierced through his already weakened chest and killed him with a hit into his fuel pump.
The double Autobot Rack´n´Run went down under the fire. Motormaster shot his left body in the head and a moment later Sweep One killed his other half with a blast in the chest.
Firestar started firing wildly at the Autobots, but Cyclonus took aim and shot her with a single blast directly into her spark chamber, killing the female Autobot instantly.
All that had taken place in less than thirty five seconds. A few moments later the Decepticons were themselves attacked from above. Five jets with Autobot insignias, the Aerialbots, were approaching from the sky. Cyclonus recognized them.
"Aerialbots, Stunticons stop them", he shouted.
"Stunticons merge." Motormaster gave the order without wasting any time. They connected with each other, forming a single large robot.
After a few moments they had become the combiner robot Menasor.
"Airialbots form Superion." The Airialbot leader Silverbolt gave the respective instruction and his team formed their own super-robot.
The two gestalts approached each other. Menasor tried to hit Superion with his sword and the Autobot were blocking his move.
"We go inside and help the others", Cyclonus told the Sweeps.
In the prison building Ultra Magnus and the others were still dog-fighting the seekers. Skids saw coincidentally at one of the surveillance monitors and his circuits run cold.
"Magnus Decepticons are outside. The others are all dead", he shouted.
"Damn", Red Alert cursed, "our back up has appeared but they are fighting the Stunticons now. Three Decepticons are coming in." He saw that three more Decepticons had entered the building.
The Aerialbots had originally fled Moon-Base one as it was destroyed. Then they made contact with Roadbuster´s resistance group. They had volunteered to assist either strike group that would need help.
"Cyclonus", Ultra Magnus murmured as he saw the three new enemies.
xxxxxxx
Unicron, in space in a short distance from Cybertron.
Galvatron was now finally facing Unicron. He was determined to force the monster into submission or destroy it.
In honesty, he wanted nothing more than to kill him here and now.
"Unicron answer me", he called out.
Galvatron was holding the Matrix in both hands, taking it like a shield before his chest.
"See this? The Matrix. I now possess that which you most fear", he said full of anger, threatening the planet-eater.
"You do my bidding or feel my wrath." As he said this he tried to open the Matrix, but then he realized to his horror that he was not able to open it. This couldn´t be, the Decepticon leader thought.
Why should Unicron fear it this much if it couldn´t be used against him?
Unicron said only one sentence.
"You underestimate me Galvatron."
With this words the ground under Galvatron´s feet began to move.
xxxxxxx
Kaon, mind prison
Ultra Magnus and his Autobots were caught fighting the Decepticons. They were trapped in the prison building, unable to get forward or back. His troops and the Decepticons were about even in strength. Their chance for a victory or at least a stand-off would be very good, under normal circumstances.
But all this was meaningless here and now. In a short time Unicron would attack, Magnus reminded himself and this building would be destroyed. This happened in his history and it would probably happen again now.
And all of them would die this time. They needed to get out of here and that now.
There was no way that they could defeat the Decepticons that quickly or somehow get around them. They couldn´t break through the walls either.
What could they do?
Ultra Magnus saw only one thing that was left for him.
"Cyclonus", he called out the name as loud as he could.
xxxxxxx
Unicron
Galvatron saw astonished that Unicron´s form was changing. He saw it but his mind wouldn´t quite register.
From the planet were forming out arms, legs and finally a head and skeleton like wings.
Unicron was transforming. The entire living planet was a Transformer in a size beyond any comprehension.
Unicron was finally standing before him, a single robot in the size of the planet Cybertron.
Galvatron, in some part of his mind, realized the resemblance between the being before and the painting he had seen at the Chaos Temple.
xxxxxxx
Kaon, mind prison
"Cyclonus." The Decepticon second heard somebody calling his name. He needed only a moment to recognize the voice, Ultra Magnus.
That was impossible. They had left the Autobot destroyed behind at the planet of junk. Even if he could have been repaired somehow, it was impossible for him to get to Cybertron in a such short time.
"Ultra Magnus?" He called out unbelieving.
"Cyclonus I have to talk to you", Magnus told him.
"That is impossible. We left you at the junk planet. You can not be here", the Decepticon answered him.
"As impossible as you being present at my creation?" He asked him and hoped that the Decepticon got the hint.
"How and why I am here is not important. I have to talk to you", Ultra Magnus told him.
Was Ultra Magnus another time traveler? Cyclonus asked himself. He decided to listen to what the Autobot had to say.
"What do you want?"
"Cyclonus listen. Unicron will attack. I know that Galvatron is on his way to stop him but his attempt will fail and Unicron will move against Cybertron."
That Magnus just told him here would be nothing then the realization of Cyclonus worst fears.
"Cyclonus", Ultra Magnus continued, "I have to ask one thing of you. Please, let us take the minds of the prisoners and let us go out of here."
For a second everybody was speechless. Magnus realized that the other Autobots were starring at him. The Decepticons in the other rooms had probably not reacted any different.
He had this one chance.
xxx
Ultra Magnus remembered the time where he had been blown out of a damaged ship over a black hole.
He had been floating helplessly in space, waiting to get swallowed by the singularity, until Cyclonus had dragged him back in with his energy field.
"Why did you save me?" He had asked him back then.
"Warriors like us deserve to die in battle", the Decepticon had answered him.
This had not even happened yet.
xxx
"This are helpless prisoners. Minds that were separated from their bodies who can do nothing to defend themselves." Ultra Magnus knew that this Decepticon had a concept of morals and honor and destroying the defenseless was not part of it.
"This building, this entire area will be destroyed. We are trapped here. We need to get out of here. When Unicron attacks we will have a chance to get away, but the prisoners not", he continued.
"Galvatron won´t succeed. Think about it. Do you really think a Decepticon, created by Unicron, can use the Matrix against him?"
This words hit Cyclonus directly in the spark. He realized that Magnus was probably right, remembering all his fears about what Galvatron was doing. Unicron was probably prepared for this possibility.
"Cyclonus please let us go. You have helped me once as I was completely helpless too." Two times actually. He though silently.
"Please let us go out of here before it is to late", Magnus shouted.
Cyclonus was in thought. He comprehended all what Ultra Magnus had told him.
After a short time he had made his decision.
xxxxxxx
In the sky above them Unicron had started to transform.