Chapter 12
Galvatron and Hotrod were still standing in opposite to each other. They both were quite unsure about their situation, but none of them would show it.
The Autobots were still his enemies, Galvatron thought. But Unicron was a threat to all of them.
Before the million´s years of war and countless times they tried to destroy each other, all that held the Decepticons and the Autobots apart were ideological differences.
But right now he wanted to see Unicron dead more than any Autobot, he decided. At least for now he was the enemy.
"Like it or not, we are allies now against a common foe", Galvatron said.
But in the moment he had spoken these words the pain ripped through his mind like earlier. This time however it was worse than ever before.
"Destroy him Galvatron now or you yourself self shall be obliterated." Unicron´s voice haled through the room.
Galvatron heard his words. He didn´t actually wanted to follow them. But did he have a choice?
The torture was still there and at last in his mind, even increasing.
Parallel to that, at the inside, something different happened. The strange feelings and characteristics he had since his reformation became stronger than ever before. Before he had managed to hold it at bay. Now the alien presence that had been invading his mind was gaining more and more ground.
Something in him was changing and something was slowly breaking. He was full of hate, even more that ever before and not all of it was his own. It was as if two beings where in his mind.
Galvatron and Galvatron, the Decepticon Unicron had created from Megatron´s remains and the one he wanted to create.
It had been too much. Everything he had tried had failed, everything.
He felt his resistance slipping, first a little, then completely. The small part of him who was asking himself why Unicron was fearing the young Autobot so much was simply tossed aside. In his agony he heard himself saying these words.
"Of course my master", and the pain stopped.
He looked around at the corridors, the walls, Unicon´s insides, his master.
For a moment everything around him looked strange, foreign. He looked as if he saw it the first time. Not because his surroundings had changed, but because he did.
For a moment Galvatron didn´t completely knew himself.
He was disoriented, not because he didn´t knew where he was, but because he wasn´t sure about the identity of the being that was looking through his eyes.
Deep inside his own self was slowly being replaced with someone else with the same name. What he felt was anger, at Unicron, at himself, at the young Autobot who was hiding instead to face him.
This anger mixed with with the foreign programing and took him over completely.
Unicron´s creation Galvatron, his agent of destruction, was now finally as good as complete.
Then his focus returned. He realized that the young robot was running away and he fired at him just before Hotrod vanished out of sight.
"Puny Autobot. You lack even Prime´s courage." Galvatron´s voice haled after him through the darkness.
xxxxxxx
Ironically both factions were now fighting side by side. The Decepticon flagship, that had already been blown out of the orbit at this point, seekers and shuttles, were fighting together with the ships the Autobots had brought in, Aerialbots, Dinobots, the Junkions and whatever of their units were able to fly and join the fight.
Both armies were disorganized and in panic. With his first strikes Unicron had destroyed the organization structure, their most important military assets and the communication lines of the Decepticons.
Their entire leadership was either dead or missing, Decepticon headquarters was destroyed and their flagship gone. A great part of their forces had already fled the planet and that for good reason. The ones who were still fighting belonged in first line to three categories, the most brave, the most fanatical and the most stupid or simply the ones who hadn´t the possibility to get away yet.
Whirl had transformed in helicopter mode and was now ascending into the air in a mixture of instinct and panic. He had always been a robot of action. If someone was attacking them, he fought back.
He was now flying over the devastated landscape of Polyphex. One look at the destruction was enough to make him want to get a shot at the monster. This time however his recklessness was his undoing.
Unicron fired laser blasts from his eyes that had a diameter of more than a kilometer. He had not even a chance to avoid the shot. The Autobot was vaporized in an instant.
Milliseconds later the blast hit another sector of Cybertron and started to dig itself into the planet. A group of a half dozen unlucky Decepticon ground troops who happened to still be in that area died then the entire place around them exploded.
xxx
In the orbit a patrol ship of the Decepticons was engaging Unicron and covering him with lasers and missiles. But like with the other defenders before, this efforts showed no great effect.
On the ground between that what had once been Polyphex Roadbuster´s group was standing and watching the space-ships and seekers trying to fight the giant off.
It had all happened so fast that neither they or the Decepticons they had been fighting had any chance to react. After Unicron´s attack had leveled the sector they had stopped shooting at each other. The Autobot and Decepticon teams were now sitting in different parts of Polyphex area, unsure and divided what to do.
Darkwing and Dreadwind had lifted off to fight this enemy from the sky, a far better choice from their view than staying on the ground where they would be sitting ducks.
The triple-changers and the coneheads, who had been joined by the seekers Slugslinger, Trigerhappy and Misfire, were currently on the ground, several miles away from the Autobots.
Thrust, Slugslinger and Blitzwing had been damaged in the fight with their opponents and were lying hidden between the rubble of the devastated area while their partners Ramjet and Triggerhappy were taking care of them. Others like Dirge and Misfire could only stare in the sky or at the destruction on the ground. They were like frozen and didn´t managed to move a limp.
The Decepticon vessel above them was a middle sized war-ship. Currently it had a crew of 11 men. With another shot from Unicron it was completely obliterated. The demise of the ship was also seen by the Transformers on the ground. Seeing this had somehow a effect on the Decepticon group.
"We have lost", Ramjet said, "we have to get away from here."
Astrotrain looked around. He may have never been the most fearless Decepticon, but they had fought for longer against this impossible enemy than he would have ever thought possible.
"Decepticons, this battle is over", he called out, "retreat." With that order, he transformed into shuttle mode. The others hesitated for only a moment.
Astrotrain was not their leader and had no more authority than any of them. If they wanted to follow that order was everybody´s own decision. But they all could see that it was hopeless.
They boarded Astrotrain´s shuttle form and he started. He flew close over the ground first and then left the atmosphere as he was on the opposite site of the planet to Unicron.
They escaped into space, away from the battle.
xxxxxxx
Hotrod was now running from the robot who had tried to ally himself with him only minutes ago. In the tunnels and beside the alien constructions inside of Unicron´s body were enough places to hide for some time.
The Decepticon leader originally didn´t want to fight him, he remembered, he wanted to team up with him and only attacked after Unicron had literally tortured him into doing it.
Maybe another try wouldn´t be in vain, he thought, maybe a alliance was still possible.
"Galvatron", he called out into the darkness, "I fought you wanted to ally yourself with me? As you said, against a common foe. You never wanted to fight me. Unicron is the one destroying our home-world."
Hotrod was answered by a shot that hit a bar only a few meters above his head.
"Sorry Autobot. But things had changed. You will die here." He heard the Decepticons voice in some distance.
His voice, Hotrod thought, it was as if something was wrong with it. He just knew it somehow.
"There is nothing you can do Autobot." He heard the words coming from the side. It was Unicron. The voice came from some sort of terminal on the wall at the side of the tunnel.
"I have created Galvatron from the remains of the one you knew as Megatron and since then I have been slowly influencing his mind. Now the process is nearly finished. He is now finally completely mine and you Autobot will die." Hotrod heard Unicron laughing and he realized that the monster knew where he was.
He got away from the terminal as fast as he could and got back into hiding.
xxxxxxx
The Autobots who were standing in the ruins of Polyphex had long realized that they couldn´t do anything. None of them was able to fly. Their enemy was simply to large and to far away from them to cause any sort of damage.
A few of them were injured and they were all out of energon. They were not in the position to make any sort of difference here. As much as they hated it, but against this foe they couldn´t do a thing. So they decided to take care for their wounded and make the best of their situation.
Roadbuster and Impactor were having a discussing about how to continue from here on.
"We can not just sit here and do nothing", the Wreckers leader called out.
"No, doing nothing is exactly all we can do", Roadbuster stated. "Have you forgotten that none of us can fly? We can not even reach that monster and even less fight him. Hell, we can not even run away."
All of them actually knew of course that he was right with his observation, but none of them really wanted to admit it.
In that moment they heard the discharge of a laser weapon and a explosion right next to them. One of Chromia´s femmes had been shot through the back.
On top of one of the ruins, in short distance, they saw three eccentric looking robots. All three of them were clearly cybertronians, but it was unclear if they were Autobots or Decepticons.
They were wearing strange masks that had a striking resemblance to Unicron and they all were heavily armed. The one on the left had a long range gun in his hands that was still smoking.
"It cannot be", Impactor said in shock, "that is impossible."
Everybody was starring at the newcomers for a few moments.
"Impactor?" Inferno asked incredulous, "do you know who this psychos are?"
"It is impossible, but by the way they look like this are members of the Brotherhood of Chaos." the wreckers leader answered him.
In that moment the three mechs started to fire.
"In the name of our master Unicron, kill them." They heard the one in the middle call out. The Autobots took cover and began to shoot back.
xxxxxxx
Ultra Magnus and the survivors of his team were on their way to a safer part of the planet. For that they had gone again into the underground of the planet, through the ramified sewers inside of Cybertron. From there they were trying to reach one of the sectors that were not under direct attack.
At the same time a group of refugees from the sudden attack, mostly empties and a few Decepticons who had lost their base got separated from their comrades and didn´t knew what to do anymore, were also trying to get to safer areas.
Due to a lucky coincidence, they were met by Magnus Autobots. He and the others decided to help the fleeing robots.
The four Decepticons, their nominate leader Flywheels, Battletrap, Gutcruncher and Krok, had in an unusual act of compassion picked up the empties and where now in reverse picked up by the Autobots. As they first met they had of course drawn their guns at each other. To their luck they all knew perfectly that fighting in their situation was very pointless and the leaders of both teams turned out to be quite sensible.
The group consisting of Autobots, Decepticons and homeless neutrals was now walking through the tunnels.
"Do you knew how long it will still take us to get there Magnus?" Flywheels asked the leader of the Autobot part of their group.
"From here it is about 2,5 breem", Ultra Magnus told him.
xxxxxxx
Hotrod knew that hiding wouldn´t help anything in the end. Sooner or later Galvatron would find him and then the planet would already be destroyed. He knew his only chance would be to wait for a chance to attack. And here it was.
"Come out Autobot. We all must die someday", Galvatron called into the corridors and for a moment the Decepticon leader had his back turned to him.
Hotrod knew he had to be fast, very fast, to even have the slightest chance against a fighter like this. He came out of his hiding place and shot at his opponent several times. Then he transformed into car mode and raced at the Decepticon in full speed. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Galvatron had not even the chance to fight back.
Hotrod rammed into his side and brought him off balance. Galvatron fell to his knees and sent two other blasts after the racing car that was already speeding away again. Hotrod then turned around, using one of the rounded structures in Unicron´s insides as a ramp and tried the same tactic again.
He wanted to take the chance to hit his opponent as long as he was off-guard. But this time he miscalculated. Galvatron was already back up again. He tried to grip the Autobot and Hotrod raced frontal into the larger Decepticon. So he got hold of him and forced him to transform.
Before the young Autobot had any chance to react, the Decepticon leader had his hands around his throat.
"Die Autobot", Galvatron hissed.
xxxxxxx
"The Brotherhood of Chaos", Inferno said in disbelieve, "that is impossible. Megatron had destroyed the cult millions years ago."
In the early years of the war the Brotherhood had used the fighting for their advantage. This robots worshiped the chaos and destruction and did everything to see it growing. They attacked facilities of both factions, assassinated officers and did everything to keep the war going on without any victor. That was until Megatron launched a great campaign against them to wipe the cult out completely.
It was thought that he had succeeded, until now.
"Obviously not rigorous enough by what we see here", Impactor responded.
Roadbuster was angry. It was that simple. He had already lost one of his team-mates and the 37 prisoners to the monster who was currently attacking Cybertron.
And now they had lost one of the female Autobots to three lunatic sectarians in iron masks. Then he saw that another warrior, Joyride, was shot in the shoulder.
"Autobots", Roadbuster ordered loud, "get them with everything you have."
He could see Impactor and Inferno smiling at his words before they sent even more shots over to their new enemies.
The chaos-minions themselves were now in the defense. They were now the ones who got damaged.
Inferno killed one of them with a precise shot in the spark chamber. But the other ones showed no sign of taking cover or even only the slightest sign of carefulness. So they went down under the combined fire of the Autobots.
Roadbuster hit the one in the middle three times into the head and upper chest before he fell down dead. The last one tried to draw his weapon again, but before he could Impactor shoot him his harpoon through his head.
xxxxxxx
Ultra Magnus, Flywheels and their followers had reached the surface level of Cybertron again. They were now back at the open air and out of the battle zone.
"Have you heard that?" Magnus suddenly asked. The sound came from a point close to them. For experienced soldiers like them it was unmistakable, blaster fire. The warriors were carefully approaching the place.
As they had arrived they saw the reason for the shots, something very strange. Before them they saw two transformers who were wearing masks resembling the monster that was attacking Cybertron. This robots were standing over the smoking corpses of two car-style Decepticons. The corpses looked as if they had been shot in the back.
Ultra Magnus knew what they were. He had been built in one of their abandoned temples.
"Who in the world are those guys?" Flywheels asked him angrily.
"Followers of the Brotherhood of Chaos", Magnus answered, "a vicious sect that was thought to be wiped out a long time ago. They are dangerous", he warned him.
"Damn, I thought this was over for us and now that", the Decepticon whispered angrily.
They heard the two bots talking.
"We have to continue," one of them said, "we have to find as many children of Primus as we can and kill them all, our master demands it."
"Okay", Ultra Magnus stated to Flywheels, "you take the one on the left and I the one on the right, go." Both of them took aim at one of the two masked robots and fired.
After a few shots the two sectarians were lying dead on the ground.
xxxxxxx
In the sky over Cybertron a handful of Autobots and a few remaining Decepticon seekers were still trying to defend the planet. It was long clear at this point however that attacks from the outside wouldn´t be any threat to Unicron.
One of this defenders was the battleship of the Junkions. Beside the Junkion crew were also the three Autobots Ultra Magnus, the version from this time, Perceptor and Blurr on board.
During the fight Unicron managed to grab the ship. He held it in his fist and was slowly crushing it. The crew members who were on the bridge and in the heck part of the ship was able to duck and survive even in the compromised room. Everybody who was in the mid sections however died a horrible death.
Then he threw the remains away so that they fell down to the planet, together with the survivors.
xxxxxxx
Hotrod was being pinned under Galvatron. The Decepticon´s hands were slowly crushing his throat and would soon destroy his metallic backbone. He had no chance.
He realized that he had failed, just like the time as he had tried to save Optimus. The last time his leader had died and now would he and then the entire planet Cybertron.
He had been the only one who had been able to stop it simply because he was the only one in reach of the Matrix.
Hotrod wouldn´t simply give up, he decided. He wasn´t willing to just lay down and die.
"First Optimus Prime", Galvatron said in a dark triumph.
The most basic characteristics of the Decepticon leader were still there, his lust to conquer, his anger and bitterness, even far more of it, awed by Unicron, his ambition, but twisted by what the Chaos Bringer and not he himself wanted.
Every compassion he ever had, every bit of mercy that existed however, were gone.
And also his ability to reason and to see that his actions here would only lead to Unicron´s victory, that this would only help him and nobody else.
In Galvatron´s mind right now only he and the Autobot next to him, the one he was about to kill, existed.
"Then Ultra Magnus", he continued, "and now you. It's a pity you Autobots die so easily or I might have a sense of satisfaction now."
In the moment Galvatron said those words however Hotrod´s hand was able to to reach the Matrix.
In the moment his fingers touched the object, the blue light radiating from it increased tenfold and in the same time the young Autobot felt a burst of energy floating into him like he never experienced it before.
He managed to break Galvatron´s hold and also the chains with that the Decepticon had connected the Matrix to him.
Hotrod was holding the sacred artifact in both of his hands now. He felt all it´s power and knowledge flowing through him.
The Matrix was connected with his body and his mind. He felt it´s energy merging with every part of his being and completely reconstructing him.
Hotrod felt how his form changed. He grew taller and much stronger.
And something else was happening, a voice filled the room.
"Arise Rodimus Prime." Both Transformers present would recognize it everywhere.
"Optimus", the just christened Rodimus Prime called out in awe.
Galvatron aimed his cannon at the Autobot and fired three times. The blast didn´t even wound the now fully energized new Prime, but they knocked the Matrix from his hands.
In response Rodimus addressed the Decepticon. He pointed his finger at him in a confident gesture.
"This is the end of the road Galvatron", he declared. Then he rushed forward and tackled the Decepticon leader.
It was now only a short struggle. Galvatron was surprised, damaged and confused and Rodimus had another advantage. Deep down his opponent didn´t want to win.
He gripped the Decepticon with both hands, lifted him up and through him right through the wall that was Unicron´s skin. Galvatron ripped right through the outer shell and flew into space.
From there he was flying out of orbit and away from Cybertron.
Rodimus took the Matrix back up. He felt it´s energy flowing again and he knew what he had to do. Even if he wouldn´t have known the legend, the Matrix told him what to do.
"Now light our darkest our", he said and with that he opened the Matrix outer shell.
It was now a glowing ball of energy, floating in Unicron´s insides and streaming it´s power to all sides.
The energy was eating itself through Unicron´s body and slowly destroying him from the inside.
Rodimus knew that they had won. All what was left now was for him and the other Autobots to get out of here.
xxxxxxx
Unicron screamed out in pain and anguish. Every Transformer in the system could see and hear it.
He lost hold of Cybertron and slowly started to drift away from the planet. Streams of blue light were breaking out of his body from several places.
"We have won", Ultra Magnus said relieved. "All as it should be", he whispered and smiled.
It had all played out, he thought, nothing had changed, we have won like we have before.
Unicron´s body was beginning to fall apart. A leg was blown off by an explosion. He ripped open the side of his own throat in a desperate attempt to remove the Matrix. But it was too late.
From the distance they saw how the new Autobot leader and the others were breaking out of Unicron´s remaining eye that was already weakened by the damage and jumped down to the planet.
They had truly won. For a short moment everybody on Cybertron sheered, the Autobots, the remaining Decepticons and the few existing neutrals.
"You should better leave now", he said to the four Cons next to him, "there are no Decepticon forces left on the planet."
"Getaway." Magnus looked at the Autobot next to him.
"We will let them go", he assured him.
Flywheels stepped for and offered Magnus his hand, who took it after a short moment of hesitation.
"It was a pleasure to work with you Magnus", the Decepticon said. Then he and his comrades lifted off and flew away, slowly leaving the atmosphere.
"It´s to bad there aren´t more Decepticons like him", Getaway stated.
"There are and so maybe we will have a chance of peace some day", Ultra Magnus told him.
A few more minutes passed. Everybody on the planet had to completely realize that had just happened.
Ultra Magnus group saw something, only a few hundred meters from them, a large glowing sphere of energy. The transwarp gate, Magnus remembered it.
"That is my way back", he informed the others. They all understood immediately what he meant.
"Take care Magnus", Skids said. Getaway also said a goodbye.
"We will see us in the future", Magnus told them. "You will found my past self anywhere here and the others. Rodimus Prime will start taking control of the planet and search for survivors. help him."
"Yes Sir", Getaway answered.
With that Ultra Magnus stepped inside the transwarp bubble and a few seconds later it was gone.
xxxxxxx
At the outskirts of the star system. The flagship of the Decepticons was still drifting and moving further and further away from Cybertron.
"Have you finally managed to get the ship back under control Scourge?" Cyclonus asked.
"We have nearly stabilized it, but it will take a long time before this ship will fly again", the Sweep leader informed him.
"We will regroup, we will assemble our forces again." Cyclonus made it clear, loud and for everyboy to hear and quieter he said,
"and I will find Galvatron."
xxxxxxx
Ultra Magnus stood again before Optimus and Perceptor.
"You are back old friend", the Autobot leader greeted him. He was clearly happy, but being Optimus Prime, he was of course a bit reserved.
"Good, then we can locate Hotrod now", Perceptor pointed out.
"Wait", Optimus said, "it is not at the time yet.
xxxxxxx
Earth, in the year 1986
A black armored robot with red eyes was standing at the peek of one of the middle sized mountains. From here he could see the Decepticon base in the distance of several kilometers.
He knew about the prisoner, Hotrod, Rodimus Prime, someone he had heard much about and was very eager to meet.
A black Myst, more a black form of energy, was leaving his body. Something that would have shown a spectator a small glimpse of his true nature.
The being was concentrating very hard. His mind reached out to the Autobot in a cell in the Decepticon base before him.
"Rodimus Prime", he called out, "can you hear me?"
And he was heard. It took some time before the Autobot answered. Understandable, considering what he was seeing right now.
"Who are you?" Hotrod wanted to know.
"You can call me Cabal", it said.