Forever is a long time coming

By: La Pucelle Altre

[NSFW] - Forever is a long time coming by La Pucelle Altre

Status: ongoing

Published: 2022-01-07

Updated: 2023-05-18

Words: 77002

Chapters: 9

Original source: https/forum./threads/17170

Exported with the assistance of

Forever is a long time coming

Introduction

1: Activation

2: Contention

Chapter 3: Usurpation

chapter 4: Assimilation

Chapter 5: Concussion

chapter 6: Devastation

Chapter 7: Isolation

Chapter 8: Stranded

Chapter 9: False Gods

1: Activation

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: https/www.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

Chapter 1: Activation


Luna 1, Hecate, Con Facility 147 (location)

Twilight of the Golden Age (time)

FO-03426 (Pov)

… What is this…

"Which one is this again?"…."FO-03423, keep up you idiot"

… It's so cold…

"Shut up will you, I've been doing this for 8 kilo-cycles"…. "Take it up with The Senator… This one is clear, activate the next one."

… What is that sound… those voices…

"Fine, fine. How is good old FO-03424 doing?"… "Clear, get to the next one"

… It's all so foggy…

"And darling FO-03425 then?"… "Cut the chatter already. Clear"

… They are getting closer…

"Well, you've been assigned to me and you have to be here, so 'Take it up with the Senator'."…" Provocation like that is only going to get your pay docke- Something is wrong with this one, run a diagnostic"

… Where am I… I was walking home from school…

"Looks like the Data-upload faltered halfway, she is somewhat conscious"…" Well, do something, will you?"

… Why can't I move my body?….

"Ok, I'm resetting the upload, it might disorient her, so we will have to make sure she is functional."

"Rust-damned Cold forged. Can't even function a cycle into their life. Scrap her if it doesn't work."

… I can see…

"Yeah, I think it's working. The upload is stuttering a bit, but it seems stable….There's no reason to kill her Froid."

"That remains to be seen. Let's get to the others and send them into orientation."

[img: https/forum./proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.%2F4823Bp8.png =63e54cad93c6bb897aceb07cd32dc7c6]

Luna 1, Hecate, Con Facility 147

1 Kilo-cycle (Hour) later

FO-03426

Why was I here… My body. I was turned into a machine. I didn't have a single bit of organic matter on me. My "Diagnostic program" told me enough of that… I was flesh and bone just a short while ago… how could this have happened?

I look down at my metallic digits and can't help but shudder at the implication.

I'm a Cybertronian now. A goddamned transformer. A sentient race of machines that could transform into other forms. I was just a casual fan of the franchise, my knowledge being limited to a few cartoons, games and those shitty Michael Bay movies. None of it explained my predicament or why I was standing in a giant chamber with hundreds of other female transformers, or well… "Femmes" as they are called in the setting.

I was literally born just a short while ago… And unlike a natural birth..or well, a natural "Forging", I was "constructed cold". I didn't know what that really meant, but judging by the words of the bots working here, I guessed I wasn't part of a wanted class. I guess it also had to do with the other femmes all around me. All of them were faring a bit better than me but were still wildly confused and concerned. And we had cause for concern.

We all looked the same. Not in some joking manner or the type a racist would say, but we were all perfectly identical. The only differences were the serial numbers on our chests… Mass-produced cybertronians. I thought the species was spawned from Cybertron but I guess there is an artificial method here as well.

The data pack upload was… basic information really. Who we are as a race, basic programs and data packs. A general introduction, but not something that painted a clear picture. What interested me was the fact that my limbs couldn't produce any of the cool weapons I was expecting. A simple welding tool and mining laser were all I had by default.

"Listen up you worthless rust buckets! I am about to read out your assignments for the foreseeable future. Listen up and head to the designated exits. If you loiter around, then know that we will scrap you in a nano-cycle." A robotic voice yells out and I stare at the mech standing on a floating platform hovering in this giant chamber we found ourselves. What made my eyes widen was the red Autobot symbol adorning the chest… Those are supposed to be the good guys! Why the hell is he treating a bunch of newborns like this!

"FO-03257 To 03287. You are assigned as a tertiary police force on the colony of Caminus."

A door opened up in front of the bots mentioned and they quickly moved through it when a security guard behind them unsheathed an oversized cattle prod which sparked with electricity.

"Fo-03288 to 03300. You are assigned as haulers and prospectors in Mining sector 12 of Luna 2."

The next door opened up and most of the femmes quickly moved through, but one actually lagged behind before staring up at the Mech who had been yelling at us all this time, "Why! I don't want to work in any mines! Can't I choose what I want to be or where I work!?" she yelled.

I guess we were different then.… well, of course, we were different, but I guess all of us did have different personalities.

The femme is quickly hit in the back of her neck and tumbles to the ground as she convulses from the sudden electric shock. "Hah! As if a Con gets any say in where they work!" The guard cackles before being shushed by the overseer… or the dude giving assignments.

The overseer did put in his opinion on the matter as well, "Just like us, the pure forged cybertronians, one's Alt-form defines one's use for Cybertron. That is the wisdom of the great high council and the Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy. Cold Constructions like yourself are not exempt from it. This is how it is and how it shall always be."

The guard retorts as he chucks the femme that had spoken up through the door where she is picked up by the others who had already gone through. "If anyone else gets any dumb ideas, feel free to voice them! Make it easier for us to weed out the bad bolts among you!"

After that, the others were very quiet on the matter. For me, I was just confused and concerned as to what was going on. When he called us "Cons", it was in reference to us being cold constructed, rather than any allegiance with the Decepticons… Were they even a thing right now?

Or were they maybe in control? Cause this is a fucking caste system if I've ever seen one and I refuse to believe it's run by Autobots. Maybe it's a universe where the war is over or the roles were reversed….I don't freaking know. I dwell deeper into my theories and begin to ignore the overseer's other assignments until my own number is finally called upon.

"FO-03425 to 03428" My head snapped towards the overseer in fear of where I would have to go.

"You are assigned as miners and demolition operators in the mines of Kaon. What luck of you to be assigned to the glorious homeworld." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

The three other femmes quickly moved towards the designated exit but I hesitated before quickly moving as the guard moved closer. I'm worried because, even with my shitty knowledge of this setting, I knew that Kaon was. It was probably the worst place on the entire planet… and it was the capital of the Decepticons… just what the hell is going on.

Cybertron, Kaon, sector 8 mines.

8 Solar-cycles(Days) later

FO-03426

The trip to Cybertron was probably the best part of my new life… well, it wasn't comfortable in any stretch of the word, but the view. The view was breathtaking. A planet of metal and blue energy, home to one of the oldest civilisations in the cosmos….

And after reaching the spaceport… Things got a lot worse. Kaon was… Well, it was in all honestly absolutely terrible. The metal, once shiny and pristine, was filthy with grime, soot and rust. The Injured and decrepit lined the streets and I quickly found out why. The air was so heavily laced with chemicals and toxic fumes from the local industry that it actually affects our bodies. I could already tell that my finish was being eaten away by the filthy air. I don't think my chassis will be too terribly affected, but it's still absolute garbage.

This place is terrible and once I started work, I considered it hell. Making friends was also a bit hard as my initial plan was to befriend the other femmes I had arrived with. Too bad that we were all scattered and sent to different mining sectors. I was on my own.

My first day of work consisted of being screamed at by my new co-workers due to me apparently replacing another bot who had been crushed when the fixtures of a smelting kiln came loose. It had been less than a week and he was being replaced rather than giving him a chance to recover. I understood the reason for their anger as that mech was completely fucked now, but I obviously hated the fact that it was taken out on me.

I also quickly learned that cold-constructed weren't liked by the overseers and members of the higher castes, but members of my own seemed rather understanding. I guess they don't see the point in hating a group suffering the same shit as they are for idiotic reasons.

It also helped that quite a few were also Cold-forged like me. The initial confrontation didn't give me a good standing though, and trying to get help from others was incredibly difficult. My alt-form was….Well, I was essentially a tank without a canon. I did have my mining laser and that was used for some of the harder metals that an Energon pickaxe couldn't get through.

The welding tool was quickly taken away from me though, but I got a backpack of Seismic charges at least… though it just means that my job won't be the safest. I was meant to do the initial digging for new tunnels and have to work with a Minicon assigned to me in order to find Energon veins. He turned into a little satellite dish and was cute in his own little way. Having him connect to me also gave me quite the energy boost and the work just got easier with him.

But back to the work I have to do. Cave-ins were likely and when the tunnel was finished, I was forced to act as a hauler and general stand-in for what needed to be done. My senior….well, the other guy doing demolitions wasn't really the sharpest tool in the shed.

"What do you mean we can't just use more charges to get through!? If the wall is too tough then we just use more! It's simple!" The mech stated as he held seismic charges in his hand in confusion.

His name was DE-4774 and so far, he was a decent guy. I mean, he was a cold-constructed like me, so it did make sense. He didn't judge me for any crap and just cared about getting the work done….but as mentioned, he wasn't the smartest. His face was also a bit unique. Story goes that his visor got cracked in half a few years ago when he literally got caught in the blast of his explosives. He only got the right optic replaced while the other just got an extra casing. It looked like one of his eyes had a monocle.

It's an interesting detail, but the important bit is the fact that he has messed up before and he can very well do so again.

I grab the bridge of my nose… or the spot between my two eyes-… optics. I should start using the appropriate terms more often, but I'm still too used to being, well, human.

"No Dee. You haven't even bothered scanning if the metal is any different or if it might be supporting the mine shaft. Think about that will you?" I say as I quickly snatch the detonator from his hands. Dee was my little nickname for him due to the fact that referring him by a number really didn't feel right.

A childish whine escapes his lips as I move to collect the extra charges he placed.

"Come on 26! If we get more work done on the payday, then we get a little more! I wanna head to the arena today!" My movements quickly stop as I process his words. The first question was concerning the reason he wants to get paid a bonus.

"As in the very illegal arena matches which were just rumours to my knowledge?" His face freezes as a somewhat scared expression grows on his face… I wasn't going to snitch on him, there was really no reason to do that. Besides, he was the coworker I interacted the most with… so I wouldn't mind having him as a friend as well.

My mind wanders back to the other thing he mentioned. Extra pay is definitely good. Especially as I wasn't aware we were being paid.

I had been provided with what one could consider a bunk bed for me to rest in. I needed to be in my alt-form and was surrounded by countless other miners, but the enclosed space gave a minimum of privacy. We were also given low-grade Energon twice a week.

It "tasted" like….I would consider it a soft drink that has been diluted so much that you can't really taste whatever it originally was. It kept me alive at the very least, but I didn't exactly like it. So hearing that we are getting paid quickly improved my mood on the matter.

"Dee… Give me 2 cycles and we blew through this damned wall. So help me out will you?" his face goes from kicked puppy to gleeful child in a nanosecond. He quickly got to helping me after I scanned the structures with the help of my minicon and moved the charges around to improve our chances.

It took a while to properly place them all, but my little buddy was great at his job. He had a few kinks to sort out, some bugs and latency issues, but he was decent. I wasn't sure if it was a standard among minicons, but mine was completely silent. He didn't talk and he didn't beep.

He was my responsibility now and I did learn to read his body language. I won't pretend I'm an expert with some subtle means of reading people, but rather that I can understand nods and simple hand gestures. He also had to stay with me when we got off work, so I considered him….Well, he was mine. My little buddy.

My main issue at first was the fact that his serial number was about 20 digits long. I cared very little for that and decided to name him. Prorex was what I came up with and in all honesty, I thought it fit. I knew a little bit of Latin when I was still human and the little guy actually seemed happy with the name. Especially after I told him the meaning. That particular term translates to "Deputy", it wasn't quite a term he understood, but I boiled it down to being a person who is not just reliable, but also someone trusted with important tasks. (I let out the law aspects of the term as that muddied the message. I chose it because words like assistant or helper sounded stupid.)

But yeah. Prorex was a lot of help and we quickly finished setting up the charges. I grab Dee by the shoulder and move us back through the mine just in case a cave-in happens anyway. I hold out the detonator to him but he quickly pushes it back as he says, "It's Payday 26! And your first one at that! I want you to do the honours." he states with a stupid grin.

A small smile finds itself on my own face as I take the detonator and connect to its system. With a mental command, a chain of explosions booms in front of us and breaks through the wall at the end of the mineshaft. As the dust settles, we both grow happy at the still standing tunnel and quickly move towards the centre of the explosions.

Approaching the point, my optics quickly catch glimpses of a blue glow through the smoke and ash. Not a lot of things glowed, so I think this might be something very specific.

I start running towards the now broken wall, "Hey wait up!" Dee yells from behind me. I ignore his words and find myself in a small cave formation filled with giant blue crystals glowing blue.

"By the primes, I've never seen so much Energon before! YES! We are so getting that bonus!" Dee cheers as he hops up and down. I on the other hand am looking at the pristine crystals and crouching down to inspect one that was a little smaller than one of my fingers. This was pure Energon, and I was a lonely miner in a caste system… As much as I was a law-abiding citizen in my previous life, I too was vulnerable to the temptation of a simple profit.

"Wait, hold on 26. If the shift manager catches you with that, then who knows what he will do with you." Dee says behind me, but I promptly ignore him before taking the crystal and hiding it within my chest compartment. I wasn't dumb enough to try and use it myself, because I do remember that raw Energon could be lethal to Transformers. It needed to be refined first… and how much of that profit were we really going to see?

I turn around to look at my only friend's face and quickly ask, "You better not sell me out Dee. If you did that, you wouldn't be able to take me along to the arena tonight."

A smile spreads on his face at the idea. While I said it to hammer in the fact that I knew that he was technically doing something illegal, I also wanted to reach out a hand in friendship… besides, after work, I just headed to my bunk, played with Prorex for a little bit and then promptly went to sleep… Recharge… whatever the term is.

For now, I wanted to get paid and also wanted to see what I could use it on.

Cybertron, Kaon, undercity

2 kilo-cycles (hours) later

FO-03426

Now that I was out of the mining sector for the first time, I could confidently say that Kaon didn't get any better. Dee had taken me along some back alleys and shady streets until we made it to the underground arena of Kaon.

It was… less than I expected honestly. I knew Megatron had fought in giant colosseum-like structures akin to the scale of the roman colosseum. All this place had was multiple rings that reminded me of illegal boxing more than anything.

When I asked Dee on the matter, he stared at me with confusion and quickly answered that the Arena was established only 20 stellar-cycles (years) ago. Will admit, I would have expected more in 20 years, but I honestly don't know how to judge these things. Cybertronians could grow very old after all.

I watched a few matches with him and even bet 5 shanix coins in a match. Right, I was paid for my week of working in the mines. 50 Shanix for the work itself and an extra 20 for finding that deposit. Didn't know what kind of value they had, but when I heard that the drinks here were valued at least 10 pieces, I guessed that it wasn't very much. I actually won from the bet and made an extra five coins from it all.

After that match, I bid Dee goodnight and left to explore the undercity in order to make some….connections I guess. I used up about 20 coins in little bribes to other bots in order to find the equivalent of a black market. There, finding a pawn shop or the cybertronian equivalent wasn't too hard as he had the most knick-knacks and the strangest security around him… Not armed guards but rather 6 automated turrets seemingly made from junk staring at the entrance.

I enter the building and find myself in a large room with more turrets, a lot of tools and interesting workbenches. "I recognize your model, but I can't say I know you. What brings 'Femme Ordinance 03426' here? You can't be older than a giga-cycle." An old voice of gravel echoes out from one of the workbenches. The bot was rather bulky as most down here, but certain parts were replaced with sleeker versions. Though, they certainly weren't in the best condition. As I continue staring, I quickly realise that I should be talking rather than standing awkwardly in the doorframe.

I quickly step inside and ask, "Yeah… I haven't been around long… And I didn't even know what that number meant…" I quickly clear my thoughts and approach the mech with unsure steps, "I heard I could sell things here without… consequences… Is this true?

The mech gets up from his seat and opens up his visor to properly address me, "Unless it has the rust plague, I tend to keep my clients a secret… How can I help you today youngling?" he asks with a budding smile.

I'm really unsure about this whole thing, but he did come recommended. I hold out my hand and pull out the Energon shard I had stolen. When I was travelling with Dee, I learned from him that every cybertronian is equipped with Subspace storage pockets that allow Transformers to store their personal paraphernalia in the interdimensional void of unspace. Objects placed in there are tethered to the material world by the Transformers' personal energy supply, each operating on its own frequency.

So in simple terms, I had limited hammerspace. But it was really fucking good Hammerspace. When I asked Dee on why other bots don't use this to smuggle or steal more often, he simply said that a lot don't even know of this. He himself had to be given the program to use it for the sake of his demolition work. He was kind enough to share the software with me as well.

When we arrived at the arena, I stepped aside for a second to put the shard into my own dimensional pocket.

Now that I pulled the shard out and am holding it towards the mech, I grow to appreciate the utility even more. The mech lets his visor cover his optics once more and gently takes the crystal from my hands.

"Give me a cycle or two to appraise it." After heading back to his workbench, he looks over towards a nearby Holoscreen and asks, "Mind turning up the volume on that? Those damn Quintessans are still at it over on Caminus."

I turn my eyes to the screen and interface with it's system over the short area network. It was a bit busted with age, so its range extended to half of the shop. Makes sense why he wanted me to do it.

As the volume rises, I also focus on the broadcast.

"-stions still remain. The Autobot forces have informed us of no plans or strategies to combat the current situation. The Quintesson Armada is still active in sectors 7 to 12 of the Colony world of Caminus. Casualty reports number in the thousands with at least 237 of them being forged cybertronians from the homeworld.

Sentinel Prime has yet to release a statement on military developments due to the organic Forces deployed by the Quintesson empire. Reports from the frontline have so far indicated that the Thraal forces Na'conda have posed a far greater threat than previously predicted. A new type of 'Reactive bio-organic' armour seems to be the cause of this development. This News report is brought to you by the Daily Cyberspace, signing off." The report stops and some commercial turns on.

I look back at the mech analysing the shard of Energon before letting out an audible sigh, "The council should have taken the fight to those pit-damned slavers many stellar cycles (years) ago, but were too busy with their idiotic Taxonomy and political decadence. Now they have a new race under their command and they don't even want to admit how badly they let this all go to scrap.

We knew about the Klyntar for ages and how they can augment any organics they bond with, but did they ever consider this? No, because they are simple blotches of slime on their own and were never considered a danger. Well, the damn Quintessons actually saw their value and captured a whole lot of them and then!…. Wait… I'm sorry youngling, I shouldn't be ranting." he says as he slowly places the shard down and opens a nearby pack revealing a good amount of Shanix.

He fills a small box with them and moves over to me. I give him an answer, "Oh, I don't really mind. The information on Cybertron is… limited and I think even prejudiced. I never heard of this conflict till I walked in here… You called that other race "Klyntar"… Could you tell me about them?"

He scoffs as he hears the name once more, "other than what I said? Not much. Slimy black balls of goo that bond to organics and both assimilate and enhance their natural features. I'm unsure how they react to cybertronians, but that is more or less what is known….But I doubt a miner like you or an old bot like myself have to worry about this whole situation. Kaon might be the worst city on the planet, but that planet is protected to the universe and back."

He hands me the box which I quickly open to reveal far more coins than I currently had, "It was of good quality, and even if unrefined, it's worth a pretty penny. 300 Shanix, no more and no less… Now be on your way now before some Autobot stumbles around. Never know when one of those bureaucrats are around."

I quickly thank the old bot and nod in understanding before taking the box and pocketing it into my Subspace… after that I let my mind wander to what I just heard…

Klyntar….Klyntar….The fucking Klyntar… The species from which the symbiotes of marvel originate from.

WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT UNIVERSE HAVE I ENDED UP IN!!!

As one can imagine, these were the thoughts plaguing my mind. Logically speaking, I want to believe that either; This Transformers universe has just got some marvel aspects sprinkled in. I mean, they did crossovers in the past, so I wouldn't discount it….

Though, this could also just be a weird universe where both settings are somehow combined… and if that's the case, then I want to say that I am fucked. I do not wanna be in a universe where infinity stones exist… Or the… well I also don't want to exist in a universe where Unicron exists, but both in one just isn't fair!

ANYWAY! After leaving the shop, I just started wandering in a random direction due to the little revelation I was having. I had to consider the possibilities and I was going to be stuck here for a little while longer.

What about gods then? Where do Primus and Unicron stand compared to the one above al-

" Your mind… It is quiet, but yet you live " I am promptly shaken from my thoughts by a voice that sounded as if it was under heavy auto-tune, or from a busted voice box.

Looking to the side, I see a bot sitting in a nearby alley. He is covered in dirt and his limbs have started to rust. His finish was faded and he seemed as if he hadn't had any Energon in quite some time. That just made me more curious as to his companions.

They were all beast type cybertronians, with the one resembling some kind of wildcat seeming to be the most threatening right now.

All these aspects made it obvious who this bot was. It was Soundwave, homeless on the street.

"What do you mean my mind is quiet?" I ask as I slowly approach him. Ravage, the wildcat one got into a defensive stance. He was quickly waved down by Soundwave, " I don't think she is hostile… "

I continue moving forward and stop in front of him where he finally says, " No matter how close, I can't sense your thoughts… I've never seen someone so quiet… It is… strange"

Right. I remembered that in some continuities, Soundwave was able to read the thoughts and minds of fellow cybertronians. I guess he was that… And with that thought, I also thank whatever entity that brought me here for giving me a defence against it… or it might also be the fact that my mind still considered itself human? Eh, food for thought…

"So you can read minds?" I ask as I continue observing him.

He slowly nods and continues to speak with his strange voice, "Yes… Always could. Was hard at times, but ravage taught me… I've always known what others thought… But you… I don't know what you think."

This does bring up an interesting question that I go to ask him, "Considering that you can supposedly read minds… would that mean that I'm the first person where you don't know their true intentions? Or at least have a normal conversation with?"

"Yes… That is correct. You could kill me or leave and I wouldn't know until you did so." His words made his minicons visibly tense up, but I didn't make any sudden moves in response.

"But I know you wouldn't do that. You are a bit self-serving, but you are not cruel." He quickly states.

I tilt my head in concussion, "I thought your people skills were terrible? Why would you think this?"

"While I cannot read your mind, I can read that of your little friend. And Prorex thinks highly of you. " He states…

This guy wasn't at all leaving things to fate. As soon as he realised I couldn't be read by him, he snooped through the mind of my minicon. Speaking of which, the minicon detaches from my shoulder and drops down from the floor where he angrily gestures towards soundwave.

It does prompt me to let out a small chuckle. A small smile formed on my face as I reach into my subspace and bring out the money I had just acquired. Opening the box, I took out 50 coins and slowly handed them to soundwave.

He stares at the opened palm with confusion before asking, "Trying to prove my assessment wrong with an act of selfless kindness?"

I quickly shake my head, "No, I'm actually quite selfish and I don't do things for free."

"I live in desolation, I have nothing to offer in return" He quickly interjects.

I let out a sigh and crouched down to quickly grab his hand. I press the coins into it while making sure not to drop any to the ground. "Maybe, maybe not… And maybe I won't even be rewarded by you, but rather someone or something else"

He looks at the coins in question before looking back at me, " … Explain… "

I stand up and stare at the smog-filled sky, "I've been alive for about 8 Solar cycles now. A ridiculously short time yes, but it doesn't take a genius to understand what position I am in.… My life is predestined without compromise or choice… Destined to work in the mines until I die, with no name and no true identity." I gesture to my chest and point to the serial number marking the only thing that is truly mine.

Looking back at the bot in front of me, I ponder what kind of reality this is and how little I know of it. This was supposed to be a world of good vs evil… and therefore, I can only hope life will be better one day. The Good guys always win in the end after all… So even if I look out for myself, doesn't mean I should never look back at those who have it worse. A fucking caste system isn't going to hold me down forever.

I glance down towards my minicon and ponder what little life I've already led and the fact that this guy actually thinks well of me… Honestly, that was quite the mood boost.

Focusing at Soundwave, I say, "That is the fate I was given….but I still believe that my actions have consequences. Hell, I got some proof of that just now…" I pause for a second to look at Prorex, giving him a small smile to make sure they understood what I meant.

Looking back at the others, I quickly continue, "I wish to believe that those who do good, have good things happen to them and those who do not, get their just punishment. I know it's a naive notion, considering the injustice all around us… But simple acts of kindness can still achieve something. I wish to believe it so. So I choose to help you. You might remember it for the rest of your life, or you might forget tomorrow. But the belief that there is good in a place like this, even if it comes from myself, leaves the possibility that I might get help myself when I one day need it."

I remember this from home. 'When everyone turns a blind eye, then evil will go unstopped'… or something like that. But the point still stood. I do not want to be defined by my suffering. I'll fully admit, I also don't want to die, and having Soundwave remember me for today… it might one day save my life. Can't be sure of course, but one never knows… I want to stay away from the fighting, but I doubt I'll be that lucky….In all honesty, I'm probably going to be one of the first to die… getting isekaied into a setting like this gives the expectation of being someone special, someone who he is destined for more… But me? I'm nobody here. No great plan, no great future… just a cog in the machine…

My mood crumbles and I hang my head low before saying, "Your ability definitely promises a unique future. I won't lie, I do believe that you might repay this kindness in the future… but even if not. I will have done something unique to myself, something that I can be proud of. FO-03426 did this today. I did this today… That is why I have done this… no more and no less." With the last words leaving my mouth, I continue kneeling on the ground before the cranking and grinding of rusty metal grabs my attention.

"Thank you" His voice echoes out. The words move me to the core, and I can't help but feel happy at the….Acknowledgement really. This one act, simplistic as it may be, might be the most important thing I achieve in this new life… because nothing is promised, except for what I can achieve for myself…

I slowly get up from the ground and beckon Prorex back to my shoulder. As I leave the dark alley, I give one last look behind me I see soundwave looking at the money in his hands before getting up and leaving on the other end…

I hope he remembers me. It could be decades or even centuries before the civil war starts… He might remember me when the time comes… or we may never meet again. But I do hope he remembers this day….

Exiting the alley and entering the dirty streets of Kaon's undercity once more, I quickly make for the arena with a single thought.

'Today was eventful enough, I need to get drunk.'

I never saw Soundwave again after that night. I went back to that alley whenever I pawned off raw Energon or anything else I could reasonably get my hands on, but I never saw him again.

I Just hoped he was doing better honestly. I always liked the character, so it would be a shame to see that happen to him.

Life was… in all honesty, was miserable. Prorex and Dee were honestly some of the only reasons the workday was bearable. Dee was just too stupid to be depressed. And Prorex didn't need much too be happy. Me on the other hand?

The shitty work and the mundane nature of my day to day life was grating. Cybertronians didn't have the concept of a weekend, at least not for the members of the lower cast. So it was work every day, and spend my little earnings to go to an oil house, the arena, small knick-knacks and devices and well… "Oil Baths" which cost 2000 Shanix every time… So yeah, that was the biggest luxury really. Every other month basically.

My life passed by quickly and I ironically turned to an old means to cope. Escapism. Buying a Datapad of decent quality was probably the best decision I had made so far and it helped me get through the days. I also started tinkering and tried my best in learning the tech of this planet. The Datapad was definitely useful for that endeavour and I was making good progress on a few subjects. One of which was building a makeshift Energon refinery that would be able to process the small shards I tended to steal.

Ironic. My new life, on an alien planet and in an alien body, and I was finding most of my entertainment in fiction.

In all honesty, I really needed it. Work in the mines was dogshit. The treatment of the foremen and overseers was no better. Local law enforcement… or the supposed "Autobots" were also just depressing to interact with. They didn't search me for contraband very often, but when they did, it was never pleasant. I mean, yes, I was technically breaking the law, but they treated me like a fucking criminal anyway.

Whenever I was ordered to expose my subspace, I was usually able to predict it beforehand when they approached me or something. So, I made a habit of giving whatever contraband and extra money I was hiding to Prorex. I was not even aware that he had his own subspace, but when he poked me in the face when two Autobots were harassing demolisher, I quickly learned of it. In all honesty, if it hadn't been for the little one, I would have been arrested long ago… Well actually, I was arrested once, but it was not due to my own actions but rather the fucking prejudice of this place.

"Con's" that is what bots like me were called… Made one think if that had anything to do with the whole "Decepticon" name. Apparently, the mass-produced Cybertronians were also seen as heretical to Primus and the planet. So any who believed in the religion or believed in the whole Prime mythos, made their dislike of us very clear. It wasn't fair by any stretch of the word. We weren't asked to be born like this, we were literally made and Looked down upon just for our existence.

But yeah. Time went by quickly after I settled into the rhythm, And days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months… And months, then soon turned to years.

After the first 20 years, or as they are referred to as, "stellar cycles", I had finally found out that Dee was actually Demolisher. The lugnut from Transformers Armada, generally an idiot but with a heart of gold. It made me appreciate him even more.

About 20 years after that, I noticed that the colours of my armour had faded. It's not really a big deal, but the fact that I was visibly affected by my work and this corrosive city really dealt a mental blow.

But I kept at it. I finished the Energon refinery and increased my Illegal profits almost fivefold. That definitely increased my quality of living, but also asked questions as to how I was able to afford a small recharge bay for myself. It was the equivalent of a one-bed apartment with no bathroom, but it sure as hell was better than what I had before. In all honesty, I couldn't care less about what they thought.

I did my work as assigned and I try to make the most of it. This was my new life, and I was responsible for it. And all things considered, I was content…

I had been functioning for almost 80 years by the time this changed. There had been a few things bugging me by this point, such as the decreasing bonuses, the fact that our pay was never increased even though inflation was very real, or the fact that safety regulations were violated more and more often. Or other Cons ended up on the street because they lost their jobs for the dumbest of reasons.

Things were getting worse, and I was willfully turning a blind eye against it. As long as it didn't affect me, for now at least, I wouldn't try and jeopardise my position in life.

The change however did come, and it came in the form of a "thesis" by another cold Construction going by the name "D-16" which came from Tarn.

It was called "After the Ark: Nominus Prime and the Illusion of Progress". Among other things, it states the writer's belief that nonviolent action and the exchange of ideas between Cybertronians could bring about change in the Cybertronian society. I didn't understand some of the historical context and theories being pitched, but that didn't really matter. The core point was very clear to me.

If I was being fully honest, it made me desire more, maybe desired change. For the first time in a very long time, I wanted to change things for myself. I didn't even know where to start. Ever since I began working here, I made sure to save up whatever spare change I had and didn't use between payments.

My initial idea was to buy a spaceship of sorts and simply leave for greater prospects… But, to my great shock, even the smallest and cheapest commercial ship, was over 10 million Shanix… when I learned that, it made clear how extreme this caste system really is. The money and the smallest amenities were just to keep us complacent.

There was no chance for me to earn my freedom through the system that is provided. So yes, I turned to more illegal options. There were smugglers who offered to take me from Cybertron, their prices were much better… Although they were still borderline impossible.

800,000 Shanix to transport me to an intergalactic trading hub. After that, I would be free to do and go where I pleased…

So there was a plan, make as much money as possible to pay the fee. I started doing riskier moves, stealing more Energon from the mines, saving up more money. And somewhere down the line, someone noticed. And I guess they sealed my fate.

Cybertron, Kaon, undercity

93 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

FO-03426

After a long day of work, I couldn't help but let a smile from my face. The Energon Shard I had today was almost the size of my fist, so I know I would get a decent haul from it. I had to head home first, so I can actually start the refinery. After that, I might actually splurge a bit of money on another oil bat-

" FO-03426, Halt!" A voice of gravel booms out behind me, prompting me to rapidly spin around. Turning around I see two Autobots quickly approach me and before I could even react, a metallic fist crashes into my face.

I yell out in pain as I crash into the ground. I hold my faceplate in pain and my minicon detaches to look at me from below. A quick turnaround and growl, "I was cooperating you pitdam-" before I could even finish my words, I was answered with a kick to the face.

"Search the Minicon's subspace for contraband" One of the two orders, and I could feel my internals freeze up in panic. Staring to the side, I see one of the Autobots roughly grabbing Prorex before jacking some kind of pluck into his neck. Soon after, his subspace reveals the Energon crystal I had hidden within it. Fear overtakes my whole body.

"Well well well, this is quite the offence isn't it Guzzle?" The other bot quickly answers.

"Damn right you are, this damned con has been robbing the people blind! Now if you ask me… I think we should make an example of her. Best to make sure that no other Cons get any similar ideas." The Mech with a voice of gravel states, and I can feel my fight or flight response kicking in.

"Prorex run!" I yell out to the minicon and am glad to see him follow the command. As he runs towards a nearby alley and vanishes from my view, I pull out my mining laser from my subspace and aim it at "Guzzle". Before either of the two can properly react, the red beam lasts against Guzzle's face and scorches his left optic. That is sadly as far as I get, as the better-trained Autobot quickly grabs the weapon before turning his free hand into a glowing red blade. My eyes widened in fear and shock as I see the hard metal slice through my own.

I howl in pain as I suddenly find myself holding my maimed limb, but my cries are soon interrupted when an electric shock hits me directly in the face, forcing me to power down.

I don't know where I am, or how long I've been off-line. My system is rebooting, see that the damage to my arm was still there. What irked me as well, Was the fact that my entire subspace had been emptied of all the money I had stored within. I stored most of it back at my recharge bay, but I couldn't be sure whether or not they raided it.

My sensors finally come online, and to my dismay, I realise I'm strapped to an intricate operating table. Struggling with my restraints quickly proved they were too durable for me to break. I wouldn't be getting out of them without tools or outside help.

Hearing shuffling to the side, I turn my head to see and on about wearing red and gold colours moving around various devices and "medical tools".

I wanted to ask what was going to happen, but quickly found my vocaliser had been completely disabled.

As if knowing what I wanted to do, he quickly said, "You won't be speaking for any of this 'Con'. Don't want you screaming while I work on the important bits. Want to enjoy this, after all, won't have you getting in the way of that. Ah right, where are my manners."

Turning around, He gestures towards his face, "I am Flame, resident scientist and Autobot interrogator."

He moves closer to the operating table and straps something to my chest compartment.

"Just something to make sure you survive the procedure, you wouldn't be a good example if you didn't survive after all." He pressed a few buttons and a device on my chest whirs to life.

After that, he pulls out the cybertronian equivalent of an angle grinder. As the circular blade begins spinning, I realise that he was moving closer and closer towards my head. I start to struggle in my restraints and desperately try to break out. It doesn't work, and any screams I tried to let out simply ceased the moment I had tried.

I was completely helpless and if I had the capability, I would be a sobbing mess.

This Isn't fair.

The device comes closer to my neck, and is just a hair's breadth away.

I don't want to die

The blade begins cutting into the side of my throat and I begin absolutely thrashing on the table.

This Isn't how it is supposed to be

The grinder was halfway through my neck now… it hurts so much…

I won't… I won't die like this!

The blade cuts through my last connections, and I once again shut down….and to my horror, this did not mean my death.

The next time I came too, I was lying in front of my recharge bay, face down in mud and dirt from all the pollution of Kaon's air. My limbs hurt like crazy. It felt as if every nerve was flaring up at the same time. I just stayed there in the dirt, waiting for the pain to subside.

Some of my memories were corrupted, and others were straight-up missing… What did they do to me?

I could sense other bots passing me by, but none were actually trying to help. In that moment, I felt absolutely miserable. All the despair and the stupid shit I've had to suffer so far were being recalled. I could feel myself break down every second.

A raspy and glitchy voice began making gurgling and unintelligible noises. At first, I thought my audio sensors were busted. I quickly realised that I was making the noise. I was sobbing…

"Oh scrap! 26, who did this to you!" I could hear the voice of Demolisher yell out. I'm quickly lifted by my shoulders and am soon put in a bridal carry before he takes me into my recharge Bay. His own was close by… I remember making sure that he took care of himself and didn't spend his money as soon as he got it.

"Those pitdamned Autobots! They have no dignity at all! How could they do this! ' Only reserved for the greatest criminals' my tailpipe! Those lying bastards!" he ended with a growl before taking me to the recharge Bay. He connects me to its systems and forces me to undergo a diagnostic.

And then I realised just what had happened to me.… My missing arm was also replaced with the very mining laser it held… and then… My head had been removed. It was replaced with a new one. A head without a face and just a singular eye… It was a means to show those meant to be shunned. By removing my means of expression, it was easier to be dehumanised… or de-… I'm not even bothering to make up some word.

The fucking Autobots forced me to undergo Empurata….My original head was probably destroyed… and they just…

Just because I stole some Energon and scorched the fuckers eye, They….. They just decapitated me…

A small whirring noise grabs my attention, prompting me to look down and see Prorex climbing up Demolisher's legs.

"Hey! No climbing on me! I don't want you breaking…" He is quickly shut up by him plopping down on his head. He gave me an incredibly sad look and it seemed like he himself was about to start sobbing.

Disconnecting from the recharge bay, I stumble onto my feet. I had gotten some minimal repairs there, and it fixed the whole pain issue.

I quickly moved towards Demolisher and brought up my hand for Prorex to jump onto. He does as prompted and I begin patting him on the head with a finger before saying, "It's ok, little one… It..it won't happen again. Next time they try something like that, they won't see another solar cycle… and don't think for a second I will let these bastards get away with what they've done."

The minicon quickly cheers up and attaches to my shoulder, returning to his usual place.

As I consider what had happened to me, I realise that I have been going at things the wrong way. I was too complacent, too agreeable with the things that have happened. But now that this has happened… Hell, I hadn't even bothered getting a name for myself. All this had to change.

I look down at my mangled limb and the shoddy work of the installed tool. I will need to fix that entire thing first. Working with one arm also won't be very easy, all things considered, but it'd have to do.

….Honestly, I also need to learn how to fight. Today was just proof of how shoddy I am at it. So… I need to get some training in… and with luck, I can even make some money from it.

I look back to Devastator and ask him, rage, hate and anger lacing my tone, "Dee….I… Fuck it. I'll just say it. For tomorrow, sign me up for the Arena… I think I should give it a proper try for a change.."

Demolisher's face goes from an unsure expression to a dumb smile, "Wait really? I always wanted to have you as a battle sister in a match! Oh, I can't wait!" He starts laughing like an idiot, and I would have formed a smile on my own…

But things would never be the same unless I found my original head…

I was going to get out of this shithole, and I was taking my friend with me…

I wasn't destined for greatness or any granted special fate. I'm just another number after all. And even if I tried to break out with some small acts here and there, they were nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now, I needed to step up and actually make something with my life.

Author's note:

Hello there everyone. This will be my main marvel story for the foreseeable future.

I will still try to publish the first chapter of Jeanne's new story (As I'm already more than halfway done), but don't expect regular updates there. In all honesty, writing the story has become incredibly hard and giving up the gamer system isn't something readers of the story would want. So I'll keep it as it is, but it will no longer be the main focus.

Now then. Concerning this story.

First off,I didn't invent shit. The Autobots were bastards before the civil war. Only when prime took over did they actually turn to a force of good.

The procedure that the main character undergoes is also something that exists called the "Empurata" and it was what canonically happened to Shockwave. Unlike him, her personality wasn't affected though.

This story mainly features canon taken from the Transformers IDW Run from 2005 and the new aligned universe. On the Marvel side, I will try to mainly focus on the MCU with the Symbiotes added in on the assumption that Marvel is adapting them soon enough.

I mean, they are bringing in Gor the God Butcher and Venom showed up as well with a hint to the Symbiote hivemind… so I'm going out on a limb and saying that Knull exists.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy the story!

And please review!


2: Contention

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: https/www.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

Chapter 2: Contention

[img: proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.%2Fattachments%2F886597497340964904%2F929822858627141713%2F23022332.png =b6185d94b688adec68d28084c4382775]

Cybertron, Kaon, Arena complex

114 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

FO-03426

The sounds of buzzing electronics and whirring machinery surrounded me. I didn't let it distract me from the disassembled Energon battle pistol on the table in front of me. Looking at the parts, I let my interest in the weapon grow.

Though it is called a pistol, it was more akin to a sniper rifle. It is also quite unique in the manner it is installed on a Transformer. Integrated weapons are a rather fascinating thing in this setting. Something that had confused me when looking at both media and comics, was how exactly the weapons worked. You see, they weren't actually made from the arms of the transformer using them, but rather they were constructs kept within their subspace. When needed, they would materialise within the desired limb which folds open and attaches to its components.

It's also the reason why most transformers only have two or three weapons at maximum. Their subspace can't accommodate for more than that after all. Other than that, cybertronian weapons technology was ironically quite similar to what humanity had. Energon was used as an explosive component with various metals being used for the bullets.

Of course, there were differing weapons, with much more esoteric effects, but for now, I only have this model to experiment with. Other than that, I also had a neutron assault rifle, and scatter blaster available. In all honesty, when I travelled to the arena with Demolisher, I didn't expect to end up working as a mechanic for the arena part-time.

Of course, I do actually attend and have attended some fights. Demolisher would have been rather depressed if I hadn't after saying that I would. The fights were….Something else. They were lethal, untethered and unrestrained. The audience, who themselves can barely cope with day-to-day life, goes into a frenzy as the bloodshed unfolds.

It was a surreal experience, and even if it didn't really mean anything, it gave me…. Something else. And ironically, it is where I got my… My proper name. When I first began fighting, I still had that Cobbled together Prosthetic for an arm. It was quite hilarious when some wires had come loose and lightly tased one of my opponents. It gave me the moment of time I needed to knock him on his ass and smash his face in…

I thought of the tactic and how I could use it. I soon began tinkering with my shoddy limb to repair the damage on the one part but to also weaponise the concept. My grand idea culminated in a modification to the Mining laser permanently part of my arm. But I needed knowledge for that, the kind that simple tinkering would not necessarily give me.

But Cybertron had something for that. It was also quite interesting. You see, knowledge could be and was usually taught, but it could also be transferred. High-value Data cores with full directories pertaining to all fields of science exist, but due to their high material cost and difficulty in production, they were not a standardised means of education.

But… they were still available. Especially on the black market. I purchased quite a few datapads pertaining to physics and engineering with my savings in order to accomplish this idea. I was essentially broke at the end of it, but it soon proved to be a worthy investment.

When I repaired my arm… I did so much more. Having knowledge and expertise is one thing, but imagination? That is priceless. And the humanity I came from had boundless imagination. Why come up with a great concept when someone else made something better. So, I started to modify my arm, or specifically, the mining laser.

And what I ended up with was a decently functioning Electrolaser. it is a type of electroshock weapon that is also a directed-energy weapon. It uses lasers to form an electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channel. A fraction of a second later, a powerful electric current is sent down this plasma channel and delivered to the target, thus functioning overall as a large-scale, high energy, long-distance version of the Taser electroshock gun. Thank god that Cybertron had an atmosphere, or this idea couldn't have worked.

But yeah, my use of this weapon to stun my opponents was noticed and my lack of a face cemented the fact that I should get a menacing name… Terrorvolt. That is what was chosen for me… and in all honesty? I don't mind it.

The arena… Played for keeps. At the very least for the newcomers and lowest gladiators. The top dogs were obviously protected as they made the most money. But for us at the bottom of the rankings?? We weren't worth as much. It drew a unique parallel to our actual life situation, but unlike there, we could earn our place in the arena.

And that's what we did. Demolisher and myself usually grouped up and were decently popular. I was getting a minuscule amount of the earnings made by the bookies, but every night it gave me more than what I made in a year by working in the mines.

Let that sink in…

I also had a habit of betting on myself. (Betting on the opponent was forbidden as it would then be assumed that I would throw the match) and the money flow was good.

My success in the fights was also based on the fact that I used Autobot-Police Data-cores that contained techniques for Close Quarters Combat and localised gunfights. Just the kind that was surprisingly useful on self-taught arena fighters

Wouldn't be any good against the higher ranks, but I wasn't gunning for that. I was happy with where I was. In all honesty, my main focus was on researching Cybertronian technology and making use of the concepts I still… remembered. When I ran diagnostics after undergoing Empurata, I noticed that some memories were corrupted… Well, it mainly affected the memories I had before being reborn.

And that… worried me. My mind was my greatest asset and foreknowledge of a setting like the one I find myself in is invaluable… but so far, I hadn't found any issues or gaps… But how would I really know that?

I don't think I had any serious issues right now really… well, other than the fact that life is shit. But I'm better than before.

And I will fully admit, tinkering on tech was a newfound passion, and I don't think I'm ever going to stop. The weapons, the systems, how we interfaced with the world and the people around us. These were all such fascinating concepts.

And the Arena ironically helped me out in that regard. When Clench (the bot who ran this whole operation) approached me on earning some extra money, I was afraid of what he intended. I'm glad my negative expectations were dashed when he asked me to give another gladiator some extra repairs as the usual mechanic had been caught stealing Energon.

I guess it was a common issue really.

But yeah, I accepted the deal and was tasked with repairing the other bots (that actually survived) and did a decent job at patching them up. I had actually considered quitting my job to work for the arena full time, but that wasn't really an option. Cybertron essentially had anti-truancy laws when it came to jobs and you were only allowed to be unemployed if the government decided so.

So quitting would only end up in trouble, the kind that I couldn't afford quite yet. So I've been working on the side and even managed to meet some interesting bots.

Most of them were future Decepticons or bots I never heard of, but some… or well one, was someone completely unexpected.

Looking up at a nearby holoscreen, I quickly turn up the volume of the current Arena broadcast.

"It was a close match tonight dear members of the audience but we finally have our winner! For the first time in over 40 Stellar cycles, the champion of Kaon has been defeated! I present the new bearer of the title! Coming from the great city of Iacon, a veteran of the Cybertronian war for independence… I give you!.. The great war hero!… GRIMLOOOOOOCK!!!!!" The crowd erupts into applause at the sight of the new champion.

And what a champion it was. It was a metallic beast in the shape of a goddamned Tyrannosaurus Rex. Kind of interesting as our species doesn't even know about the Earth.

But yeah, the future Autobot Grimlock was here. His entire team was actually here. Apparently, they were something of a spec-ops team sent on the most dangerous missions. But when one mission went wrong, they gained new Alt-forms that were seemingly inspired by earthen Dinosaurs. The council had them quarantined at first, as the new alt forms presented quite the issue to them.

The "Dynobots" wouldn't have any of that and promptly broke out before eventually ending up here. Taking my current position into account, it was to be expected that I would get to meet some of them. Grimlock was ironically the first one. His new alt form has given him quite a rage problem which causes him to be a bit shortsighted during fights.

Of course, he won his fights with no issue, but his injuries did accumulate with his matches. Soon enough, he ended up on the floor of my workshop with Energon spewing from all his wounds. He was a ball of anger and rage, but once I got him strapped to a (very reinforced) table, I was able to get him to calm down.

I won't pretend I was able to befriend him, but I can say that we have something cordial. I will admit though. I was a curious mind, so I did try to learn what I could from the Dynobots. When it came to cybertronian physiology, there was the so-called Rossum's Trinity. This contained the spark, the brain module and the transformation cog. All three components are absolutely vital for a cybertronian to function and if one part was sufficiently damaged, one could end up shutting down the other two.

But the interesting bit is that some still manage to survive without one or scientists are able to work on them without too many permanent changes. Hell, I myself was a perfect example of this.

When the Empurata was done to me, someone had to transplant my brain module without killing me.

But let's get back to the Dynobots. Their T-cogs have been heavily modified. Note that this also affects their entire body configuration as every shape has different aspects. For the average bot, you needed to stay in your weight class when changing your alt form. The new form you took had minor changes in functionality and major changes in the cosmetic variety. That's how it was for everyone.

What happened to Grimlock though? That was something that could literally break the caste system in half. Being able to change class like that….Changing the build and mass of one's body… even if I was allowed to dissect them, would I be anywhere near cracking it?

In all honesty, just getting data from my scanner was good enough for now. I can work through the data in my own free time when I can.

Another interesting project of mine was the supposed mat- " Are you the one doing repairs here?" A deep and powerful voice questions. I rip around and see a mech standing in the door frame of the workshop.

The bot had an incredibly imposing figure. Mainly due to the fact that I only reached his chest even though we were both Tank sized transformers. His blazing red eyes… I didn't want to spell it out, but I did have my suspicion as to who this was…

I get up from my workbench and gesture towards a nearby gurney. "That is correct… You here for repairs then?" I couldn't see any visible damage on his body, but I couldn't be certain when it comes to his internals.

His optics never leave me, and if I still had a face, I would be making quite the uncomfortable expression.

"You've been forced to undergo the Empurata?" He questions and his face visibly forms a grimace. I was unsure as to how to answer that… as… well, it was kinda obvious.

He moves closer and takes a look at my previous workbench before approaching it as well.

I guess he isn't actually here for treatment then. He stares at the disassembled gun on the workbench before stating, "I wanted to thank you… A good friend of mine had been damaged extensively before arriving here. Your services were… are… greatly appreciated" He holds out his hand to me. He was even kind enough to give his left hand as my right was….

I let the light of my visor dim in response, before grabbing his hand with my own, "I'm FO-03426 or… Terrorvolt as I'm called these days."

A light smile grows on his face, "I have no such… illustrious name, but I'm glad to meet another who realises the importance of a name. Serial numbers are just a means to rob us of identity and we cannot let that abide… Though I will admit, I have not made much progress in that regard… For now, I am still D-16"

While I couldn't properly show it, my flickering eye light indicates the fact that I very clearly recognize the name, "Wait a second… That 'D-16'? As in… the ideological theorist?"

His eyes widen before narrowing with a hint of annoyance, "So that is what I'm being called now? I'm just… I just wanted to share my thoughts for a greater future….In all honesty, you shouldn't put too much value into what I've written." He says before looking around the workshop once more.

I on the other hand process his words and eventually ask, "I'm guessing you've lost faith in those ideas… I don't wish to intrude. But I guess something has happened that changed things for you?"

He gives me an apprehensive look before turning away, "Peaceful protest and collaborative reform has been proven to be… Ineffective. Any dissenters have their lives ruined at best and are shot on sight at the worst. The council will have no resistance to their "sacred Taxonomy"… In all honesty, the only progress I've ever made on the matter was… achieved with satisfactory means…"

He turns back towards me before making for the door, "My stay here at the Arena is only until I… Until I know what to do."

Before he can completely leave, I quickly ask, "Before you go, do you have an idea for your name?"

He stops in his movement before lowering his head, "I've thought about it… when I spoke with other miners like us, we often spoke of the 13 primes and their legend… And the supposed golden age that we are supposedly living in. To me, they serve as a reminder of what could have been, what should have been. Among them, one stood out to me more than the others."

My singular optic widens an understanding as I finally grow certain of who was standing in front of me. "Megatron…"

He looks at me with an expression of confusion but also… Something happier. He lets out a small chuckle for saying, "His name was actually Megatronus. He was one of the original primes… I personally think the name fits, and considering your lucky guess, I believe you think the same… I think I have taken more than enough of your time now. Until I or one of my comrades end up on your gurney at least… Till all are one, Terrorvolt ."

He turns back towards the exit and leaves my workshop behind.

That… Was something else. I didn't believe in destiny… Or at least not in a good one. My fate was to die working in the mines. My actions and my choices have led me here. It was always the case that Megatron would be here in the arena of Kaon. I just… I just expected things to be different. In my mind, megaton is supposed to be this… Well, the tyrant, a monster and a dictator. Now I meet one that doesn't even want to properly engage in violence. And the fact that he was D-16 only confused me more.

In all honesty, I was just worried as to what it meant. The fact that I… Considered him a kindred spirit. His ideas, his ideals, his beliefs and his theories. They were all things that I thoroughly supported. Does that make me a bad person? Or does it just mean that the Autobots were always just a bunch of cruel hypocrites?

All these things were going through my head, and it culminated in one question. Where will I stand?

Based on my history, who I've been and what society has deemed me to be, there is only one choice truly left. And it is a choice but no one has the right to fault me for it.

I look towards a nearby window and see the reflection of my inhuman face stare back.

"Freedom is the right of all sentient lifeforms."

Author's note: Hello again everyone. Due to my exams coming up, I won't be publishing for quite some time. But I still want to try and write in whatever free time I have, so I will be trying to publish some smaller chapters like this one instead.

Not much happened in this one, but things are finally ramping up with the civil war arc soon approaching.


Chapter 3: Usurpation

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: https/www.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

Chapter 3: Usurpation


126 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

It's been more than 10 years since I met Megatron. He along with his friends Rumble and Frenzy rose up in the ranks of the arena every year, but that was hardly important.

Megatron- Or Megatronus as he is currently called, used the Arena for escapism at first like so many others, but he soon realised how many were there for the same reason.

So he began sharing his vision. It was nearly identical to his old writings in goals and ideals… But the methods had changed. As much as I want to disagree, his points were valid. Dissent was not allowed and even those who tried to change things within the system didn't fare any better.

The "Decepticon" movement was growing every day. The name was derived from the original slogan Megatron had made years ago: "You are being deceived". The meaning was derived from the council deceiving the populace with honeyed words of the future changing for the better when in actuality, they only care for themselves. And this was a very well known secret. Mines and businesses weren't closed down for material costs or the resources running out, but their desire to automate the processes.

As expected, the hatred for the ruling government only increased. The second half of the deception name was, as I imagined derived from the fact that most of our caste were also Cold Constructions. Bots robbed of all identity at "Birth", their purpose defined without choice or options for freedom.

Megatron's ideas have been gaining more and more ground with time. At first, It was mainly due to his original writings, but later on? He started talking with the other gladiators, asking their opinions and beliefs, their origins and their wishes for the future.

He was essentially being a shoulder to lean on. And while one wouldn't expect it, the others took notice and they did appreciate what he was doing. I was not exempt from that list, and while I didn't get emotional, I did tell him about myself and my experiences in the mines… before the surgery. Later on, as I mentioned he started spreading his ideals, his plans and his ideas.

While he got quite a group of followers for himself, he didn't have any concrete plans just yet. Until then, I was essentially just the "person leaning against the wall in the background". I wasn't part of the action, even if I fought in the arena as well, even with him on occasion. You see even after all this time I was still questioning things even though I had settled on a path. I would become a Decepticon.

My current theory on it all, was that he is the type of person who starts with noble and lofty goals, but due to the reality of his mission loses sight of those very goals. Wasn't this the case back home as well?

Revolutionaries fighting for freedom became tyrants that oppressed their former comrades. This happened time and time again, so what says that this phenomenon was unique to humanity?

After considering this option quite some time ago, I changed my approach on the matter. I started attending the meetings and all the little after-fight sessions with "Megatronus" and started adding my two cents to them.

I wish I could pretend I was some great and noble pacifist who brought counterpoints to some of his more extreme arguments… But in reality, sometimes I think he didn't go far enough. You see, in my opinion, once you make a choiceyou do not back down from it .

Megaton still considered the options of using protests and maybe even riots, but I usually shut down. Why? Because I knew for a fact: every riot, every strike, every goddamned protest on the streets was usually, if not always, met with lethal force. The great councilof Cybertron and Sentinel prime would have no opposition to their system.

So I said we should simply do the same. No compromise, no mercy, no hesitation and while Megatron was not outright against these ideas, he did have some grievances with them. I understood why as well. I am the technician of the arena, the mechanic, and in my free time, a scientist.

I'm not getting at the idea that I may have bugged my fellow gladiators, but rather that I happen to know where all the maintenance shafts lead and the fact that even metal walls can be quite "thin".

Megatron had already started his correspondence with Orion Pax, the mech who would one day become Optimus Prime. I hadn't listened to their exchanges often, but I was able to gather that in this universe Orion was a police captain rather than a librarian. He was a member of the higher Caste, but he didnt let it go to his head. He was "one of the good ones" as one would say. While he did not know of the true disparity of Cybertron, he was willing to learn.

My point was, he was a genuinely good person. And just as Megatron was having an influence on him, he was having an influence on Megatron. From the perspective of a fan, I should have supported this and been optimistic towards a more peaceful and open-minded leader for the Decepticons.

But from the perspective of a Cybertronian Cold Construction who has lived over a hundred years in this Bullshit world? I was against it. Though… with age comes wisdom, and I would like to pretend that I have gained some.

So while I voiced my opinions, I did not cause arguments. A doubt was voiced here and there to Megatron, but not outright aggression.

Because in all honesty, the option for a better life was not out of the question. You see, Orion Pax wasn't high on the scale of political power, but someone else was. And when I first heard of them, I was shocked to see a completely different face than the one I associated with the name "Shockwave".

Senator Shockwave was the only member of the council who actually seemed to be a decent bot. Unlike the counterpart I was familiar, this one was known for his empathy and kindness. And while he didn't openly criticise Functionisim, he did heavily hint at it.

He was a scientist, after all, a good one at that. He valued things such as intelligence and merit rather than the conditions of one's forging. This alone already had my respect, but it was due to my little eavesdropping of Megatron and Orion's conversations that he earned my admiration.

You see, Orion took the news of Miners being thrown out on the streets for the sake of profit margins quite poorly. in fact, he grew quite angered. Apparently, Cybertron did actually deem this as illegal, and it was a direct sign of corruption within the Senate.

So when police captain Orion Pax stormed into a Senate meeting with accusations of corruption amongst its ranks, Shockwave took an interest in him. Pax had been damaged in his approach to the capitol building but Shockwave arranged for his release and repair. After his release, Pax met his secret benefactor in front of the Ark-1 memorial, where Shockwave warned him that factions within the senate were plotting something concerning the new "Decepticon movement".

This firmly puts him in the position of an ally. What he also did was give Megatron the motivation to finally do something with his "Followers". And strangely enough, the first person he approached for advice was me.

Cybertron, Kaon, Arena complex

126 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

"So let me get this straight. You want to go through with turning the Decepticons into a proper organisation, but don't actually know where to start?" I ask the mech in front of me as I cross my arms in irritation.

A sly smirk formed on Megatron's face as he gestured towards my workshop and said, "Come now Terrorvolt. As much as I like our fellow compatriots, you and I both know they are not the most intellectual of bots."

I quickly scoff at the return and let out a small "rude" from my vocal emitter.

"I don't hear you saying it's wrong." he states with a small chuckle. I ignore him and get back to my work but I do gesture for him to continue with whatever he was trying to say.

"As I was saying, you actually question my ideas and have been quite the soundboard for some of them. I will fully admit, at times it was quite annoying but in the grand total scheme of things? It was invaluable." he states as he takes a seat next to me.

"Now I wish to take your other advice to heart and begin to actually make something of this ragtag bunch. I am a miner, a gladiator and a thinker of ideas and ideals. But a leader, tactician or an expert in any other subject? That I am not." he stated and I couldn't help but chuckle.

You see, this may apply to Megatronus, but Megatron? He was all those things. I mean Christ, he was a freaking genius. So my guess is as soon as he actually takes the time to learn, he will certainly thrive on them. To my recollection, he was able to engineer a unique biomechanical virus that killed millions of Autobots. That doesn't exactly fall in his current skill set and he doesn't even have a foundation for it.

And I'm getting sidetracked again, something I shouldn't do. Especially now that he was looking at me with a rather annoyed expression.

Dropping my current welding tool, I turn around to face him properly and let out a small sigh, "Fine then! I'll help you out, but I don't want you questioning my plan."

I paused to gather my thoughts, he quickly interjects, "So you do have a plan." he answers with a small chuckle of his own.

If I could grimace or emote in any proper way, I certainly would be making my emotions known. But instead, I start the explanation of my grand "Decepticon foundation and formalization"

"Well then, the first thing we need to take care of is to remove Clench and engage a takeover of the arena. We can't organise scrap if we don't have any form of headquarters." I pause to give Megatron a chance to give his opinion on the matter.

He was visibly pondering the Idea if his expression was anything to go by. He leans forward in his chair and interlace his fingers as he grumbles for a few minutes. Before long, he answers, "Clench was willing to take us in during a time of need.Andwhile Rumble and Frenzy feel indebted to him, I am acutely aware that he was merely seeking new fighters. Even now, his mind is filled with money and bloodsport… In the end, he is just a bot sating his own petty desires… compared to what we want to achieve… he is an obstacle that must be removed… I won't reject this part of the plan."

I slowly nod as I bring out my prosthetic limb and attach a Holo projector to my laser array with which I point at a blank wall to show a map of Kaon. I quickly continue my line of thought, "Now then. After taking over the arena, we can better organise and begin recruitment of new members and production of any tools we might need. I know some Energon dealers who could help us get some unstable Energon for improvised explosives and -"

My line of thought is quickly broken by Megatron's hand grabbing hold of my projector. His eyes held a certain level of both rage and disappointment. "Do you mean to tell me, your first instinct upon getting my approval is to resort to terrorism?!" His voice quickly grew louder.

Before he could continue, the sound of my laser array rearranging to construct a scatter blaster distracts him from his previous thought which is quickly replaced with the possibility of being blasted by my weaponry.

"Listen here Megatron. "Terrorism" isn't even the word I would use but others would definitely call it that. That is, however, beside the point. The thing is, any open revolt will be shut down, any march will be arrested-"

My words are interrupted as my weapon suddenly turns to the side by his grip. "Yes yes, you've mentioned this many times before. But why don't you stop discrediting our current methods and actually try to give us an option that doesn't make us as bad as them?" He says, his tone filling with annoyance.

I deconstruct my weapon and turn It back to the laser ray from before. "What I was getting at isn't terrorism. I don't want us to attack corporations or some politicians in their homes. I want us to commit to full insurrection instead. As in getting the council directly. Either we kill them in one fell swoop, take them hostage… Or, if we get lucky and get the resources required. We could apply Mnemosurgery on the-

"Out of the question!" Megatron practically roars at me, making me shrink back from the sudden noise. "We will not resort to such methods, no matter how desperate we get… You know, just as you question my ideals, I shall do the same to yours. I ask that you think of better alternatives as we do have time. For now I want us to focus on removing Clench from the board." he quickly gets up from the seat and makes for a door.

That could have gone better. I will admit, I was also testing a little bit. I wanted to know how much he was willing to compromise, and how much she was willing to do bad for the sake of good.

I'll definitely have to come up with a different plan, but the core idea should be the same. Strike hard, strike fast.

We won't be able to get many followers in such a short time span, but with the Autobot leadership taken down in one fell swoop, would leave them disorganised and inefficient.

I won't pretend that war can be peaceful or that it can be truly avoided. So instead I want to dedicate myself to making sure it ends as soon as possible.

Megatron took my advice to heart and made sure to remove Clench from the arena. I had been ironically involved as well. You see Clench was the kind of Bot who enjoyed fighting himself and had the nasty habit of joining the team with the most bets placed on them. In this case, it had been us.

A small group consisting of myself, Megatron, Demolisher, Rumble, Frenzy, and ironically Grimlock had been placed in the arena against three other teams. Just before it started, Clench jumped down from his observation booth and announced he would partake in our side.

It wasn't part of a plan nor something we could predict, but Megatron did not hesitate to use this to his advantage. During the battle, some bad positioning and unsuitable weaponry, led to Clench ending up in a bad spot. The kind where one would expect to be saved by their teammates. To his bad luck, however, he soon found his spark chamber crushed by Megatron's hand. The crowds cheered, but the gladiators knew the significance of this action.

No other casualties occurred that day.

Later that evening, when all guests and viewers had left the property, Megatron announced a gathering of all gladiators and staff. The body of Clench was openly displayed in the center of the Arena.

All looked on in apprehension of what was about to happen. Megatron finally stepped forward while I was hiding in the background to see how it goes.

"Clench…. Is dead by my hand. This was no accident and you all know it." He says while pointing to all who are present.

"Many of us are here for similar reasons. To make a living outside of what the council has prescribed to us, to gain escape from the fate they have set for us or to hide from them completely." Many stared at Grimlock and his Dynobots as well as the two minicons that accompanied Megatron here.

"We all come from similar walks of life and found a certain camaraderie in this place. I know most of you have heard what I think of all of us and I know for a fact that a lot of you agree. Unlike what the council would say of the Decepticons, we are not an organisation nor a fully-fledged movement. Just many scattered individuals believing the same thing…"

His eyes flare with red energy, "I say It time to finally change that."

He pauses before gesturing towards the entire audience, "So, today's the day to decide where you will stand… I will dedicate myself to ensuring freedom and equality for all cybertronians and I ask;"

He moves towards the center of the room and stomps his metal foot onto the corpse of Clench. "Who of you will join me? "

[img: proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.%2Fattachments%2F890044298119233556%2F930634398997549097%2FMG1.PNG =5b189278ff976045930890132fdb45a5]

Silence fell across the Arena, the only noise remaining now was the wearing of nearby machinery and the buzzing of the light fixtures. But as expected, some bots finally step forward, one in particular, a smallish silver bot began to speak as well "I-I will follow. I've been working those damn mines for so long, that even the smallest of my gears have begun to corrode. We're just pawns to them, an expendable workforce to be replaced or discarded whenever they choose… No more! I refuse to live like this another cycle!" he bellowed out, making his voice heard by all.

Megatron smiled as he patted him on the shoulder, "I thank you, my brother, even just one of you joining, and ensuring that I shall not fight alone warms my spark. What is your name?"

The Bot in question raises his head before saying, "before I came here, I had a simple serial number and nothing else. But now? As a gladiator and a Decepticon, I will be known as Barricade!" he yells out, his sheer will and devotion quickly inspireing others to do the same.

The Mech standing next to me walks forward "I won't pretend I know half of what I'm doing or what is going on all the time, but I know that this is right. I am Demolisher and I'll join this fight!" The oaf I call my friend speaks out in a surprising act of independence.

"I am the warrior Scorponok! And you shall have my fury!" One of the larger Mechs speaks up from behind before flexing his weapons.

"My name is Rumble!'" "And I am Frenzy!" "And we are down for this fight" Tthe two minicons proudly announced and were practically jumping from excitement.

"I'm Lugnut and I'm down for a brawl!" More and more voices began announcing their name and their loyalty. Megatron had pointed out the importance of having a true name, and most here had taken it to heart. In a way, this was the first true act of rebellion.

Many more names were mentioned and the cheering of the crowd only increased. Prorex had noticed something approaching and quickly brought my attention to it. Behind the crowds, a certain oversized dinosaur-themed Mech was approaching me.

He was surprisingly unnoticeable with all the commotion going on in the center of the Arena. As he finally got into earshot, he asked me, "As lovely as this all… seems, I have to ask. Is it ma-MAndatory, or do we get to w-wa-WAlk away?" His tone was rough and full of uncertainties. It was due to the issues with his alt-form. He tries, but he can't just get rid of this issue sadly. It needed repairs by someone who knew more than me. He had issues with some words and had to essentially "Bruteforce" himself through them.

I look at Grimlock in an unsure manner before eventually answering, "For now? Yes. It is your choice. But I would recommend making a decision now because I don't know if you or anyone else we'll still have it later. And I'm not saying that Megatron will shun you, but this is a conflict brewing. A conflict that could get very ugly, very fast."

Understanding is visible on his face before he nods. I then quickly finished up, "So yeah, while you still have a choice now, I would recommend you make it now and be sure of it."

Grimlock looks back towards the center of the arena, before asking, "An-n-ANd what of you? You've been quite the pe-p-PEssimist when it comes to him, I can't see you becoming a p--PArt of this."

I couldn't help but chuckle in response. The noise my motiveless head made unnerved him. I noticed and tone down before saying "Sorry, I just find it hilarious…"

He groans in annoyance before asking, "And what is so f-f-FUnny?"

"The fact that you presume me a pessimist rather than a realist. My critique was not an admission of defeat… Rather, it was to avoid any unnecessary naivety. It's also precisely because of that, that I knew about this little "gathering" before all the others." I informed him.

"You were one of the ri-ring-RIngleaders… I'm guessing you're also adding some of the b-BRains to this plan?" he asked me.

I nod at him for looking back at the center of the arena. Megatron smiled with glee, he was genuinely happy at seeing so many people believe in him, he would do his best to not let them down. And I will do my best to make sure that he never has to.

Before Grimlock can leave I ask him one last time "So, with what you now know, what will you choose?"

His eyes shift between the sight of Megatron and myself before he slowly answers, "You know I used to be an Au-au-AUtobot,… you know what they did to me and my team. Suddenly, our A-ALt-forms were different and we are something to be locked away until the co-cou-COuncil decides to scrap us. I…"

He pauses as he gives me a conflicted look, "You showed me ki… KIndness and you patched up my men, I will never forget that. But I made an oath to the Autobots and to myself. You remember Megat-t-ronus called me a bleeding heart… And he was right. I know that this cause will encounter bloodshed. The blood of Cy-Cy-CYbertron… and as much as I support it, I will keep out of it..at least for now… as for you?" A small smirk accompanies his tone towards the end, "If we ever meet on o-opp-OPposing sides, then I promise to take it easy on ya!"

I gave him a hearty chuckle in response before he turns to walk towards the exit of the arena. As soon as I no longer see him, I ponder whether or not I should have made a better effort of convincing him. Grimlock would be an invaluable asset, but unless he is fully on our side, then he could easily become a hindrance in a critical moment.

So all in all, I think I made the right decision. Looking back towards the arena of jubilation is of our budding organisation. I myself was not the kind to scream my name and join in, so I had to make for the exit.

Just as I was about to open the door, it opened itself as one of the younger gladiators came storming past me. "Someone!… Someone attacked Prime! They are blaming us for it!" he yells into the crowd which quickly stills a response.

Megatron is the first to break the silence, "Explain yourself! What happened?!" he yells so all the arena could hear him.

The Bot in question quickly moves forward and I send him remote access to the speaker systems so everyone can hear what he has to say. He quickly catches his breath before beginning, "There was a suicide bomber who showed up during the primal procession! They say he was an agent of ours!… they are putting the entire planet under martial law!"

The news sent shivers down the "spine" of every Bot attending.

"But… We only just formalised, we've only just begun! It couldn't have been one of us, that's impossible!" One of them quickly points out and it casts certain doubts for every gladiator here.

Small whispers in insecure thoughts are uttered before Megatron loudly roars for their attention, "Do not be discouraged brothers and sisters!….so our enemy has decided to turn the public against us!… Cybertron will begin to fear us and followers will be hesitant to join us… But you should all know, it matters not!… do you know why?" he questions the crowd and gets looks of confusion but also the looks of those awaiting his grand answer.

"The reason it does not matter is that everyone in this arena… does. Even with our numbers right here right now, we have all we need to win. The Senate believes us weak because they know our numbers to be little. It's because they still believe that every Cybertronian is limited in their function. That every one of us is worth less than the dirt we stand upon! So why would they think of us any different than they usually do? As their pawns!"

The crowd finally got what Megatron's intention was and grew in excitement, "We know for a fact that they are wrong. Every single bot here, all of us together. Together we can achieve our goal! Even with the entire Autobot armada at their beck and call, they will not be able to defeat us! We are gladiators! We are Cybertronians! And from this day, we are Decepticons! Nothing will stand against us!"

The crowd breaks out into cheer once more, and as I look upon its from afar in its entirety, the only thought in my mind was, '… He isn't the leader for nothing'.

Ark-1 Memorial, Iacon, Cybertron

2 Stellar-cycles(days) later

Sitting on a bench near the Memorial, was none other than the current Senator Shockwave. Even with the planet currently under martial law, he was out in the open with his security detail deliberately told to stay away.

This wasn't some ploy to lure out any enemies, but rather to have a meeting with a trusted friend. The vehicular truck form of a red and blue Autobot was approaching the center of the park, the Autobot logo clearly depicted on its sides.

The bot in question transforms as soon as he is in Shockwave's Vicinity. Revealing himself to be the police captain Orion Pax, who quickly took a seat next to the Senator.

[img: proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.%2Fattachments%2F890044298119233556%2F930634378764255242%2FChaosTheoryPart2_Orion_and_the_Senator.jpg =626afa3c03763d4266c80cbf40deefdb]

"Is it wise to meet me here Shockwave? With the recent bombing, one cannot expect to be safe." Orion states as he interlocks his fingers in thought while hunching forward.

In polar opposite was Shockwave who had been leaning back in his seat, depicting the picture perfect example of comfort. "Then let's try and make this look unimportant for any unwanted Spies….disconnect yourself from any networks"

Orion gives the other a strange look before holding his arm to his face and saying, "This is Capt. Orion Pax, I am disconnecting from local networks for security concerns. Over and out"

He lets his arm fall back to his lap before he remarks, "That isn't exactly protocol. I don't doubt I will get a reprimand from the station chief."

Shockwave only scoffs with a chuckle, "I was feeling he will reprimand you for a lot more when this is all done.…" He turns his face towards Orion, who quickly freezes at the Senator's stern expression.

"Nominus Prime did not succumb to a rust infection which developed from his injuries… The Senate killed him when they realised that the Matrix of Leadership within his chest was a fake…" Shockwave quickly stated without a single doubt or hesitation in his tone.

Orion's optics were under threat of shorting out due to the sheer insanity of what he was hearing. The Senate actively going against a prime, the succession by Sentinel Prime being a complete fluke and lastly, the fact that the matrix of leadership was a fake and now unaccounted for… as he processed all of these things, he considered one last issue.

"Shockwave… Aren't you putting yourself at massive risk in exposing this?" He asks with a worried tone.

Shockwave merely shrugs in response before saying, "With martial law being active and the "Decepticons" being an active threat, it's only a matter of time until they come for me and blame it on them. So before that happens, I need to make sure that I can help as much as I can….I've told you what I know now, and I hope you make the most of it… But I must also ask your favour."

He reaches behind his back and pulls out a small container. It was in the shape of the cube and finally engraved. He quickly handed it to Orion who gently picked it up. He then found a small mechanism on one side and quickly used it to open it up.

"I do not understand… What is the significance of this minuscule Energon cube?" Orion asks stairs at the blue light emanating from within the container.

Shockwave couldn't help but laugh before responding, "That is no Energon cube, my friend. It is an ancient relic called the Tesseract. I've compressed it to that size in order to conceal it easier. Even a Minicon would find no issue in doing so… but back to its significance. It is believed that it originates from Primus himself, but we don't know for sure… what I do know is that it is probably the most important artefact in my possession… Which is why I am entrusting it to you."

He gets up from his seat before giving Orion one last look, "Give it to someone you trust but cannot be associated with. Or hide it in the last place anyone knowing you would look…..Once this has blown over, I ask that you bring it back to me….and if I don't make it….bury it until we live in kinder times."

With those words, the Senator hastily departed. Orion himself stared at the relic in question before closing the container and hiding it in his own subspace. He was unsure of who he knew that couldn't be traced back to him.

As he headed towards the exit of the park, he noticed graffiti lining the walls of a nearby alley. A single emblem stuck out to him and he decided on a course of action that he might regret for millennia to come.

When he arrived at his home, he contacted the other members of his squad to prepare for their investigation into the senate's dealings. Afterwards, he activated his holo terminal and made the arrangements for a shuttle that would take him to his destination… To Kaon.

Don't question the fact that I'm writing rather than studying. I do this to relax. So yeah.

Have a great day everyone.


chapter 4: Assimilation

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 4: Assimilation


Cybertron, Kaon, Lower City

126 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

Unlike most days where I spent my spare time working under the arena, this time I was walking through the undercity of Kaon. My work has also changed quite a bit now that I think about it. I'm no longer tinkering with any gadgets or weapons, but rather looking at city plans, transport shuttles, communication networks and all the other things you would need for a guerrilla campaign and or insurrection.

I know for a fact that Megatron was incredibly intelligent, but he also had a growing ego. One that could easily and very quickly mess things up. I have no doubt in my mind that he could easily wage this war without me. But that isn't really my focus. I am here to make sure that things go smoothly, quickly and with minimal bloodshed. Something that is becoming increasingly more difficult.

Decepticon sentiment was being dragged through the mud by the senate and their control of the media. We are being blamed for the death of a planet's spiritual leader, Nominus Prime. Sentinel Prime has taken over his position and is cracking down hard on the planet's population. Back as a human, imagining a planet locked down with martial law was practically unimaginable… But now? Ironically though, the senate's decisions have caused support for our movement to increase exponentially now…

Yeah… Things have gotten… A whole lot more complex.

At least I quit my job. I have that at the very least. I had to dedicate myself to this cause completely, and spending most of my day slaving away in the mines really isn't the best path forward.

The only real hiccup there was… Well.

The fact that I was leaving, would be quite an issue for both the mine and myself. I was legally required to work for them, and me leaving? That essentially made me a criminal and made them complicit in allowing me to do so. I cared nothing for the mine itself, but I didn't want to make it an issue for the workers and foremen.

So I did a little… Trick of sorts. Prorex was all in on the plan, I was quite happy to hear that he wanted to stay with me even with all that was going on. Funny… how close we've grown to one another even though we couldn't properly communicate.

But yeah, leaving the mines. To put it simply, I ruptured an Energon vein on purpose and installed a small explosive with a timer about a day before. It was surprising how much I could smuggle into the mine. Especially the fact that I was lugging around the corpse of another Cybertronian in a mine cart with only bits and pieces of rubble covering them.

It was a… it was a macabre situation. Mainly because the corpse in question was that of another FO model of the same line-up as myself. I got the body with the help of a few scavengers, paid with 50 Shanix.

50 God damn Shanix.… That's the worth given to my "sister"….

I removed her head, of course, and for quite some time I considered getting the help required to replace it with my own. It was a… A tough decision in all honesty. My new head, as ugly and "inhuman" as it is, was still my own. It was something that made me unique, as twisted as it sounds.

I also admit that… It's become a good shield against others. You can't tell my emotions or reactions from it… it felt like wearing a mask or helmet really. It did unsettle me when I was alone in privacy, but it didn't bother me too much.

I did consider the future of course, and I know that one day my opinion on it may very well change. So I kept the head, and I wouldn't be able to replace mine even if I wanted to right now. There was simply no one here with the expertise to do it.

But back to what happened. Getting a discarded Empurata head was also easier than expected, and attaching it to the corpse was child's play. It was shoddy work and would have killed the Cybertronian if she was still alive… but that obviously wasn't an issue or priority. I didn't bother replacing the arm as it would be holding the charge, ensuring that it would be destroyed in the blast.

After that, it was only a matter of finding the right moment of blowing it all up, and doing just that.

And that is how I quit my job! Presumed dead and legally no longer in any systems and registries!

I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. Now then, back to more important issues.

Creating the first stages of the Decepticon army. One of the biggest problems I quickly came across was our lack of weaponry. Sure, what we had was okay, but it wasn't the best. We always had dealings with the black market to get our stuff, but Energon Assault pistols, Neutron assault rifles or Scatter Blasters simply wouldn't cut it any more.

Really goes to show that Cybertron in its final days was being fought over with weapons that barely cut it in the initial stages.… But I'm getting distracted. The point was that we need weapons.

And that is why I was here. Megatron had been contacted through a few backdoor channels with a proposition of sorts. Someone was interested in the arena fights and the money that could be earned there. Someone… Powerful and influential.

They were offering us weapons and equipment in return for a cut of the arena's earnings. It sounded like a great deal and considering that they only wanted 2% for weapons that could have cost us 50 years income at the very least, there was no doubt that it would be fantastic for us. All we had to do, or rather what the owner of the arena had to do, was meet them in private within Kaon's undercity.

Obviously, the issue is that we couldn't trust them and the fact that they may very well be up to something else. The only good aspect detected of this deal was the fact that they asked for the "owner" of the arena. This meant that whoever we were dealing with didn't know who was now running the operation.… So I volunteered to go! And I am even going on my own!

Now, in any other situation, one might think me an idiot for trying this. But, I really needed to get outside again, and I really didn't want to be shadowed by a few goons. Of course, It's also due to the fact that Megatron doesn't even know about this… Because I intercepted the transmission as soon as it reached the arena.

But then there's a big question, why? Why would I do this? Why would I do any of this?

Well, it's because I have a plan… One that included a exotic cape made from organic fibres imported from one of the colony planets, and a rig filled with Energon cylinders set to blow strapped around my torso. The Cape was to hide the explosives, obviously.

You see, if one brings a dozen goons to a supposedly "private" meeting, then you are just begging for trouble. This way, I come alone and also promise mutually assured destruction. People are less likely to open fire If they absolutely know they are going to die after all.

I received some odd stares here and there for covering up like this, but it wasn't too distracting. The twists and turns of Kaon's undercity are something I've grown to know over the century I've lived here. I know my way around by now and have no issues on my way to the location of the meeting… well no, that's a lie.

Because the dear old "police force" was out in droves. The increased Autobot patrols wandering about were quite the nuisance these days. They weren't as active in the undercity, but you could be assured that they will check you for just walking by.

So I "stuck to the shadows" in the proverbial sense. And I had the reassurance that I will be able to avoid detection.

You see, I came prepared.

I look to the side of my cloak and see a little satellite dish poking through. I have been alive for quite some time, so it was only natural that I would try to improve upon my Minicon as well.

Upgrading a Minicon was no easy task, and in all honesty, I am not quite happy with the final result. Prorex was now equipped with various improvements to his sensory array. He was capable of picking up most if not all electromagnetic rays known to Cybertron as well as optical and auditory input in an incredibly large range. As long as my target isn't actively cloaking themselves, I will be able to see them coming without any issue. Prorex is just that good….

I looked down at the small satellite dish, and I'm certain my face would have shown quite a saddened expression. The biggest issue at first was overcoming the sensory overload he suffered from the new enhancements. I had to develop an independent subroutine that would draw from my own computing power to help him with the issue, but he had to be connected to me for it to work.

In all honesty, I thought he might reject the idea of being so dependent on me. Of course, there is a security measure that automatically disables his sensory equipment when detached from myself. The issue here is that that meant that his sensors, when he was away from me, would be those of an average Minicon.

This is why it was such an issue, but he was… He was okay with it. That actually did move me quite a bit. While he wasn't exactly capable of vocalising his thoughts, the raw data signals he sent to me were something one grew used to… And I wanna think I can somewhat read the little guy by now.

I continue to move through the corroded and grimy alleys of Kaon until reaching one of the many canyons running beneath the City. Kaon was full of these, remnants of old mining operations that have completely moved out, leaving no equipment behind.

The meeting point was beneath a bridge that crossed the gap and I was unsure of who would be expecting me. Sadly, there was no large open space that would be suitable for long-range reconnaissance. Even with a giant crack in the very planet we stood upon, it didn't stop Cybertron from building to the very edge. A small security barrier at the cliffside was all one got to protect the population from falling to their death. Some Cybertronians were littered about the canyon, most were rusted but a few bodies were looking younger. They were either bots thrown over for convenient body disposal or young bots that got too curious and fell off. It would be quite suitable to dispose of me should this meeting be more than meets the eye… I can't believe Iactually just thought that.

I can't help but chuckle. I forgot that I am in a fictional setting from where I was from originally… It's been quite some time since I've thought of that.

As Icontinue moving forward, I keep looking ahead toward the roundabout are of the meeting point. It was all alleys and buildings, and only grew more and more cluttered the closer I got.

Prorex was still trying his best with echolocation and radiation signatures, so we were able to analyse the bot meeting us.

It was a forged Cybertronian. We based this on the fact that their signature does not correspond with any cold constructions in the grand Cybertronian taxonomy. That did not exactly narrow things down, but the other signatures with them did pique my curiosity.

They were Minicons and based on their signatures, they were cold constructions on the other hand. This paints a very different picture of who this Bot might be.

I prepare my scatter blaster in my prosthetic arm and continue hiding it beneath the cloak. I approached an old and rusty door, behind which our contact was at the moment.

I swing open the door and step inside, only to suddenly be greeted by a wolflike robot rushing towards me. "I thought I smelled something familiar… Whoa!" The Minicon freezes upon seeing my face. I myself hesitated to aim my weapon at him. The Minicon growled in a saddened voice, "Ahh crap, you got the worst makeover… they really did you dirty, didn't they?."

I recognised this Minicon, "If you are here… Then the bot with you has to be…". My words fade as I stare at the armoured face of a certain Cybertronian I had found in the streets so long ago.

The blue body of Soundwave steps forward. "Ravage… Are you certain? It's true that I cannot hear her thoughts but… Are you certain it is her?" The auto-tuned voice of the future Decepticon asks.

Ravage, the Minicon who greeted me only nods, and I lift my cloak to reveal my serial number.

His body both freezes up and relaxes at the same time. It's as if he was no longer concerned with why he was here, but more with the fact that he was meeting me again.

I step into the room and let the door close behind me. I remove my cloak, revealing the explosive rig set up on my chest. Soundwave visibly tenses, but still does not raise his weapon. Rather, he speaks out, "Explosives rather than guards. To prevent battle from breaking out?"

I nod in return before saying, "I am who you are meeting… and before we talk about our respective goals for this meeting.… I wish to ask how you have been."

He processes my words before looking at his Minicons. Ravage was the one I'd spotted first, but I soon found Laserbeak and Buzzsaw sitting in the high corners of the room. He does eventually decide to answer my question.

"… The money you gave me… Prevented termination… Found work in mine before automation… Was later recruited for unique sensory ability… by senator Ratbat… my current employer."

My lone eye flares up in surprise. I ponder the implication and consider asking him about this, but before I could he asks, " You were subjected to Empurata? "

The question is understandable and I'm rather glad to hear that he doesn't want to pry further. I do give him the courtesy and tell him more or less what happened to me. He doesn't show his reactions, but his Minicons are visibly angered… He did his ball his fist however, and a few shivers here and there indicated his displeasure with it all.

After standing in silence for a bit, Prorex detaches from a shoulder to interact with the other Minicon. It was rather amusing to see, but it also reminded me that I was here for something else.

I look at Soundwave once more and ask, "I think it's time we got business. Senator Ratbat has more than enough money, so 2% of an arena's profits would be nothing for him… Is he out for more or something else?"

Soundwave stills, " I was not meant to reveal his name… "

Tension grows in the room and I eventually ask, "….I understand… And what happens now?"

He stares to and fro, from myself and the various Minicons present. He looks to them for affirmation before saying, " I owe you… Being honest is the least I can do."

He leans his body against a nearby wall before beginning to explain, "Ratbat is offering weapons and equipment and is pretending to want a cut of the profits. His true intention is to supply the Decepticon movement as he believes the arena to be connected to them."

The light of my eye dims in suspicion as I quickly ask, "Senator Ratbat has always been a public defender of functionism… I cannot understand why he would support our cause."

Soundwave's head twitches towards me as he quickly asks, "'Our cause'?"

I shrug my shoulders before saying, "Yes… Our cause… I joined the Decepticon movement when it was formally established not too long ago… Technically even before that… Will you answer my question?"

Soundwave stares at me with a certain unease before eventually continuing, "The Senator cares not for your cause. He believes the unrest caused by the Decepticons will ensure his ability to exploit market shares and the stock market in the near future.…"

I couldn't fucking believe it. To think this guy wanted to play us like this. It's also depressing to realise that a Senator of all things would supply those he would consider to be terrorists, just so he can make a profit.

It was disgusting, something that most Decepticons will agree with and with luck… Soundwave thinks so as well.

"And what do you think of this, your "employer's" little plan?" I ask him with a steady tone.

Soundwave stares towards his Minicons before answering, " Ratbat supports functionism… Decepticons oppose functionism… There is no place in the Senate's world for my friends." he gestures towards his Minicons.

Silence fills the room before Soundwave looks towards me once more, "….Do you vouch… For the Decepticon cause? " he asks with an unsure tone.

I get into a more comfortable position for the hand against my hip and nod my head, "Considering I am one of its ringleaders… I would confidently say so."

He nods in understanding and communicates with his Minicons. A few seconds passed before I eventually asked, "Have you come to a decision?

He turned back towards me, his body hinting only at the determination within, and he answered with a steady voice, " The Senate and Ratbat is… Inferior…. Decepticons… Superior ."

If I had a mouth, I would be grinning ear to ear.

Suddenly, his head twitches about and his Minicons also react in a strange manner. Ravage approaches Prorex, and communicates with him in some manner before Prorex rushes away and jumps towards my shoulder before attaching.

Before I could properly ask him what was going on, I noticed through our shared connection what Soundwave had noticed seconds before. Someone was spying on us… They weren't the best at it, but without my Minicon, I wouldn't have been able to notice them.

My first idea is to open a communications channel with soundwave and found myself pleasantly surprised that he has the same idea. The digital connection is established and I quickly message, 'I've got a lock on both of them, do you know how long they've been here?'

Soundwave nods before informing me that they had just arrived seconds ago and were still getting into position.

Before I would do anything else, I quickly unslung the makeshift bomb vest and place it on the ground next to me. I don't want a stray shot to blow us all up after all.

Soundwaves Minicons head towards the back door and quickly begin to race around the district in order to flank the two spies. Whoever they were, I guessed they were watching us through optical reconnaissance because if they were listening in, they would have known by now that we are onto them.

I move closer towards one of the only windows in the room and make sure the cloak conceals my limbs once more. That way I can equip the Energon battle pistol without those two noticing. Soundwave himself was taking position right in front of me in order to make it seem as if we were still talking.

His Minicons were still preparing for the ambush, so we couldn't move just yet. As I ponder our situation, I also realised something very important.

'You know… We have never even exchanged our names… ' I slowly send the message.

Soundwave was also quite perturbed by this detail, and Let out a synthetic tone mimicking laughter. After a while he eventually says, using his actual voice, "I am Soundwave… and you?"

He holds out his left hand which I quickly take in one of my own, "I used to have some crappy serial number, but today I go as Terrorvolt."

'Strange name' he messages me as he now gets into position to shoot through the window.

'Well, I didn't choose it. I got it from the arena fights. I made a habit of electrocuting my enemies and that name eventually stuck.'

He lets out another chuckle. Our banter now officially stops as the Minicons are now in position to attack. Soundwave sent me the visual reconnaissance data from Laserbeak, which shows that our unwanted third party was two Autobots sitting on a fixture for one of the many abandoned buildings.

Our plan was to shoot out whatever is keeping it in place in order to get them to fall into the alley below. Ravage can get one of them and the other would be in range for either of us.

I give Soundwave one last look and the two of us nod to each other before ripping around with weapons aimed high. We both start blasting the fixtures of the platforms in question and the Autobots barely have time to react as the ground beneath them gives away as they fall towards the street floor.

Ravage doesn't miss a beat and bites one of them in the waist before he even hits the ground.

The other was a bit luckier and got up in order to try and help his partner out of his predicament… which distracted him from the Tank Class Femme rapidly sprinting towards him.

I hadn't gotten any proper melee weapons yet, mainly because I usually stick to ranged combat. I would have used my little electrolaser in this situation as well were it not for the beastly Minicon and his prey standing right behind my target. So I decided upon the simpler approach.

My left hand clenched into a fist, and just as the considerably smaller Autobot finally realises the approaching threat and turns to look at me, half of the plating on his skull is punched away. I didn't bother to stop my momentum and instead crashed into the smaller Cybertronian as the both of us slammed into the ground.

'Soundwave, I have this one!'

I don't need to turn my head to realise he immediately sprung to action himself. He was using a sonic weapon of sorts that promptly overloaded the other bot's sensory systems and left him dazed.

It didn't take long for Ravager to rush the stunned Autobot and claw into his torso. The bot currently struggling beneath my weight and the damage I had done to him wasn't faring any better really. Once I see his arm changing into a weapon, I quickly roll off of him and kick him away in quick motion. He skids around, completely losing his aim as I change my own arm into the Energon battle pistol. The long-range weapon buzzes to life and his torso is promptly riddled with bullet holes.

His rigid body falls to the floor.

With the combatants both down and with Laserbeak not sending reports of anyone else in the area, we finally calmed down and let our weapons vanish. I begin inspecting the body in front of me and ensure to destroy any tracking beacons or SOS signals.

Their designations were Bumper and Fastback… They report to Sentinel Prime… This might complicate things later.

Looking over to my friend, I see Soundwave hoist the body onto his shoulder before nodding towards me to do the same.

"Autobot spies… It would lead to further complications if their bodies were found."

Nodding in return, I carry the other body and we make preparations to transport them discreetly back to the arena. I retrieve the Energon bomb and secure it under my cloak once more while also unarming the trigger mechanism.

We take the back alleys and underground pathways to end up at the now heavily fortified fortress that is the Arena before being approached by guards. They lowered their weapons upon recognizing me and escorted us inside.

My new compatriot and his little friends quickly began following my lead as I walked further underground into the complex. A lot of the things he could see were supposed to be confidential… But I vouch for Soundwave. And it's not as if he wasn't one of the most loyal Cybertronians in existence.

Soundwave and I dumped the bodies on two hover carts to make it easier when we need to dispose of them later. My friend was looking around with a certain interest. We may not be an organisation capable of taking on the government yet… but we are getting there. And if we handled the situation with the senator properly, then we might be able to make this work… I believe Soundwave could see that as well.

"TERRORVOLT!!!" A booming voice filled with anger yells out. It honestly scared me a bit because I never actually heard him that angry. I turn to the source and see a furious Megatron quickly stomping towards us. "Please explain to me why you are reported to have died in an Energon explosion in your mining sector!? And by Primus, why are you bringing two dead Autobots into our main base!"

To my surprise, Soundwave steps forward, "It was due to me. I defined the place we met without continuing security sweeps of the area."

Megatron visible raises a metallic brow, "And who exactly might you be? Why did you set up a meeting with her?"

I finally wanted to take control of the conversation but Soundwave was faster, "I was meant to meet with the Decepticon leader on behalf of a secret supporter to establish an agreement to supply your organisation with weapons and equipment. The truth of the matter is that Senator Ratbat sent me to do this so he can abuse the Decepticon movement to exploit market prices and the Stock Exchange…"

I audibly smash my palm against my face as Megatron adopts an unreadable expression. He eventually looks towards the three Minicons before looking back towards me, "A bit direct isnt he? Mind giving me a bit more context on this?"

I was honestly surprised. To think that he trusted me to such a degree as to not jump the gun and well… Gun Soundwave down…

I step forward, "I'll give you a proper explanation later, but to keep things short. I faked my death in order to quit my job without gaining too much attention. Full-time Decepticon now. Then I intercepted the request sent by Soundwave here. As they requested the Decepticon leader to come alone, I decided to go instead rather than risk you on a possible trap. That turned out to only be partially true, but due to having a prior acquaintance with Soundwave, he told me the truth of the offer. Once we settled on what would happen, We noticed the presence of the two Autobots who had been spying on us and quickly moved to eliminate them. After that, we came here…" I eventually finish.

Megatron visibly ponders what I've told him, "What do you mean with, 'Prior Acquaintance'?"

"She prevented my Termination many cycles ago. It was an act of Selfless kindness that will never be forgotten. I owe her a debt that can never be rapid in full… As I hold no true Loyalty to the Senator due to being nothing but a pawn to him, I held no issue in revealing everything to Terrorvolt." Soundwave explained.

He now gives Megatron a proper look, "I take it, you are the true leader?….I wish to dedicate myself to the Decepticon cause." He says as he lowers his head in a bow.

Megatron is a bit startled by the sudden action and as he looks towards me, I display on my Optic visor, "I vouch for him".

The Decepticon leader gives me a small nod in return before stretching out his arm so it would be in front of Soundwave's face.

"Rise brother… you are not a minion or a mere pawn any longer. You shall be an honoured member of our creed. Raise your head… and dedicate your spark. " He says with inspirational dogma. That is more or less what it is at the end of the day… but it doesn't make it any less effective.

Soundwave raised his head before standing up straight once more. Eventually, he took the large bots hand and I couldn't help but grin (Inwardly of course) of seeing my friend join the cause.

Cybertron, Kaon, Decepticon HQ

3 Orbital (Months) cycles later

Terrorvolt

After that, things started moving along… much faster. With me working for the organization full time and with Soundwave now essentially being a double agent under Ratbat, we were making more process than we had made in the last 20 years.

Soundwave used his unique little ability a while back to read Megatron's mind a while ago, and he himself confided in me that he was surprised to find our leader's intentions and motivations without any flaw….. It made me glad when I heard it… but I couldn't help but dread the day when this would no longer be the case. When the corruption of power begins to rot at Megatron's ideals… I just hope that I can do something against it when the time eventually comes.

Back to our more current issues. Worrying about the far future can wait.

With the recent changes, we were gaining gear and weaponry that could allow us to take and hold the entire city if need be. Ratbat was none the wiser and only drooled at the prospect of making Shanix. It made him blind to what we were planning.

By the time we already had a proper stockpile of weapons, I noticed some oddities. Megatron was sneaking off on occasion and had designated one of our warehouses as occupied when nothing was actually being brought or stored there…

It is expected for him to keep secrets, but still… it's a bit strange to say the least.

But rather than sneaking around him to investigate, I decided to approach him directly. After one of the usual matches, I asked to speak to him in his private chambers. It was the office of the fool who ran the Arena before him.

"Terrorvolt. A pleasure as always. You and Soundwave have been doing excellent work of supplying our newest members. What is it you need of me?" He says as he looks up from his chair.

I had a lot of things on my mind. He probably wanted to pick my brain on the seeker squadron that joined us recently. Usually I should be ecstatic at the thought of gaining Arial units. They were cold forged as well, which ensured dome dedication to the cause by default… Everyone was rather glad to have them… I would have been as well… But they are led by Starscream.

That was the main issue really. Starscream has been… varied in his many iterations. Spineless, or treasonous… those are his usual characteristics. There are some differences, such as in Armada where he actually grew some backbone and fought against Megatron due to genuinely good reasons without wanting to grab power for himself.

So far, he doesn't seem to be that version, but he also has been on his best behaviour. His position isn't set in stone after all, so he won't give any lip anytime soon… but that does not change his character. At his core, Starscream is more trouble than he is worth.

But as I mentioned, that is not important right now.

"Megatron… Do you trust me." I slowly ask him. My lack of a face probably made it harder for him to properly assess what kind of mood I was in or what I was getting at. But I'm glad to see he isn't someone who doesn't know how to handle that.

"I do. Unconditionally even. You have been part of this since the beginning. I do not doubt you." He finally answers me. I'm frankly relieved and also a bit happy at the sheer amount of trust in me. It is something Iearned, yes, but it still means a lot.

"In that case… There is an old warehouse of ours being used in the northeast undercity quadrant. The only mech listed to have been near it for some time was you… There is also an interesting amount of Signal traffic going to Iacon from this location… If others learned of this… certain worries might develop." I slowly inform him.

His face visibly constricts as he clasps his hands together before asking, "Have you told anyone else of this?"

Shaking my head in return, I promptly answered, "I wouldn't go behind your back like that to gossip with no context. I wanted to ask you directly first…"

It seemed as if he wanted to show me honesty of a similar degree before a light smirk forms on his face, "And what if your worst predictions come to be the truth? That I am perhaps working for our enemies?"

… I know for a fact that this is impossible… Reality breaking even… My presence in this reality could never have caused such a change….No, he probably was just evaluating what exactly I would do in such a case. A test or reaffirmation of my character.

I let out a small sigh as I think that I may as well be honest then. "As unlikely as it is, we would have to incapacitate you and reverse the mnenosurgery you clearly were subjected to. If that proves fruitless, and you did in fact betray us of your own free will, then we will silently dispose of you, make you a martyr to the cause and continue the struggle."

As more or less expected, his deep metallic voice lets out a few chuckles before saying, "I am glad to have you at my side, Terrovolt. You are devoted to the ideals, but not blindly following dogma related to me or anything else… It is good that I have you as my second in command…"

I give him a curt nod in thanks. It was good to be acknowledged, especially as my position wasn't quite official. Hell, nothing of our hierarchy was truly official. Megatron was in charge, even if he delegated most of the tasks to me and Soundwave.

"I won't waste your time. During my first arrest, I was probably meant to be killed off by the Autobot dogs around me. One of them was actively trying to rile me up into defending myself. Another stopped him though. The Police Captain Orion Pax, he aided me… I have remained in contact with him for quite some time to discuss theory and ideology. He was… one of the few that actually upholds the values the Autobots are meant to stand for."

He pauses for a brief moment as he turns around to stare out at the view of Kaon's dark skyline, "For quite some time, especially after the Assassination of Nominus Prime was blamed on us, he had cut contact with me… But as you know, he has been up to… some interesting things."

With interesting things, Megatron means that Orion Pax and his entire squadron is currently wanted dead or alive. Yeah, that was a fucking shock to hear. The official story is that he attempted to steal the Matrix of Leadership while also planting a bomb during Nominus Prime's funeral and co-conspired with Senator Shockwave, who was harbouring 'fugitives from the state'. The truth is probably very different, but I admit I have not researched the matter.

"I know the official stories and know to doubt them. Mind filling in the rest? Especially with how he has ended up under your care? I'm assuming that is what this is about. And it makes me question the truth of the senate's statements even more."

"Indeed. He initially contacted me in order to ask if I would shelter an artefact entrusted to him… The events concerning Nominus Prime and Senator Shockwave however have changed this. The other precincts among Iacon and even the new Prime, Sentinel Prime, who was already in charge of the senate's military forces are gunning for him…. I offered to harbour Pax and his men here in Kaon in order for them to plan their next move. I consider it repayment of an old debt if anything.… He was also able to share some vital information which I am currently preparing to announce to our men."

I crane my neck in apprehension, "A new motivating speech is at hand?"

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Not quite my friend. Obviously, I need you to be discreet about this."

I nodded understanding as I get myself comfortable in one of the chairs meant for visitors.

Megatron activates a holographic terminal depicting the funeral of the supposed bombing. "The Senate has been quite busy since the death of Nominus Prime. By the way, both shockwave and Orion testify that the initial assassination was in fact orchestrated by the Senate as they wished to claim the matrix of leadership and control its successor… they were quite successful in this, and abused the orchestrated act of terrorism to issue the clampdown."

He pauses for a while to gather his thoughts. Giving me a look of hesitance before shaking his head. I guess he was unsure if he should tell me the full story just yet. I understand his hesitation, as this was technically information entrusted to him by Orion pax.

"The attempted bombing, for which they have now framed Orion, was a plot made by Sentinel Prime to further blame us for these events… All so he would have legal justification to employ the full military might of Cybertron against us…"

Now that… That is dangerous. I knew for a fact that Sentinel probably held a grudge due to the death of those two Autobots a few months ago… To think that he would go this far? I can't be sure how much was affected by his decision and how much came from the Senate.… But in the end, I still hold some blame for this-

"Do not dare believed to think that this might be influenced by your and Soundwave's actions. Sentinel has wanted us gone for quite some time and he won't be convinced otherwise. And now that Orion has gotten into his crosshairs, he will want to solve his growing problems as soon as possible." he finishes.

I nod and return and consider this information, "I guess this means we should plan our next move, and plan it quickly. Strike first before they can ramp up… what of Orion though? Does he plan on joining us?"

Megatron shakes his head, "Not quite. He plans to regroup with another Ally of Shockwave and has stated his team will be working on retrieving the matrix of leadership and giving it to someone worthy of it… and as much as I would love for Orion to join us, he still fundamentally believes in the order and structure of Cybertron's governing body. He only wishes to remove the corrupt and unjust aspects of our society."

I lift my hand towards my Optic and realize the issue, "And that might be a solution for now and maybe even for generations to come, but it's not Justice… And it's not even a proper solution. It just takes one or two senators to bring back our oppression, to force us back into the mines. I'd rather not settle with freedom that can be overturned in a single day."

Megatron allows himself to show a small smile, "I'm glad to see that you understand this conundrum. As much as Orion tries to show sympathy for our cause, he cannot truly embrace it as he never felt the same injustice. And that is why our support to him will only be temporary. While I wish not to be his enemy, I do consider us crossing blades a valid possibility in the future." he pauses for a bit after that. Only the noises of the city outside could be heard.

Orion Pax is a friend to Megatron which is why he is a bit split on the issue. For me, I'm more concerned with his future. As much as I'm a fan of Optimus Prime, I cannot assume that we might be able to make peace with them and still achieve our goals.

"But enough of that for now. Let us discuss Strategy." Megatron states.

I gesture towards a hologram asking for his permission to interface with the system. He granted it and we start talking about a few plans. I had been planning something to take out the Senate for quite some time now. I had different plans and different approaches, but the main objective was to either take the entire Senate hostage or just kill them entirely. The obvious issue here would be Sentinel Prime and his military forces, But with the right guerrilla tactics, we should be able to take care of that.

The issue is really… Making plans and talking about it is one thing, But getting the information, the schedules, finding loopholes in security measures? This needed more time, time that we were rapidly running out of. Sentinel Prime was making his way to Kaon and his forces were soon to follow.

We needed an edge somehow… I look back towards Megatron and recall Something he said earlier, "You mentioned that Orion gave you an artefact? One that originally belonged to Shockwave?"

He looks at me with a curious expression, "yes… I'm not sure on its nature myself. Seem to be a minuscule Energon cube at first but apparently it is something more… you think might be an asset to our efforts?"

I solemnly nod in response. Megatron seems to ponder it a bit more before reaching behind his desk and lifting a cubicle container onto the surface. He opens it up and turns around to show it towards me. "Do you think this could be something of use? I'd rather not abuse Orions trust for mere trinkets or science experiments of no value."

I was about to tell him not to worry, but as soon as I saw the shining blue Qube within the Container, those words froze in my voicebox.… What the hell was actually going on in this setting? Hearing about the Klyntar is one thing… But just… Just getting the Tesseract like this?!

This has to be some absurd and crazy Luck. What is even the background behind this? Asgard and the nine realms might exist, but their civilisations, hell, the species inhabiting them don't even exist yet. Does this make the Tesseract a Cybertronian artefact?

Are the other infinity stones also in possession of Cybertron? I mean just what are the implications behind-

"Mind telling me why the blue cube has sent you so deeply into thought?" a deep voice of Megatron suddenly pulls me out of my mind.

I quickly focus on him before staring at the Tesseract once more.… Ignoring the implications for a second, I do realise that this can help us massively. Staring at Megatron once more I say, "Megatron… This is….this is big. This could help us massively… I mean, by Primus with this we could eliminate all the Senators and even the Functionist council members at the same time. Logistic are a non issue if we manage to figure this out. The shee-"

"Okay Terrorvolt." he interrupts me, making it clear that he rather not hear any rants I was about to continue.

"I want you to ensure that we can actually use this before putting our hopes on it. I also want you to work together with soundwave and see what methods we could use to get this conflict going. I… On one hand, I don't believe killing the senators and councilman in their homes to be the right choice… But I don't think we have that privilege of choosing any more.

Sentinel is moving in and it's only a matter of time until he finds us… get on top of this situation, Terrorvolt. I will rally the troops, and I will discuss things with the others, but at the end of the day I value your opinion the most.

… So please don't let me down."

Cybertron, Kaon, Autobot citadel

1.2 orbital cycles(months) later

Terrorvolt

"You scrapheaps are dead!" the booming voice of a furious Sentinel Prime yelled out as his array of weapons tore into our cover.

The Prime was completely surrounded by Deception forces, with the dead remains of his "Elite" Task force lying at his feet. Some well-placed shots, long range tasing, and chaff grenades did wonders for an ambush. They dropped like god-damned flies.

Hell, getting them here was also just perfect.

In all honesty, the Tesseract was probably to thank for our honestly astounding success today. Analysing the energy signatures of the tesseract was… ridiculously easy, actually. Making devices to harness the Cube's energy worked for HYDRA who was working with 40s Human Technology. There was honestly no reason it shouldn't work for us.

Ironically, the tech we use for Energon conversion and compression actually worked rather well. Repurposing old Energon cylinders to hold compressed energy from the space stone essentially worked as batteries for a personalized teleportation mechanism.

I won't deny. It also helped that we started a correspondence with Shockwave… He is… Like me, he underwent Empurata, but he also suffered from Mnenosurgery that rendered his emotions non-existent. We offered to repair his arms to a more… usable state again in return for any assistance he could give us. He was on the other end of the planet and under House Arrest, but he was still able to encrypt transmissions to talk with us.

He seemed… rather open to helping us. Even with him knowing that we want to kill off the entire governing body of Cybertron, he was no issue with it. He is obviously no longer on the list but still. It's rather interesting how much he has changed now. From what I heard of the old Shockwave, he was someone driven by compassion and believed in second chances. I am not complaining. I was unsure if we ever got the mad genius I remembered from the franchise, so I'm rather happy in seeing that he might end up on our side with time.

It also helped that we literally had a teleporter on our side we could use as a basis. Skywarp, one of the seekers that joined with Starscream, had the natural ability of short range teleportation. We don't know why, and I'm unsure if it was ever revealed in canon, but that's just how it is. Who am I to ignore such a good source of Data. It also helped that he aided me completely voluntarily and complied with every request I made.

Analysing spatial data from his readings gave me a framework to work with. Coupling that with a navigation antenna to connect to the global navigation systems meant for logistics, using the Tesseract batteries for long range teleportation became easy as fuck.

The question obviously is, why the hell wasn't this done before? The tesseract makes the current state of teleportation or FTL travel look like an absolute joke. Hell, Space Bridge technology is literally lost in modern times and the only equivalent is with the use of Quantum generators… And that's more akin to a Spaceship Hyperdrive.

Looking at what limited records I had access too, I came to two conclusions.

First: The Cybertronians working on the tesseract in the past lacked the imagination and drive to properly use the space stone to aid Cybertron. The second: Political implications and military expansions hampered the research… or you know. They just used it as an energy source or something… like a bunch of idiots. I guess without foreknowledge that it is magic rock with conceptual power over Space, thinking it is just a power source is not that far off.

Anyway. Our most competent fighters were equipped with the teleporters. I was able to make about 20 in the first day and after copying the blueprints to some of our technicians, they helped increase the production even more.

Almost everyone involved in the grand "Uprising" was equipped with a teleporter. They had enough energy for 3 jumps. One to get to their destination, one to get back to their rendezvous point and one for emergencies….And also, if we would make it any larger, than they wouldn't be able to carry it properly any more.

But yeah…

Honestly, I was more nervous in preparation of the event compared to the time during it. Getting all our Decepticons to rally at the right locations, finding out when what senator would be where? We timed it to a meeting of the Functionist council in Iacon. A few bombs would be thrown in their hearing room before our forces would immediately flee after the deed was done.

As soon as the first bomb hits, all of our other agents would proceed to murder the Senators of every District in Cybertron with a few exceptions. The Aforementioned Shockwave, and Senator Ratbat. We wanted to save him for last, and Soundwave himself was set on taking care of him.

The plans… Went off without a hitch, really. Sure, there were some complications. The Explosions were a bit more… effective than expected. A lot of civilians in Iacon were harmed by debris and spare explosives that weren't detonated with the initial explosion. It was unplanned, but none of us had any sympathies for the people of Iacon. We wouldn't be loosing sleep over this.

Some of the assassinations almost messed up, but we had a minimum of 4 Decepticons assigned to every Senator. A bit overkill, but having literally 3 back-ups to kill them was the right way. It did end up in some rather… public executions of senators with a lot of public exposure at times… but that was still acceptable.

Killing the lawmakers and pencil pushers of the government was the first step and we completed it… But that was not the true difficulty. We also bombed most Autobot Strongholds and Barracks we could hit, but… We couldn't be sure how well the military would be crippled by our efforts.

And… Well, Sentinel Prime was unaffected by the attacks.

To our luck, he headed towards the Autobot Citadel where Soundwave was already preparing to eliminate Ratbat. Prime was going to regroup with what little men he had available and by the time he was seen again, the full force of Kaon's Decepticon Army had the structure surrounded.

We all charged. Various ringleaders from the Arena led their own squads, while I was part of the main Assault group. This doesn't mean that Sentinel Prime was a pushover though… He wore a mech suit of some sort called the Apex Armour. The sheer amount of weaponry he had equipped and the size difference was quite the shock when we first saw it.

But we didn't let that stop us. The Autobots in Kaon were on their last legs. We wouldnt back down just because of something like this.

And besides. Just because they are bigger, doesn't mean we can't fight them. We were warriors from the Pits of Kaon. We would fight a titan, the beings that formed cities and starships if they stood in our way.

And that is what we did.

I was hiding behind cover, shooting Sentinel with an interlinked Path blaster setup. As I had a bit more room in my prosthetic arm, I had been constructing alternate weapon systems for myself. I still had my electro laster, improved for more effect and efficiency, but also integrated 2 path blasters which shoot one after the other. The recoil was a bit extreme, but if I placed my shots while in cover and steadied with my other arm, it was a force to be reckoned with.

"You worthless heap of Bolts. Empurata scum!" Sentinel yelled as my attacks melted through the missile launchers attached to his shoulder. I didn't have a chance to enjoy my victory as one of his armaments, the A-4 Pulsar cannon prepared it's elemental projectile.

It was a grenade launcher and minefield layer at the same time… and if used correctly, it could invalidate any cover. Just as he did when the grenade landed right next to me and promptly detonated.

Cybertron, Kaon, Autobot citadel

The present.

Megatron

When he saw his second in command take that blast, Megatron's mind came to a screaming halt. Terrorvolt was a tanker-class Femme. She can take a hit, but that is a weapon that vaporizes others.

It took her arm, and most of her armour was shredded. Her visor was cracked and quickly flickered as the lights disappeared. He quickly sent out orders for a medic to grab her as he vaults over his cover. After that, he yells out, "Everyone! Hold your fire!"

The Deceptions are clearly confused, but as Megatron approaches the lone Prime, his intentions became clear to them.

Prime turned to the Decepticon leader and trained all of his weapons on him. "So, the waste of space responsible for this is showing spine. HERE TO SURRENDER!?" Sentinel screams as blades extend from his limb, the intention clearly shown.

Megatron stared on with a grim expression, "Enough sparks have been lost today, Sentinel…. So I say we finish this, just you and me. No one else!" he pauses for a while as he abandons his personal teleporter and tosses it aside.

"Come out Prime! Face me like a gladiator! I know you can hear from inside that rust bucket. So come out and fight me with some honour!" Megatron yells with his arms outstretched.

No one could really see Sentinels expression due to it being behind that armoured helmet. Had that not been the case, someone may have predicted his next action based on the smirk n his face. All the weapons he had prepared, the cannons and the rockets, simultaneously blasted ahead. A colossal explosion envelops Megatron, obscuring him from sight.

A crater formed within the Autobot citadel, blowing out most of the chamber and exposing it to Kaon's night sky. Sentinel stares around towards the other Decepticons looking at the scene with shock visible on their faces. Just as he was about to contact the Autobot reinforcements heading to Kaon, a metal plate is slammed into the side of his helmet and the glass shatters all over his real body.

Sentinel is startled as he realizes that Megatron still functions, and is barely able to react in time as the smaller Cybertronian slams into him. It was like a scene from a nightmare, and for the first time in a very long time, Sentinel felt fear.

Megatron's armour was shattered, his metal was burning, melting with every movement. But worst of all were his eyes glowing red with such hatred and anger…

As Megatron broke through the apex armour and began clawing towards Sentinel, he spoke, "You know Prime, I've heard it said that we only gain wisdom from suffering…" with a grin on his face, he continues, "And tonight, I plan to make you very wise!"

As he punches Sentinels face, he follows it up with a fully charged blast from his fusion cannon. The attack easily rips apart the apex armour from the inside and launches the Prime towards the ground.

Even with a sudden attack, and the loss of his armour, Sentinel quickly recovers from the attack as he retorts, "If you wanted to change things so much Megatron, why don't you just start with yourself. You have brought terror to the people you supposedly represent. You're a traitor to Cybertron! This world cannot afford someone like you to be in control!" He yells as he fixes his footing and readies his stance for melee combat.

Megatron can't help but chuckle, "You demand me to Change? You have no idea how much I've changed. The journey I've been on… I view things with much wiser optics now. And it is clear to me what has to be done. This is a twilight of your kind, Sentinel! Your ilk have trampled upon us for millennia based on factors we could not control. Based on how we were forged. Treated as nothing more than expendable labour, barely worth the ground we stepped on.

From today onwards, those Concepts, Those Institutions, the entire System! It will die! The dawn of the Decepticons is here!" he yells as he charges Sentinel Prime once more.

To the dread of all onlookers, The larger military Mech blocks the attack with ease. After all, Megatron was suffering from all his injuries and only remains conscious by pure force of will.

As Sentinel preps to punch the Decepticon leader, he states, "Your words are nothing more than those of a criminal. Even if you win against me, your band of thugs will never amount to anything!"

To his surprise, rather than taking the punch, Megatron quickly transformed into his tank form and blasted away into Sentinels torso, removing a sizable chunk. If he didn't receive Medical attention within the next hour, then the Prime wouldn't survive this battle either. "I will bring you desolation, bringing everyone else peace!"

Megatron changes back into his normal form and quickly hobbles forward as he attempts to smash Sentinels face with both his fists clasped together. The Prime is quick to react and slams the Decepticon with a palm strike, causing him to go stumbling towards the destroyed wall. Megatron slips on the edge and nearly falls off the building before his hand catches onto some broken debris.

As Sentinel approaches him, he charges his fusion cannon on his free amr for one last desperate attack. His vision was already fading, and he knew that he couldn't keep this fight up for much longer.

"Grand treason, Assassination, Murder… this wretched insurrection! It ends today. Your cause is dead!!" Sentinel states as he aims his weapon at Megatron's face. A simple smirk was all the Decepticon in question showed as he blasted the ground underneath Sentinel and grabbed onto the larger Autobot as he lost his footing.

Both of them begin tumbling down the edge of the building, racing closer towards the streets of Kaon. Megatron angles himself in such a way that he faces the Prime directly while also using him as a meat shield for the impact, "That's right Prime! We are all those things and even more!. Because we dare to not be part of this glorious Cybertronian state!"

He ends this sentence by blasting Sentinel with his fusion cannon in order to break his fall even more. Once the dust settled, one could see that a crater formed around the prone body of Sentinel Prime and Megatron slowly limped towards the downed Autobot.

"I don't care why you fight to protect these people. This place! The old ways of Cybertron! All of it must change… no, all of it will change! The Decepticon's will make it so! I will make it so!" He says as his armoured foot slams down into the Prime's chest.

Hazy noises of static and interference were all that the broken Prime could vocalize. He knew his time had come, and with his last breaths he barely pronounced, "It doesn't matter… Others will…"

As Decepticon's gather around Megatron and round up the last remaining Autobots in the city, Megatron couldn't help but with grin as he said, "It matters when they see what remains of you." He charges his fusion cannon one last time and blasts away at the dying Autobot's torso leaving nothing but charred limbs and a molten skull.

He would ensure that these will one day arrive at Iacon and show everyone just exactly who they were messing with.

Cybertron, Kaon, Autobot citadel, Command Room

200 cycles (minutes) later

Megatron

As the sun arose on Kaon, Megatron couldn't help but smile as he now sat in the ruined chair of the very deceased Sentinel Prime. This building will be condemned, but for this very moment, it felt like one hell of a throne. A few minicons were currently mending his injuries and the random bouts of pain he would feel could not ruin this moment for him.

This was just the beginning… And they had won so much. And Megatron knows for a fact that it was not just his own effort was responsible for this.

Looking to the side, he can see his brethren in arms tend to their wounded and celebrated at their impossible victory. He doesn't know where they had gotten the drinks from, but he honestly didn't care. They deserve this rest…

He is broken from his thoughts by the light stirring of an unconscious Cybertronian lying next to him. Her wounds had been tended to and she had been placed on a gurney for the time being. She will need proper medical attention later on, but he is certain that if he had moved her away from the after battle celebrations, he would never hear the end of it.

Slowly, his second in command boots up her systems and as her lone optic lights up, he can't help but grin in response, "Perhaps you should make an effort to get some proper armour now. It should be clear about simple mining gear really doesn't cut it anymore."

The femme sits up from the gurney before slowly muttering, "I'm not exactly supposed to be a frontline fighter, so I never thought it necessary. I always go for ranged combat and cover fire. Expecting to fight a Prime who uses the most expensive grenades on the market wasn't exactly something I had in mind when I decided on it."

Megatron hummed with a smile on his face, "As a simple arena fighter, that is indeed something unimaginable." He is filled with elation when he hears her chuckle just the same.

"Well, I definitely have some work ahead of me." she says as she points to her molten and broken limb after which she knocks on her very cracked visor, "But other than that… We just won a major victory… I doubt the war itself is over sadly… Looking at the net, I'm getting reports that someone known as Zeta has taken the title of Prime and Orion Pax has joined them. They have publicly spoken against you and are assembling Autobot forces as they speak… I know he was your frie-"

"He was indeed… But I knew he would not see our ways. And he will believe our actions today to be monstrous, evil and cruel. He would never understand the necessity of it… So, let him fight us. We will meet his challenge and that of this new Prime."

A silence washes over them after she nods. They both stare at the Cybertronians around them, enjoying true freedom for the first time. They had caused this change, and they would not be stopping anytime soon.

Megatron is eventually roused from his thoughts by a sudden request by the femme next to him.

"Command us Megatron."

He looks at her with a confused expression before she quickly continues, "We all wear your badge Megatron. We will fight for you… You wield an army that will follow you into the pit itself. You control one of the strongest and largest cities on the planet… What next?"

Megatron smile grew even more as he turned around to look at the rising sun, "We are spoiled for choices, Terrorvolt. All except for one. We are all Cybertronian by Birth, but now Decepticon by choice….You ask what next?" His smirk only grew.

"I have a few ideas"

For years to come, this day was known as the great Uprising of the Decepticons. A historic event that would change Cybertron to it's core.

Author's Note

So. This is more or less, the Pre Civil War arc covered. We will be zooming forward to later stages of the war, with centuries of fighting already having happened. Now, The next arc will handle some Marvel plot points and elements. I have some whacky things planned.

Now then, i hope you enjoyed this. Please Review!

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)


Chapter 5: Concussion

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Podge

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 5: Concussion

Quick Author's note. This chapter will have a decent bit of lore explained, so do consider yourself warned.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

634 Primic cycles (Centuries) since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

Looking up from the terminal, I see one of the staff members approach me. The Decepticon scientist was definitely smaller than me. A common occurrence now that I'm no longer in an active position concerning the war. Being in an auxiliary position does that, honestly… Back in the day, the initial Decepticon scientists were among the lower castes and more often than not, cold constructions like myself.

These days? I was actually quite surprised with how many younglings are joining up. Obviously, It's strongly based on where they were when being forged. Younglings forged in Autobot worlds would join them and Younglings forged on Decepticon worlds would be Decepticons. Some actually made the effort to read up on the ideology either side represents and decide to join the civilian efforts instead.

Seeing them join was still a wonderful thing to see. The Bot approaching me was called Catalycon. He was part of the engineer Corps, and was currently mentoring under me. Though, he should be done for today. Most of our tasks have been completed and the Dark Energon Quotas were fulfilled.

As he came closer to me, I was reminded of how he only came up to my waist. The sheer difference in our sizes was something else… It made sense though. After my arm had been torn off during the fight with Sentinel Prime, I went through some rather extensive upgrades.

The first stage was repairing the arm and improving upon the armour. This was achieved in a few days really, but it was shoddy work. It was only after Shockwave joined us that I made some drastic progress.

I was unsure whether or not I could trust him. Like many other Cybertronians, I wasn't sure which version I was interacting with. Unlike with other characters, he was a bit of a higher priority. Because to my recollection, a version of him had been responsible for almost every bad event or circumstance in his reality via time travel and dimensional warping. And on top of that, he wasn't even properly loyal to the Decepticon cause.

It's for this reason that I wanted to handle the first dealings with him. I personally offered to repair his hands in exchange for his loyalty.… And so far, it seems to have paid off. He definitely fits into a cold calculating scientist trope, but he wasn't an overly ambitious one. He wanted to further his exploits, but they were scientific in nature only. This was something that definitely convinced me of his character. (The fact that his Alt form was capable of flight and his overall design reminded me of his War for Cybertron appearance certainly helped as well.)

After confirming these things, I asked him for his assistance on my own body. Getting certain materials and metals for the upgrade had to be discussed with Megatron first, but he was rather open to allowing it…

We have a certain deficiency for precious metals, using up the more valuable ones for the war effort and all that. Though, Shockwave and myself weren't drawing upon military stockpiles for this project… at least not at first.

You see, something neat about infinity stones was… Well, the infinity part. The infinity stones essentially held infinite energy. And Cybertronian's had the wonderful technology of both energy to mass conversion and direct fusion.

So using the stone's unlimited energy supply to create mass was something very possible. And yet… when using it to create an alloy of both Ununtrium and Oscillinium… We barely got any of it.

We had the tesseract work on it for a month and we only got about a tonne of the material… Just enough to improve sections of my chest piece and head, but not for the rest of my body… It is for this reason that I figured out that there was some issue with the math. Matter conversion follows the principles of Einstein's law of relativity. E equals MC squared and all that.

The issue here is that we weren't getting enough mass for the energy we were putting in. I'm fully aware that it takes more energy to make mass compared to the opposite, but that was expected… But this? This was different.

The process was disgustingly inefficient and I had no idea why… It applied for the reverse as well. Converting mass into energy was something done in the past when stuck in emergencies, to giant Energon and what not. But rather than gaining the enormous amounts expected, the returns were miniscule instead.

And this bothered me to no end. Something was fundamentally wrong with both the math and the method. It saddened me as well. These branches of technology could absolutely invalidate any issues with energy or resources, but we simply didn't have it in a usable state.

So I had to be satisfied with the standard Ununtrium alloys for the rest of my improvements. And it's not like I was allowed to use the Tessaract indefinitely. It was a vital war asset, and using it for scientific endeavours with no clear military application wasn't the right way to handle things. I personally admitted that.

Still, what we gained was still quite the boon… and the Ununtrium was no joke either. The metal was made via a complex combination of standard metals and resins. Easy to mess up and destroy the materials, but if done right, one could get one of the strongest metals around. Some groups of Decepticons had Ununtrium grafted to their endoskeletons permanently, something that was both permanent, but also incredibly painful. Most who underwent the procedure died from shock.

So I obviously didn't undergo the procedure myself. It also reminded me of a certain Canadian experiment in the Marvel Universe… Which also made me think that both Ununtrium and Oscillinium seemed incredibly familiar. Once I read up on their properties, I understood why.

Ununtrium is an extremely rigid steel-based alloy where the dense struscure of its molecules makes it virtually indestructible.

Oscillinium is a natural but rare element capable of absorbing incredible amounts of kinetic energy…

To think that both Adamantium and Vibranium would show up this quickly. I will admit though, the thought that both my skull and bits of my chest were now coated in Proto-Adamantium, the same material that Captain America's Shield was made from? It sure felt good.

The new armour and gear was bulky and strong, but still usable and with some degree of flexibility. Sure, it made running very energy draining, but that mode of movement was hardly necessary anymore. I still had my Alt Mode in the form of a hover Tank, now with the main difference being the new weapon array from my prosthetic limb now in place of the turret.

Towards the end of it, I was properly happy. That is… Until my fellow Decepticon scientist approached me with a new offer. Shockwave was… I was basically a scholar with a different mindset and some imagination. Shockwave was actually just a genius.

The fact that he has fundamentally understood the functionality of the T-cog and is able to modify it?….If he had developed this tech before the war, there is a good chance it never would have happened.

I underwent extensive surgery for it to be achieved, but with time and effort. I became the first member of the second generation of Triple Changers. I now possessed an aerial mode, not unlike a Jet Bomber of sorts. It was no good for dogfighting due to the slow turning speed, but I had some modified Energon battle pistols that would act as turrets which would be controlled by Prorex. All in all, it was a form capable of Ground Bombardment and some self defence. Not the best, but the main point of this was transportation, not combat.

For that, I have my tank form and the new array of weapons. My arm had bulked up massively, I was able to add components allowing me to access a large subspace to store weapons and tools within. The arm was one hell of a multi-tool and I had connected it to my back via an extra matter belt for various purposes. Sure, it's bulky, but it allowed me to directly fuel or load any devices in my arm without any manual work.

The default weapon was still based on my original design for a dual-path Blaster. The ammo belt could load the regular ammo as well as the rarer Destronium rounds which I have stocked up for emergencies… All in all, I was one hell of a "tank" in both a literal and figurative a manner of speaking.

So, it was clear that I cut an imposing figure and it seems that Catalycon was appropriately intimidated. I turn to him fully and stare at him with my lone purple optic. "Catalycon… You have finished your assignments for today, yes? What can I do for you?"

The younger Cybertronian freezes in his approach before hastily pulling up his arm to a salute, "Ah… Yes Ma'am! I… I…" The younger bot began to stutter.

I would have sighed in exhaustion if I still had a mouth. The youngling was rather bright, but he was also… a fanboy. And being assigned to the fearsome "Terrorvolt's" division basically blew his circuits. He had been working here for a week and seemed to be able to contain himself adequately when it came to the job…

But now it seems a bit different.

"Ma'am… I mean High General Terrorvolt… I wanted to ask-"

"I'm all for upholding military discipline, but my official title is not exactly being used these days. Ma'am will be sufficient." I interrupt him as I move away from my work terminal to properly face him.

I can see how he grows more nervous due to my attention being focused on him, but it doesn't stop him from at least asking his request, "Ma'am… I've heard a lot of things about the early war and about you… But I wanted to ask if you could spare some time for some questions I have?"

Pausing for a second, i decide that we may as well take this somewhere more comfortable.

"So that is what this is about" I promptly answer before locking the console down and heading out of the chamber we were in. I gesture for him to follow as I head towards the break/common room.

An Energon supply station as well as an Oil Dispenser was installed here, and I happily partook whenever I had the chance. I pour the two of us a drink before I sit down on a nearby chair and say, "so what exactly are you interested in? I've got a few stories, most of which have probably been exaggerated these days, or are just simply lied about to avoid bad PR."

The young cybertronian's eyes twinkle with fascination as the says, "Well that's exactly why I want to ask you! You were there, you have a first-hand account of how things happened… And well. By the pit, where to begin…" He started muttering to himself, probably unsure what to ask first.

I raise a hand gesture for him to finally take a seat as I tell him, "Let's just do it chronologically. Work our way to the present from whichever question dates back the most."

He slowly nods as he gathers his thoughts, "I guess my first question would be… The Tyrest Negotiations and how the accords were formed."

The question was… Quite unexpected, but something I had no issue in answering. Soundwave created a certain ruling in the later stages of the war declaring any state secrets would be declassified after 500 years, unless they were still relevant to an ongoing operation.

One of those was what truly happened at the Tyrest Negotiations. The official record is still, somewhat filled with propaganda even if it paints me in a bad light.

"Now that takes me back… Those negotiations could have prevented the entire war, but certain things just… Had to fail…" I let out a silent sigh before muttering, "I might as well tell the whole story."

Luna 1, Hecate, Ministry of Justice

127 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

It must be a special kind of karma for me to be back here like this, under these conditions. The moon where I was constructed, the place my fate was once decided would once again play a pivotal moment in my life. And the reason for my return was nothing to scoff at.

With Kaon as our main base of operations, we were rushing through the surrounding territories and had already taken an eighth of the planet's surface. It wasn't proper fighting as the Autobots were incredibly disorganized and surrendered rather easily.

A few weeks into the conquest, we received urgent transmissions from the temporary autobot government calling for a ceasefire. Even though I was a bit unsure of the whole situation, we didn't really have a choice but to accept. The main factor causing this was the fact that the new Autobot leader, Zeta Prime was in the process of issuing reforms and changes which were… Exactly what we were fighting for.

Functionalist laws and regulations were being repealed. Various restrictions and work legislation were modified… All to the benefit the class of people we were fighting for. And this is where things got complicated.

While I was suspicious of the sudden development, just as Megatron was, we both saw the issue if we continue fighting now and resumed hostilities. If we continued, It would be seen as nothing but a power grab by the Decepticons. We would be seen as militants merely using our supposed cause to bring about our own government.

That isn't what we were about.

So we agreed to the ceasefire, and it was suggested that we meet under truce on Cybertron's moon in order to negotiate for peace. Chief Justice Tyrest would be overseeing the negotiations in order to assure no foul play. He wasn't exactly a neutral party though. He is and was a lawmaker of Cybertron's government. I find it hard to believe he wouldn't be biased in the proceedings.

Security would be handled by both factions and everyone was allowed to keep a weapon. There wouldn't even be an explosives search. This is due to the fact that we weren't using emissaries or stand-ins. The leaders of both factions would be showing up, so blowing up the other wasn't really the right choice here.

Zeta Prime and Orion Pax along with a few others were attending on the Autobot side. For the Decepticon delegation, it would be Megatron, myself and Soundwave….Or at least, Soundwave was supposed to come as well. He notified us last second that he wouldn't come along due to investigating something "Vital", so we let him be.

We weren't completely unguarded of course. I had made the first upgrades to my armour and my Dual Path Blaster was functional. We had some of the strongest Gladiators along with us. And if that proved too much for us to handle, we had some back up available as well.

Starscream was on standby with a seeker squadron hovering just a few kilometres above orbit and ready to take action in case of an emergency or foul play. Still didn't trust him, but at this point it felt more like paranoia than genuine concern. Doesn't mean I didn't have Soundwave spy on him for me whenever possible.

Security was handled for the time being. Politics were still an open issue however..

First thing on the agenda there was the return of Sentinel Prime's remains… Whatever was left of him at least. We kinda left him in that crater to rust and to make an example… So when someone scraped him up, rust had already set in. It didn't paint a good picture.

And that wasn't all. Even before the hearings began, we were already confronted with another issue when we were contacted by Orion Pax beforehand for certain… Deals to be upheld.

He wanted the Tesseract back.

Shockwave wasn't part of the Decepticons yet, so we couldn't count on him returning it afterwards. If we gave it up, we can't count on it being returned… And I couldn't have that. Megatron was willing to do it, but I know the alternative is worse. Giving the cube back would not guarantee a good resolution today. But keeping it would destroy those chances entirely..

The thing is just. I didnt want it to escalate into war if it didn't have to. It would end up just as in Canon. Cybertron completely ravaged by war, no side truly winning no matter what. Eventually, the race would face extinction through Total War policies and the following attrition….

I didn't want that. I never wanted that and have been trying from the beginning to prevent that. It's why I didn't want us to waste time on Protests, riots or beginning with small acts of terrorism.… I didn't want a revolution which could be beaten down! I wanted a coup d'état which happened before anyone realized what was going on.

We destroyed Cybertron's Government and its military leadership in a single god-damned day!… But it wasn't enough!

The Autobots rallied and fucking Zeta Prime showed up out of nowhere to take control of the situation. We needed to be really fucking careful now, but we NEEDED to be prepared for the worst outcome.


All out war.

And handing over the Tesseract would ruin our chances… So I went behind Megatron's back.

I made a fake. The cube itself was just a casing after all… a mere container for the infinity stone within. So I destroyed it, and created the densest battery I could create to house the infinity stone's energy which I then implanted in a crystalline structure which was… easier to create than expected. The right chemicals, the right use of pressure and heat… and it was done.

A tesseract that appeared identical to the original and gave off the same readings. One would only realise the deception once the energy within was used up. The real one was placed in a metal container, which I hid in a vault under Kaon. Only I knew where it was, and how to reach it.

One may be wondering why I didn't tell Megatron of this. This deception would undoubtably tarnish the trust between us after all… Well, it was so we could blame it all on me. Should the negotiations work out, or a unsteady peace formed as a result, the Fake Tesseract would endanger that, if it was an action by the Decepticon leadership.

But like this? This way, I could become the sole bot to blame for it and can be punished independently. Not like my PR was any good. It was known that I was second in command by now and a key strategist of the movement. The fact that I am an Empurata victim made blaming me for all the collateral damage from the bombings in Iacon a simple task.

I didn't care for them. The people of Iacon were basically the one percent of the planet. The capital city was the jewel of Cybertron. Filled with people that literally found entertainment in the suffering of the lower classes. Where did people think most of the online traffic of the Arena's went to. (We made sure to scrub our broadcasts of any speeches and what not. Didn't want the wrong people to know what we were up to in the early days)

But enough of all that. As mentioned, I was a suitable boogey-woman and scapegoat at the moment.

Obviously, I could have told Megatron of this deception… But I'm aware he would also dislike this course of action. He trusted Orion Pax to a degree… Or… He trusted in his straightforwardness and honour at least. Pax would keep his word, but he wasn't exactly in charge.

It was Zeta Prime… and he was a wild card. Reading up on what we could, he seemed to be a retired clerk of Iacon's Hall of records. How he got the connections to consolidate power like this was beyond me… I don't think we can trust him sadly.

But, making peace with him is something we need to try.

Our delegation drove from the spaceport and arrived in the Hall of Justice rather quickly.

We were guided inside where the Autobot delegation was already present. We quickly seated ourselves in the designated half of the chamber. Chief Tyrest soon took his own seat and 2 scribes arrived that would record the proceedings.

It was strange to be in such a formal environment for such an event. Zeta Prime was my center of attention. He had battle scars of some kind, but nothing extensive, and nothing fresh. Former Military then as well? Black ops or something maybe?

My thoughts come to a halt as Tyrest rises from his podium to gesture towards those attending, "Today's proceedings are… Probably among the most important events to ever occur in these halls. Gathered today are the Cybertronians which may very well shape the future of our world for generations to come."

He gestures towards the Autobot side, "In today's attendance, negotiation on the Cybertronian nation's behalf. Acting Prime in chief, Zeta Prime and Autobot Lord Commander, Orion Pax." He then gesture towards us in turn, "Representing the Decepticon movement, Megatron and Terrorvolt."

We need to get some formal titles now that I think of it. Not having a proper naming structure and hierachy will make our job much more difficult in the future… it's actually a wonder how it barely made any complications so far….

Anyway… I halt my thoughts as Tyrest pulls up a holographic display before saying, "I was informed beforehand that an outstanding agreement between Orion Pax and Megatron needed to be upheld… I believe this shall be addressed first."

Megatron visibly frowns in response and questions Orion, "Pax… I assumed we would resolve this matter privately… As it was one made between two friends, and not as the leaders of two opposing military factions."

Just as Orion was about to answer, he is cut off by Zeta prime, "You made this a bigger issue when you decided to use the Tesseract in your bombing spree across Cybertron. This issue cannot be handled privately some convenient time. If these negotiations are meant to lead to anything, then this issue has to be resolved now!"

I could practically sense Megatron's anger boiling underneath his armour, and was wondering what kind of consequences his possible outburst might cause. I would obviously back him up, but I can't pretend I would be happy with that.

But to my relief, he calmed himself down before sending me a private communiqué

"You were adamant against returning the Tesseract… And I will not deny its strategic value. In case of proper war, do you believe we could win without it?" He asked me via the transmission.

I was a bit startled at the sudden change of mind, but I can understand if he is having second thoughts. Because it became quite clear that this would not be a negotiation with Orion, but rather with Zeta prime.…

I give a nod before saying, "We have taken all we could gain from the Tesseract… There is no true loss to us In honouring your agreements… And our equipment will still remain functional."

"You are certain?" He quickly asked and I give them a solid nod in return.

After this, he finally turns back towards the Autobots. "Well, while we would have preferred doing this under more friendly circumstances, I am not a mech who goes back on his word."

I access my subspace and retrieve the new case holding the "Tesseract". I headed towards Megatron who after taking it, leaves his seat to approach the Autobot. Orion quickly approaches him and turns before whispering towards the other Mech, "Thank you for not making this a bigger issue than it had to be, Megatron."

I was able to hear the conversation due to Prorex currently power linked with my body once more. I wanted to be prepared for any ambushes or traps, so it's only logical that I would take him along.

But back to the two Cybertronians in question, "Of course Pax… I'd rather not sully any chances of peace, and even if he is a bit abrasive I will give both you and Zeta a chance to make things right." He says as he slowly turns around

"I am honoured by your faith in me," replies Orion as he also heads back towards his seat.

This is technically my first time meeting Orion or… Optimus as he would one day be called. Seeing him be on such friendly terms with Megatron was downright staggering.

"With the question of the Tesseract now dealt with, I hope that everyone attending is willing to see this interaction as proof that the opposing side is in fact willing to negotiated with… Now, I believe it is time for negotiations to officially begin…." Tyrest tells us before the holographic displays expand across the entire chamber.

This was going to be a lot of work.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

Back in the present

Terrorvolt

"The negotiations went on for about… 2 Solar cycles before both parties eventually gave up honestly… I'm pretty sure you know of the results." I tell the young Decepticon as I get to the end of my story.

The young bot clams up before quickly listing, "Ahh… The Tyrest accords were established, which basically serve as Wartime law signed by both factions… I think they mainly concern themselves with involvement of Alien species though… because I'm pretty sure the Glass Gas Cannon or the CYBR Corrupter series of weapons wouldn't have been allowed by them."

I give the youngling a nod before retorting, "You do have a point. Do keep in mind that those weapons didn't exist back then… If I had known what I know now… Hell, if I had known of some of the inventions that the war would bring forth, i myself would have probably made an effort to add to the accords.…

The young mech nods before adding, "Weren't Amendments made for some extreme cases eventually? I think Tyrest added parts of the Autobot code which Megatron accepted?"

I wave my hand in a matter to show it was only partially the case, "Some laws for treatment of surrendered combatants and forces really… Anything else was shot down instantly. And for prisoners of war and captured enemies that went down fighting? That was another story… for both sides really. One perhaps more than the other." I answer with a more neutral tone.

Catalycon noticed my shift in tone and I guess he couldn't quell his curiosity. "… I'm unsure if I'm out of line by asking… but are you by chance referring to that incident concerning you and the captured Autobot Flame?"

Just hearing the name sent strange emotions through my being… Personally, I loved every moment of making the bastard scream. I broke open every secret torture method in existence and mutilated the bastard. And I didn't regret it one bit.

It was both revenge and Justice to me, but it wasn't something I dedicated myself to. None of that stereotype of regretting revenge because one had nothing left anymore or some bullshit.

No, no. Flame was barely in my mind during those days. When I saw him on the prisoner manifest, I simply decided not to let an opportunity for personal closure be wasted. I will admit though, I do regret in how I handled it somewhat. Having Autobots be afraid of me is one thing, but having our own members scared while the Autobots made monstrous rumours?….It was annoying at times. But just some bad PR didn't make me regret ripping is optics from his skull…

Megatron himself was… a bit angry, but mainly curious what could get me to go out of my way to torture someone like that. Upon learning the truth, Megatron saw no issues in my actions as it mirrored his own motivations concerning the Autobot Whirl.

Whirl tried to murder Megatron in his cell when he was still working as a Miner and being arrested due to idiotic reasons. We later found out that he was under orders from the Senate during the time actually. Was quite interesting to hear…

I really shouldn't keep Catalycon waiting though. He's practically trembling right now.

"Flame was the one who did the Empurata procedure on me. I will not apoloize for returning the favour."

The younger bot froze up before whispering a small "Oh" to himself.

Looking at his face, i couldnt help but feel somewhat bad.

I give him a pat on the shoulder before pouring myself another drink, "Enough of that, I don't think I even answered the full question…"

I take a sip of the refined oil with an artificial intake added to my head before saying, "Now, where was I… The breakdown of negotiations, yes? And what caused it all?"

The youngling nods in return and I continue the story from there.

"Things were breaking up due to… stubbornness really.

Zeta Prime wasn't a bleeding heart for the Decepticon cause, but he saw the significance of the Decepticon movement. So him enacting reforms for the sake of the lower casts and the cold forged was not out of genuine kindness, but because he knew it was a path back to piece. If he actually cared, he would've offered us more than that….His actual offer reflected that."

Catalycon piped up to quickly add, "He wanted immediate dissolution and disarmament of the Decepticons right? No way was that going to happen!"

I myself couldn't help but chuckle in return, "Haha… You would be surprised how close it actually came to happening."

"What?…" he quickly stammers out.

"We were going to take the deal. Mainly because he offered us a seat of the table… A new governmental coalition of Zeta Prime and Megatron with both sharing the rightful power of an active prime… It was not the optimal path, but it was a peaceful one. As rightful sovereign with a seat at the table, making decisions and making them matter. It was the right path and we wanted to take it…

But it was obviously a pipe dream."

"What happened?… Was this concerning Zeta's past?"

I nod once more, "That… as well as his plans for the future."

Pausing to gather my thoughts, I take another drink before continuing, "He was going to uphold the deal, but he was going to make sure that we had as little actual power as possible. Soundwave had received more information concerning Zeta's actions and basically informed us of a few key issues.

Zeta was already creating a new Senate to replace the old and was deliberately separating the governmental powers between various branches of government. The Prime wouldn't be able to push through any policies without the Senate's approval. And the use of Emergency powers to overrule them was only possible if both agreed on the issue. There was also the possibilities concerning of Megatron being deposed via vote of no confidence…

Zeta was also rebuilding the "Institute". The bastards were responsible for all the clandestine operations and wetwork before the war. You know, the ones who mutilated Shockwave, brainwashed a bunch of citizens via Shadowplay and Mnenosurgery… and he was already remaking them."

Pausing once more to make sure the younger bot understood all my talking points, I quickly continue, "Megatron had no real patience for subterfuge, so he immediately confronted Zeta on some of these issues. While caught off-guard, the Prime made no indication of thinking up a new system of government and even defended it, claiming a separation of powers was necessary to avoid tyranny…"

Letting out a small sigh, I continue, "Can't say he wasn't wrong, but what he wanted was just going to end in corruption. And that would lead back to an oligarchy… Back to where it all started… And that is when Soundwave delivered us the fruit of his research. Before the negotiations, he has been informed of a lead concerning Zeta Prime's identity. His search pruived fruitful and he decided to contact us during the meeting to inform us of quite a revelation."

Catalycon nodded, Indicating to me that he knew exactly what I was referring to. He voices his thoughts on the matter as well, "It was that Zeta Prime… He was the fake Prime that the Quintessons had placed to rule over Cybertron along with his followers. He was a dirty collaborator that created the Senate in the first place after the Age of Wrath was over. He ruined the victory when we gained our independence over the Quintessons!." The young Decepticon definitely had some acid in his voice there.

Inwardly, I recoiled from his comment with a bit of annoyance, but I understood his view nevertheless. I did want to set him right though. "That is… a rather biased opinion on the matter in all honesty. Zeta also led the charge against the Quintessons when it was revealed that our T-cogs were a natural element of our species rather than a gift from them. Zeta was never malevolent… but he is… No, spineless isn't the right word." I raise my lone hand to my optic as I consider the former Prime's character before continuing.

"He simply chose the path of the least effort and resistance. When he learned that all of Cybertron was about to turn against the Quintessons, he switched sides. When it was all said and done, he didn't abolish the caste system of our former occupiers, he repurposed it. He continuously chose the easiest and quickest solutions for any and all issues before completely shirking his responsibility… That is my interpretation of him at least… And it was the one I had back then too.

Zeta was responsible for the state of things, and his solution was to simply turn things back to how they were with minimal changes. Just one majority vote of the senate would bring Functionisim back with a raging force… It wasn't what we wanted.

Orion Pax and Optimus argued for Zeta's idea. He even acknowledged its flaws, but he believed that by working together that we could eventually grow content…

But we were done with putting our faith in the powers that be. Promising us change via long term goals rather than immediate action…" I pause once more as I remember specific events in further detail.

"You know, I would be lying if I said there was no chance for that to work out… But we weren't having it any more. Our trust had been broken by the government too often and they weren't willing to properly allow us to invoke the change we wanted. The Civil War was not going to be stopped until Decepticon flags hung from every city of Cybertron."

Catalycon looked on with confusion before saying, "Wait a second… I'm aware that the negotiations didn't go far, but the civil war began almost an entire stellar cycle (year) later! I… I… I don't understand Ma'am?"

I nodded in agreement, because this was actually not something that most Cybertronians knew about. "The civil war was inevitable, but for the time being, we entered a ceasefire. Most people forgot this, but the Quintesson Empire was still around and they were attacking some of the colony worlds… Until all external threats from Cybertron are vanquished, we agreed not to begin hostilities that could be exploited by races such as them.

That was our internal decision, but it is not the one we gave the Autobots. To them, we simply stated that we wish to hold proper negotiations at a later date once Cybertron's situation wasn't so dire. The Autobots didn't like the agreement, but they didn't throw it out.

As all the Autobots had their forces scattered about and were desperately trying to re-establish military order, as well as combating the Quintessons, we were arming up. We didn't completely leave it up to them actually. I… Some of our spies on the colonies shared their knowledge of the new slave race the Quintessons were using, and using their combat data as well as some… Fruitful research, were able to create countermeasures against the "Klyntar" Forces and forwarded the information to the Autobot forces.

It definitely decreased their suspicion of us, even if we were preparing for a full-scale war across Cybertron.

We found weaknesses in logistics and communications, we improved our weaponry and technology, recruited more and more like-minded individuals and so much more. And by the time the Quintessons were finally beaten back, we struck, and we struck hard."

Calatycon's expression visibly grew into a smile as he continued the story, "Yes! It was amazing! The Decepticon army launched Assaults on various fronts, with a focus on high mobility seekers and High Fire Power Cybertronians in order to stun and overrun the enemy before they could properly form a defence.

And you also used the Tesseract in order to supply troops and bust up enemy bases before they could even blink! And you had the Autobots on the run before Dark Energon even came into play!"

I let out another sigh when he said that. The War for Cybetron was… one hell of a headache. Sure, we had the upper hand at first. We took about a third of the planet before things slowed down. You see, as much as we had things going in our favour, we were still outnumbered and with certain exceptions, outmatched.

The Autobots started using stranger, more unique and esoteric weaponry that really dragged our plans through scrap. According to Shockwave, they were cracking open the vaults of Iacon, which held the secrets of Ancient Cybertron and the age of the primes..Which included some of their weaponry as well.

That is the issue with war sometimes. Conflict breeds innovation and development like nothing else. The fear of defeat and desolation motivated more than anything, and it really showed in the Autobots…. And the Autobots went down a dark path at times.

As if he was having the same train of thought, Catalycon uttered, "You know, I hate how pretentious the Autobots were. I saw recordings of their old speeches and what they supposedly stood for. They really showed their true colours when they used things like the Red Rust or Gideon's glue. How the hell can you pretend you are the good guys when using things like that?"

I shock my head and would have made quite the judgmental face had I been able to, "Do not confuse desperation with malevolence, Catalycon. It's a battle of total destruction and they are on the losing side. So they will sacrifice their morals before they sacrifice their lives."

Catalycon stared with a bit of a shocked expression. He just sat like that for a few more seconds before eventually asking, "Ma'am… I don't want to speak out of line here, but are you defending the Autobots? You yourself have killed countless of them and your work and orders have killed even more. They don't deserve any con-"

"I'd rather not hear anything arrogant leave your voice box right now, Catalycon," I interrupt him with a low voice, prompting him to promptly shut up.

As he stares at me with a frightful expression, I clarify, "It is arrogance to vilify the Autobots as some monstrous Mechs who are nothing more than spawn of the pit. Because that would be to pretend we wouldn't do the exact same in their position." As the words sink in, I can see his optics widen in a bit of shock.

Before he could ask further, I continue, "Just think about what we are doing already. Dark Energon packs used as last ditch fail safes for when one is fatally injured and treatment is impossible. A means to fight with one's all in order to die for the Decepticon cause. Imagine to what extent we would use it in case we had started losing? Maybe we would have begun turning our fallen into mindless undead, ripping them from the afterspark so they could die for us once more.

Maybe we could have infected the planet itself with the substance in order to gain the upper hand against the Autobot Infrastructure. All these ideas weren't just possible, they were drafted for emergencies."

The younger bot was clearly shaken and I can tell that I may have….been too honest. Letting out a sigh, I get up from my seat, heading over to pat him on the shoulder, "You wanted honesty young one… War is bleak and terrible. It brings the worst out of us. Even the best of us can fall…."

The young bot raises his dejected form, "Yeah but…. I didn't think that it would be so…" His words fizzle out and I can't help but feel a bit bad about it.

"Perhaps….we should change the subject. Such bleak things aren't the best to end a conversation on… You wanted to ask me more?" I ask him.

He visibly lights up a little more, his enthusiasm quickly returning. "Ah… yeah, I don't know the details, and a lot of people seem to give it different titles… But I guess I'm asking about the betrayal? By Skorponok?"

Now that takes me back, "Ah… his little "Coup"….The war had progressed quite a bit back then. Zeta Prime was already dead and Orion now went by Optimus… And I'm not sure if it was the surge of now being powered up by the Matrix of Leadership or the fact that he had Metroplex backing him up… But he beat Megatron, and he beat him to an inch of his life at that. The others were able to retrieve him before he ended up nonfunctional…

And that is when Scorponok kicked him out of the ship." I paused as I let the anger of that memory came back. "I wasn't there for that mission. I was dealing with my own operations with a team of Soundwave, Starscream and a handful of troops."

The Decepticon with me tilted his head in response, "You know… I never quite understood that. A lot of Seekers were involved with Megatron's troop. Wouldn't it have been better to have Starscream along to help direct them?"

The bot didn't expect my response to come in the form of a small chuckle,"Heh… It's Ironic actually… I had Starscream with me so I could keep an eye on him… because of all our men, I thought he would be the first to betray us."

Catalycon clearly didn't expect that. Starscream had proven himself since then… and in hindsight, my mistrust of him was a bit misguided.

"But on Scorponok… I think I'll just tell you the whole story."

Kaon, Decepticon high command, Hanger

718 Stellar cycles since Declaration Day

Terrovolt

"Soundwave, have you heard anything of Astrotrain's report? It hasn't come through to me yet." I question my fellow Decepticon and grow even more concerned when he shakes his head.

"Astrotrain cut all communications and left through a space bridge before returning about 20 minutes later in the space above Kaon. Once we have his onboard records, we will know more of what has happened." Soundwave tells me.

We could already see the Decepticon shuttle approaching the Hanger. Blast marks and scorched paint were visible. A Hull breach could be seen just behind one of his wings…

I look over to the hanger crew and call out to them, "Astrotrain is coming in with a decent bit of damage! Patch him up as soon as he touches down and starts unloading. Notify the medics that we may also have a lot of injured on board!"

They nod in understanding before scurrying away to prepare to do as asked.

By the time Astrotrain landed, they were ready to start repairs. Soundwave, myself and Starscream were standing in front of the loading ramp.But as it lowered down, I could already tell something was wrong.

We were confronted with Scorponok with a smug grin on his face.

I took a step forward but before I could say anything, Skorponok began to loudly yell out, "Megatron is no more! Our leader has fallen from the brutalities of the Battlefield! I am Skorponok! As the strongest Decepticon, I pledge myself to lead the Decepticons to the final victory we all seek!" He says with a cheer.

All other deceptions were still a bit shocked at the news he brought. Most were unsure on what was about to happen and begun staring towards us.

My fellow Decepticon leaders weren't doing any better, but I was steadily growing angrier by the second.

"Skorponok….WHERE IS HIS BODY!" I question with a heavy tone, my voice almost breaking up into static.

The larger Decepticon stares at me with a bit of annoyance as he descends from the ramp, "Astrotrain didn't have enough energy to transport such a heavy load, so we had to lose some "Dead weight" so to say. "

Ah… So we're pulling this bullshit.

"Astrotrain… or anyone else aboard right now… Do you agree with his story?"

The other Decepticons on the shuttle silently stared. The only change came when their faces visibly flinched as Skorponok turned around to look at them.

… If he thinks he can just pressure them into shutting up, then he has another thing coming.

Everyone tenses up as my weapons array powers up and I aim it at the transport ship.

"Last fucking chance to tell me the truth, or every one of you is going to die for treason right now!'" Soundwave and Starscream were shocked at the sudden action, but they didn't question me. Heck, they actually took my side.

Sensing via my bond with Prorex how the two other Decepticons stand at my side, ready for a fight..it was good.

The tension only increased when Skorponok began laughing. Laughing to his heart's content as if there was nothing wrong here. "Hahaha! You are a fool, Terrorvolt! Maybe head back to the lab before you dip a servo back into the battlefield! This isn't a Gladiator match where some fancy gun just solves everything. The last time you joined the battlefield, Sentinel Prime tore you apart. Ever since then, you have been sneaking around like some filthy scraplet. Now, stand down before your new leader!"

I was honestly shocked at how brazen this bastard was. It wouldn't mean I would back down from him. "… And what possibly made you think you could just succeed Megatron rather than any of the three of us." I retort while pointing to Starscream and Soundwave.

"Simple! The truth of it is that Megatron was weak where I was strong. The strong are those that survive. There to crush the weak under their heel! I will make the Decepticons embrace their power over the weak and we shall re-order Cybertron as a whole! I will lead because I AM THE STRONGEST THERE IS!"

Scorponok's words were….all I had to hear.

I step forward, the only real emotion shown had to be interpretation from my flickering optic and shaking body. There was no question to the others that i was just boiling with anger.

I consider right then and there to just blast him. Use the Tesseract Battery as a fuel source and rip apart the space of his body. It's a small alteration to my gear, done in a second. He would be dead… But that would just end him…

If I did that… then he wouldn't

suffer

"Prove it then you worthless hunk of scrap. You and me, nothing else." I challenge the larger Decepticon.

Scorponok grins as his arms summon forth weaponry from his subspace. A massive blade and shield. In all honesty, I did have my doubts. Scorponok was the size of Grimlock, someone who towered over most Cybertronians. I was above average in Height, strength and durability, but against someone like Scorponok? That was very different…

Even so. There is no honour on the battlefield. I'm here to make him suffer, not fight fair.

Prorex whirred in anticipation of the fight and I could feel our sparks beating in anticipation.

Kaon, Decepticon high command, Hanger

718 Stellar cycles since Declaration Day

Soundwave

The Decepticon intelligence officer stared with a hint of worry as his oldest friend among the Decepticons charged her weapon arm. Scorponok was… no good as a leader, but he was without a doubt among the Decepticon's strongest fighters. Durability, strength, speed… and especially savagery? He excelled in those categories… And she certainly knows this too.

So leaving Terrovolt to handle this alone did not bode well with him. But leave it to her to make this more complicated than it had to be. They could have simply continued the interrogation and executed him… But she cared more about the image. If he interrupted now, any Cons who actually believe in Scorponok's nonsense might hold that in contempt. He also still had to find out who among Astrotrain's crew was an actual traitor or simply intimidated into submission… Easy for him due to his abilities. It was all but clear to him that Scorponok tried to kill Megatron or even succeded and threw him overboard… but he still needed the location so they can organize a rescue party. They had to confirm his fate.

That would have to wait until his friend finished her duel with Skorponok… Soundwave trusted her, but for someone defined by their intelligent mind, she really did make some bad decisions at times. Deciding to confront Scorponok in the exact way that he wanted was not the right way to handle this… But she was angry. Soundwave could tell that with ease.

He trusted her combat prowess to some degree. She trained with the men and especially Megatron fairly often. And ever since her… defeat during the siege on Sentinel Prime, she has undergone various modification… But how those will pan out against someone like Scorponok?

He couldn't tell.

So he stood back as the two Decepticons charged towards each other.

Terrorvolt charged her weapons array and a fast barrage of molten metal being slung out by her Path Blasters pummelled into Scorponok's shield. The armament received a decent bit of damage but protected its user without falter.

The larger mech raised his blade to strike as Terrorvolt shifted her weapon arm again. Soundwave was surprised to see a weapon shaped like a flamethrower to form. Even more so when it began spewing cold Phosphex, also known as Glass Gas.

A concentrated beam of the freezing Gas hit Scorponok's blade as he swung towards Terrorvolt. The substance did it's damage and as the strike landed on Terrorvolt's shoulder, the blade shattered.

Such a minimal victory can't be taken for granted though. Scorponok was still in melee range, and promptly used his shield to knock her Gun arm to the side as he gripped what remained of his sword in order to slam it directly into her skull.

She pulled back to avoid the blow but couldn't dodge the sudden kick that quickly followed behind, which slammed directly into her chest. She goes flying back as Scorponok discards his broken blade before taking the Shield in both hands.

With a swing in his step, he throws the shield in a circular motion which Terrorvolt narrowly blocks with her weapon array. It visibly bends and shatters from the impact, but she didn't get a chance to recover. Scorponok had jumped into the air with the intention to slam into the smaller Femme.

She transforms into her Alt Form and her Tank Treads rip her away, having her narrowly miss Scorponok's blow. With her back peddling away, Scorponok cannot help but laugh, "All that Talk, but you only use tricks and run away when they do nothing! Do you think Icannot rip you in two with my bare hands!"

Terrorvolt simply stops in her tracks… Her engine revving louder and louder. Scorponok's grin spreads as his provocation obviously works, and steadies himself as the Turret of the Tank form begins swivelling around. The gun fires with a loud boom.

….But rather than hitting the larger Decepticon, it misses and tears towards the Hanger bay's ceiling, hitting the Fire Extinguishing system. The contraption ruptures and starts flooding the floor below. It was a viscous liquid meant to extinguish flames by depriving it of oxygen while also temporarily repairing any Hull damage caused by the fire due to it turning solid when heated.

Scorponok was confused at the sudden destruction and wrote it off as her missing him. With a smile he turns, "Your aim couldn't hit a-" But his words freeze due to the smaller femme slamming into his torso at full speed. She was still in her Tank form, which made pushing him easier than expected.

The pair go flying down the landing pad and land on the maintenance platform below, which was now flooded with the still leaking Extinguisher liquid. Terrorvolt transforms back into her main form and slowly gets up from the ground. Scorponok was having troubles getting up at first due to the viscous fluid hampering his movement, but it didn't bother him too much in the end.

To his surprise and to that of all watching, Terrovolt was slowly wading towards him. It made sense. Her right arm seemed a bit broken and probably couldn't be used for any ranged weaponry right now, however her arms were still armoured up and wouldn't break in close quarters.

"You think you will fare any better without your toys? HAH!" Scorponok chuckled as he charged towards the smaller Femme. His right hook is parried to the side by her gun arm and with the same momentum, she backhands his face with her left.

Scorponok recoils back from the impact and Terrorvolt uses her right to punch him square in the chest. He recoils from the impact, but recovers much faster than expected and put up his fists in a boxer stance when her second blow lands.

Seeing her punch is ineffective, she targets the lower half of his torso with the gun arm charged with electricity. It's something she had made for both limbs actually. They could be electrified to cause pain and stun an enemy.

The attack breaks Scorponoks block and she uses the chance to strike him in the face. His visor cracks just the tiniest bit, but it signifies the fact that he was taking damage. Her advantage ends there though. She had gotten greedy and went for another punch towards his face, something he was prepared for and retaliated with a full left hook into her own head. Parts of her armour break off and coolant could be seen flying from the injury.

Scorponok follows up the attack by joining his hands together and swiping upwards, knocking her skull back from the impact and knocking her whole body to the ground.

She quickly got back out and stepped back a bit in order to gain a bit more distance between them.

"You're weak, little femme. Spent too much time in a lab rather than a battlefield! You're slow." He stated with a grin on his face.

Terrovolt wiped away some of the coolant leaking from her head before answering, "True….But we're all slow when we are thigh deep in this kind of gunk."

Scorponok's next attack came in the form of a tackle, which is avoided with a quick sidestep. A swipe of his left arm turning the other way is also narrowly avoided. Before Terrorvolt could get in her own attack, the larger mech attacked by slamming his elbow backwards, which she quickly had to block.

Holding up her arms in a boxer's stance, just as he had done seconds before, she blocks the next two jabs before suddenly extending her arms and slamming them into the sides of Scorponok's head with crackling electricity.

He recoils with pain and stumbles backwards as he holds his head. He was clearly dazed.

"You really aren't too bright." Terrorvolt comments as she rushes towards him and with a sudden act of flexibility, strikes him in his head with a roundhouse kick, before swiftly following it up with another jab to his abdomen. Another cheeky jab to Scorponok's temple lands before he begins growling at the smaller femme.

Ripping his right leg out of the liquid pooling around him, he attempts a kick at her which is quickly blocked off. He tries a jab with his left arm but her height allows her to dodge under it, leaving her able to quickly strike his sides. The punch was solid, and cracked his armour.

Scorponok is stunned by the pain once more and can't defend as she repeats the attack before sidestepping again to strike his head. With his rage only growing from every punch that lands on his body, he strikes out with increased vigor and parries her next attack before kicking her hard enough to send her tumbling away.

Quickly wading towards her, he gets two solid punches in before getting a good defense going again. Scorponok does get a good hit across the side of her head and her optic cracks half.

A grunt of pain from her sees the smile on the larger Decepticon's face return as he rushes forward to swipe at her now injured head once more. Now thoroughly on the defensive, Terrovolt continues to step backwards as she dodges and blocks the attacks.

Her arm suddenly lights up with a strange glow before a white light blinds everyone in its radius for a fraction of a second. It was her discharging the last remaining charge in her gun arm, creating a makeshift flashbang… without the bang in this case… No more tasing until she underwent repairs.

However, it gave enough time for her to reform her left hand's fingers and equip the more Melee suited claws. They weren't too protruding, so she could still make a fist. Using the sharp edge, she swipes at Scorponok's head, but seemed to narrowly miss him.

"Ha! What was that?" He mocked the femme for supposedly ruining her chance to strike a proper blow.

For the first time in the fight though, her tone sounded a bit happier as well, "Just the right kind of cut above the optics….The kind that leaks."

Just as her words finished, did Scorponok sense the blue liquid drip onto his visor, obscuring at least half of his vision.

The second he takes to quickly wipe away the coolant is just enough for her to rush in and land a solid blow to his head once more, causing it to crack from all the punishment it had already undergone.

Knowing himself to be at a bit of a disadvantage, Scorponok rushes away from his combatant and grabs onto a nearby storage container filled with repair gear. He promptly hurls it at Terrorvolt who is knocked to the ground as she tried to block the attack.

She gets back on her feet in a second and is able to narrowly dodge as Scorponok launches himself into the air in order to use his whole mass to slam into her. His footing upon landing was better than expected though and as if to mock his opponent, he uses a roundhouse kick to slam her away. The armour on her chest bends at odd angles and cracks at the seams.

She skids through the liquid from the impact and as she rights herself, she once again has to block another right hook from the larger Decepticon.

It is at this point that Starscream steps forward and aims his blasters towards the larger Decepticon. "We have to do something soundwave. Realistically, Scorponok has a chance of taking us all down at the same time. We can't leave her to die."

Soundwave quickly grabs onto the other con's arm mounted weapon and pulls it back to the ground. " While plan is… suboptimal….Faith in Terrovolt…. Unquestionable."

Starscream grumbles in annoyance as he rips his arm away from the other Decepticon leader, "Fine then… we give this a bit more time… if she doesn't make it, it's on you."

The combat continued on as before. Terrovolt was slowly succumbing to her wounds, while Scorponok suffered from his pain and the lessened sight of his existing injury.

But, she was trying something else again. After parrying another blow and shoving him to the side. Terrovolt joined her arms together into one combined strike into the larger Bot's neck, sending another bout of pain through his system.

She abuses the opportunity to enact a similar attack just above his right shoulder. He swings around and attempts an uppercut which actually hits her gun arm, but does not hinder her as she strikes underneath his right shoulder plate. An audible crunch is heard and she follows up with another jab to the same spot before using her gun arm to swing it into Scorponok's face.

Another attack from him, a parry and block from her, before she flattens out her palm and pierces his shoulder in a quick jab before pulling back again.

"That a tickle?" He grunts, trying to mock her just as before. But the exhaustion in his voice was clear now. He was tiring and the pain was getting worse. And this new injury carved at his chances of winning once more.

"That was an array of nerve cells in your secondary servo array. Might not have hurt much… But you won't be moving that arm for a while."

As if to check her bluff, Scorponok inspects his right arm and realizes that it is hanging limply from his upper body. His face contorts in rage as he charges at her before unleashing a drop Kick which knocks the femme off her balance.

He punches her with a wide hook and uses the same arm to backhand her as he resets his stance from the swing. He grabs onto her head and slams it against his knee, shattering the Visor even more. Her raw optic was now visible and exposed. He follows it up with another punch before shoulder checking her.

She lands with her back onto the ground, splashing the Fire retardant fluid around them. Most were now worried that this was the end of the fight. Starscream was readying his weapons once more and Soundwave wasnt that far behind.

Scorponok walks up and grabs hold of her chest armour with his lone hand. He quickly hoists her up so he could look at her, "Eye to Eye". Her Optic was flickering in and out, indicating her fading consciousness.

"You're finished, Pretende-" His words are interrupted by her slamming her head into his nose, causing him to stumble back. The metal broke from the impact.

"You don't get it, you animal." She states with a bit of venom in her voice as she rushes forward with renewed vigor. He attempts an uppercut but she effortlessly blocks it before slamming her Gun arm into his face, breaking his faceplate to an even further degree. Coolant and Energon was now leaking from his damaged skull.

She continues her sentence, "This isn't some pit in a hanger!" without letting up after the attack, she follows it up with two powerful hooks, breaking his face even more.

Scorponok was now barely able to move and tried to push her away. She instead hooks her arm under his shoulder and grabs onto her gun arm, which came from the other way to put Scorponok into a grab. She twists her body to slam him to the ground.

"It's an operating table!" She states with a bit of glee in her voice. Scorponok could barely move at this point yet still tried to grab her with his functional arm. She doesn't even have to avoid the attack, and simply stops the blow by grabbing the arm instead.

"And I'm the mechanic!"

She grips onto the arm with her legs pushing into his shoulder. Decepticons watching the battle can't help but cringe as they hear his servos pop loose as the joints in his arm are broken, more so at the agonised scream of pain, and his frantic flailing.

After that she repeatedly punches him in his skull, destroying the shape of his face even more with every blow. She takes it even further and does the same treatment to his right leg, destroying the joints of his endoskeleton.

Her punches continue before it was clear that Scorponok's body was now completely unresponsive. With any luck, he was dead or in stasis lock. Because he would not be treated for those wounds anytime soon.

Terrorvolt stood up from his limp body and light trembles could be seen in her stance. She was probably about to drop herself. It didnt change what she achieved.

"TO TERRORVOLT! THE SLAYER OF SCORPONOK!" Starscream yells out with glee as he drops to the maintenance level to approach the victorious Decepticon. The other Decepticons join in and cheer in unison for the victor of the battle.

Soundwave was… in all honesty, he was surprised that she accomplished it to such a spectacular degree…

It was certainly something else.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

634 Primic cycles (Centuries) since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

"That was….." Catalycon pauses as he watches the end of the fight on his Datapad. "Amazing….Why have I never seen this fight before? I mean, others have talked about it for ages, but I never expected the real thing to be so….Brutal."

I quickly answer him, "It was a more brutal time. I battled him like that to meet his savagery head on… and to prove to anyone among our ranks who thought he had a point, how thoroughly wrong he was.

That recording was also personally taken by Soundwave who never published it. Any other Cons had their recordings confiscated as well. At the time, sensitive topics were addressed and we didn't want everyone to know what kind of infighting we had. And by the time it was no longer relevant, we saw no point in publishing the battle."

Catalycon nods in return, "And Scorponok? I know he was executed, but how exactly did that happen? "

With a scoff and a chuckle, I state, "We kept him alive to face Megatron's personal judgement… which came in the form of a blast from his fusion cannon. It was a close choice of doing that or sending his broken body to Junkion. We could have had some mockery of a tribunal, but the end result would have been the same. I don't think I need to say more than that."

"No Ma'am… You've given me a lot to think about." The young Decepticon states, clearly deep within his own thoughts now.

Placing my hand on his shoulder, I tell him, "As much fun as this little journey into the past was, we don't exactly live in it. So why don't we get back to work ok?"

Catalycon gives me a quick salute before rushing back towards his terminal. I slowly do the same and have my interest piqued by a Decepticon D.V.X.-class Heavy transport ship wanting to dock for refuelling. It's codename was Empirion and their data checked out. It was however heavily damaged, it's hull was scorched and seemed to be held together by some quick and shoddy repairs at best.

The first among many more I guess. Another Major Decepticon Offensive just started. We were expecting more starcruisers to come by soon to resupply on Tesseract Power Cores. I, along with the crew of this station, spent my time primarily focusing on Dimensional science and we were more or less able to recreate the Spacebridges of old. Studying Dark Energon was really a secondary objective.

Because as mentioned, other than a performance enhancing drug during a last stand, we found no proper use of it. Zombies made of the substance were generally uncontrollable. I did also omit the fact that technically infusing the stuff directly into one's spark would allow one to exert influence over the substance. We still needed it for Trypticon though. The titan had been exposed to the substance for too long and couldn't function with it's counterpart any more.

Working with the stuff was also a pain. Just being in its proximity without even coming into contact with it weakens a Cybertronian's body. So, prolonged use and research was heavily regulated.

But back to the primary function of this place and the main issue concerning our Space Bridges. It was fuel, of course.

Sure, we could use Energon for them now, but they needed incredibly large amounts. But we could draw upon the space stone just the same with no true drawback. Why wouldn't we do that instead?…. It made this place a target. Trypticon Station was basically a refuelling point for a vital resource to our war effort.

It is for this reason that we hid it..or Him, in Deep space. And I don't mean some unknown regions of the galaxy or something. Deep space as in, the great stretches of nothing between Solar systems. No Orbits, no suns, nothing to properly locate us.

The location of Trypticon made the chances of it somehow being found nearly impossible. Meaning that only Decepticon Ships with the right registration and access codes could find this place. All this security was justified… All this security was still fallible.

I'm broken out of my thoughts by the door to the lab opening up to reveal another tank class Decepticon armed to the teeth. Like me, he had undergone quite some improvements since joining the Decepticons and was know a walking fortress and arsenal.

"Dee… How can I help you today?"

A smile quickly crosses his face as he steps closer, "Ah, just the usual. Making the rounds and wanting to say hello." He reaches behind my shoulder where dark armour plating shifts to reveal Prorex. He allows himself to be pat on the head by our oldest friend before connecting to me once more.

"So where are Bludgeon and Thundercracker? Their ship docked a little while ago. I kinda need to reprimand them as they were using such old access codes. I know they don't give a scrap for any protocol, but some-"

I quickly dash by Demolisher and connect to a nearby terminal while having Prorex connect to the wireless network.

The little one had undergone his own improvements of course and was still one hell of a help in terms of general awareness, perception and even my research. And it pays off now as I send a ping to the Hanger bay and analyse the manifest concerning the ship.

The data didin't match the mass of the ship. All the data didn't overlap with the systems… And connecting to the CLUTCH drones, Iquickly realise that the Cybertronians that were unloading cargo and had entered the station were all using their Holomatter Projectors…

Fucking access codes….

Turning around, Prorex detaches from my body, already knowing what I wanted him to do. Devastator's face scrunched up in confusion before Iquickly order, "Sound the Silent Alarm. Alert Local soldiers only. The Empirion is compromised and its crew cannot be trusted. Prorex will help locating and pointing whatever they've done."

"Huh?…." He questions for a second before Prorex jumps to his shoulder and jams his arm to Devastator's neck, connecting to his neural interface and sharing the data he already has, "Ah scrap, of all the cycles for this to happen." Demolisher grumbles as he runs out of the room in order to follow my orders.

I approach Catalycon and a few of the other workers in my lab, "Keep quiet and keep vigilant. Trypticon has been infiltrated and we don't know how bad it is. I want you to head to the QRD Jump platform and flee to Cybertron."

As one of the bot's tries to interject, I quickly cut him of, "This is not up for debate. I know every one of you has undergone minimal combat training, but we aren't messing with amateurs here. You can't handle this. By the pit, I might not even be able to handle this. So before you die in vain, retreat back to Cybertron and call in reinforcements!"

That got them to shut and practically spring along the escape hatches. Trypticon's inner structure was very modular and we had various escape routes ready incase of an attack. The QRD Jump also made it easier. It's based on orbital Jump tech which simply "beams" someone to the correct destination rather than needing them to use a ship or any kind of vessel.

Catalycon hesitated for a second, but Igestured for him to leave immediately. This was not up for debate.

With that now hopefully taken care of, Ibegin taking care of more prevalent issues. First is connecting to Trypticon's system and waking the slumbering Titan in case we can't fully face the threat. For now, Ineeded to head to his spark chamber. Other than being his main vulnerability, above it we had built the Tessaract's refinement chamber in order to circulate it's energy across the entire station.

With a fast strut, I walk through the halls and consider the implications of who may be attacking us. Obviously Autobot, but who among them? Could it even be troops from one of the colonies?

After the Decepticons took over Cybertron, the Autobots retreated to the colony worlds of the old government. Most accepted their rule, while other colonies seized the Civil war as an opportunity to strike out on their own.

Either way, the war had stretched out into the stars now, and Logistics were vital. Space bridge technology and the use of the Tesseract were the cornerstone of our war effort. As mentioned. We could do without it, but the Energon costs might be too much on the long run.

I move through some of the hallways and come across various Decepticons. Some were behaving as usual, while others seemed vigilant and observing. I'm guessing Demolisher has sent the word out.

It doesn't take long until I'm in the Tesseract chamber and I'm surprised to see quite a few Decepticons already here with container cubes and unknown gear.

The Head Engineer was currently arguing with one of them, "I don't care what your orders supposedly are. There is no mention of new equipment being delivered here, so you can't continue without higher authorization!"

They simply ignore him and continue placing the cubes and connecting them to the local machinery. It was meant to look as if it was actually lab equipment or something, but a quick scan told me that the connection made was useless. It was just for show.

This continues on and on as I observe the group, and they finally begin noticing my presence. I eventually interrupt the engineer, "Some errors were made in the Data Entry. You and your subordinates ought to take it up with Catalycon. He is currently handling the situation. Head towards the QRD 'facility'."

The Engineer's eyes widen with a bit of fear. I'm rather glad picked up on the fact that Iwas referring to a Teleporter as a facility, tipping him off that something was up. He quickly gestures towards his bots and they make their way towards the exit. They dropped all their things and weren't questioning the order. My guess is he notified them via their direct communication's line.

"We will have it done immediately, Ma'am… Thank you High General for clearing things up." He gives me a salute as he walks past me.

With the engineers now in the corridor behind me, I call out one last time, "Make sure to notify Demolisher of this little hiccup as well. Don't want an error like this to slip through the cracks after all."

With my words now finished and the door closing behind me, I bring my full attention on the Cybertronians in front of me. They all had stopped what they were doing and were looking at me with tense expressions. Some had even begun flanking me.

"I have to commend you for your bravery in attempting to steal from this station. You didn't just find the place, but you also got this far. No one has ever managed that… But know that you have been discovered and reinforcements are on the way. If you surrender now, we will abide by the relevant laws and ensure your safety." I tell them in a steady and clear tone.

Infiltrators getting discovered were the jumpy kind. Sudden movements or deceit will set them off in seconds.

To my surprise, they all begin… chuckling instead. One of them stepped forward as their holo-disguises were now slowly fading from view. "Well, thank you for such a "Generous" offer… But I think we are perfectly fine continuing as we are. And you got it wrong, Terrorvolt… We aren't here to steal anything"

The bot's disguise completely fades as he holds up a detonator in his hand. The meaning becomes frighteningly clear to me, and it compounds when I see the emblem on his chest.

It was a variant of the Autobot insignia, coloured blue instead of red and with a hammer part of the design…

"We Wreckers gotta live up to our namesake after all!"

His visor slams shut for added protection as he activates the detonator.

In a near instant, a cascade of noise and tremors hit against my body as I'm sent sailing through the hull. More Explosions go off around me as I'm subjected to broken Gravity generators and exposure to space. I'm sucked out of a broken airlock, which sends me tumbling into outer space. Turning back, I see widespread damage and fires going off across the entire station. Comms were filling up with the sound of combat. This was meant to destroy the station. The only reason it remained is due to it being a titan in disguise.

This was….this situation was incredibly fucked… But it could still be salvaged.

I change into my bomber form and blast off towards the station once more.

Author's Note:

Chapter became a bit too big, so I had to split it in half. I have no idea when the next update might come around due to my Exams coming up.

I might release some scenes on their own which would obviously be shorter than the standard chapters.

Sorry that this is… incomplete. As mentioned, exams are coming up and i cant finish the rest by the time I have to study.


chapter 6: Devastation

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Podge

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 6: Devastation


Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Hanger Bay

633 Primic cycles (Centuries) since begin of Civil War

Demolisher

All around him, fires were being put out and hull breaches sealed up. The damage to Trypticon was widespread, but nothing they couldn't recover from. Being an expert with demolitions, he could tell they thought this was a normal space station rather than a highly durable titan from Cybertron. Even so, chaos was still spreading.

'Life has a wonderful way of screwing you over sometimes'

… Terrorvolt said that once. He wasn't quite sure what screws had to do with the nature of life, but he wasn't going to question it. He was not the smartest mech, but he knew he wasn't the smartest. That made him a little smarter, apparently.

But he was rather good at other things.

"Sir, we have multiple armed Autobots hunkered down in the third Bay… camera footage so far indicates that they… They… It's the Wreckers… Your orders Sir?" One of his subordinates told him. The mech was torn with emotion and it was blindingly clear even to Demolisher… and it reminded him of things. Just the fact that he even had subordinates didn't sit well with him… not anymore at least.

When he had first been given his own squad to command, he felt like he was on top of the world. It was awesome. He actually was good at it. His group was meant to act as fast acting shock troopers and mobile artillery that were basically a rapid response unit. And his bots were great too!

They followed his lead into a fight, and they came out scorched but smiling. Most of them were heavy classes like him, except for a heavily armoured scout and seeker used for communication and reconnaissance.

Things were good. "The Undertakers" were sent in, and they got the job done.

… And then they fought against the Wreckers. He was lucky even half his bots survived… But it still hurt more than his actual injuries. Bad information and a well-placed ambush caught them off guard… and by the time they regrouped, half of them were dead.

Having that kind of guilt weighing on one's shoulders was no good.…. He was good in a fight and had a knack for some tactics… but he didn't have the spark for it. He would have preferred to just be another grunt taking orders from someone else.

But turning his back on his men didn't sit well either. So he took his issue to 26… or Terrorvolt. He didn't like that name for her. Made her sound scarier than she was. She said she didn't mind it though because it was better than her serial number… But his thoughts were getting ahead of him again.

He took the issue to her and she basically helped them out. She herself was planning to take an auxiliary position in the war. It made sense because it honestly seemed done to him. Cybertron was taken and they had already brought 2 colonies back into the fold. A new offensive just started and it was only a matter of time till the next one was taken.

He would be put in charge of security at the base that allowed all this progress. Trypticon was not just a great station, it also housed the thingy that made space bridges work better or something.

He brought the idea to his men and a surprising amount of them agreed. The outliers decided to simply retire and he still kept some contact with them… It was good.

But some… most of them had their issues. Their encounter with the Autobot "Elite" left them shell shocked. The sheer and brutal efficiency that destroyed their confidence in a single battle. But they were given the time to recover.

Terrorvolt, who was still strategizing and planning for the Decepticon Armada, would never send him away and made the effort to speak to him when he needed it…

And to him, that was more important than any pittadamned fear. At the end of the day, Wreckers were just Cybertronians like anyone else. Besides, these were grunts really. The proper troops had done their damage to the station.

"We break through and tear them apart. No holds barred. We fight with all we got. The Wreckers want to play again, well this time they have something else coming. " He growled with a grinding of his teeth. He proceeded to equip his weapon systems and got quite a few odd stares as he got into position in front of the bulkhead door.

Prorex detached from his systems after uttering his desire to find Terrorvolt and back her up. The surrounding cons give him a quick salute as he slinks away into a maintenance shaft. It wasn't the safest way to travel as they were filled with deadly lasers when Trypticon was in danger… It was still preferable to an encounter with a Wrecker though. With the Minicon now out of sight, Demolisher sets his sight back to the task at hand.

"I will give covering fire for you to get into position. Send them back to the damn Pit! D-Don't let me down!" He faltered a bit at the last bit, but it wasn't enough to stop him completely. He gathered his courage before disappeared and nodded to a nearby Decepticon who then proceeded to open the bulkhead for him,

He stepped through and opened fire as his warning systems blared up. They weren't warning him from the attacks he was now receiving, but rather how straining his whole setup was to his system.

You see, it is recommended that you only use one weapon system at a time, be they heavy or light. Terrorvolt made an effort to modify her setup to some degree, which inspired him to try his own modifications. But according to her, "He went too far" and was "straining his spark"… He didn't care though. It looked awesome and it sure as hell worked.

So when he stepped into the hanger bay door, he came out blasting. An X18 Scrapmaker firing from his left arm was shooting dozens of rounds per second at the Autobot infiltrators. Demolisher's troops take the chance and flank throughout the bay while taking cover.

Demolisher aims his right arm towards one of the larger Wreckers and promptly shoots a small metal bolt which completely impales the Autobot. The Electro Bolter was his go to for when things needed a bit more accuracy.

And with his monocle visor having now focused on as many targets as he could, his final pair of weapons, 2 Thermo Rocket Cannons attached to his back, launch their payload into the air. The rockets race towards the Autobot forces and decimate their vanguard.

With Personal shields and front facing armour plating at the ready, Demolisher steadily moves forward as he continues his barrage against the Autobot forces. "Get blown to bits, you walking scrapheaps!"

His men were motivated more than ever and were using his diversion to overrun the Autobot forces. These weren't the main invading force, they were already in the station. But by taking these down, they would destroy their means of escape at least.

And that was good enough for Demolisher for the time being. Even as he was shot at, he kept going. When an Autobot managed to get close to him and cleave off part of his shoulder, he blasted him with the Electrobolter and kept going.

His armour started taking more and more damage as he soldiered on. The pain was slowly getting to him, but he didn't let up. Even when countless warnings appeared on his hud, he did not stop his advance. A few more rockets from his back, some well-placed shots from the Bolter, and constant suppressive fire from the Scrapmaker had its desired effect.

The Decepticon security group had surrounded the Autobots and were now flanking them from every side. Cover became obsolete and the Autobots tried fleeing into the Empirian's loading ramp to create some kind of turtleneck they could defend.

Decepticons were already making plans to rush them with some stun grenades, but Demolisher had a better idea. Silently communicating his plan with his men, he moved to the side, aiming his weapon system at the ship's hull, he takes aim before firing a barrage of rockets. Every blow adds to the damage before the hull is completely compromised. The hole was big enough for at least two Cybertronians to fit through. Demolisher led the charge into the hijacked ship and begins killing Autobot's left and right along with his mechs.

He didn't get through completely unscathed though. These may not be proper Wreckers, but they were still crackshots. One of them managed to blast one of his leg servos, causing him to fall flat on his face. Before anyone could help him up, another Autobot charged in with intention to blow up the ammunition pack for Demolisher's Rocket Canons.

Demolisher wasn't done though. He saw the attack coming and called upon an old trick. He was someone trained to use his subspace back when he was still a Miner and it was second nature to him now.

Materializing a flat device, he holds it out towards the Autobot and crushes the back of it. The frag disk explodes outwards and shredded through the Autobot before he could touch him. Demolisher lies on the ground for a moment longer as Decepticons run past him, charging into the ship.

Once the surrounding area was properly secured, he is helped up by a smaller bot, "Boarding is a success sir, we've beaten the Autobot forces back and they have retreated to the ship's brig."

He nods at the report before slowly making his way through the ship along with the others. Still holding the remains of the frag disk, he slowly lets the weapon drop with a sense of relief.

The weapon was something called a "Directional Explosive". It was a concept envisioned by Terrorvolt and developed by the Decepticon research and development division. The weapon's usage made it ideal for mines, but Demolisher, being who he was, wanted some of his own.

The next step was taking down the remaining Autobots. Demolisher's troops were already preparing on their own and he saw no reason to stop them. They were cutting a small segment of the door while preparing breaching charges. Stun and chaff grenades would be tossed through the hole before the charges are triggered. It would allow them to stun all combatants aside as they charge in to kill them.

The hole is cut and the grenades are tossed in. After their explosions are heard, the breach commences. Decepticon forces flood the brig and quickly kill or detain all Autobot forces. Their optics were fried and their systems were too stunned to put up a proper resistance. As Demolisher inspects the fallen Autobots, one of his subordinates directs his attention to one of the containment cells.

Looking towards them, he is greeted by the ear to ear grin of a certain seeker. His appearance was identical to that of Starscream, as they were both Coldforged of the same model. Though, he did have some quirks other than his differing colour scheme that made him quite unique.

"Thundercracker! You're alive!" Demolisher pipes out as he sees his friend.

As he reached him, other Decepticons were already undoing his binds. Thundercracker's smile did falter a bit as he begun speaking, "Good to see you Demolisher… Seeing you bust in and take these Wrecker scum down was certainly a sight for sore optics." He let out a small breath as he now clenches his freed limbs, "We messed up pal… We were completely blind sided. We were scouting the last location of Metroplex and they just swarmed us. They hid within the asteroid field with…. and I swear to Primus, they wouldn't have gotten anything out of me but… but"

"Do not be dishonoured by their foul tricks soldier." a solemn voice echoes out from another cell as a Decepticon steps out. This one's design was considerably differing. His armour, his plating, they were all fashioned after some warrior culture he learned of in old records supposedly. A strange metallic armour made of large plates in the shoulders and over the gauntlets, alongside a long skirt made of the same metal plates. Over his head is a segmented helmet with a smiling skull mask and a very large V-shape golden adornment.

It struck fear and hesitation into any Cybertronian who ever saw it… surprisingly, though, Terrorvolt had a very different reaction. She had coined Bludgeon with the nickname, "Weeb" and couldn't help but giggle at whatever joke she kept from others. He certainly took it with honour, being given his own designation by one of the Decepticon founders.

An interesting and new feature concerning him though… was the purplish cord hanging from the back of his neck.

Now, Demolisher had an idea of what happened.

Even from this angle, the signs of surgery on Thundercracker were clear. The back of his neck was missing armour… "They used that psychic cord thingy, didn't they?" he states while pointing towards the intrusive device. To the surprise of both, Bludgeon promptly rips the cord from his neck with a rather audible grunt of pain before having to quickly reboot his system.

Thundercracker, still startled from the sudden action, turns back to Demolisher and says, "The cortical psychic patch. I didn't have a chance to resist. They put me and Bludgeon under. Took what they wanted from our memories and did Primus knows what other damage…"

Demolisher… was aware that these two needed a chance to recover, but they were also great fighters… and right now, that was needed.

Placing a hand on Thundercracker's shoulder, Demolisher quickly states, "Thunder… I know you need a medic… both of you do, but the situation is really messed up. Trypticon is really busted up and Terrorvolt has gone radio-silent… I ain't doing much better myself… So I could really use your help with this."

Thundercracker quickly bumps his fist against his chest, "What scrap is going on in your head? My jets are revvin' for a chance to scrap these bastards."

"I myself will not stay away from this battle. The stakes are too high." Bludgeon stated as he approached. His damaged skull mask was looking rather eerie, but he seemed ready for another battle.

Demolisher smiles at their replies before saying," Well, my plan is to secure the spark chamber and cooling controls right now. We also need to secure the void sceptre before one of the Wreckers uses it to turn Trypticon against us….Bludgeon, you go with me. Thundercracker, I want you to take command of any aerial units and assess your best course from outside the station."

The seeker gives him a quick salute, "You got it boss" Before changing into his jetform and blasting off out of the brig. He expertly navigates himself out of the ship and then races out of the station's holding bay while communicating with all seekers in range.

As he exits into Zero-G, he is soon joined by 3 dozen Decepticons who quickly come into formation with him at the front. he also notices one more Signal. One belonging to a Bomber racing back towards the station.

"Terrorvolt! You made it!" Thundercracker couldn't help but exclaim with a bit of joy. In his honest opinion, also speaking as one of the oldest Decepticon members, he really knows to appreciate the Femme.

Her form shifts apart and her robot form comes to view as she stabilises herself with thrusters still active on her legs and back. Her armor was scorched in places and her optic had a nasty crack, but otherwise she seemed fine.

"Thought you'd be dead Thundercracker" She promptly says before shaking her head."… Well, good to see you made it." She looks towards the men behind him as well now, "Listen up people! The Wreckers blew up charges right underneath the Spark chamber, so we need to act fast. We rush them hard and fast because we have minutes before the damage grows even worse! So don't dawdle!"

She quickly shifted into her Bomber form before speeding past the seeker squadrons. They quickly fell in line behind her as she raced towards the central platform.

"Thundercracker, We are breaking through the skylight above the secondary cooling cortex. Run interference! Clear the way at any cost!" She ordered.

He gave a quick signal of acknowledgment before racing off. No air in space for a sonic boom, but he was sure that his speed would have destroyed the visors of all the other seekers. He blasted through the skylight in question and was using his homing rockets to blast holes into the hull to have any Wreckers be sucked into the cruel vacuum of space where they could be picked off one by one.

He's certain he would have been reprimanded in any other situation, but right now, things were too important to mess up.

Deep Space, Trypticon Station, Cooling complex.

634 Primic cycles (Centuries) since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

In any other situation, to bum-rush a dozen Wreckers in my bomber form would have ended up with me being shot down in seconds. But as I was surrounded by a full squadron of Seekers there to cover me, I could let loose with my weapons. An array of Electro Bolters at my front and the Energon battle pistols picked off the Wreckers without issue as we flew through the spacious chambers of Trypticons inner body.

It also helped that most of the remaining troops were dazed due to almost being sucked out into the vacuum of space. Thundercracker's actions weren't ideal, but some surface damage to Trypticon was leagues better than damage to his Spark.

I had also gotten in touch with Demolisher and redirected some forces along with Bludgeon to the Transformation Cog. If they damaged or destroyed that, Trypticon would revert to his robot form, crushing prime knows how many Decepticons in his innards.

We continued fighting through the cooling sector before the chambers became too tight to fly through. As we changed into our robot forms, I quickly led the charge through the Wreckers. We were slower this time and were being slowed down by their greater numbers… But the perks of my armour were being made apparent.

Their weapons barely damaged me while I wiped them out with mine. Any that dared getting into melee range were greeted with my adamantium claw, ripping the sparks from their chests.

More and more Seekers had to leave our group to secure the various side rooms and corridors. Eventually i was left with 4 men who I sent to secure the Void Sceptre. Thundercracker stayed with me as we finally reached the Spark chamber.

As soon as the door opened, we were greeted with molten slag shot at our forms. Grabbing Thundercracker by the shoulder, I quickly pulled him behind my body as I began firing at our enemies.

I had to slowly move forward across one of the many catwalks leading to the central platform. We won't be flanked, but the lack of cover also screwed us over to some degree

Thundercracker certainly didn't like using me as personal armour, but he quickly realised that was the best course of action. And he at least capitalized on it. He began throwing out grenades towards our enemies while still paying attention not to destroy any vital systems.

When that was an issue, he peeked out using his nucleon charge rifle. The Sniper rifle made quick work of his targets and my own weapons array mowed down the rest.

Once the room was secured, I quickly engaged the lockdown and began diagnostics, I didn't have to check the systems to find the first issue. The Tesseract was missing, but it didn't look like it was removed. Part of the housing was destroyed, but some quick repairs should do the trick.

Right now, we need to transport the station into Cybertron's Orbit so we can get some proper reinforcements. Any SOS call still needed minutes to reach the nearest Decepticon Outpost and their mobilisation would also take time. I'm not even sure if we even sent an SOS out yet. Our Engineers and Non Combat staff should have done so when they evacuated but we can't rely on them to arrive in time.

"Thundercracker, check the bodies for the Tesseract. We need it if we want to have any chance of bringing the station to safety." I ordered as I continued diagnostics. The damage was worse than expected. The spark chamber got off relatively unscathed but various Energon pumps were ruptured and were threatening to come into contact with coolant fluids. Internal bleeding was bad enough for a Cybertronian, cross contamination was a god-damn death sentence.

"Ah… about that.." I hear Thundercracker say behind me with a heavy degree of concern in his face.

Turning around, i see his gaze settled on the area below us. The chamber was flooded with Dark Energon and its sickly purple glow illuminated the area… and among all that was a smaller Bluish glow shining through the liquid's surface….

"Fuck" I quickly mutter

"What?" Thundercracker questions and I quickly wave him down.

"Not important… the Tesseract is at the bottom of all that…" and as if being punished by god, we were both alerted to sparks flying from the bulkhead door leading into the spark chamber.

"So boss….You want the toxic Sludge or the Impending Wrecker assault? Wanna run a quick game for it?"

"Not if I'm fast enough," i quickly state as I drop down from the catwalk. As I braced for the fall, I sealed off as many parts of my body as I could and retracted my weapons. Contamination was inevitable, but I could still protect myself.

As I finally broke the surface and sunk underneath, I would have screamed from the electric sensation of the blood of Unicron engulfing my body.

All my senses were assaulted by static. Pain, pleasure, heat, cold, every sensation one could think of just filled my being. I couldn't process this sensory overload, and even once I reached the bottom, I could not move. It was just too much.

I couldn't think. I could sense as one of the Energon Packs on my back was changed to it's darker counterpart. I still remember bits of the science behind the conversion. In sufficient quantities, Dark Energon can corrupt quantities of regular Energon (though its own effects can likewise be neutralized by sufficient quantities of Energon). With these quantities, I couldn't let it corrupt any Energon in my body….

But….why not?

My mind was clearing up, and I'm certain. I could feel the power around me! We could use this for so much more. Why the hell were we just using it for Trypticon and Troopers who were about to die?! We should use it on all our troops… we could win he war.

Kill the fucking Autobots once and-

My train of thought is interrupted by a sudden contact against my leg. A shining blue light held my attention… How did the Tesseract get here…

Oh wait, there was something next to it…

A small humanoid figure of metal, small enough to….be a Minicon

Prorex.

….Why… Why was he here. Down here!

Snapping out of my fugue state, I snap up the Minicon before jumping away from the ground and quickly swimming towards the surface. Prorex had grabbed the Tesseract, but I couldn't be bothered right now. I had to get Prorex out of this!

Squeezing the minicon between my chest and weapon's array, I use my other arm to claw into the wall of the chamber and quickly climb out of the wretched liquid.

After climbing up to a sufficient degree, I trigger the thrusters on my back and legs as the threat of igniting the Energon beneath us had passed. I need to exchange that corrupted tank on my back later as well. After giving Prorex the medical attention he needed.

Reaching the catwalk once more, I am quite surprised to see the amount of Autobot Corpses had tripled since I last saw it. Though, seeing Bludgeon with his ignited Energon sabre standing above those corpses definitely explained things…. Just how long was I down there?

"Oi Boss, you ok?" Thundercracker stated as he approached me, but I ignored him.

The minicon in front of me took precedence. Prorex didn't seem too damaged, but his paint job was heavily corroded… and I don't know what mental damage he himself may have undergone…

But he… he was stronger than me… He saved me.

Lifting the Minicon on my arm, I lift him towards my face…. Never had I felt so inadequate with my featureless face because I couldn't truly convey my feelings… '

"Thank you, my Friend"

Our moment of respite was shortened though when someone stepped through the bulkhead door and the Sound of a Blaster powering up was audible to most of us. All three of us aimed our ranged weaponry towards the newcomer. And the Sight in front of us brought forth more rage than I ever imagined.

An Autobot was holding Demolisher at gunpoint. His arm was torn off and his legs were nearly crippled. Even with his visor's almost completely shattered, he still had a smile on his Face. "Sorry about this 26… I really messed up-"

"Shut your gasket Con! Every one of you disarm yourselves or your friend here will be sent straight to the pit!" A bulky green Autobot yelled from behind Demolisher. I recognized him as the Wrecker Bulkhead.

And right next to him was another Wrecker… and if I needed to breathe, I'm sure seeing her would have taken the air from my lungs.

"Strongarm, do you have a clear shot?" the green Wrecker asked the Cybertronian who looked exactly the same as the form I once had. A cold Construct of the same model…

"Shot at what, huh? You try it and I'm blasting holes through your spark faster than you can say 'Oil bath'!" Thundercracker yelled as he steadied his rifle.

Hearing him behind me snapped me out of the surprise, and I rose to my feet. I couldn't connect Prorex to me right now due to the port being covered in Dark Energon. I couldn't risk further contamination for him.

I ushered him behind me and began considering our options. They had Demolisher, with a scatter blaster aimed straight at his head. If we try something, no matter how fast, the chances of him losing his head was too great.

"Perhaps… we can make a deal-" I was about to start before the ground suddenly began to shake. We all steadied ourselves on the catwalk, but the Autobots didn't let down their guard for us to strike.

And before anyone could speak, a Gravelly voice slowly uttered around us, "High General….The Leak…..A signal was sent from the Tesseract….My systems….are-"

The broken voice of Trypticon echoed out… and mere seconds later, we saw the effects of this.

The damage to the Spark chamber had given a view to the great expanse of space outside… and within that empty void, purple lightning sprang forth as if from nowhere.

… When the Autobots launched a raid on Trypticon I already knew it was going to be a bad day. When I got word that it was the Wreckers and Tesseract nearly fell into enemy hands, I knew it was going to be worse. I had also been worried about my work of Matter and Energon conversion, but that clearly wasn't a target.

Then of course everything had to go to shit all over again as the lighting grew in size to reveal a rift in the fabric of space… And slowly a 6-eyed Helmet came to view… Along with the unmistakable signature… of a Celestial.

Celestials… beings that could destroy and create Star Systems at a whim. Their power beyond anything we could achieve…

It was safe to say this situation just went to Rock-bottom.

Or at least… it would have been if it stopped there… Of course, seeing a Celestial show up would be an insane enough occurrence on its own. But what really made all of us stop and stare in silence was the way that the Celestial seemed to be clawing at the empty void, as if it was fighting to free itself from something attempting to drag it back through the rift.

Any questions on what that would be, were answered as the rift suddenly enlarged, admitting a spherical object through. And judging by the size, it was a whole pit damned planet…

…. A yellow and dark blue planet with an orbital ring connected to it… and teeth tearing through the Celestials body, with its lower body already lodged in its mouth.

Spoiler

[img: https/cdn./attachments/981222904849117244/985850095138373642/FINISHESD_BITCH.jpg]

Have you ever heard a Celestial scream? I now have. It's a low-pitched keening sound, but you don't hear it through your ears. Instead, it sort of starts from the centre of your Torso and works its way outwards. I know this because when Unicron came through the portal, he was biting down upon the celestial's torso. And upon fully materializing in Realspace only the torso remained as the mouth sucked in more of the body… As the Celestial screamed in agony, I finally realized just how badly damaged it was. Its armour hung off of its body like so much scrap, rivers of ichor flowed out of the many rents and gashes that covered its body.

I won't lie, I felt like an ant staring upon a god at this moment. The others were just as frozen as I was, but I was the first to break out of it when Prorex kicked me in the leg. Finally, processing how unimaginably fucked this was, I came up with a new plan.

Staring at the stunned Autobots still observing Unicron, I quickly stated, "S-Subsection 8, Article 47 of the Tyrest accords! In the event of an Absolute Existential threat to all attending Forces of Cybertronians, a Temporary Truce to ensure the survival and evacuation of all Belligerents is to be enacted! Will you comply with this!?" I rushed out in a panicked tone.

The two Autobots ripped back to me and I could see the fear evident on their eyes. "W-What"

"I swear to prime we don't have time for this! Do you comply! If we don't work together, we will all die!" I yelled at the two.

Bulkhead was clearly shocked but Strongarm was able to regain her cool," You… Will you aid us in evacuating our troops then?"

"Yes! Now tell your men to stand down!"

Without giving them a chance to reply, I turned my back towards them and approached the Tesseract housing. I heard the hand off of the injured demolisher as Bludgeon steadied my friend.

Good. They got the message… Though, they didn't have the right to be stubborn on this. The truce under such circumstances wasn't an option, it was LAW. And this situation definitely called for it.

Prorex connected to the terminal and gave me the right frequency to transmit my voice across the station.

"ATTENTION ALL Autobot AND DECEPTICON FORCES! This is high General Terrorvolt! What you are seeing outside the station is not an illusion, not the trick of some Virus, IT IS REAL! More real than any story or myth. And before you have any religious breakdown, know that your survival is on the line!

WE are enacting the truce dictated by Subsection 8, Article 47 of the Tyrest accords. I am sending directions to the QRD Jump station aboard this station. Head there immediately to evacuate. Any further combat by either faction will end in Court Martial and execution. So don't even think about shooting someone in the back! NOW GET GOING RIGHT NOW!" I yelled into the device before getting to work.

Trypticon was really fucked up, but with some effort, we could open a space bridge for the entire station and get everyone to safety.

I quickly turn around to the remaining Cybertronians, "I MEANT YOU AS WELL. GET THE HELL OUT! AND GET DEMOLISHER TO A FUCKING MEDIC!!!" I yelled at them.

The Wreckers were on their way out already, and my yelling got the three remaining Decepticons into gear. Those two would pay for what they had done to Demolisher, but fighting now would tank our survival chances beyond compare.

Ok… with that sorted, I needed to get to repairs. Jacking into the terminal, I helped reboot Trypticon's systems before re-routing the relevant Energon flow to make sure what is needed would even function. We have time to fix things later.

It is when I placed the Tesseract back into its housing that something different happened. Like a cool blizzard, the sensation washed over me. Shivers that travelled through my entire body.

AHHH. THERE IT IS. THAT FRAGMENT OF CREATION THAT WAS TAKEN FROM ME SO LONG AGO.

Looking back towards the giant planet and its meal, I saw that its attention was now elsewhere. The celestial was completely devoured except for it's head now floating in space while Unicron stared directly towards us. Towards the place where the Tesseract was held.

WHAT STRANGE CHILDREN OF PRIMUS. ONE WHO HAS GROWN A DRUNK FROM MY BLOOD, ONE WHO'S LIFE IS DEFINED BY ITS LARGER BRETHREN AND ONE WHO….WHOSE MIND IS OLDER THAN ITS SPARK.

Holy fuck, he can sense what I am… Yup, that's enough dawdling.

I quickly begin inputting commands into Trypticon's space bridge and begin the calculation process for him to get us the hell out of here.

YOU WILL NOT TAKE WHAT IS MINE!

Unicron's voice commanded, sending more tremors through my body. And as I turn to look at him once more, I saw various turrets extend from his body. Their energy signatures were insane. Beyond anything I had ever seen….And then they fired.

Yellow lasers tore through Tryptcion's hull like paper, with one hitting the spark chamber as well. I was blown back as the catwalk in front of me was torn apart. The laser just missed the terminal…

Prorex was still connected to it.

I was getting communications that the evacuation was complete and I was being ordered to leave as well, but that didn't matter. I couldn't leave my oldest friend to die. The station was blasted from it's position and was now rocking around, threatening to be torn apart. I could barely hold on the ground beneath my feet. And I couldn't reach the terminal like this. Not with Unicron revving up for another attack.

"Tryption! Activate the Bridge sequence right now!" I commanded.

Seconds later, a weak voice answered "High General, the calculations weren't completed! If we-"

"JUST DO IT!!" I yelled, and I could hear the sequence starting. Activating a space bridge without calculations or navigational data set was suicidal….but we still had a chance.

The Tesseract pulsed with power as blue lightning began emanating from the entire station. Slowly enough, just behind Trypticon's body, a giant rift in space opened up, revealing the mysterious Unspace beyond it. Usually, it was supposed to be a circular portal with the destination already visible in space bridges like this… But now it resembled a crack or tear instead.

And to our luck it seemed to work. The Broken Portal begun pulling in everything in front of it. Trypticon, the celestial's Head, all the dead and all the Debris.

Everything except for Unicron.

HOW INSOLENT. TO SHOW SUCH RESISTANCE IN THE PRESENT OF A TRUE GOD….

And yet… his beams didn't strike us once more… instead I could see the turrets retract.

TERRORVOLT. I WILL REMEMBER YOU. I WILL REMEMBER THE DISPARITY OF YOUR BEING, AND I SHALL SEE WHAT WILL BECOME OF YOU… A BEING TO SHOW BRAVERY IN FRONT OF GOD….OH WHAT CHAOS AND CHANGE YOU COULD BRING.

I SPARE YOU… FOR NOW.

And that was it… He began disappearing into his own portal as we fell into Unspace….

And to my dismay… Our problems did not end.

Author's note: Been a while people. Finally finished my exams and I am trying to use what free time I have to write again.

I hope you liked the chapter! Please leave a review!

The image of Unicron can also be found on my . Not behind a paywall but free. I want any reader of the story to see it.

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)


Chapter 7: Isolation

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Podge

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 7: Isolation

Unspace

Terrorvolt

Unspace, the great beyond, hidden between the fabric of realspace. Even though we use it for all variants of the space bridge, it was still a dimension with barely any research done on it. Sure, we know how to use it, but we have made a habit of never fully entering it with no defences. And what we discovered is that… if you are stuck in the Unspace, you are fucked.

Bringing the focus back to me… When Trypticon was sucked into the Unspace dimension due to me not designating any coordinates on account of not having the time to flee properly… I expected a lot of shit to go wrong.

Perhaps Eldritch monsters that would turn my mind to scrap, cosmic beings beyond my comprehension, or even hyper evolved aliens adjusted to the harsh environment of the dimension….

And what I got was… utterly boring.

Floating Rocks, dead planets, and Patches of minor Gamma Radiation here and there. Of course there were other energy signatures, most of which were a giant enigma to me, but I didn't care to research them.

It's been about a day since my entry into the dimension. And since I've separated from Trypticon.

When we arrived here, the Titan was able to reboot his system before being forced into Stasis Lock from his many injuries. This in turn, initiated another space bridge jump back into material space…

The Issue though? Prorex was still attached to the main console. And that console's structural integrity was practically non-existent after Unicron's attack. As I had been gripping onto Trypticon's hull for dear life preparing for a second jump, Prorex lost his own and went flying out of the side of the damaged station .

My decision to possibly strand myself in this dimension was taken instantly. As Cliché as it is, I would not abandon my oldest friend even if I might die trying.

When I followed Prorex through the vortex of dimensional energy, I hoped to be right behind him when I exited it. Only to realise I was days late. You see, the tech bridges Spacetime, and now I was seeing the consequences of the time part.

When I fully entered Unspace, I found a tiny data probe in a nearby asteroid with Prorex' Energon signature. Sounded good, but there was an issue. It was left by him nearly two weeks ago. He probably left it in order for me to be able to find, or trace him.

I just hoped he was fine. Prorex isn't made for combat, or traversal really. Didn't stop us from upgrading him. He's got a jetpack and a handheld blaster for emergencies. The Energon supply left in his subspace should also last him for at least 2 years if used sparingly….I should have found him by then.

And that was the current plan. Prorex had left further energy signatures throughout this dimension like a breadcrumb trail in order for me to find him. I had been following said trail nonstop in my bomber mode. And during my travels, I grew rather… mystified by my surroundings.

At first glance, the Unspace looked like a patch of space filled with asteroid fields, dormant planets and distant stars… Except, they weren't really stars.

While following one of the signatures, I came closer than expected to one of the would-be stars. First unique aspect, They were much smaller than expected. And I really mean that. They were as big as my fist.

Second unique aspect: their size was not an indication of their mass. The Gravity well of the damn thing was the same of a god damned Neutron star the size of Luna 1. Except that was the size of the point of no return to escape it…

So when I got caught and was immediately sucked towards the damn thing, I understandably panicked. Once I came in contact with it, I expected imminent disintegration, instead… Things changed.

When I touched the small white 'star' my systems promptly rebooted and when I came to, I was flung away with enough force to escape the gravity well.

The great Dark Expanse became one of white light. The stars became sources of darkness. The planetary bodies and asteroids remained… but it was such a strange change. When I checked my own system, I was shocked to notice that my own body..the entirety of my mass was changed to Anti-Matter. Was this some form of the negative zone perhaps? My Marvel lore was spotty, but I do believe the fantastic 4 often encountered dimensions somewhat similar to this.

… I guess one has to remain open-minded when it comes to Unspace.

At least the Energon trail continued on. It Seems Prorex underwent the same trip then.

And this continued. One for quite some time. I continued following the trail, journeying through more stellar bodies and constellations that I couldn't even begin to fathom. My atoms, the fabric of my being were inverted, changed, mixed into forms I never thought even possible. So many impossible things happened.

And then, more signs of hope. The last Trace of Prorex led me to a debris field I recognized. These were parts of Trypticon that he lost during the battle. And among them were Escape pods. While most escape pods didn't possess space bridge capabilities, Trypticon's pod did. We had the tesseract after all, so why not go the extra mile.

Within a pod looking more intact than the rest, I found Prorex' last message in the form of a small datacube, no smaller than a human fingernail. It was a message only I could read…

And if I could cry I would.

The message detailed how he found an escape pod and would be using it to travel back into our dimension. The Nav Computer was busted and the coordinates were locked to an unknown location. He left a copy of the data for anyone who may be following him. He made the jump anyway so he had a better chance of finding me. And the last part of the message broke my spark.

He prayed to every prime that I didn't try to follow him into Unspace, because the other pods didn't have the energy to make the jump back….

Once I finished reading the message, I immediately began inspecting the remaining pod and true to his word….The TE (Tesseract Energy) Storage was broken from the damage. Even if I used the parts. I didn't have the energy to go back home….

I was stuck here.

10 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance

Decepticon Holding Cells, Kaon, Cybertron.

Megatron

It had been centuries since he felt something like this. Not once during the war did he feel such things. The last time was, when he was locked up with Terminus… The older Miner was a loyal friend and his loss catalysed his aversion to diplomacy. Such things will only be inevitably exploited… and He would lose more of his comrades.

And he worried it would happen during their uprising. He had never tasted war, but he heard of it. The Quintesson occupation and independence war left its mark on Cybertron. All the older bots he knew barely even wanted to speak of it.

So when he heard his uprising didn't bring him victory as he intended and full-blown war with the Autobots was inevitable, he feared it. He feared losing the comrades he had made. Every brother and sister that joined his cause when he was still in the Arena. Losing any one of them was sure to bring out a rage that would snuff out so many sparks.

And yet, it never happened. All his friends from back then were alive… thanks to the one who was now gone. Gripping the arm of his chair, the metal is promptly crushed by his rage.

Terrorvolt provided the safety net he so desperately needed. Someone who wasn't blinded by ideology but a true believer nevertheless. Who had a realistic and direct approach to every problem that she faced. She provided the backup for every mistake he made and never held a grudge.

How often had he considered how things had been different? If he had just followed her advice without question back during the beginning, could the war as a whole have been prevented? Or could it have escalated to true devastation… She often stated her wisdom wasn't the best and she had assumed the worst in certain situations far too often…

It is because of this that she never judged him for disregarding her advice at times. . She respected him as leader and supported him anyway.

And her mind. Her ideas, her inventions, her strategies and plans. She focused on the chances of victory while never neglecting the survivability of their troops. She held ambition but not a self-centred one. She had so many chances to usurp Megatron as leader, no one would have resisted… And she stayed loyal no matter what.

She wanted to further her research, further the glory of Cybertron and acquire peace for their kind.

And now she was gone. Along with their most valuable logistical resources. In all honesty, he didn't care for the Tesseract, nor for Trypticon that much. They had an important function, but the Decepticons were not crippled without them. They could have restructured their strategies within a year to compensate for their loss…

But they needed Terrorvolt for that. And now she was gone. Her value was so much more to him than any titan.

And now she was gone…

Fixing the logistics would take time, more resources would have to be relegated, but the Decepticons would not fall… But things were different for the Autobots.

Megatron was walking through the halls of Kaon's prison, every step he took rumbled through the structure. In the past, the garrison here would cheerfully salute to him, as they would celebrate his presence.

Now, every one of them dodged out of his way as soon as they caught sight of him. Data Travels fast. And Terrorvolt's demise was big news. Security logs were taken from the survivors, revealing the full story. And Rescue teams that arrived later found nothing but minor debris where Trypticon should be. The Titan was gone… Devoured or destroyed by the Devil that came for it.

Of all the ways she could have perished… Eaten by the, Until yesterday, mythical bringer of Chaos is certainly the last thing anyone expected. She would have thought it ironic…

The existence of Unicron had certainly caused quite a panic among the empire, even if they had been trying to keep it under wraps. The Decepticons were afraid of the implications. Religion and its aspects have been a casual sidenote for the last thousands of years. Now, with the very Existence of Unicron confirmed, it has come roaring back.

Many were calling for the war's end to unite against the new threat. Some were blaming the Decepticons for summoning the Destroyer in the first place. One of the Colony worlds, the religious cesspool of Caminus, used it to further solidify control over their world. They had been reluctantly neutral until now, but with their reverence for any Prime, it's only a matter of time until they are able to rally the support to join the Autobot side.

So much for them desiring independence.

All these problems were such an annoyance. At least Soundwave came up with an adequate solution. One that ironically included revealing the truth. The Decepticon government released the Data concerning Unicron's attack, in order to indicate his motivation.

And soon enough, these bits of knowledge resolved the situation to an acceptable degree:

-Unicron came for the Tesseract, not to punish or kill either side. This was no act of divine retribution.

-He knew of its presence due to the Dark Energon clashing with the Tesseract. A direct consequence of an Autobot attack upon a logistical installation.

-And lastly, due to these events, all Remnants and Supplies of Dark Energon will be summarily destroyed and any research into the substance is to be discontinued.

It worked rather well. It certainly increased hatred and paranoia towards Dark Energon, but it was a suitable scapegoat for this. Especially now that with Trypticon's absence, the production of Dark Energon had become obsolete. All storage of the substance was already being destroyed with Backups and final samples being transferred to Shockwave.

Banning dangerous materials and its research was one thing, but to destroy an entire branch of research, and the knowledge that came from it, was something completely different… That is something Terrorvolt always said when it came to banned technologies and what not.

It is for this reason that Both she and Shockwave usually held such research with them or their respective laboratories. Megatron didn't quite see the value in keeping the research of a technology they never wished to use, but he didn't argue with them over it.

The Political turmoil was more or less resolved, but the drop in Morale was not. Losing a founding member of the regime who was valued for her tactics and intelligence hit them with a steady blow.

And just as the others, Megatron had deigned to avoid the issue for the time being. Just giving the order to prepare a state Funeral for Terrorvolt and Prorex came with a heavy spark. Doing anything more than that right now was just something he didn't want to do.

But as much as he disliked working through issues that mess with his mental fortitude, the matter of Prisoners taken under the guise of a truce was something that had to be addressed now. Simply put, when Trypticon was evacuated, all the fleeing combatants ended up in Decepticon space.

Had it been different, then they would have been released according to the Truce's stipulation… But then, Terrorvolt died and Trypticon was gone. And the entire issue could be traced back to the Wrecker team that infiltrated the station.

Megatron was very split on what to do. On the one hand, he wished for nothing more than to execute them without further pause. But he couldn't think like that. He had to think like a leader after all.

If these captives were killed now, then they would break the Trust of the Tyrest accords, leading to both sides no longer respecting the laws of war. No matter how infuriated he was, he couldn't risk horrors such as red rust to be unleashed once more… No matter how much he wanted to.

He made his way through the prison, travelling further and further into the lower levels to speak with the imprisoned wreckers. His Ion cannon hummed with a constant buzz of energy. He didn't feel the need to keep himself that much under control. The cold fury of his spark was palpable underneath his armour.

Every prisoner who caught sight of him immediately grew silent. With every corridor he passed, the quality and security of the cells kept increasing. Before long, he was in the supermax wing, the place now holding the wrecker commandos.

When he arrived within its halls, he caught sight of a surprising sight. Near the end of the hallway he saw the hunched form of Demolisher. He was simply standing in front of a cell, his eyes staring intently inside.

Megatron liked the old demolition bot. He wasn't the smartest Decepticon or the most cunning, but he was aware of this fact. Little degrees of wisdom like that made him far more valuable than some talking scrap-for-brains.

The usual joyful Decepticon wasn't uttering a word as he simply stared forward. As Megatron slowly made his way towards him, he didn't make any reaction to his approaching footsteps. As Megatron reviewed the floor plan of the Prison in his systems, he realised just why Demolisher was so out of it.

He was standing in front of the cell of Strong-Arm, Autobot loyalist, high ranking Wrecker… and a FO model from the same Spark-Batch that Terrorvolt had been from.

Once Megatron came into view of the prisoner, her optics visibly flashed with surprise. Her reaction didn't bother him, because he was focusing on something else instead. The same thing that Demolisher was probably thinking of.

The similarity to Terrorvolt's old body was uncanny. Sure, the colours were different, but the build was the same. And while he never saw it himself, seeing the original face of his now dead second in command… It was a novel experience.

It filled his spark with such wretched regret… and indescribably hatred….He wanted for nothing more than to point his Ion cannon straight at her face and reduce it to Atoms. And then he would go through every cell and execute these pit damned Autobots until none were left!

…

None of the other Cybertronians with him were aware of his inner turmoil. Because, at the end of the cycle, he still had to be the leader….But perhaps, a little change in how he led couldn't hurt.

He raised his hand and gently rested it upon Demolisher's shoulder. After slowly shaking his body, Demolisher snapped out his fugue state and his optics quickly landed upon Megatron.

A quiet croak came from his throat, "Lord Megatron…." His right arm slowly lifted to his face with his hand flattened out in a salute, "How… can I help you… sir."

Megatron gave him a tentative stare before eventually stating, "… Take the rest of the cycle off Demolisher" his words are met with silence before he continues, "… Meet with Cyclonus perhaps… But to remain here will do you no good."

Demolisher was unsure what exactly to say in return, but after a moment of hesitation, Megatron's grip on his shoulder tightened as he gave him another nod. Demolisher gives him an unsure look before letting out a quick breath as he gives his superior another nod.

He straightens his posture and slowly passes by Megatron to make his way out of the supermax.

Once the footsteps of the smaller Tank faded away, Megatron turned towards the cell and activated its control pad. The audio suppressors, that prevented the inmate from overhearing the two of them, were now shut off. After that, the panel itself folded apart as the Autobot's shackles whirred to life and ensured her arms couldn't be moved.

Megatron moves into the cell, leaving a minimal distance between the two.

Strongarm gives the Decepticon leader an apprehensive look before raising her head in an irritated sneer. Megatron's own visage wasn't that much better.

"Tell me…" His metallic voice slowly rumbles. "Do you know what you and your compatriots have cost us?"

The Autobot's defiant looks increases in ferocity, "Can't say that I do Con. I also can't claim that I care…"Her one optic gained a glint as her mouth twisted into a smile," Especially because you are violating the Tyrest accords by holding us prisoner like this."

"Yes….you are correct, of course. The issue is just that your actions cannot remain unpunished. We can't just let you go" His tone is accompanied by the audible hum of his Ion Cannon charging itself once more.

Rather than being beset by fear, Strongarm's own irritation grew as she began to spout, "Terrorvolt guaranteed our freedom in regard to the accords….What, so the great Decepticon Second in Command's word is worth nothing?"

….A slight pause follows her words as realisation dawns on her face. Megatron's optics were wide, glowing with such fury that the words in her mouth froze on the spot. The sound of his tensed up arm was barely registered before his limb shot out and grabbed at her Torso. His digits weren't clawed or made for such offensive tasks, but he made short work of her plating nevertheless.

His Ion Cannon was trembling in anger, with him desperately keeping himself from blasting a hole through her head every second.

She began screaming as her chest was torn apart. Her cries echoed out throughout the prison as her spark was finally exposed. As Megatron caught sight of it, he used his other arm and promptly struck her across the face, taking bits of her helmet off with the action.

"I grow tiresome of your voice, Autobot, so be mindful you keep it in check if you want to leave with your voice box intact." His voice growled out. She couldn't help but whimper in fear now as Megatron's cannon was lined up with her delicate spark chamber.

She swallows some coolant that had been bubbling up into her mouth before giving a fearful nod to the larger mech.

"Good…." he visibly relaxed his body, but his weapon did not move from its spot. He was still ready to kill her at a moment's notice.

"You should know, you and your compatriots have not been released, even on account of Terrorvolt's orders…. Primarily because you were responsible for her demise."

Her optics brighten in response,"She's….dead?"

"Yes"He growls out. "Along with the Station and the tesseract… if anything, you wreckers have outdone yourself."

She visibly considered the new information before something… surprising occurred.

Her face morphed into one of satisfaction. Megatron's anger flared up and his hand flashed forward. He grabbed her jaw and pulled it up towards his own face. She grunted in pain from the sudden movement, but her face still didn't show any fear.

"Pray tell what makes you think you can find any joy or hope in this situation." His voice gained a guttural noise to it now. It was Dripping with hate as the metallic cogs in his throat produced his voice.

Even so, Strongarm wasn't deterred, "Oh… It's just ironic." Her voice box was struggling now, "The biggest blow… w-we've probably ever done… and you c-can't even punish us…. That has to sting"

Megatron's grip remained solid, but it didn't intensify, "….You bring shame upon her very memory"

Her optics flashed with anger, "Excuse me?!?"

He let go of her and she unceremoniously drops to the ground, "Do you even know where Terrorvolt came from? That she was just like you?"

Anger continues to flare in her optics"I'm nothing alike to any of you cons"

"You refer to me with that term… have you forgotten its significance? Or even the fact that you are one too?" Megatron questions her.

"What pitt-damned nonsense are you on about!?"

"Terrorvolt was of the same model as you. You were both forged in luna 1 and your fate was shortly decided afterwards. That is what I'm getting at. You are a cold forged like so many others and yet you stand against us." He tells her, his voice growing steadier with every word, dipped in spite.

"That's because all you want is power. And it's all this is about. Your will! I was sent to guard the colonies and had to fight the Quintessons. The Autobots who fought alongside me were ten times the bot any of you could ever hope to be. You were just cowards who abused our fight to take Cybertron from under our noses!" She pauses for a moment before whispering out, "You are nothing but honorless scum."

Megatron wouldn't let silence befall the two for long, "How ironic, considering the tactics you employed in your most recent mission…" He said. Her silence being all the truth he needed.

He turned his back to the restrained Autobot, and stood there for a few more moments before turning his head. "I must say, I am thoroughly disappointed. Even though every Coldforged is a unique individual, it is still expected for them to share some traits in personality. It seems that our scholars will have to update their data regarding this."

He turns towards her fully once more, "Because None of the Depth or intellect that made our deceased high general unique is present within you. You are nothing but a loyal little soldier, turning a blind eye to the ones you've declared your foes."

"In the past, I have made the effort to teach other Cold Forged Cybertronians the views of both sides of this conflict and welcome them to the Decepticon cause… In the past, I would have attempted the same with you" He steps out of the cell and whispers out. "No more"

As Megatron closed the cell once more and activated its security measures, he began walking through the halls. He couldn't just kill this femme-bot. But, he still had to punish her somehow. And he knew just the mech to help him.

He was the small red scout rushing through the corridor and halting in his tracks as he caught sight of the Decepticon leader.

"Knockout. Just the Decepticon I was looking for"

"L-Lord Megatron… I was rushing towards the prisoner because their vitals suddenly spiked… Did you?"

"I had to shut her up once or twice….But do tend to her injuries. After that…" Megatron's face stretched into a toothy grin that unsettled the smaller Decepticon.

"I have some suggestions for some more… permanent alterations"

Teletraan Entry 345,251 "The Wrecker Resolution"

During the first Orbital cycle of 633,875 SC AW (Stellar cycles after Great War's begin) the Wrecker Commanders Bulkhead, Strong-arm and Impactor led unsanctioned infiltration of Decepticon Military installation known as "Trypticon"

The mission was successful and ended in the destruction of the installation as well as the Decepction's Loss of the Tesseract as well as the Death of the Second in Command Terrorvolt. However, it also resulted in capture or elimination of all Autobot Forces involved in the Raid.

For further Details concerning the operation, access "
Teletraan Entry 345,249 "Operation: Let's Turn that oversized Grimlock looking Con into Scrap!"

As The wrecker Forces were captured under pretence of a Truce made with reference to the Tyrest Accords, Execution or summary punishment of them could have resulted in further escalation.

However, this did not ensure their unscathed Return. The Wreckers were deposited on a moon in a derelict system with means of contacting Autobot forces for immediate retrieval.

Upon their rescue, it was noted that every one of them had their Wrecker Insignia scrubbed of its features, leaving its silhouette only. The metal was also replaced with a detonation spike which reached towards their spark. Any attempts to remove or adjust them would result in immediate termination.

The Spikes also transmit unique ID signatures to their surrounding Area. It is believed this was an attempt to both shame the Wreckers and to mark them and thereby making future assassination attempts on them easier. A Bounty of 10,000,000 Shanix was also set on any Wrecker bearing the mark.

Upon proper evaluation, it was determined that under these circumstances, no violation to the Tyrest Accords was found.

Following this Event, Wrecker operations had a massive dip in effectiveness, on account of their inability to employ stealth tactics as well as their Elimination being a priority by all enemy forces. This coupled with prior events lead to massive Demoralisation and defections among Recruits.

The Autobot Council, with authority of Optimus Prime, enacted an edict resulting in the dissolution of the Wrecker Units as an independent Force and repurposing of their resources to other Branches of the Military.

Unspace

Terrorvolt

14 days later

I've been flying, no, drifting through Unspace for God knows how long now. The need to conserve fuel is incredibly important right now and the fact that I can't speed through this dimension to abate my boredom is slowly getting to me…

Until now at least.

Because I have finally found a sign of life.

On one of the many asteroids was a ship. Not one I recognized, but a ship all the same. Using my inertia dampeners, I came to a stop, miles before reaching the spacecraft and began scanning the vessel.

It was a large ship, but it didn't follow a symmetrical or even a uniform design. If anything, It locked cobbled together from many different parts or even whole ships. And it definitely wasn't a ruin. This vessel functioned.

While unknown to me, it was still technology, the kind that was broadcasting signals of its own. An S.O.S I would imagine. Either way, it proved itself quite fortunate that its digital security wasn't up to par to my hacking attempts.… Though, what system could really hold up against a Cybertronian.

When I tapped into its data drives, I was promptly floored by the sheer volume of Information within. It contained Databases of countless planets, species, materials, and so much more. It was an encyclopaedia of the universe in the making it would seem. But, sadly it held no information about its owner. It didn't reveal its point of origin or anything of the sort. Hell, even internal security was a mess. Though, perhaps these systems were cannibalised to prolong the ships functionality.

… So, on account of them being stranded here just as I was, I think I could perhaps pay them a visit and try something….diplomatic for a change.

I ignite my Boosters and quickly fly towards the vessel. Once I came into its supposed range, turrets popped out of various hatches along the ship and took aim at me. The energy readings I was getting from them promptly reassured me that I wouldn't have to ready my own weapons for the time being. While I had been damaged by the battle on Trypticon, my armour was not compromised.

It would take more than that ship to kill me.

Perhaps the crew realised this themselves when they didn't try to shoot me down. A good choice. Especially because after the first shot would have been fired, I could simply take control of the ship's systems and promptly cripple their life support system.

Soon enough, I reach the vessel and move towards its side before transforming and landing on the asteroid's ground. I found no issue sticking to the surface as it seemed even these chunks of rock refused to have normal levels of gravity.

I looked towards the ship and was pleased to see a giant loading bay extend down towards the ground. A short message was sent from the ship, one I couldn't understand before I decided to download all language data on the ship's systems.

The message they had sent read something like this

Honoured Mechanoid. For our prolonged survival, may we perhaps engage cooperation/trade of any means.

The Translation was a bit iffy, but I got the gist of it at least. And it was a proposal I might actually agree with.

Still confident in my own armaments, I step into the bay and wait as the platform ascends further into the ship. Bay doors close around me once the platform enters the ship and the surrounding chamber is promptly pressurised with air.

A large door probably reserved for vehicles opens in front of me. As I saw no one within it, I took it as a sign for me to continue further into the ship. I promptly transform into my tank form and with a hum of my engine begin to slowly drive through the narrow corridor in front of me. While moving deeper and deeper into the ship, I realised that this was not just a vessel meant to explore and catalogue, but also to contain.

Countless Animals, foreign species and aliens of varied sorts were locked in Cells. This entire complex seemed to be a modular prison of sorts, where cells could be exchanged and moved around depending on the Ship's needs.

A few minutes of driving passed me by and I realised that I might know who this actually is. As if the Universe was throwing me a bone, I eventually end up on the ship's bridge and find a small humanoid who confirms my suspicions.

A white haired man with a surprisingly young face gives a quick bow as he states, "I am Taneleer Tivan, Collector of Fauna, Flora, Relics…. and anything else in this universe worth collecting"

His eyes widen with astonishment as I transform right in front of him and promptly stare down at his smaller form. His eyes were staring at me with greed and an unhidden desire to learn my secrets.

I reboot my voice modulator with the new language pack and state, "You are the Collector… Just how did you end up here in Unspace?" I truly did not expect to find one of Marvel's most unique spacefaring beings here.

He tilts his head as he asks, "OH? My reputation has reached your kind? " A smile had formed on his face, "How fascinating… And Unspace? Is that your people's word for it? Rather fitting, actually. The few races I know able to even know of it have deigned to name it the Exo-Space"

"Can't say I know it like that… Do answer my question though." I remind the man.

His smile fades for a moment before he turns to his command console and says, "Simple exploration really. I have sensors designed for detection of any… Dimensional instabilities… I simply found a crack in reality and travelled through it with no hesitation. What was within this realm was bound to be of… incredible value to me"

I respond with a slow nod as I finish hacking his database, "I see….You know, I've been analysing your ship for the past few minutes… You have the energy required to escape this dimension. But judging by your ship's logs, you haven't even attempted to do so?"

He stares at me with an interested smile, "Oh… now why would I want to leave? There is still so much to discover in this wonderful "Unspace". So many things indeed…" He pauses for a moment and takes the chance to tilt his head.

His smile grew more and more, "But I'm guessing you want to leave as soon as possible, no?" He suddenly begins to chuckle.

"And your ship has the means to do this for me," I tell him with a neutral tone. I also am making an effort to keep my posture as still as possible. It helped with my image to the smaller organic, but also was motivated because I needed to save on my Energon right now.

"Yes… that is true… tell me, will you take it from my cold and dead hands?" he stated with a cold stare, one that promised he had something up his own sleeve for cases like this.

"I believe neither of us may win that fight, Collector," I quickly replied before opening my palm,"And while I do not have the proper map data, the signatures of former Bridge points to unspace are something that can be observed from the entire universe. Aid me in escaping this dimension," A Hologram projects out of my palm, depicting the now dead Celestial that appeared during Unicron's attack.

As expected The collector's eyes widened to their limits as I finished my proposal, "Help me, and the location is yours."

Greed lit up in his eyes and with a snap of his fingers, the ship's systems all whirred back to life. His still smirking face gives me a nod, "I'd be honoured to take that deal. May I ask for your name then my dear? I do not think you have properly introduced yourself just yet."

I begin taking control of the ship's systems and formulate plans in my mind to retrofit its parts for the journey home.

"I am Terrorvolt… Just a bot wanting to go home."

Terrorvolt

20 days later

So… certain things have become noticeable during the time I spent with the Collector. While his collections are vast and fascinating, his work ethic was not. The man is lazy as hell… wait, that's not the correct term really.

He massively procrastinates and essentially leaves everything until the last minute. He's hyper competent when he's actually working… But outside of that? He can barely lift a finger for anything not directly interesting to him.

It probably didn't seem that I was doing it any differently. My Energon reserves were still a giant issue, So i essentially hijacked the Ship's system and any robots or machines within to do the work on the ship.

It essentially seemed as if I was just standing still all the time, probably giving the collector the wrong impression even if he probably knew better.

So when it came to preparing his ship to take us back to realspace, he usually sat around and asked me questions concerning me, my race and whatever he could think of. It's when he asked me on the methods of how he should interact with others of my kind that I realised something of an issue.

I was improving his ship and its technology to actually escape Unspace… And that's what we define as a big violation of the Tyrest Accords….Which would end up with both me and him wanted for the "war Crime".

So, I took the liberty to improve his stealth systems as well. Will it be impervious to all means of cybertronian Detection? No. But it will for At Least 90% of them. And that should be more than enough. I obviously informed him of the little issue, which didn't seem to bother him at the slightest. He was an odd person to deal with.

The Collector truly lived up to his name in that his main goal and priority in life was to collect. Both Material items as well as Knowledge. If we had met under less time constrained circumstances, then I do think we could have become good friends.

But as it was right now, I was going to ditch him as soon as I made it out.

His ship, contrary to its appearance, eventually proved ideal to get us back into Realspace but also into getting me closer to the location I wished to go to. I retrofitted one of its armaments, a Gravity Canon of some sort that created mini black holes to suck in enemy ships, to create Space Bridge Portals instead.

And using it, as well as inputting the coordinates I was able to take from Prorex' last jump signal, I was able to make a portal leading to the same place he ended up in. The portal was barely stable, seemingly willing to collapse any moment. And if I was in there when that happened, death would be the least of my concerns,

Turning around, I take one last look towards the collector's ship. I saw the smaller organic through the windows of the bridge and saw him giving me a curt wave. I mimic the gesture before transforming into my bomber mode and promptly flying into the great portal.

As soon as I entered the great maelstrom leading back to my reality, the radiation that was usually accounted for by various security additions to our ships bombarded my hull like an angry hailstorm… Except you know, it's tiny particles and waves.

It began frying my auxiliary system and one of my thrusters gave out. That's the extent of the damage, and while it was extremely painful, by the time I made it out, it was better compared to what immediately came after.

Not some monster or abomination or an enemy fleet….No, it was a small batch of asteroids that I simply couldn't dodge anymore. I crash straight into one of the giant space rock's and practically shatter through the entire thing. Think of a bullet hitting a shard of glass, just much larger.

My armour was made of Proto and standard Adamantium after-all. That wasn't something that a simple asteroid could withstand. My main issue was that it also led to me veering off course and ending up in the gravity well of a nearby planet.

I quickly caught sight of the world. Ocean world, with a lot of greenery and no signs of technology. So any locals should prove to be no problem at least. Even so, i don't even want to risk it.

With the damages I had sustained, trying to escape was impossible. So, as I began to overheat during the reentry, I made my best effort to control my crash. I was able to narrowly escape a mountain range before straightening my flight path and crashed into the treeline of a jungle with some precision… or at least whatever amount of precision one can muster in a crash landing.

As my hull is scratched up by trees, rock and soft ground, I eventually come to a standstill. After giving myself a moment to rest, I eventually transform back into my Bot form and….suddenly have my legs buckle beneath me. I land on my back as the exhaustion of the last….I don't know, Month, finally hits me.

My optics were buzzing, barely able to focus. My depleted Energon reserves also did nothing to help with my condition.

Eventually, I was able to somewhat focus and stare at the sky above me. A clear blue sky, with the only thing in sight being a small moon above us. A small moon that also held the coordinates the Prorex travelled to.

With my goal finally in sight, I counted my blessings and wished to rest for just a moment longer… That is until I noticed something in the trees around me that were still left standing. It was a face… not like that of a human or cybertonian, but rather reptile-like.

Its eyes were… devoid of intelligence, but the shape was beyond strange. I kept looking at it until I saw the long neck connected to it extend beyond the treeline. Eventually, I trigger a form of Thermal imaging in my optics to see the full creature… And to my Dismay, I recognize it. Anyone who had ever seen Jurassic Park would.

It's one of those big creatures. Brachio… something. Sorta like the lizard equivalent of a giraffe…

Now, the implications of this are worrying. One the one hand, This is probably earth then… actually, i have no doubt in my mind that it is earth…

On the other hand, I'm probably in its prehistoric era then. The option of this actually being the savage land is also out of the window on account that the entire planet showed no signs of technology…

I expected to see more of the Marvel Universe eventually. I just never thought i'd end up there before it properly even started.

And done. Sorry this took so long everyone.

I've been getting my schedules back in order and I think I might be able to post somewhat regularly again. Hope you have a wonderful day!


Chapter 8: Stranded

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Hipnyah. Aided by Everpeach

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

If you want to DM me in discord,

my username is "La Pucelle Altre ඞ#4523". Feel free to contact me anytime!

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 8: Stranded


Terrorvolt

Earth

Unknown time frame

I always knew Earth was going to be relevant one day, but I didn't expect to literally crash here. Then there is the fact that I barely have any energon right now.

The warnings of imminent stasis lock were not making this situation any better. It is not like it's any concern to my new "Neighbours". Big dinosaurs eating green crap and what not. They gave me nothing more than a small glance at best. I guess I was no more interesting to them than a shiny rock.

Not like I was doing anything to garner their attention. Since landing here, I've been laying on the ground and have basically set myself to low power mode. My brain module is the only thing drawing any energy right now.

After spending the last 3 hours rooted on the spot, I think I have something of a plan now. My audio sensors could detect the noise of rushing water nearby. Either a strong current or maybe even a waterfall.

Either way, it was a source of motion.

So, I eventually begin to lift myself from the ground, making sure to use as little energy in the process as possible. I eventually shift into my tank form and drive through the jungle until I arrive at my destination. To my luck, it was a river with water rushing through rather intensively.

Proper rapids, you could say.

I slowly drive towards the edge before shifting the form of my front leg and hanging it into the water. The shifting eventually stops and the joints are unlocked. Armour plating has been reconfigured to resemble fins and my foot has been turned into a rotor. I lock up the rest of my body to remain firm in the ground as the water begins turning the modified leg.

Have I turned my leg into a shitty waterwheel to prevent me from entering stasis lock? Maybe. Will I ever confess to it? Probably not.

Besides, it's not really a proper solution right now. Using conventional electricity works only for as long as I can get it. It doesn't charge my body or my reserves. But it should grant me the energy to fix that. I undo the rest of my tank form and have my gun arm shift to one of my multitools. My clawed hand tears into the ground next to me and pulls out a handful of dirt and stone.

I bring it to my other arms and begin the arduous task of converting it into Energon with my advanced formula I had developed while on Trypticon.

Is it efficient? No.

Has it fixed the issue that fucking basic laws of reality are broken and energy is somehow lost anyhow? Also no. And one should note. Energon is not really a normal form of matter. When it is used, there is no waste product. The mass is essentially destroyed… because it's not truly mass. It's in essence, pure Potential energy forced into physical form. Probably because it's considered the blood of our creator god. And with the existence of Unicron now being confirmed, it definitely changed my thoughts on the matter. If anything, it's an added reason why the substance is so valuable… and a reason why I wouldn't settle for less.

My process of Matter Conversion is a little more efficient than the original. The original was basically a means of stretching out your supplies to last just a bit longer. It was not a viable means of making Energon. My variant has a net gain at least. It's a means of production actually, even if the gain is incredibly small.

And it's all I have.

So, I activate the machinery in my arm and ponder with a watchful optic as the dirt and stone slowly morphs into the glowing blue liquid, One drop at a time. The power I get from my leg is what I'm using to fuel the entire process.

It's a minimal gain of energy, but the joy about having more Energon is the fact that it will allow me to do anything else….Like building a proper waterwheel to make more Energon….

The priority though is sending out an SOS back home to Cybertronian space. Can't just send it on its own though or it may be intercepted by Autobots and I get a kill squad instead. I need to encrypt the damn thing….and without a sliver of TE (Tesseract Energy) using quantum telecommunications to send it will be impossible as well. Not with anything I could build on the small scale at least. I could build an array for that purpose even without TE, but it would need time, Energy and resources that might not be native to earth. Not to mention, it would be big enough to be visible from space and any horizon on this hemisphere….

So, it would be very very big.

Now, I'm thinking back on an old argument. Was it bad to have so many things rely on the Tesseract? Of course, but when the Alternative requires a thousand times more resources, time and effort? Yeah, then it's kinda hard to implement redundancies.

Anyway, what was I doing….Right.

I look back at my chest and view as the small droplets of Energon drip into the ridges of my armour. I've opened up the necessary valves and seals to have it enter my current Energon stream. Watching my Energon levels rise, a mere fraction per minute, is a novel experience… And it's certainly fascinating because it means I have to wait here….for quite some time…

Yeah, I'm not that patient. I power down all my unnecessary functions and enter sleep mode. Once I'm fully charged, I will reawaken and be able to finally get to work.

Shockwave

Deep Space

16 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance

A sleek Decepticon scientist analysed the surrounding structure with his equipped scanners. Calling it a structure wasn't quite an accurate way to describe what they were inspecting, but it's the best way to describe it.

Looking towards the side, he sees their leader stare at the ground in front of him before charging his ion cannon. The sudden blast into the ground startled the nearby Decepticons, but no one sprung to action once they realised what had happened.

The hole in front of Megatron was scorched and blubbering with green molten brain matter. It was a rather vile sight for the mechanoid being. Generally speaking, Cybertronians disliked interacting with Organic lifeforms. While some interactions had been at the very least cordial, most were absolute disasters.

The first and greatest example being what happened with Old Antilla. One of the original colonies and where the Cybertronian race first encountered the Rust plague. It was probably the worst threat to life they had ever encountered… (Until Unicron at least)

Unlike Scraplets, you couldn't survive being infected with the Rust Plague. Anyone infected starts growing a rust-like substance all over their body. Eventually, the corrosion causes the Cybertronian to waste away to nothing.

The Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology was eventually able to develop a cure to destroy the pathogen in one's body, but the damage was usually done. If the treatment didn't occur within a day, then they weren't worth saving any more. It was one of the greatest challenges that Shockwave faced in his early life. Just the memory feels incredibly foreign to him now

That was one of the first interactions with biological life, and it was bad. A lot of interaction later on had reinforced his building disdain for organic life. And the Tyrest Accords sealed the deal when it came to them. Unless someone tries to use organics in the war, or ally them in any way, they are a non entity to them.

So it came as quite the surprise to see that the great Celestials were among them. Legendary and god-like beings wielding weapons and technology beyond the understanding of all. For ages, Cybertronians believed them to possibly be further Creations by Primus, beings similar to the Titans.

But now, seeing the literal mind of one of their own….It has left the Deception utterly disappointed. When he heard of Trypticon's fall and the entire event, he was more annoyed with the loss of one of their most prominent scientists and their research data.

His opinion of Terrorvolt was an odd one. One that has often garnered the dislike of Decepticon High command. He does not consider Terrorvolt a genius, nor is her intellect anything but slightly above average.

As one can assume, a lot of Decepticons didn't like that assessment. The femme in question however wasn't as disturbed by his assessment of her. It at least spoke to her character that her vanity wasn't as prominent in her behaviour towards others. Shockwave considered her nothing more than what she was, a devoted student with highly original ideas and imagination. Not to mention the cold pragmatism required to reach her goals. A rare combination that is certainly a main reason for her being in the position she is… or was in.

Her loss will certainly be one that is felt. Shockwave hoped that the salvage of a Celestials Brain Module might grant means to finish the war… But it was a failure. The Mind was not some neat array of Databanks and Quantum computing mainframes… It was Organic Gray matter. Useless flesh, even in his hands.

They were cybernetic lifeforms, to such a degree that they didn't appear to be organic from the outside… Yet they were. It irked him to no end.

His studies in some Organic life were certainly more advanced than anything that had come before him, but it would not suffice here. The only interesting Data he could truly collect were from the cybernetic implants of the dead Celestial's skull and his scans of them were practically done.

He was also left wanting of the data in that regard. Some of it could be used to perhaps augment telecommunications networks and data processing speeds. But that was more or less it. It also revealed to him that the Celestials' power was…. Cosmic to some degree as well. Stored either in the parts which Unicron devoured, or some other dimension.

Either way, there was nothing here. And so, he stated his findings to Lord Megatron, which then led to the previously aforementioned hole now located upon the Celestial's forehead. The Decepticon leader was still aiming his Ion Cannon towards the fleshy surface below him.

"Shockwave, there….THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!" he yelled as another blast dug into the flesh beneath him. "ANYTHING WE CAN USE!" He roared as he charged another shot. His head tears around to face the Chief scientist and slowly tones out," This cannot be a loss. This is the head of one of the strongest creatures in existence. There must be something we can take."

Shockwave, now glaringly aware that Megatron's anger might be turned to him, considers his options.

Defending himself will only end with him being deemed a traitor and either executed here, or hunted down by the Justice Division.

Taking the shot and faking an injury was also out of the Question. A fully charged shot of an Ion Cannon would tear his spark chamber to pieces and he was not nimble enough to dodge it.

Telling the Decepticon leader the truth that no victory could be found here would also do nothing to de-escalate.

So, his response for now will have to be an attempt at appeasing and distracting the Decepticon leader.

"I apologize, my liege. The circuitry and mechanics of the outer armour were, as mentioned, rudimentary compared to our own. Perhaps some armour could be stripped from the remains,… Though, my findings are not quite complete, as it seems the Celestial may yet function." He was certain this would distract Megatron's Hatred, at least for the time being.

His leader's optics glowed with interest as he asked," Well, he isn't moving nor did it react when it shot it. How functional is he?"

"Catatonic but still aware of its surroundings. Without a doubt, it's in incredible pain right now."

"Still alive as just a head and aware of what will happen… how ironic." One of his clawed hands rose to his chin in contemplation before he asked, "The Seekers mentioned Vessels belonging to organics heading here and arriving in 2 day's time. Do you have any idea as to their intentions for the Celestial?"

"The same as ours, probably. Study and excavation. And upon learning how useless it is, probably resource extraction."

"Something we will prevent by extracting the armour first, yes?"

"They aren't after the armour, Not necessarily at least…" Shockwave projects a hologram from his optic showing the Celestials skull and its inner structures.

"Bone Marrow, Spinal fluid, brain matter….These are often taken from exotic creatures and are known to be a commodity among some of the Stellar systems we have observed over the gigacycles. The material here might be useful for some medicinal research, but as most of these civilizations are capitalist Structures with hefty forms of corruption being a constant, I expect something less noble. One can expect for the Celestial everything from being devoured as a delicacy to being processed into stimulants and narcotics of some sort." He pauses for a moment before saying, "Organics have often shown themselves quite ingenious when it comes to their decadence."

To his interest, Megatron was now sporting a smile displaying his razor-like teeth, "This would be an apt Punishment for the creature….I want the armour stripped and transported back to Decepticon space as soon as possible!" He yells towards the surrounding ships and soldiers before turning back to Shockwave.

"And you, my dear Scientist. I want you to delve into this creature's skull and find its pain centres… I then want you to ensure that for the remainder of this Celestials Existence, it will know nothing else but constant suffering" The leader spoke with a low growl.

"Of course, Lord Megatron. It shall be done within the day." With a salute to Megatron, Shockwave stares at the Decepticon leader. He watches as he transforms and flies back to one of the Present World Sweeper ships.

As the small silhouette of his leader fades from view, he considered a few new pieces of Data. He always suspected mental inconsistencies or even detriments when it came to Megatron, but now he was struck by the phenomena of grief. Before he underwent Empurata, Shockwave was an avid reader of any new publishings and research made into mental health, but back then, his interest had laid elsewhere.

But his knowledge has become useful now. Megatron has grown erratic, the loss of one of the original Decepticons along with the loss of a vital military installation have presented a problem he cannot simply delegate to others… He can't ignore it.

Therefore, his erratic rage seems to have manifested in threats of violence, even against his own men, no matter how loyal they are. This should probably be curtailed before it can escalate further….However.

Shockwave considered his earlier interactions and thought of one small fact. When Megatron is angry, distracting him and even manipulating him… becomes a much more plausible method.

Perhaps….

No….

….More Data is needed…..

With Terrorvolt

Earth

50 days after the initial crash

The afternoon sun shines into the jungle, small leaves and branches obscuring its rays from reaching the ground. Within this jungle, one can see a cleared pathway, with unrooted trees and flora scattered at the sides. The noise emanating from a large black and purple tank had already scared away any of the nearby wildlife. Besides, the Dinosaurs in the area had already learned not to mess with the stranded Cybertronian, lest they be turned into another hide.

The Cargo sled trailing behind her, which were made of Furs and lizard skins, is a testament to that. It was being used to transport rocks and stones that had been ripped from the ground and a nearby cliff wall. To a human, they were boulder sized, the kind that could squash them with ease.

The purpose of this was rather simple. To forge and process metals for the sake of whatever she needed. She kept driving on her self-made road, Not caring for any wildlife that might come across or underneath her.

Eventually, She arrives back at her encampment. It wasn't anything special, But it provided her with a means to survive for the time being. A massive water wheel made of wood, stone and vines stood within the river, where she had powered her own body almost 2 months ago.

While rudimentary, the construction provided a constant power source, Which in turn was connected to what appeared to be an oversized boiler. It seemed to be covered in shoddy wiring and exposed housings.

Building this contraption required the cannibalization of her own circuits. Her leg and ankle wouldn't move in her robot form any more, but she still had her tank form. Besides, it was a sacrifice truly worth it

Especially if one considers the function. The lone Cybertronian unhooked the cargo sled behind her And reverted to her humanoid form. Before inspecting her haul, she limped towards the high Tech Looking boiler And unhooked the top hatch.

The sight that greets her is that of a container, filled with a dimly blue glowing Liquid. She removed the container and ingested the low grade Energon into her body with little hesitation.

Once her Energon levels were nominal once more, she started limping towards the sled, using her extended gun arm as a crutch. She began scanning the rocks until finding the two she had selected that were rich with suitable minerals.

They had large portions of lead and traces of other heavy metals. Suitable materials for the matter conversion process. The rocks are placed into a compartment on the "boiler's" back, where they are promptly crushed into gravel.

'That should do for now', she thought to herself, Before closing the apparatus and activating its system once more. With that now sorted, she begins moving to a nearby mound of raised earth with a large stone slab covering it.

Her clawed arm shoots forward to turn the slab to reveal a huge tunnel beneath. She transforms back into her tank form and keeps her arm unchanged in order to drag the sled along. The tunnel was rather small for her size, she would have to crouch if she was in her robot form, but it was suitable like this. The structure was steadied by literal tree trunks lining the sides.

The journey soon ends, and she arrives at her current place of shelter. A red hue lines the walls as her sensors indicate a rising heat around her.

The tunnel opens up to a large chamber lit up by a stream of lava right in the centre of it. Terrorvolt transforms back into her robot form before she grabs hold of the sled once more to bring it towards her lab… or workshop. She wasn't too specific with the function of this place.

She moves the boulders filled with ore towards a kiln she had made by chemically creating a synthetic tar. By Cold mixing some other ingredients, she was able to create a carbon substance with a melting point of 2800C.

It was needed as the kiln was connected to a rudimentary pulley system which would lower it into A trench system which would in turn be warmed up by redirecting the flow of lava.

It was what she was using to refine a lot of metals. Of course, there were some materials like bauxite that required chemical treatment first. But those could wait for now.

As she prepares the process, she stares over to a nearby project. Secured in a construction of wood and stone was a metal frame, with various parts and pieces still missing. It was her attempt at getting the help she needed. A lot of her current tasks were incredibly menial, so getting another person to handle them would really lighten the load.

Which has prompted her to create… a drone to be precise. This was something much more suited to Shockwave's specialisation, but she still had a lot of his research on the matter.

There was a lot of social stigma against the creation of Cybertronians for the sake of labour, hell, Terrorvolt herself was a prime example of this. Later use by Autobots of what were essentially child soldiers in the form of the MTO's was another. In Shockwave's case, he had some leeway due to the monstrous appearance of his Insecticons and their lack of true sapience with exception to a few. Though, Most didn't know about those.

Besides, she didn't really want to dip into that territory at the moment. This is why she wouldn't be giving them a spark. Hell, it would be better without it. No, she planned on making a simple AI to be run in a chassis handcrafted by her.

So far, she had the simple endoskeleton finished and would soon start with finer circuitry. She was also working on a transformation cog for the drone. It didn't necessarily need it, but it added extra mobility and the ability to travel longer distances.

It would certainly be a challenge, but Terrorvolt doesn't think she will be in need of extra time. As things stood, her main priority was gaining resources and the processing of them. With an extra pair of hands capable of various tasks, it freed up her workload. Especially as a lot of it was incredibly simplistic in nature.

And once the first Drone was finished, she could work on building a communications system and… To investigate the region she was in. After all, she had grown suspicious of this whole area, and even the animals here.

She made her way outside the cave in her tank form and turned her weapon turret towards the sky. She recorded the position of the sun lighting up the surrounding region. Inherently, there was nothing suspicious about this…. Except for the fact that it had not moved in more than a month.

For some reason, The sun was locked in place, as were the clouds and even the Stars above. One of her 1st Discoveries was essentially To inspect whether this phenomenon was isolated to this area or the planet itself.

After leaving her crash site and simply deciding to travel into a singular direction, she found something of a blurred barrier. It seems that her current habitat was covered in some kind of dome.

It didn't seem very durable and she found herself able to throw simple boulders through the barrier with ease. She eventually uprooted a nearby tree and held out one half through the barrier. To her relief, she couldn't observe any esoteric effect on the exposed tree half other than rapid Frost, probably from the surrounding environment.

So she took the opportunity to step out herself. Once she crossed the barrier, she was greeted with a dark frozen tundra that stretched to the horizon. Temperatures far below Zero Celsius, and the humidity that clung to her frame froze within an instant. When she turns back, she sees no sight of the dome, but rather more of the same frozen wasteland that was now behind her.

Before a sensation of panic could truly set in, she moved back to where the dome should be and to her relief, She found herself back in the tropical environment she had spent the last month in. So that was that.

Some Data she took back then placed her current location to the South Pole, which made sense in a manner of speaking. It also solidified the idea that she was in the savage land. It gave her hope at first that the Earth might already have achieved some levels of Technology, but her scans left her disappointed. No Man made signals, EM waves or Emissions of any kind could be detected to her scanners. The main and only notable source of earth's pollution right now came from open Gas rifts and Volcanoes.

Humanity was nowhere near the tech-level that they could be of use. So she needed to get by on her own. And if she got lucky, she'll be retrieved by the Decepticons sooner, rather than later.

Ever since she landed here she's tried sending an SOS every second day. But her personal signal range was not the best. If Prorex were with her, building the right equipment or sending the right signal would be far easier. She could only hope that when he finally came around, that their reunion would come soon.

But for now, it was back to the daily grind.

Decepticon space, Planet Archon, Elyrion city

200 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance

Elyrion was one of the colonies on the far reaches of Decepticon space. It was suitable as a resupply point and also a location ideal for shore leave. Within one of the many oil houses of the city, the peace that permeated the rest of the city was sadly absent.

"Will you calm down already! It's been almost a stellar cycle since she died! Fucking get over it!" A Decepticon soldier yelled as he aided two others in restraining an unhinged mech.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME." The mech roared as he pulled against the other Decepticons. His words were slurred and oil stains were clear on his neck and head. It didn't deter his savagery as he ripped against their grip.

What made him stand out compared to the others was the fact that he was clearly another victim of the old Empurata procedure. His lone optic flickered with a red glare as he resisted.

"THOSE BASTARDS KILLED HER AND GOT AWAY WITH IT!" He yelled as he managed to pull free from the group and promptly smashed his fist into one of the other Cons. He managed to crack his faceplate before he himself received a blow to the back of the head. His sensors frizzled out for a moment as he tried to regain his bearings.

"What is going on here!" The group is stunned by the noise of a new arrival. Standing in the entrance of the oil house was a lone Decepticon mech. The engravings of his emblem betrayed the fact that he was of higher rank than anyone else in the building.

The other Decepticons push the drunk Empurata mech to the ground before stepping away from him. They all give a quick salute before one of them states, "Sir, our fellow lieutenant here, started an altercation after getting too intoxicated sir."

The major standing in front of them approached the group and asked, "An Altercation? Caused by what?"

The Empurata mech in question speaks up, "These Scrap Heaps were getting angry cause I wanted to kill those pit damned Wreckers! An-" His words are interrupted by a quick kick to his optics by the Con next to him.

"Will you shut your voice box! You've done enough already!" he yelled at the downed Decepticon.

The Major meanwhile had a frown on his face, "You four… I believe you were the ones I'm looking for." He now focuses his attention on the downed Decepticon, "And that must mean you are Nitro Zeus."

The now named Nitro stares up at the major and grunts out, "I've had enough of bureaucracy for the day. Buzz off!"

The major stares back at him with an annoyed expression. "You stand accused of executing a prisoner in cold blood. I believe you should plead your case wisely" The major commands him.

Nitro Zeus instead rips himself from the ground and angrily stomps towards him," What? You think I give a scrap about that. It was a Wrecker! They fucking deserve it! The bastard surrendered before we could get him in the fight! They don't deserve to get away like that!" As he moves too close to the major, he is shot with a blast from an E.D.K Techvolt which promptly shuts down his servos.

The smoking barrel of the major's arm is the last thing he can clearly see. "A poor choice of words, lieutenant. By the Authority of the Archon bureau of internal security, I place you under arrest for violating numerous articles of the Tyrest accords."

With Rage and a tinge of regret pounding in his spark, Nitro Zeus finally loses consciousness.

Back on Earth.

234 days after the initial crash

Looking at the metal frame in front of me, I can't help but internally smile. The first Drone was ready for activation. A Cybertronian framework with a functioning Transformation cog and brain module. It wasn't quite on par of a standard Cybertronian one, I really didn't have the resources for that. But I'm still proud of what I managed here.

I finish fuelling the chassis with Energon and disconnect the tube from the chassis before booting up the operating system I created for it. Systems slowly come online and the optics flicker on. The bot starts observing its surroundings before focusing on me. This is the moment where all the loyalty subroutines should kick in.

In the clearest terms, this drone has a proper sapient AI. One that has the potential to learn and act independently. With the Lack of a Datanet for it to access, I can essentially define its first formative experiences. This is definitely a benefit here. Furthermore, the core of the AI held me in the highest regard. Loyalty to me, my orders and wishes were followed without question.

Couldn't have them turning against me one day after all. Not like I'm planning on mistreating them, but one can't help but to be cautious.

"Want… More" My thoughts are stopped by the raspy voice from the drone in front of me. I wasn't sure what it was referring to until it pointed towards the translucent tubing pumping Energon into him.

It fumbles for the Energon tube and slowly lifts it towards its mouth. He tries to get the last drops of Energon from the tube and begins whispering, "Hun… Gurr….Hun-Gurr…..Hunger."

I activate a nearby switch and activate the Energon flow once more. The Drone gobbles up the life giving substance with glee and I can't help but stare with interest. My calculations were accurate, but the drone needs more Energon than expected. Interesting.

"So… I know you haven't been online for long, but time waits for no one. I'm not the best at giving names, but having one is always vital…." I pause for a moment as he truly focuses on my words. He looks from the tube in his hands to my own face.

"hun-Gurr… Hun-Gurr…" he repeated to me, making me slightly worried as to his cognitive function. Scans don't indicate anything wrong but…

"So you…..Do you want that to be your name because they were your first words?"

The Drone seems rather confused, but nods his head after a while. He slowly gets the metal wires and frames off of his body before standing up. As he looks at me with a questioning eye, I can't help but wonder how this will turn out.

I slowly reach out with my hand and gently place it on his shoulder, "Well then, Hun-Gurr. From this day forth, you are the very first Terrorcon to live. I want your help in finding a way off this planet and back to Cybertron… You know of Cybertron, yes?" I receive a nod from the small drone.

"And will you aid me in this endeavour?" I question further. I don't get a nod from him, but rather, he holds a hand up to his voice box and says," Yes… I would like that"

It seems that this might work out after all.

Decepticon space, Military Port of Archon

278 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance

The port bustled with activity, numerous shipments and vessels were constantly moving around the structure, transporting vital goods for military operations and supply lines. Especially now, as Trypticon was no longer around and the supply of TE was indefinitely halted. The port's activities were therefore at capacity, with the staff of the structure barely able to keep up.

Within this structure was a small ship which was currently being retrofitted for a long term mission. One where the crew was not expected to return alive. A group of Decepticons were being led towards the loading ramp by shock collars and ununtrium handcuffs.

Among them was Nitro Zeus, who had been found guilty for breaking the Tyrest Accords. Though, His sentence was a bit unorthodox.

"So what did you do?" He was suddenly nudged from behind. Nitro turns his head to look at the mech behind him. He seemed like a completely average seeker with a purple and white colour scheme. Nothing that really made him stand out.

"Oho! An Empurata mech! Haven't seen one of you get locked up like this in ages! So what did you do?" The mech grins with a welcoming smile. Something that honestly confused Nitro. But he was certain it would be fake. So he may as well impress him enough to make sure he knows not to mess with Nitro.

"Oh you know. Robbed a Bank, killed a bunch of Autobots and then got my head ripped off" His optic flickers with a low hum and his leans towards the other Decepticon."… Oh you mean you want to know why I'm here? I decided that some Wreckers didn't have the right to live even if they didn't want to fight any more… You have a problem with that?"

To his surprise, the other Decepticon smiled instead. "Oh really? Ain't that something. Well, Nice to meet you One-eye! They call me Misfire. Long story…" He pauses for a moment and his grin widens further.

"You know what? It isn't. It's a very short story involving a Scatter Blaster, A Misunderstanding and a dozen dead Decepticons….So, what's your name?"

"…..My name is Nitro Zeus" he slowly states.

The newly named Misfire's smile remains as he expectantly states, "Huh. Sounds pretty cool. Is it based on something?"

"Yes…. It was gi-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT YOU SCRAPLETS!" Their attention is quickly grabbed by loud yelling coming from the front of their group. They hadn't even realised that they had come to a stop.

Looking forward, they see a Decepticon wearing the insignia of a Corporal from the Decepticon Justice Division. Seeing the DJD was never a good sign, and the fact that they were involved just made things worse. Nitro was thankful for small mercies it wasn't one of the First Five, he'd resolved to never find his way onto The List after seeing the pictures of what they'd done to some of Scorponok's loyalists. He'd rather rip out his own spark.

It was ironic to him though. The bot currently ordering him was just a Corporal. Nitro technically outranked the mech.

"You are assigned to the penal installation of Garrus-8 until a court of law will formally decide upon your Sentence. Any further acts of insubordination or resistance will end in a heightened sentence or Termination. Am I understood!"

Nitro wanted to scoff, but he kept it to himself for the time being. Some described him as unhinged, but he knew when to shut up. He needed to bide his time with the other prisoners as well. Misfire definitely seemed like someone he wanted to cross… He would be proven wrong soon enough, but he couldn't predict that.

He didn't have any kind of clue just what would befall him on Garrus-8.

Back on Earth

436 days after the initial crash

Where once was a lush jungle filled with wildlife, there now stood a large road network spanning the landscape. Tree Stumps littered the sections in between. And the Roads were now frequented, not by vehicles, but by mechanical Abnormalities.

The Drones that Terrorvolt created weren't perfect, and they weren't quite like the average Cybertronian. Their Alt forms were flawed if one was being honest. They weren't really blending in with the environment or properly resembled the local wildlife. Hun-Gurr's alt form for instance resembled a two-headed dinosaur that spits fire… and that obviously doesn't exist.

It's not like their Alt forms would have been able to blend in that well anyway. Their metallic bodies were beyond obvious. Like most Transformation Cogs, even the natural ones, theirs couldn't replicate a flesh like substance to truly mimic organic life. With the unnatural body shapes as well, they are bound to spook the local wildlife… and maybe start some Legends down the line.

Terrorvolt herself was currently leading a little excavation, with Hun-gurr taking command of the other Terrorcons at the base. The Cave structure had been drastically expanded in recent months. Now, the inside was actually lined with metal panels. The Areas were lit up, rooms could be air sealed, and even the magma flow was now properly controlled. A Geothermal Power Plant was created with the nearby river. Energy Production was going well. Though, it won't last. A lot of Heavy Metals were used for the Energon production. Sooner or later, those resources are going to be depleted.

Which is why the Communications array has once again been pushed down the production queue. Figuring out Matter conversion was back as the priority. And for this sake, Terrovolt was delving into the jungle.

Taking a break is more accurate, but she considered it time to figure out the source of this area. How this section of the planet was somehow stuck in the past.

Extra excursions out of the effect's radius allowed her to triangulate the epicentre of the anomaly. Some Seeker drones she was able to build scouted ahead. A large structure stood at the centre. And that structure would now be analysed.

With an ensemble of three Terrorcons following behind, she made her way through the jungle, pushing aside trees and uprooting them from the ground with every step. The drones behind her were Following with weapons ready. They were equipped with modified scatter blasters that could use pieces of the environment for a shotgun blast rather than metal.

As they continued towards the centre of the jungle, the sounds of nearby life began to cease. Birds, dinosaurs, whatever small critters were around all grew silent. Either from their absence, or their fear.

Before long, the Jungle opens up and reveals a large temple. Seemingly carved into the side of a mountain. But, where once this would have appeared most beautiful, now was just a decrepit ruin.

The structure was heavily eroded. An entrance seemed to once exist at the mid section of the buildings, something that led to even more questions. Was there some sort of wooden structure once there like an elevator or staircase? Or was it expected for visitors to fly towards the entrance?

Terrorvolt considered both options for a moment. This structure was at the centre of some odd esoteric effect that preserved long extinct creatures. Its creators could be anything then.

As Terrorvolt moved closer, she noticed that the trees seemed to grow progressively thinner as she moved towards the structure. It wasn't that they weren't getting enough nutrients or sunlight, but rather that they were younger than the rest. Slicing one of them in half with her clawed hand showed as much.

Once she arrived at the structure, she decided to test her hypothesis. Her gun arm reconfigures into the form of the Electro Bolter.

The weapon is essentially a glorified railgun that could shoot out an electrified Bolt of a highly strengthened alloy. It effectively harpooned enemies and could be used to lock them in place… other than killing them off course.

She loaded the weapon and shot a bolt into the temple's outer wall. The piece of metal impales itself into the metal with a ridiculous speed, leaving cracks tracing the wall around the impact point.

But what happened after is what truly interested the stranded cybertronian. The metal rod began to rust almost instantaneously. The rod completely corroded into specks of rust as the remaining damage aged. And all this had happened within 10 seconds.

And with that, Terrorvolt finally realised the nature of this structure. It caused an imbalance to the local time continuance. The region existed because it was essentially frozen in time, or at the very least heavily slowed.

Yet time continued normally for all the beings in the field, including the recent Cybertronian additions. They didn't age, that was the trick. Instead, the effects of time were concentrated on the temple.

Whatever civilization could focus the effects of time from an entire valley onto a singular structure was leagues ahead of what Cybertronians could manage…. Well, except maybe Shockwave. Who knows how many projects he was actually working on.

But as Terrovolt kept analysing the structure, her scanners caught something very unexpected. A heat signature suddenly appeared behind her. Her arm quickly loaded another bolt as she whirled around only to see… A human?

A dark skinned man dressed in… traditional Asian clothing? With a straw hat and everything. The sight was certainly confusing to the Cybertronian scientist, nearly as much as the fact that he had a really wide grin on his face.

"Hello There!" he spoke….In English. A language That TV hasn't heard in ages, and wasn't supposed to hear anytime soon either. On account of Human civilization not really having kicked off yet… Unless the time bubble messed with that as well.

This was one of the many thoughts going through her head in the millisecond that had passed since he spoke. One of her other Processes was to retrieve her old memories and quickly format a new language pack, so she can send it to the other drones.

It's funny how in that time, she was unable to come up with a better answer other than "G̷̰͝r̸̰̄é̴̙ë̷̼́ṭ̷̓i̸̗͂n̸͍̽g̶̳̐ś̶̞". Her voice was scratchy, not unlike the speaker of a radio. It goes without saying that human languages are very different to Cybertronian, so her voice box would need some recalibrating.

"You know English? That's certainly a surprise!" The man paused as he took a few steps closer to the towering robot. "Especially as the language shouldn't exist for another 6000 years or so"

"A̵n̶d̷ ̸y̷e̶t̵ ̵y̶o̶u̷ ̸u̵s̵e̸d̸ ̴i̵t̷ ̵a̵s̷ ̵w̵e̶l̵l̴" her voice box sounded out. As she scanned the human and got readings of a very specific radioactive frequency, she lowered her weapon.

The man's smile remained and he gave the machines a quick bow, "My Name is O'Beng,… May I have your name, should you have one?" he questioned them.

The name didn't sound familiar to Terrorvolt, but her mind was not human. Any knowledge from her old life could be accessed with the accuracy of a machine. And she could narrow down her search anyway. As she started the process of searching her memories for his identity, she continued to analyse his body. The radiation was centred around a necklace on his neck. A necklace known as the eye of Agamotto. In some iterations, it contained the time stone.

And that would explain how this place was made. The question as to how still remained. For now, the best bet was to open a dialogue. Attempting to steal the necklace without knowing his true intentions was far too risky.

She slowly vocalised her name, "Terror… Volt. The drones do not have names yet." Her voice was much clearer now and the pronunciation didn't falter. She made a quick move to stare at the structure before focusing on the human once more.

"Your name… It's not your true name is it…." She paused as her optic lit up further, "You are Cagliostro."

The human's eyes widened as his face lost its smile. He's visibly taken aback before saying, "I must admit. I'm used to always being the smartest man in the room. You've caught me quite off guard. Can I assume you to be a fellow traveller of time?"

She considered lying here, but making enemies with the Sorcerers of Earth was just not a good idea right now. Especially as not much could be gained from it.

"I know a few things. Time Travel itself is beyond me…" She stares back at the temple with more interest,"Can I assume you constructed this structure then?"

He nodded with a smile, "It is my "Lost Library"" he addressed TV with a smirk, "I might have to rename it now, considering that someone did actually "find" it."

She scoffs in return, gesturing at the decrepit ruins "Considering its sorry state, I don't really have any use for it, so there's no meaning to me having found it… Why have you designed it to decay like this?" She questions him.

He gestures down to the necklace around his neck. It opens up to reveal the green glow of the Time Stone, "To ensure only Travellers of time like myself can access it at its prime…. The lack of stairs also helps to vet out the wrong people."

She raises a hand to her optics as if to hold her non-existent chin, "Strange thing to add… But technically effective. One has to know the location of this place as well… It's a fairly decent means of keeping unwanted visitors away… It doesn't explain why you would greet me though?"

"Ah, very true. You pose no threat to my library…" He pauses for a moment as his eyes sharpen, "You do however present the possibility of Extinction to all Humanity."

Terrovolt didn't hesitate in raising her weapon towards the human and instantly commanded her drones to do the same.

The time it took for them to take aim allowed just enough movement for Cagliostro to raise his hands in apparent surrender, "Please, I mean you no harm. I only wish to enter an accord"

TV doesn't lower her arm and simply states, "If you want me to leave the planet, I would be happy to do so if I had a way home. But unless you will help with that, I promise nothing."

"I am not here to banish you from this world. I am only here to pass along some knowledge." He states as a portal opens in front of him. To Terrorvolt's surprise, three books came floating through it.

He waved his hands along the books and they began floating towards the towering femme. "What knowledge do you offer me?"

His smile returns as he states, "Advanced books of Alchemy and Transmutation. Means of shaping the very elements"

She considers the books for a moment before shaking her head, "I cannot use Magic, Dark Science or whatever you may refer to it as. And I'm in no mood to learn its entirety any time soon. How could these be of use to me?"

He gives a nod to her question "I admit, I do not know… I do however know this. If you do not receive these, you and your machines will strip mine this planet to its core and leave nothing but desolation to my kind"

"And with the Books?" She questions

"You limit your constructions to this continent, and humanity gets to live" he states, clearing up the picture. She now realised his motivation now to some degree… and gained some respect for the way he wanted to handle this.

She slowly gives him her answer as she gently outstretches her hand to grab the books. "…. I see… If these contain what I think they do… then I….and my entire species might owe you a considerable debt"

"I would only ask of you not to unleash any wrath upon my kind… That is all" A simple request. And one she would easily honour.

She could tell that the conversation was coming to an end, but she did wish to make a comment towards him, "You know… for a first encounter. You handled this exceptionally well."

A light chuckle followed, "Well, this is the first time I meet someone of your kind. But you are certainly not the first visitor from the stars."

"Delightful" She muttered with a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I will certainly not involve myself with that. I bid you farewell!" He yelled out. A portal opened behind him and quickly flew forward, enveloping his body before disappearing in yellow motes of light.

"Well….that was something. I guess I ought to give these a proper look then" She states as she gently held the books in her hand.

Terrorvolt

Earth

497 days after the initial crash

As much as I didn't want to tempt fate, I can't help but state things were going well.

The base here in the Savage land (Might as well call it that) has come along far better than expected. It's a proper fortress now if anything. Fully stocked, manned and still improving. Things have certainly gotten better now that I have a proper supply of Energon.

To think it was such a dumb issue all this time. The books that the human had given me were truly invaluable. One might not think so at first, but just seeing the process described and explained in different terms gave a new perspective on things.

This in turn led me to dismantle the original device I had set up and went through every piece's function manually. And then one part finally stood out. A discrepancy in the comparison between what I had and the Transmutation described in the books.

And that's when I learned of a little surprise left by the ancient Cybertronians. Matter to Energy conversion was deliberately undermined because they were missing certain technologies back then… So they came up with a temporary solution that was never resolved.

You see, when turning mass into energy, even the smallest amount will create absurd amounts of energy. And the ancient Cybertronians simply couldn't harvest or even safely withstand all that energy. So certain aspects were added to the equation, both literally and figuratively. 99,9% of the produced energy would be shunted off into unspace, while the remaining,1% was actually used.

It was so humiliating to learn that the issue with the formula was an outdated safety precaution. We now had the technology to safely harness at least 80% and adjustments could be made for the rest. Either way, I think I would be keeping the nature of this discovery a secret once I make contact with the Decepticons once more. Shockwave would certainly praise me for my work but if he figured out that I was stuck on something like this for well over a millennium, even he might burst out laughing… Goddammit.

He has no room to complain though. I just solved virtually every Energon Crisis that could ever arise. Seriously, as long as we have dirt beneath our feet, we will never run out now. This technology was just that busted. If I recall, the strongest Nuclear bomb ever used by Mankind, The "Tsar Bomba" had an explosion equivalent to 50 Megatons of TNT. That amounts to about 209,200,000,000 Megajoules. Now. by turning Mass to energy, converting a small amount of 10Kg of Mass gives you 898,755,178,737 Megajoules worth of energy..

If Cybertron still gave out scientific rewards, I would get all of them….actually, we should reinstate that once I get back. I really hope my position is still around for me to take up and they dont think I'm dead….Though, if I died and they gave me the standard rank promotion upon dying on the battlefield, I would then technically outrank Megatron….Now that is a funny thought.

And now, I was casually standing on top of a cliff overlooking my territory with a sense of pride. The Terrorcons were hard at work building a proper communications array. Once that was done, I could send a signal probe into deep space and slowly open communications with Cybertron again. Certain precautions will have to be made to prevent Autobot interception. But that can wait until the structure is actually up.

The remainder of my spare time has been used on other scientific endeavours. After being unable to tinker on my own projects for such a long time, it was nice to relax again. Especially as I now had a nigh limitless supply of energon, it allowed me room to experiment with the substance as well. Turning around and entering my lab, the purple glow of Dark energon grew more prevalent.

This stuff… it has potential. And I don't just mean as a means of making zombies and bringing back the dead on occasion. Not that I'm interested in that anyway.

As I personally experienced during my unfortunate dip in the evil Kool-Aid when I was on Trypticon, Dark Energon can corrupt smaller quantities of regular Energon and the same can be done the other way around. (Note to self. Divert a function later to deduce just what exactly Kool-Aid was even made of)

Well, I experimented a bit with this and eventually tried mixing them together in perfect proportionality. The resulting mixture… didn't last long on account of exploding and shattering a good portion of my armour. This came as quite the surprise, as my armour was still made of Adamantium.

My endoframe was still ok and no vitals were damaged, but it was still a shock. Hun-gurr was certainly worried after the event. He barely lets me out of his sight, if he didn't have other duties to tend to. It was rather adorable if I was being honest.

He would follow me in his dino-form and tried to blend in with his surroundings or pretended he wasnt following me. It was comically bad, but I didn't have the heart to tell him that.

Anyway, after my armour was repaired, I got back to work… and tried the exact same experiment again, but this time in the middle of a clearing, with myself about a kilometre away from it. And what I gleaned from that was certainly fascinating. The first thing happening was an explosion probably caused by the two forms of energon somehow igniting each other, but what happened after that was fascinating.

For just a moment, a moment a biological being probably would have missed, a white sphere with a red hue was visible. When I inspected the blast site up close, I noticed that there was a slight curve to the ground.

That intrigued me. Another test with a larger payload created a deeper curve. It's perfectly circular, as if it was cut into the ground. So I tried something different with the next test.

I dug a hole. A very deep hole. And placed the bomb deep underground. The detonation shook the earth like an earthquake, but it didn't destroy the area completely. I then used a miniscule probe the size of my finger to dig down and analyse the blast site.

A perfect sphere was cut in the centre of the explosion, about the size of three cars lined up. And here was the interesting part. There was no rubble, no dust or gas filling that pocket. Whatever that explosion destroyed the sphere….It made it invisible. Or erased it. I'm unsure if this has any use in the future, but it ignored armour.

That has a lot of potential. Last I recalled, Some Autobots had been using better Metals for their armour, as well and killing them sometimes required brute force by ripping them apart by the joints. With this, we could ignore that advantage.

The main issue I see is the explosion itself. It's powerful, but not quite the best part of the effect. It might knock away combatants before the sphere could eat at their armour. Either way, more testing would be required. As I was preparing another canister segmented into Light and Dark Energon, the alarm system of the Fortress started blaring.

The Data was promptly transmitted from one of the Drones handling communications for my drone. A large vessel was hiring towards the earth at breakneck speed. It was somewhat shaped like an asteroid, not too dissimilar to Cybertronian Alt forms used when infiltrating another planet.

We can't wait and see what happens here. The need to determine if this is a friend or foe was the first priority this instant.

I couldn't just drop what I was doing, so I connected the canister to my fuel supply for the time being and shifted some armour plates around it. I'm not leaving a dangerous bomb lying around the base where a tremor or stray shot could blow everything apart. It might be a bit dangerous for myself to do this… But it wouldn't be the first time I went into a potential firefight with a bomb on my body ready to blow.

Chuckling at the memory, I exit the base and command some of the drones to arm artillery installations and missile defence systems. The Seeker drones won't be accompanying me. Their Altforms were unique, based on flying dinosaurs of all kinds, but none could catch up to me in my own bomber Altform.

That's why I will act as a lookout to discern what this is… before the Fortress defences blow it out of the sky.

I promptly jump from the ground and transform. My thrusters have me rushing above the treetops and I promptly break the sound barrier. As my speed continues to increase, I reach the dome of the time dilation effect and am greeted by the cold Tundra of Antarctica.

The speed increases as I pull up towards the stratosphere. My trajectory has me getting a visual of the object of alarm within minutes. Its shape wasn't quite Cybertronian, or at least any kind I knew. It was also far larger than a Standard Cybertronian pod, more akin to the size of a Titan.

It was covered with thinner wires twisted together like some sort of cocoon. I try opening up a comms channel and am greeted with nothing but static. There's no return signal. No answer. The only noticeable change occurs when it breaches the planet's atmosphere and forms a drill-like structure at its front.

I decide that I've done all I can and promptly give the orders back to base.

As I continue to follow the strange vessel from a distance, I get the answer that multiple missiles have been launched. Two cluster rockets come up on my radar and rush towards the vessel. It was now heating up from reentry. Strangely enough, it seemed some kind of cooling mechanism was spraying a liquid around the midsection of the vessel.

Precious cargo maybe? Then where are the defences? This was so strange.

It didn't even attempt evasive manoeuvres as the cluster rockets split apart and embedded themselves into the backside, promptly exploding and taking down the propulsion systems. The vessel was now in free-fall and would soon crash into the ground below.

To my surprise, there was a sizable landmass beneath us. Based on what I could see and my travel log, this was the middle of Africa… Let's hope nothing goes extinct when this thing crashes down.

The Vessel was fracturing now that its cooling system was apparently defective. Bits and pieces broke apart and turned the singular ship into a mini meteor shower. With now hints of slowing down, the vessel crashes into a valley with incredible speed. Leaving a large line of broken foliage and earth. To my surprise, some systems still seemed to be working and the drill activated.

Before I could react, it somehow turned itself towards the ground and began digging through the earth with haste. Its size definitely hindered its progress, but considering it almost tunnelled underneath a mountain once I got into firing range was rather impressive. Too bad that my missiles were locked and loaded with high quality energon payloads. The resulting explosion managed to singe my paint job with the heat, it was amazing.

I didn't wait until the dust cleared and switched To radiation based sight to fly into the crater tunnel that the vessel dug. Once I arrive at the now stranded ship, I'm beholden to something even more interesting. I transformed into my robot form and held The ship was somehow… dissolving into some kind of liquid.

The liquid was seeping into the ground and changing it into some kind of metallic liquid… Was this a Terraforming vessel? Would that mean there are more to come?

My thoughts were promptly interrupted by an ungodly sound. It was a blubbering scream or screech like nails on a chalkboard. With my weapons raised, I moved sideways, circling the ship. I came across the side where something seemed to be clawing its way through the segments of the middle compartment.

The segment gives way and breaks apart like springs under too much pressure. The being that I witnessed was revolting to look at. If I could describe it… It was like a protoform… A big one, covered with malformed flesh.

… Oh wait, those were injuries, the flesh was ripped off. As it clawed itself among the ground, I noticed that its shape was meant to be humanoid to some degree, and that everything beneath its torso had actually been torn away. The amount of fluids pouring out of that injury was testament of that.

It didn't have a mouth, but the face seemed to be covered by some kind of segmented mask leaving 4 slots for eyesight, apparently. The shoulders were also an oddity, with some kind of spikes growing upwards from them. I was unsure if they were bone or metal, and by this point, I'm not sure I want to know.

But yeah, this was some kind of odd Cybernetic Organic Monstrosity and I didn't want it here. I change the weapon on my arm to an older model of an Ion Cannon and charge it's first shot. The creature that was about the size of an average seeker began screaming. The frequencies were frying my auditory receptors, and I promptly triggered my weapon.

Its skull was blown apart by the blast, causing the cavern dug by its ship to finally grow silent. I take the time to recover from the sonic attack and grow surprised when a subroutine informs me that I had a match for the sound.

I only heard it once, but it was memorable enough to be immediately recognizable. When I compared the audio files, I couldn't help but audibly state

"How the fuck was this a Celestial?"

And there you have it. Chapter done… And I have an Exam in two days.

Wish me luck. Good luck And Enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review!

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server:
discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

If you want to DM me in discord,

my username is "La Pucelle Altre ඞ#4523". Feel free to contact me anytime!

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)


Chapter 9: False Gods

Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Hasbro entertainment.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Hipnyah. Aided by Everpeach

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

If you want to DM me in discord,

my username is "La Pucelle Altre ඞ#4523". Feel free to contact me anytime!

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)

Chapter 9: False Gods

Terrorvolt

Earth

497 days after the initial crash

So….a dead Celestial… and it's barely as big as me…

Something fishy is going on here, by the Pit, even Skywarp would have picked it up by now. The Celestials body was growing cold and my questions were only increasing.

So, I decided to inspect the vessel it arrived at. The body itself didn't seem that interesting anymore. Most esoteric energies were gone and not that many were present to begin with. This thing was already severely handicapped before it even got here.

Upon inspecting the ship and specifically the section the Celestial crawled out of, I catch sight of something rather strange. The Celestial was in some kind of sphere with intriguing systems attached to it. Even though it was broken and cracked, I could scan the devices for their function. Some were designed to stabilize the sphere, others were to maintain its temperature at a constant value and another was meant to incubate…

The cooling systems I saw while flying behind the vessel seemed to have been doing something similar. They were all designed to keep its passengers safe during the voyage.

Because it was carrying a Celestial Infant….Or is this their equivalent of a week-old embryo?… I'm getting sidetracked. The Point is, I killed a baby Celestial.

I have no issues with this other than the fact that I essentially had this kill handed to me on a platter. Because fuck Celestials. Every version I know of them has them be massive bastards with their heads far up their asses.

Killing them off is usually not detrimental. Unless, their existence is tied to some Bullshit force or power that also serves as a cornerstone of reality. Always hated that.

Either way, it doesn't change what happened. I killed one of theirs and they are bound to notice. The lack of proper defences on the ship is concerning, but for now, I will scavenge whatever I can from this and leave.

Even if I can't properly reverse engineer the technology, something I'm bound to get is their equivalent of communication methods. There's only so many ways to communicate, and Cybertron has been able to analyse quite a few in its rich history. I myself never bothered with the sort of research, but I'd know where to start.

The crash site itself is terraforming more and more, and a quick scan reveals its molecular makeup to be surprisingly similar to Vibranium. I'm not in need of such resources but this place certainly presents an opportunity for mining later on.

I transform my gun arm into a harpoon attachment which shoots into the hull of the ship before changing back into my Tank form. The terraforming effect was now apparently affecting the ship as well and if I didn't want to lose more salvage, I needed to pull this thing out.

Slowly but surely, I feel my treads get their traction in the rocky ground as they pull the vessel from its position. Some parts come apart, but as long as I get the main computers, this will be worth it.

My Terrorcons with flight capability were already on their way. This capture was all but confirmed.

Ajak

Uruk, Sumeria, Earth

The leader of the Eternals was questioning this mission. She was waiting in one of the towers of Uruk and still awaited the call of her master. It had been a Year since the Celestial should have seeded the planet. All was according to plan… and then silence.

Arishem gave her confirmation of the seeding and the Eternals could continue their plans. Yet this time it was delayed. This was… Unprecedented.

The cycle had been repeated so often. Their goal was to prepare an isolated world with intelligent life for the birth of another Celestial. Especially now, this was more dire than ever. Ajak still remembers the old way. When Celestials Seeds were spread far and wide, awaiting the day their entourage of Eternals arrived to shepherd their host species.

But things changed. She doesn't know much, but something was hunting Celestials, going so far as to devour the worlds seeded by them. She couldn't fathom what being this could be and she prayed that she would never have to.

As the Celestials were now dwindling down, the means of their reproduction were kept in smaller time frames. Which is why the Seed was only meant to show up now. It being intercepted was impossible. Until it reaches the surface of its host world, it's interphased with another dimension. It physically couldn't be affected.

That would indicate something occurred in the small interval between the seed breaking the atmosphere and penetrating the Earth's crust. But this was also impossible. The Planet was devoid of anything capable of attacking the Seed.

So what had happened? This is what she awaited to hear from Arishem….And so far? She has received no answer. As mentioned, it's been a year. Celestials rarely consider such timeframes as relevant, but she does hope that it will come to an end soon. It's strange though. The ship the Eternals had used to arrive on earth has been receiving signal pings over time. These are fairly common as they are meant to just verify the Eternal's status and position, but for some reason, they had been occurring at irregular intervals.

Ajak couldn't help but be filled with a sense of foreboding. Something was wrong on this planet… and she had no idea what.

As her thoughts on the matter were now coming to a close, she noticed that she hadn't been alone. She turns around with a smile, "Gilgamesh! How are you?" She asks with open arms to quickly embrace her fellow Eternal.

He returns the gesture before his own smile slowly fades. "I… I am uncertain, Ajak. Uruk and the city states of Sumer have thrived due to our guidance and we bring humans more gifts every day. But some begin to question us."

She tilts her head as she clasps her hands together, "What do you mean?"

Gilgamesh beckons her to follow her towards a nearby table. A holographic Display activates and quickly displays the region currently known as Sumeria. He points to a point named Uruk.

"We have ruled this city for centuries now, and they see us as their gods, but the neighbouring cities…" He gestures towards another named Umma.

Ajak' smile returns with a scoff, "So that's what this is about. Are you worried about this Lugal-zage-si? He will need far more than simple swords and spears to kill us."

He gives a reluctant nod in agreement. He points towards another city, "That is not my concern, Ajak. He has taken the cities around us and has now taken Kish as well"

She stares at the map with a questioning stare, "Do we not trade with them fairly often? They should have been able to repel the attack, no?"

Gilgamesh holds up his hand, "They were betrayed by one of their own. The Cupbearer of their king, a man known as Sargon of Akkad has allied with Lugal-zage-si. It ended with the city conquered. I fear they wish to form an Empire with Uruk as its crowning jewel."

Ajak moves around the table giving the region another look before stating, "The Other cities acknowledge us as divine, even if Druig has to reinforce the thought for them here and now. He would not dare go against us."

Once again, Gilgamesh reluctantly nods, "Perhaps… but we aren't the only ones he can attack. He could poison the rivers and hunt our livestock. The people of our city are not like us, they can starve, be poisoned and die. "

Ajak shrugged her shoulders. "Very true… but is this not human nature? We have seen their habits in smaller examples. They are industrious, innovative, but also seekers of conflict. A life in absolute peace does not become them. Are we right to sto-"

Her words froze in her mouth as the earth outside shook. The tremors in the ground were soon followed with a loud roar. It was one that both of them recognized. Deviants.

They rushed outside the chambers towards a balcony overlooking the city. Their eyes with capabilities beyond humans could clearly see the monsters tearing up the settlements outside the city walls.

"I will gather the others" Gilgamesh yells as he jumps from the balcony towards the fighting.

Ajak stayed behind as usual. She was only suited to heal after all. Watching from afar was something she was not unaccustomed to. So it was natural that the subject of the conversation returned to her mind.

They cannot grow attached to this world. Earth and Humanity are nothing but livestock for the sake of Tiamut's birth. Humanity is just one of the many species they shall guide to their inevitable fate.

She looks down towards the area outside the city walls.

The battle featured thriving deviants. One was akin to a flying tiger with feather wings. Two were like jackals of the other regions of this world. Another resembled an insect crossed with an arachnid. And one seemed to be formed like a horned Ape.

These defective creatures never ceased to unsettle her. Even though her closest friends were making quick work of the deviants, something felt wrong.

Why had they all gathered right here for such a frontal and direct attack. Their number also seemed unnaturally large. Even so, their little pack was no match to the eternal.

The Deviants were quickly down to their last member. The horned ape stood alone and was being pummeled by Gilgamesh, quickly followed by Ikaris, kingu and Makkari. Thena joined and removed one of its horns with her blades.

But then, Ajak noticed something else. A glint of light in the far distance, perched upon the mountain range outside the city. Just as she was focusing on the distant object, she suddenly felt herself falling. She tried to raise her arms but they wouldn't obey her. She fell on her back and could barely steady herself as her vision was already fading.

Her eyes desperately looked up to where she stood only to see a pair of legs leading up to a torso… Which had been scorched beyond recognition with a massive hole bisecting it…

That was hers….

What….

….did this….

Terrorvolt

Earth

824 days after the initial crash

God-damn. I have to say, I did not expect the nucleon Charge rifle to rip her in half like that….that was a thing of beauty. Sure, there was no blood splatter, but there was the weird fake blood on the surface and bits and pieces of their innards. Seeing the giant round rip through her was an unexpected pleasure… I can't wait to dissect one of them.

Anyway, with that, the healer was gone. So even if I did need to retreat, the others won't be able to tend to their wounded. That's what it means to be a machine that is lobotomized to such a degree it doesn't know itself to be a machine.

I quickly refocus, adjust the gun arm from my prone position down towards the other Eternals. Expressions of shock and even grief covered their faces. As I take my aim for my next target, My view is suddenly filled with countless body doubles of the various Eternals in front of the city gates. Other forms of vision prove the illusion to be of high quality, fooling even my sensors.

This will be the doing of Sprite I imagine. I hadn't wasted the time I had since I retrieved the Celestial's pod. The Local network of the Celestial constructs was laid bare within 2 months of arduous hacking. And boy was it worth it. Sure, the network doesn't contain much knowledge or scientific data, but I essentially got admin privileges for the Eternals on earth. Nothing that would allow me to disable them remotely, but more than enough to learn of their capabilities, weaknesses… and actions.

I… I am not human. Not only that, but I haven't been human for a long, long time. But I still remember. I remember what humans achieved… what humans created, both good and bad. And these Eternals were robbing that from them. They gave the people of this region the Wheel, the Plow and even considered giving them the Steam engine as if humanity was a baby to be coddled.

A baby incapable of doing anything itself. I do not know if they did this due to their mission or some arrogant ambition of making themselves gods in the eyes of humanity. They are certainly not above bending their minds to their will. The one named Druig who could mind control organic beings. He was very liberal with his ability and saw no issues to use it to have humans obey him.

It reminded me too much of the council of Cybertron.

Some of them might be more moral, but ive been watching them via the network for nearly a year. They show no guilt for their actions and care greatly for eachother. Even if i only eliminated those i have an issue with, the others are bound to Celestial control. If i kill the leader another one will be given the position and controlled if necessary.

These beings were defining the path and fate of humanity only to put them on a path where they are slaughtered to give birth to another Celestial. My interactions with their kind may have been brief, but if they do this everywhere they go, then I have no issue with Unicron devouring them.

And it's because of this that I've decided to intervene. Humankind will not receive a sliver of help or benevolence from me. But it doesn't mean they don't deserve better than what they have right now.

So I've decided to eliminate them.

Planning it was not too hard. A small satellite to recon the area sufficed. The deviants were also beings made by the celestials but they had unexpectedly evolved beyond their control. They had zero control over their rogue creations but their profiles were still in the database.

I found a few already circling the region, and small orbital blasts were enough to direct them into each other's presence. Once five had been assembled, the same tactic was enough to direct them towards Uruk.

I find it ironic that the last one struggling against Gilgamesh was called Enkidu. Even more proof of how their meddling has affected the history of humanity. I had also lost sight of it behind the array created by Sprite.

And while this illusion of body doubles would present an issue, it's not something I can't work around. I burst free from the rocks and boulders I had covered myself in. I had arrived last night and dug myself into the mountainside with only the barrel of my gun arm poking through.

My black armour stands in contrast to the colours of the mountainside making me visible to the lot of them. And just as hoped, they are not an efficient team unit. As expected when all you are meant to fight are mindless monsters.

But I am no beast.

Three of them rushed out of the illusion. The one who could fly, Ikaris, had a standard superman package. Then there was Thena, the warrior who could run no faster than a car.

Then there was Makkari who was my immediate concern as she had already reached me.

My arm had already shifted to my dual Pathblaster configuration. The explosive ammunition was loaded and I promptly shot the ground where I expected her to be once the rounds hit. The first shot missed entirely, the next ones got closer. By the time she was within 50 meters of myself, she actually made an effort to dodge my blasts.

She managed to close the distance and promptly slammed into my leg. My leg was pushed through the ground and I nearly lost my footing as the speedster quickly retreated. The blood on her knuckles, a clear reason why.

Even though she was injured, my systems did report that my armor had been damaged. The Adamantium had cracked and bent from the impact. These beings certainly are no joke. I admit that I underestimated just how fast she was, but I had some tricks up my sleeve.

My arm reconfigured into another gun as I saw her doing something truly expected. She pulled a knife. A speedster with a weapon… Well fuck.

I jump up with all my strength and activate thrusters in my legs and back to keep myself afloat. Even though I was out of her direct range, she used the chance to gain speed and jumped into the air, quickly gripping onto my side and stabbing her blade between my plating. More than ever I appreciated my reinforced armour layers made of Adamantium. Sure, she certainly ripped through it with that weird knife, but she didn't react fast enough as my hand clawed around her body.

She was quick to try and pry herself free, but it didn't stop my arm from ripping her towards the sky. As she was sent flying, my lone optic followed her trajectory and I quickly predicted where she would land. A speedster can do what they want in the air, but if they don't do that weird cyclone move that the flash had sometimes demonstrated, they were immobile targets.

She did shift her body in order to reach the ground faster, but it wasn't faster than my next projectile. You see, I had shifted my weapon into the Glass Gas Cannon. A wonderful weapon designed to destroy metallic constructs or beings by chemically freezing and corroding them to a glass like state which would shatter… well like Glass.

The grenade-like canister flew past the small speedster and exploded upon hitting the ground. A white gas pours out and quickly covers the area… And the speedster is helpless to stop her fall.

If I still had the capability, I would be smiling by this point. Her body cramps up as she plummets into the highly reactive gas. She lands with a loud grunt and my optic shows me how her legs crack and groan as she tries to get up. A quick change back to the Pathblaster is followed by me aiming at her head.

To my terrible luck, Ikaris came flying in and unleashed his eye beams upon my gun arm. I quickly readjust the gun in front of myself to block the beams as he closes the distance, my other hand was reconfiguring into the clawed form. As he comes into melee range with the intention to punch me in the face, my clawed arm is there to greet him. I miss his main body, but gleefully see one of my digits penetrate his shoulder and nearly rip the entire limb off.

He screams in pain as my hand clamps around him. I stretch out my arm before throwing him into the ground next to the speedster. My only hope is that the gas hasn't dissipated too much.

My arm quickly aims back towards the ground and I see the Speedster stare up at me with an extremely hate filled expression. She had righted her form and jumped back into action and sprinted out of the chemical cloud….Only to have her legs shatter after 20 meters. The shock on her face fades as her chest is torn apart by a quick burst of fire from the Pathblasters.

Speedster and healer, check.

Ikaris screams in despair as he realizes another of his "family" has died. He turns around and blasts me with his beams again. His trick is old now and I use my hand to directly block the attack. Even though it's heating my armour I can take the moment to aim my weapon and try to remove him of his head.

He's a bit smarter and actually flies into the air without moving his limbs too much. Rather than changing out the pathblaster, I switch my normal hand into a scatter blaster and promptly launch an array of slugs towards him. Most miss, but just enough to chip away at his body for some extra damage. His arm which was already hanging by threads is completely torn off.

Whatever was keeping him in the sky also started failing and he struggled to even keep himself in the air. A quick salvo with the pathblasters was more than enough.

And with that, The Superman is gone.

I used most of the Glass Gas Ammo in that initial attack as its area of effect is limited to a far smaller radius usually. Some modification allowed for that plume of the gas and it really paid off. The heavy hitters were gone. Sure, some of the remaining ones weren't exactly weaklings, but their lack in mobility allows me to rely on my Alt forms.

The next part comes as quite a surprise honestly. Something slams right into my chest and slams me backwards. I crash into the ground with a large smoldering hole in the center of my Torso. A quick diagnostic shows that the first layer of the armour is wrecked, but the Proto-adamantium protected my vitals.

Rather than getting back to my feet, I transform into my tank form and Ready the cannon to fire. I never managed to get my hands on an Ion Cannon like Megatron did, but the Mass driver I have for my Tank form will just have to do.

Zooming in on my view of the city, I see the Tech creator, Phastos holding some kind of cannon-like construct which had been built around Kingu's arm. He was the one who could shoot energy blasts from his fingertips. The barrel was smoking and his face was unnaturally pale. I can tell the pair noticed my cannon adjusting to shoot at them, but to their luck, my view is covered by countless body doubles once more.

Interesting. Their teamwork isn't quite non-existent then. Their battles so far have made them complacent but it seems that losing 3 of their own has given them the kick in the ass they needed. Except for Thena, who was still running. Though she was screaming bloody murder.

But It's far too late now though. First one that has to go now is Sprite, the stupid girl has things more complicated again. These idiots have close to no teamwork honestly. Their heavy hitters were gone.

With the rev of my engine, my treads rip me through the ground and just as I begin to speedspeeding down the mountainside, I shift directly into my bomber form and point my nose towards the sky. I quickly gain altitude while I sort through my remaining arsenal. I briefly considered using some of my remaining ammunition for a miniature chaosmaster bomb, but turning Uruk into an irradiated wasteland felt a bit counterproductive.

So, I rely on something more mundane. I align myself towards the enemy's location while dodging further blasts from the sea of illusionary Eternals. A few hits clipped my wing, but I was still able to drop my chosen payload. It's something humans had also made if I recall. A thermobaric bomb. It worked similar in nature to a powder explosion. A fuel of sorts was rapidly spread over a large area and then ignited a fraction of a second later to create a massive fireball which was accompanied by an immense pressure wave.

I dropped the bomb in the middle of the horde of Eternals and as the bomb triggers, the many body doubles dissipate as the remaining Eternals take cover from the weapon. Phastos used his modular machines to create a shield for himself and Kingu while the other woman, Sersi Ii believe, the one who can transmute matter, used the ground beneath them to form a metallic dome around her and the so far unnamed Eternals.

Sprite was also in there.

So, I switched things up once more. I transform back into my robot form and drop into free fall while loading the last remaining ammo for the glass gas cannon. I shoot it towards the dome and see it corrode with glee. With an earth shattering impact, I slam into the dome and break it entirely. I can't take the time to see who I managed to harm as Gilgamesh immediately jumps out to slam his fist into my visor. The impact is certainly disorienting, but I have enough sense to create some distance and use my thrusters to dodge away from the group.

To my surprise, I actually didn't get to kill Sprite, nor did I have to. You see, while scorched by the attack I unleashed, the Deviant the Eternals had been fighting was still alive. The beastial Enkidu, the horned gorilla like construct, jumped into the fray and grabbed Both Druig and Sprite before any of them could prevent it.

Druig's head is quickly crushed while sprite attempted to create more illusion, but failing as the clawed hand tears into her torso.

All of these things were happening incredibly fast and the time it took some of the eternals to turn around and see what had happened was far too long to allow them to prevent it.

The distraction is a lovely opportunity to pepper Sersie in the back and for me to change my other arm into the thermo rocket cannon. As she falls onto her front, Gilgamesh turns back to me only to be greeted with an adamantium armored Foot slamming into his body. The rockets are aimed towards Phastos and Kingu and once I get the target lock notification, I aim the weapon into various directions before launching the rockets.

The thing is, Phastos' shield did not cover their entire body and only defended against damage from a single direction. With the rockets fired as they were, they would arrive from all four cardinal directions. Kingu was quick to realise the issue and tried his best to snipe the rockets out of the air.

To my surprise, he actually managed to destroy one of the 10 rockets I had launched. But alas, it was too little. Phastos valiantly tried to defend and managed to block 2 rockets before the remaining ones struck.

Which in turn, ended with two more Eternals Dead.

"WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS!!!" Gilgamesh screamed as he was tearing himself from a boulder I had kicked him into.

Turning to him I pause for a moment. I reload all my weapons before swapping out my hand for an Electro bolter. I could understand his words, I downloaded what I could from the Celestial's pod, this included whatever language modules were already within the local Eternals.

"Because you are would-be gods" My vocalizer calls out to them.

Gilgamesh steps forward with his arms raised, crackling with energy. Sersi had her back turned towards him and was staring at the last remaining Deviant. This "Enkidu" was simply staring at me as well. Its facial expressions were unreadable, but I can imagine it was just as interested in what I had to say.

"WHAT? No, We are prote-" His words are cut off by the sudden impact of an electrified Rod Impaling his throat and impaling him on the ground behind him.

With that done, I look towards the last remaining Girl surrounded by me and Enkidu.

"This is actually pointless. Only Ajak knew the true purpose of you being here and I eliminated her first. And I do not have the patience of explaining it to the rest of you. You claim to be protectors but have no issue enslaving the minds of those you protect. Sometimes, people like you have to be shown that, No, you do not know better."

Sersi's face was breaking with despair, "Th- That's it? You would slaughter us over something so petty-" Another bolt is fired from my arm and her face is destroyed by the metal rod. There was no way I was going to get closer to her, and killing them like this is just more efficient.

My danger sense activated and I narrowly dodge backwards, narrowly dodging an ax-like structure which carved through a layer of my arm as if it was butter. The construct dissipates when it lands in the ground and I can't help but stare at it with fascination.

That was a monomolecular blade. Not something easy to create.

I turn to the location of origin and see that Thena had thrown the weapon….She was crying. Her face was filled with an immense despair… I do understand her plight. Her 'would be' family was just snuffed out and she didn't understand why.

Realistically, I'd finished what I wanted to do. She wouldn't continue this sham of a cult nor does she have the ability to report back to the Celestials…

But it was bad sport to leave Enemies alive that would dedicate themselves to revenge. Especially ones like these with so much potential. Any one of them has the potential to hinder or even kill me with enough preparation. I do not have the backing of a galactic empire anymore. If im defeated… Im gone. And even with 6 Drones back at my base to back me up, it just isnt enough to take the risk.

I bring my focus back to Thena. Her body is tougher, it made sense as she was a close range fighter. She continues in her sprint even as her body is perforated by my ammunition. I have to give her credit. She's certainly tenacious.

But the sheer disparity in power cannot be ignored. I am a Cybertronian.. I can process things like a machine. Fast, effective, without any arbitrary limitations. Eternals may have been created by immensely powerful beings, but they are leashed. They do not know their own nature or their own capability. No… they are actively kept from it.

And now, they are gone. It took blasts from the Pathblaster until Thena went down, and two more to kill her properly.

And with that. It was over. They were dead, the land around me was scorched and destroyed. The only things alive were myself, the bugs beneath us, and the Deviant who has been stoically bearing witness to the entire exchange.

My lone optic is entirely focused on the being and I take a step towards it. It does not react violently. its limbs are tense, but it still doesn't show hostile intent. If anything, it seems as if it wants to look away.

After I move a little closer, small tendrils extend from its back and puncture the bodies of the two Eternals it had killed. Yellow lights transport some kind of energy from their bodies towards the Deviant and it's body started to visibly shift

No, it was evolving.

The Corpses were dissolving and the Deviant enhanced itself. Soon enough, its ape-like body changed into a more humanoid one. Rather than being stabilized by massive arms, it could now stand upright.

As the last motes of energy are devoured, it simply stares at me and with a low grumble, I'm able to hear," What….What…. Now"

So it is gaining sapience?… Now that is something else. It's question also… brings many more to my mind. What now?

Looking around, I still see the walls of Uruk rather unharmed, and countless human's standing on top of it to see the carnage I have wrought. This… This is a nuisance, but not one I will try to correct. I'm sure that some remote drawing of me will now exist for archeologists to find, but all in all, Human History should be back on track with my actions now complete.

So I turn back to the Deviant, "These bodies are of no further use to me. Take them as your pray and come speak with me once you are done"

Its many eyes blinked with an unsure expression before nodding. It slowly moved towards the body of Serci and prepared its tendrils for another meal. I myself began walking towards the city's gate.

While I did want to dissect the Eternal's bodies at first, I noticed that they were rather simple during the fight. Their bodies were made of durable metal, their energy was derived from shrunken slivers of Stars. Their powers were banal to some of the things I was capable of. That Thena girl had something interesting about her weapon constructs but just because I never delved into the idea of Hardlight constructs being sharpened to such a degree doesn't mean it was impossible to me.

The only one that would have interested me a few years ago was Serci. Her Matter transmutation would have been a wonderful help when I crashed in Antarctica initially. But alas, I had uncovered that specific branch of science on my own… Making anything I got from her redundant.

Now standing before the grand structure of Uruk's walls I considered myself fortunate that the city itself had not been damaged during the battle. The large double doors were only secured via a simple wooden beam which was broken with a simple use of my old electron laser. It wasn't a clean cut and it almost caused the entire thing to catch fire, but at least the thing was still usable.

I marched into the city with slow and heavy steps and saw the humans scattered around me. To my joy, they were not screaming in fear, even if the emotion was evident on their faces. The language modules I took did involve the Sumerian the people here spoke.

" People of Uruk !" My voice bellowed out and I couldn't help but cringe internally. I was just reminded of those really old and campy alien movies. If I said take me to your leader then I think I would implode from the memory alone.

The humans around me braced their bodies and some of them nearly had enough will to raise their spears. They didn't in the end, as expected. I just butchered their gods in front of them. ANYone thinking they might stand a chance isn't brave, just stupid.

"You will not be harmed!" I bellowed out.

"I am not your conqueror, nor do I plan to destroy you or this city." I pause for a moment before gesturing behind me "These people were not gods. Their intentions for you were to be their entertainment and their livestock. These monsters that have been attacking you for as long as you remember? They attacked because of Gilgamesh and his own! They were never after the people of Uruk."

I turn back towards the gate.

"I will not protect or harm you. For centuries, these false gods have dictated your fate….Now, You must choose your own"

And with that, I left. The humans of the city do not speak, nor do they follow. They have no reasons to believe me truly. Just as I called the Eternals false gods, their followers might call me the same. It doesn't change the fact of the matter though. They were dead… And nothing can bring them back.

"Why did you lie to them about my kind?" A different language questions me. I turn my head and now see a much smaller figure than what Enkidu had been. A quick scan of the area reveals that the Eternals had all been drained, even Thena.

The Deviant was certainly fast.

And their transformation was truly curious. Enkidu wasn't much bigger than a human now. And it seems that his features were definitely inspired by the Eternals he consumed. He had all their abilities now, if anything he's quite a formidable being. But he has no true reason to be hostile.

With ten Eternals consumed, Enkidu was able to assume a human form in more than just shape. Fair skin, an androgynous body. And another interesting aspect.

"To convince them of my point. The Truth is not always convenient…." I tilt my head as I return with a question of my own, "Why is your hair green?"

His head turns to the side as he begins to play with a strand of his own hair. "… When I first came to… be me I guess, I was surrounded by plants and water… And I remember it being rather… nice."

What a fascinating fellow. He was developing a personality.

The new being looks back at me and his eyes keep flashing through differing colors, "What now… what should I do?"

"You're asking me?"

He tilts his head and his eyes seemed to settle on a warm green eyes, "You… you seemed knowledgeable"

Pausing for a moment I decide to ask him something else instead, "Perhaps we should start with your name. Are you aware of it?"

"I wasn't aware I had one"

" Your creat-… the Celestials… Nevermind, Your name Is Enkidu. And for what you should do… " I give him another look and consider just what he's capable of. Without a doubt, he's a threat to the planet and its people… But he deserves freedom nevertheless.

"I'm not one to command you. But I'd prefer us not to be enemies." I pause for a moment before looking back towards the city, "Do not destroy humanity. You are not obliged to help them. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't mess with them too much. A little here and there is fine, but nothing that would affect them by massive degrees."

He isn't forced to uphold it. But he knows we will be enemies otherwise. No creating Bioplagues or something to wipe them all out.

"In all honesty, I recommend you simply live your life. Not for some goal or some other being… But simply yourself."

He seemed to be thinking on my words before looking around at the broken buildings and the scene of my battle. The corpses of his former compatriots were still visible. "And the other Deviants? They… they won't be like me. They will still hunt and kill them"

He had a point in that regard, that was sure. "Well… I say let them be. Humans have this neat aspect of rising to the occasion during dire times… Legendary battles await the two races. If anything, you can look forward to those." I turn back towards the mountain range and slowly step forward. These Deviants, I haven't seen many but I could tell. They are beasts of myth and legend, Things like the Hydra or Kraken, The Nemean Lion or Griffon.

And they all had their respective heroes to kill them. (Also, based on what I've seen of them, they could be taken down with Humanities "Modern Firearms" even. They aren't unbeatable.)

"Before you go… May I have your name?"

"I go by… Hmm, this language doesn't quite have an equivalent. But I'm stuck on this planet for quite some time. I'm sure we'll be able to me-"

My sensors practically screamed at me of an incoming threat. A space-time anomaly just outside the atmosphere quickly raced towards my location. The Anomaly soon became visible and was heading towards me from the Persian Gulf.

I quickly turned towards Enkidu, " Run, NOW" The tone of my voice left no room to question my words. And to my luck he took my words to heart. With the speed he acquired from the speedster he quickly turned into a blip on the Horizon.

Now, with no one in my immediate vicinity, I fly towards the Anomaly with hopes of widening the distance between myself and Uruk. I'm barely able to cross a kilometer before the Singularity widens and expands to show its creator.

A giant being with 6 eyes and an immense armoured body. The Rust coloured sheen of its body making clear who it is.

"Arishem of the Celestials" I vocalise to the giant being which was now hovering over the land, peering down at all in front of it.

His glowing eyes were staring solely at me. I assumed he would be a stoic and calm being. Someone with that much power ought to be after all.

But alas, it wasn't the case.

Ċ̷̡͠ẏ̷̞̦b̵͈̳̪̆e̶̥̋̽̎ͅr̶͖̗̺̾͆͘t̴̗͕̄̔r̴̖͋̈́̇ő̴̫̥̮̈́͊n̶͍̍i̷͇̦̋̚͠a̶̜̭͌̾n̵̠̣̈́̉ ̸̅

Its voice was scratchy and trembled with rage. His giant hands were twitching and his eyes flickered. Even with me seeing a godly being like this in such an enraged state, I was less afraid than I would normally be.

Because I've seen one of them before, reduced to such a pathetic state by the Devil of my people. And my old knowledge from comics still existed. They were powerful, yes, but not unbeatable. Even Humans, while notable examples of the race like Stark or Mr Fantastic, were able to best them at times.

"Celestial. This planet and Its People were not yours to destroy." I state while boosting my vocaliser to carry my voice as far as possible. I was also reconfiguring my gun arm into something….Experimental. I was under no illusion that I could kill a Celestial with my current arms….But I did have a trick up my sleeve.

A̷n̶d̶ ̵w̶h̸o̴ ̴a̶r̵e̴ ̶y̶o̷u̴ ̴t̸o̴ ̶c̴o̵m̷m̸a̶n̵d̷ ̷a̶ ̷g̸o̸d̸

It voiced out, its voice less filled with static, but no less laced with Hatred.

"I am a child of Primus and a Follower of Unicron. And i claimed this planet before you and your pawns arrived" I didnt actually worship the Planet eating..Planet, but invoking his name can't hurt… Unless he can hear me.

Ignoring that.

P̵r̴i̵m̴u̷s̵ ̶l̸i̵e̸s̶ ̶d̴o̶r̶m̵a̴n̴t̶ ̴a̸n̸d̷ ̷U̴n̶i̵c̶r̵o̶n̴ ̵d̴o̸e̸s̸ ̶n̴o̵t̸ ̴c̸a̶r̶e̸ ̵f̴o̴r̴ ̴t̴h̴e̵ ̵l̵i̴k̷e̷s̴ ̶o̴f̸ ̵y̵o̶u̸.̴

̶Y̶o̵u̶ ̸m̷u̷r̷d̴e̸r̵e̵d̷ ̵T̸i̸a̴m̶ut̸ ̷b̶e̶f̵o̵r̶e̶ ̵i̸n̸ ̸h̷e̵r̸ ̸i̷n̴f̸a̶n̷c̵y̶ ̷a̵n̵d̸ ̶w̷i̵l̸l̶ ̸n̷o̵t̸ ̶g̴o̷ ̴u̵n̵p̷u̴n̶i̵s̷h̵e̴d̵

Arishem holds out his hand and I feel the earth around me shatter and shake. It wasn't a proper earthquake, It was localized to the area around me. The pressure was increasing and the temperature was rising.

"Well, I had to try….It seems negotiations have failed."

The Energon in my ammo reserve mixes together with another container… containing Dark Energon. That's the glory of scientific progress. When new phenomena are discovered, its many applications are quickly considered. But one of the first, if not the very first, is its potential to kill someone else.

And the weapon I designed is just that. On the surface, it's just the Thermo Rocket cannon with a single payload armed and ready. The Payload contained two capsules with the exact same amount of Energon Variants within. They were primed to detonate and mix together in equal proportions.

I could tell that time was running out. The shaking was getting worse and the Pressure and Temperature was increasing Exponentially. The moment it took me to aim my arm and get a target lock was enough for the effect to crack my armor plates.

By the time I pulled the trigger, I could feel that my internal circuitry was beginning to overheat. Isolating materials were melting and I could feel pain throughout my entire being. The Missile I fired was also affected by the effect, but it was still able to escape the radius.

I had bet on Arishem ignoring the missile and thinking it a simple weapon that wouldn't even tickle him, so he made no effort to dodge or destroy it.

But it wasn't alright. A part of the missile was bent, and it wouldn't fly straight. Even though the navigations system tried to compensate, it still diverged from its Path.As the missile raced towards his shoulder rather than his head, I awaited with bated breath what happened.

My internal systems were overheating and my visor cracked from the pressure build up. My Adamantium plating was bending and breaking all over my body. And it all culminated in one thing.

{Warning, Extensive Damage detected}

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-10 micro cycles}

My vision was already fading, but I got to see the missile hit. Everything went quiet, I thought it was some added shockwave from the explosion, but it was my Audio receptors going into critical failure.

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-8 micro cycles}

But I still saw it. The effect. A beautiful explosion. The Two conflicting Forms of Energon reacting violently and ERASING the surrounding space. It would have been nice if it had hit the head. But seeing the explosion tear a giant hole into the Celestial's shoulder was a thing of beauty.

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-5 micro cycles}

And then, I heard that scream again. Not through my audio receptors, but my whole body. It had been just a few years since I heard it. A celestial's scream. It wasn't as despairing as the one who had been eaten by Unicron, but its fear was palpable.

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-3 micro cycles}

It was delectable. To see such a being brought low….It was….reminding me of the beginning. Why I wanted the Celestial and his Eternals gone. Humans….they deserve better.

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-5 micro cycles}

Same with Enkidu. He deserves to be his own person….Funny how that reminds me. I wasn't religious, even though I should be. Unicron was real and… It's strange of me to think of the old saying now.

{Engaging Stasis lock in T-5 micro cycles}

Freedom… is the right of… All..

{Stasis Lock Engaged. Temporal freeze successful}

{Awaiting repairs}

Unknown time

Unknown Location

Prorex

Darkness… All the Minicon could see was covered in pitch black dark, only ever illuminated by his own light.

He was in a cavern which had collapsed. His body was completely covered. He found himself repeatedly in Stasis lock. He couldn't be sure how he got here.

He took the escape pod out of unspace… and immediately crashed into a plant of some kind. He lost consciousness after that. Ever since, he's found himself alone in the darkness.

He didn't mind the stasis lock, as he didn't enjoy being on his own anyway. He'd never been separated from Terrorvolt so long… It didn't feel comfortable.

His thoughts weren't really complex. This was always the case with Minicons. They weren't really a social or intelligent species… But he was always respected nevertheless.

And it makes him miss her even more…

So he goes back to sleep.

His environmental data was incapable of telling how long he's been here, but it felt like an eternity since he arrived. But soon enough, a change occurred.

He could hear them. The vibrations in the walls around him. Something was here. It was a slow sound, sometimes heavy, sometimes light.

As the days go on, so does the sound grow closer. He can eventually tell more. The sounds of… Metal hitting stone, voices carried over the air. He didn't recognize the language. It wasn't in any database he ever read,

So he might have to handle a first contact situation then?… That's certainly something he wouldn't be looking forward to.

Eventually, as the sounds grew closer, he realized the nature of the sound. Pickaxes.

The people here were mining. This was good. It means he would be reached soon enough.

The voices became clearer and while he couldn't understand their words, he still recorded them and had whatever processing power he didn't need to try and translate the words. It was incredibly difficult on account of not having any visual cues, but any progress is still progress.

Before long, he could see the first motes of light that weren't his. He saw the beings working on the walls… Humans.

He was one of the only two beings who knew of them… Because some people underestimate just how much Terrorvolt had trusted him. He knew what she was, how she was once human. He didn't really think much on the mechanics of it or the implications.

Those were too much for him. And perhaps this is why she shared so much with him.

The wall in front of his torso was broken down and shocked gasps were followed by a dozen stares. The humans in front of him were… different to what he had been shown.

Their bodies were much thinner than what TV had shown him. Their bones were visible through their lack of musculature. Their clothing was also very different. There were no vibrant colors and unique styles, no they all wore gray and brown rags that seemed like they hadn't been cleaned in megacycles.

And some were even more different. He knew there was a variance in humans, something called ethnicities. Darker skin, whiter skin. But some that he could see had blue or green skin. One of them even had scaled and another had bone-like protrusions coming from their skull.

Was this truly humankind? Or perhaps the records he received were simply incomplete.

Either way, for now he should verify their intentions. They probably realized that he was already functional, so playing "Dead" was out of the question.

He was unsure how to communicate with them either. He still had no proper data on their language…

But, to his luck, he didn't need to. One of the younger humans stepped forward. She had brightly glowing green eyes and some kind of clamp over her mouth. She moved towards him and held out her hand.

His legs were still stuck but he could reach out in turn. The gesture was apparently universal among their kind. A way of showing oneself as unarmed and trying to make peace or an agreement with another party.

He gently clasps his hand around hers, making sure not to crush the organic limb. She said something in her language and he eventually shook his head. She seemed to have some understanding until she gestured with the pickaxe in her other hand and staring at the remaining rock and stone constricting him. He gives a small nod in agreement and she moves closer to his side to free him from the wall.

She swings her pickaxe and with trained movements proceeds to break him free. Before long, the last swing is no longer needed and he is able to free himself. He takes a step away from the cave wall.

The people all took a step back as he approached the girl. She was taller than him, not that much more, but it was still a novel experience. Especially considering everyone he knew towered above him in height.

Drawing upon his knowledge of Humans, he bends his auxiliary servos and re-enacts the bowing motion as a sign of respect. To his interest, she responds in kind.

At that moment, a small bell seems to ring out in the distance. It was definitely a bell of sorts, as he had heard it before. The humans gained an expression of concern as another quickly approached with some kind of blanket and quickly wrapped it around Prorex like a cloak.

Before he could even question the action, he was pulled along by his hand and noticed how the others quickly fell into some kind of formation. They began walking through the mine and merge with other groups. They were dressed similarly and were just as thin. Furthermore, they also had a great range in physical characteristic..

There was something unsettling about the situation though. Soon enough, they came across some kind of structure which he assumed had been built to cover up the cave entrance. And there, he saw the guards. They were different.

Clean, full clothing, melee weapons and en expression of bored disdain….

To think, he would find himself in the same kind of environment in which he had first met Terrorvolt.

It seems that every race and species, no matter how advanced or primitive, is capable of great evil.

Author's note:

The Prorex part was meant to be in the next chapter but that felt mean as i haven't mentioned him in a while.

Now, there may be some open questions, but on the ones I can answer. The next chapter will have more on Prorex and Enkidu who deals with the aftermath of the Celestial's attack. This also included the consequences the region will experience as a whole from TV's actions.

Not to mention what the Terrorcons will do as soon as TV goes offline.

And then… well, i don't want to spoil anything.

Also, while I doubt many people were fans of the MCU Eternals, I apologize for those who thought they might be relevant for longer.

Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4

Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN

If you want to DM me in discord,

my username is "La Pucelle Altre ඞ#4523". Feel free to contact me anytime!

Pat reon Link: htt ps/ww w.pat reon .com/La_Pucelle_Altre

(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)