Wazup y'all!
I have returned!
Sorry it took me so long for this chapter, stuff has been going on irl and on top of that, I had to rewrite multiple scenes in this chapter to keep its quality up to snuff. Once again as always, feel free to ask any questions that come to mind, I would be happy to reply in the next chapter.
Answer to Bigvic's review in chapter 2: The clone's purpose is going to remain a mystery for a bit, I've got some ideas in the vault to solve some aligned continuity discrepancies for a later chapter. Because of this, it would be better to leave this question unanswered for the anticipation of the story.
Please enjoy chapter 3!
"Alright. Take firm hold of the trigger here, then the handle down the barrel here." Junction directed me. We were talking earlier about how heavy Junctions minigun really was, with him saying it was heavier than I weighed and I had no chance of even lifting it. I decided to challenge that and am now standing at the targeting range, Junction showing me how to hold it. I grabbed the trigger handle and the other handle down the barrel and hefted it off the ground.
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad." I mocked, lifting the massive weapon above my head.
"Alright then big guy, try shooting it." Throttle quipped.
I aimed the gun at a group of targets, two Starscreams and three Soundwaves. I unleashed the firepower of the weapon, probably firing a couple hundred bullets in the 2 seconds I held down that trigger. The backfire was so strong it literally pushed me backwards, the barrel slowly angling upward as it fired out of my control.
"How do you fire this thing!?" I exclaimed over my now mildly impaired hearing.
"I am twice as heavy as you, how do you think?" Junction laughed, "Here, let me show you how it's done."
Then Junction pushed me aside and took his minigun, firing it in bursts, perfectly aimed at each target in no particular order. He surprisingly even managed to make contact with one of the Lazerbeaks in the ceiling even considering the accuracy of his weapon.
"Do you mind!?" Someone yelled behind us, stopping Junction in his tracks.
"You keep unleashing that thing on our ceiling and you'll shoot right through the floor of the second level!" Synapsis cautioned.
"Sorry chief." Junction replied sarcastically as he mounted his gun on his back.
"Are you just here to scold us on shooting in the shooting range or is there another reason you're here?" Throttle snapped.
"Come with me," Synapsis replied simply.
The four of us followed Synapsis to his lab where I spent a great deal inside, trying my best to create a friendship with Synapsis. The only problem is… he is very distant. That could be because he is very focused on his work, but he always had the same demeanour even from the time I tried defending him in the outpost all that time ago. He is the hardest person I know to read… unless he's pissed off.
Autobot scientists scrambled through the lab as Synapsis slammed the main console which deployed a holoscreen depicting a blueprint of the combiner's head.
"I cracked it." He stated simply, and surprisingly with a mild excited tone.
"Cracked what?" Interceptor asked.
"The combiner's mental link. My idea works."
"Please, don't bother elaborating." Throttle sighed sarcastically.
"Y'know what, it can wait for a moment. Throttle, I would like to show you something first." Synapsis responded with an extremely unusual massive smirk.
"This'll be good," Interceptor muttered under his breath.
"Stand here." Synapsis directed Throttle, referring to the cloning machine. As he said this, he also placed a small disc-like device on the top of the machine.
"If this is just an attempt to waste everyone's time, I'm not impressed." Throttle sighed.
"Oh don't worry, this will be worth your while," Synapsis smirked as a small force field deployed around the cloning machine from the disc.
"What is this?" Throttle asked cautiously.
"Oh don't worry, it's just for radiation purposes. I don't want the equipment getting fried." Synapsis replied, typing into a portable holo-pad.
"Sure." Throttle replied sceptically, visibly confused with the blue ray tracing his body.
"What the hell is this thing?" Throttle finally asked as the clone was beginning to be constructed.
"This is a cloning machine. It needs a couple of adjustments, but I had just tweaked it recently and I needed a test subject, you are the perfect candidate." Synapsis explained.
"And why is that?"
"Because according to my understanding, you are always armed."
Another abomination has now tumbled out of the second doorway.
"What the SCRAP!?" Throttle screamed as he backed away from the beast.
It gurgled and then lunged for him. But Throttle was only quick enough to shoot it in the abdomen, not killing it in time. The beast grappled onto Throttle which made him scream. Junction and Interceptor were practically on the floor by now, Synapsis remained more composed but had a very large smile on his face, proudly watching Throttle's suffering. I also enjoyed seeing Throttle screaming like a femme, but I thought he'd had enough.
Without a word, I took out my rifle and ordered Synapsis to lower the force field. Once he did, I shot the clone in the back just below the neck, killing it.
Throttle, now buried by the corpse of a failed clone, was panting out of fear and exhaustion. He hefted the limp corpse off of him and tossed it to the side.
"You are… so gonna pay… for that." He announced between breaths as Junction and Interceptor continued howling with laughter.
"I look forward to it." Synapsis mused, "Now for why I really brought you here."
"The combined consciousness thing?" I clarified.
"Yes. I found a way to make the combiner itself have its own consciousness with attributes of all of its components. A completely separate entity."
"Ok… so what?" Interceptor argued.
"Well, that means that our combiner is going to be smarter than Devastator, which gives us an extreme advantage. With the specific members I have chosen, our combiner will have specific qualities such as speed, bravery, skill, and discernment. The combiner can finally be formed." Synapsis concluded.
"I have all of those qualities." Throttle muttered.
"When will that happen?" I asked, ignoring Throttle's remark.
"Any second," Synapsis replied, closing the holoscreen from the console and opening the wall behind it, revealing a large window. The window revealed a large room with scaffolding. The six components gather in the centre of the room. Synapsis then walked around the console to another smaller desk behind it, up against the wall below the window. He then clicked a few buttons on the desk and started to speak into a hidden microphone.
"We are go for combination. All personnel please enter into the blast shelters located on the bottom level, we will begin shortly." He directed.
All of the scientists and engineers rushed into large doors on the outskirts of the room. The six then organised themselves in the centre of the room, Hauler and Sandstorm in front, Blockbuster and Flywheel in the middle and Vertigo and Twilight behind him.
"Whenever you're ready gentlemen." Synapsis' voice echoed from the other room as he pulled up a diagnostic of the constant readings of all six components.
Hauler then began to shift slowly, his chest and crane merging together, Sandstorm also did the same, transforming in place. Blockbuster and Flywheel then jumped on top of the first two, merging together. Then finally Vertigo and Twilight connected with Blockbuster who seemed to become the main body. It took a couple moments for the body to completely combine and lock in, but he looked glorious.
"What is your name, soldier?" Synapsis asked after a moment of awe-inspired gazing.
"My… name?" The combiner bellowed in a deep voice.
"Yes. Choose one that belongs to you." Synapsis replied.
The combiner thought about it for a moment, but then replied, "I am… Senturion."
"Well Senturion, welcome to the Autobots."
"Who… where… are you?" He asked.
"I am above you, behind the window," Synapsis replied.
"Doesn't seem too intelligent to me." Throttle muttered.
"These are Senturion's first moments of existence. He is going to have to learn all other existence around him from scratch." Synapsis replied with his mic turned off.
"Tell me Senturion, why did you choose that name?" Synapsis asked through the mic again.
"Because… I want to protect people."
"And are you willing to do anything within your power to do that?"
"I am." Senturion replied in a serious tone.
Synapsis then typed something into his console which projected a screen in front of Senturion.
"This is Devastator. He is endangering the lives of good people you need to protect. You need to stop him in order to save the lives of those who need you." Synapsis briefed.
"When do I fight him?" He asked angrily.
"In 30 Astro-cycles."
Suddenly, Senturion groaned. He then backed up a couple of steps, grabbing his cranium plate. Then out of nowhere, he cried out and the components of Senturion separated in a tumble. We all followed Synapsis as he rushed out of the room to where I assume is a route to where the components are currently writhing. The large door at the bottom of the staircase opened into the large room we were watching from above, Synapsis sprinted for Hauler to scan his life signs.
"No physical or mental damage, nothing has happened to them. There is no reason for them to even have a mild headache." He reported.
"Check again… my head has never hurt this much before." Vertigo groaned as Blockbuster proceeded to slam his head repeatedly into the wall to end the migraine.
"So… what happened?" Interceptor asked.
"I don't know, this is a new experience for all of us. Perhaps it was just shock." He theorised.
"I hope you're right doc, they don't look too good." Junction mused, observing the six lying on the floor, groaning.
"As I said, no ailments of any kind. They'll be fine." Synapsis concluded as he stood upright and walked away.
In protest to Synapsis' denial, I followed him attempting to stop him once we were out of earshot of the combiner components in case this conversation would become worrying to them. However, I was stopped by Ultra Magnus once I followed Synapsis through the hangar door.
"Ah, Jaeger. Just the bot I want to see." He mused.
"Oh?" I asked.
"Follow me."
I followed the General through the hallways filled with the bustle of rushing Autobots. Probably all in relation to the component's current status. I followed him into a less inhabited hallway with bots passing through only every few Astro-cycles.
"Jaeger, how do you feel about added responsibility?" He asked.
"I'm certainly not opposed. Whatever you need me to do, consider it done." I replied without hesitation.
"That's good to hear." He mused, "You know Junction, Interceptor and Throttle, correct?"
"I do, in fact, I've gotten close with most of them."
"Most?" He clarified.
"Throttle isn't exactly the most collaborative," I replied.
"I see."
"Why do you ask? If I may." I asked respectfully.
"You four have been exceptional in the field, of course, Junction has had some experience, and Interceptor is very skilled even on his own. Throttle, however, while having great potential, needs some work." He explained.
"How's that? I've fought alongside him before, he is very imposing." I inquired further.
"While that may be true, as you have brought out, he isn't exactly a… team player. He puts himself in situations and takes risks that could needlessly endanger himself and others more than necessary. The reason I am coming to you about this is for the same reason I made you a Wrecker. It's also the same reason you have become such an exceptional fighter in the short time span you have been training."
"I would not consider myself exceptional," I replied simply.
"And that is precisely why you are. You don't feel like you have something to prove or that it's a competition and you need to be number one. You recognize your place in the battle and truly focus on what you are fighting for. I do not believe Throttle shares those traits."
"And what do you want me to do about that… sir?" I clarified.
"Jaeger, imagine for a moment that you are a commanding officer of a strike team. Junction, Interceptor and a few others are in this team, including Throttle. What is your duty as a Commander to ensure that Throttle is at his best in this scenario?" He asked me.
"Well… considering I already know what the problem is, instead of scolding him which he would not respond well to, I would approach him about it and try to understand exactly why he is taking these risks and correct him. Then from there, I would ensure he sticks with it."
"Good thinking." He replied with a smirk, "Now how do you feel about added responsibility?" He repeated with the same expression.
"Are you actually making me the commander of a strike team?" I clarified in disbelief.
"In fact I am. The members will consist of yourself, Junction, Interceptor and Throttle. More may be added later but right now, that is all. Your team's mission, for now, will be an usher for the Senturion team during their first drafting. It will be your duty to ensure all members of your squad are effective in every aspect." He briefed as he began to walk away.
"Uh… sir?" I stopped him.
He turned to me without a word.
"Thank you," I said simply.
He nodded slightly in reply and continued his exit.
I walked back to the viewing gallery at a normal pace where we observed the combination of Senturion. I only found Synapsis at the console, typing frantically into it. The other three lingered around the room, Interceptor staring out of the window, Throttle cautiously observing the cloning machine and Junction leaned up against a nearby wall polishing one of his rifles.
"Everyone, I come with news." I introduced as I entered the room.
"Good or bad?" Interceptor asked without breaking his infinite gaze out the window.
"Neither. We all have a new assignment. Ultra Magnus has organised the four of us into a support team for Senturion. We will be drafted along with him shortly." I briefed.
"Good. I've been dying to unleash some rage." Throttle mused as he walked out the door behind me without another word.
Interceptor followed him without any objection as Junction approached me slowly, waiting for the other two to leave the room I assumed.
"I have just one question, and it doesn't matter how you respond… but I may have some opinions." He asked me in almost a whisper.
"Go for it." I replied.
"Who's the commander and chief? I know it's not Magnus."
"It was not my decision, but he chose me." I sighed begrudgingly.
"Well, I cannae(1) say I'm opposed." He mused, patting my shoulder as he left the room behind me.
I followed him out and walked down the hallways which the farther we went down the more chaotic they became. Transports were being prepped and several hundreds of soldiers were loading themselves onto them. Most notable of the soldiers, obviously, were the components of Senturion. They seemed perfectly fine even considering the previous events as everyone else cheered them on for their first battle as a team. Throttle was already on the same transport as the Senturion team as Interceptor boarded it. I followed Junction onto the same one. Ultra Magnus then slammed the side of the transport twice and jumped onto it, signalling the transport to start moving. As he sat down he began to brief everyone.
"Now for most of you, your job is the same as usual: take any shot you get and don't die. But for you four," He turned to myself, Junction, Interceptor and Throttle, " as you should know by now, your priority today is to defend Senturion. He is the definitive point in our win or our loss. You are required to put your lives on the line for this squad, are you prepared for that?" He asked, mainly looking at Throttle.
"With all due respect sir," Junction sat forward, "what kind of a question is that?"
"That's what I like to hear." Magnus smiled.
Hauler happened to be sitting the closest to us of the Senturion squad which gave us the opportunity to finally talk with him after his initiation.
"So Hauler," Interceptor began, "how does it feel to be one of the top dogs?"
"I honestly don't know," He laughed, "It's still kind of a shock to me. I always fantasised about getting the chance to stop Devastator and maybe even saving them, but now I can finally take my shot."
"Hauler, I say this only because I care about your wellbeing." I started, "If Devastator cannot be swayed by you, don't put yourself in harm's way out of negligence."
"I appreciate that Jaeger, but I'll be ok. You don't have to worry about me." He chuckled, slapping the side of my right arm.
I smiled and nodded, but I was not convinced. As Throttle began to brag about something compared to the topic, I began to fade out of the conversation as the carrier began to pull out of the base.
The transport shook and suddenly stopped, Autobots pouring out of the rear for an exit. I followed and observed my surroundings. Kaon in the distance on the left, nothing anywhere else. Hauler stood at my left peering through a scope, observing the enemy lines on the horizon.
"He's here." He reported somberly.
"Don't get yourself killed out there," I said almost jokingly, but I meant every word.
The rest of the Senturion squad then gathered together in position ahead of us, Hauler slowly walking up toward the group from beside me. My own team positioned ourselves in front of them. The wall of Decepticons ahead of us finally charged, and our front lines replied in kind.
We waited for a moment as several rows of Autobots passed before charging ourselves at Ultra Magnus's signal. The front lines clashed as explosions rang out all across the battlefield. We charged hard, bursting through the front lines. We then heard a loud war cry, Devastator was charging as well, trampling some of his own allies who didn't clear out of the way in the process.
I ordered my squad to spread out as Hauler dived to the ground in front of him, combining into the right leg. Junction and I were directly ahead of the Senturion squad, unleashing automatic weapon fire on everything in front of us. Interceptor adopted a temporary long-barreled rifle for sniping the few that got past, and Throttle was firing at the closest targets with his two pistols every half second. But before Blockbuster could connect to Hauler and Sandstorm, A shot rang out and pierced his cranium plate mid-transformation. He crumbled to the ground instantly, a pile of seemingly mangled blue and white shrapnel. Hauler transformed back into bipedal mode along with the rest of his team as Vertigo, Twilight and Flywheel crashed into the ground. Flywheel was the most devastated by Blockbuster's death, as he was connected with him as he died. I'm surprised he even survived.
Devastator continued his pursuit as we all watched with terror and hopelessness. Hauler dived to the right toward me at the last second as the rest of his team was brutally dismembered by the titan. He grabbed Flywheel and Twilight first, ripping them both in half at the same time. Vertigo screamed in grief for his fallen allies and transformed into a slender helicopter, flying above the enemy combiner firing everything he had. Devastator growled in anger and backhanded the small flier, causing an immediate, fatal explosion upon impact.
Junction then let out a loud war cry, loud even for him. He unleashed his miniguns on Devastator out of blind rage. I tried calling out to him to make him stop and clear out of the way… but it was too late. Devastator raised his gigantic right ped above him. Junction laughed hysterically, not letting go of his triggers. He was crushed effortlessly.
"NOOOO!" Interceptor called out.
He jumped into the air in a backflip, transforming in the process, immediately shooting everything at Devastator as he flew toward his head. One of the hundreds of bullets made contact with his eye which made him roar loudly in frustration and pain. Interceptor, once directly above the giant's head, transformed and grabbed onto its massive head.
"Your time has come, murderer!" He cried out as he held both his daggers high, and plunged them into the beast's head. But it did nothing. Devastator roared again and grabbed onto Interceptor, ripping him off his head. He took a quick look at my friend and crushed him easily, tossing the remains behind him like he was scrap.
Hauler then dived in front of Devastator while yelling "STOP", throwing him off.
"Stop this now, brothers! Let the violence end! It's me, Hauler, you wouldn't kill your own kin!"
Devastator, without a word, slowly knelt down to put his face close to Hauler. While Hauler was still very large, he was dwarfed by the massive combiner. Once his face was a meter above the ground, Devastator finally spoke.
"You… are… traitor."
Hauler took a small step back as Devastator's red visor slowly began to brighten.
"HAULER!" I cried out, but it was no use.
The red visor then unleashed a beam of blinding red light, enough to vaporise Hauler into dust. I dropped to my knees as Throttle ran at the knelt down combiner in a war cry. He too was vaporised pathetically. I pounded my fist into the ground, letting the sniper slung on my back slip off my shoulder and fall to the ground. I slowly sat on the back of my legs, knelt on the ground without any more care for my own life. I helplessly watched as Devastator stood and slowly walked over to me, his visor still glowing. I held my arms up at my sides, embracing my death as I felt the searing heat begin to devour my metal chassis…
"Alright people! We're here." Ultra Magnus spoke, breaking me from my daze.
Was I… daydreaming? But it seemed so real… so vivid.
"You doing alright there, Jaeger?" Junction asked.
Shocked, I matched his stare in an instant, and then everyone else's. I watched all these people die… or did I?
"Well? Is your voicebox malfunctioning or something?" Throttle mocked.
"Uhh… no, I-I'm fine." I stuttered.
"I hope so, we are about to go toe-to-toe with Devastator dude, and we're the bouncers," Interceptor muttered.
"Thanks for reminding me." I joked, trying to break the tension. A couple others chuckled as we exited the transport.
I now realized that no matter what I said or what I did, there was barely any chance at all of saving Hauler, so I decided then and there that Hauler's fait was in his own hands.
The four of us followed the Senturion team away from the transport as I envisioned with Ultra Magnus at the head of the pack.
"You know what to do," He began, initially speaking to the Senturion team, "Get close enough to the line of scrimmage and combine there. Synapsis is on comms if something goes wrong."
"What could possibly go wrong?" Flywheel mused.
"You'd be surprised," I muttered under my breath for no one else to hear.
"And you," He turned his attention to me, "Make sure all your guys are taking out anything that even steps in Senturion's direction."
I nodded in reply.
"Once you take down Devastator, it's a downhill slope. But don't get cocky, that's when all the great warriors fall." He cautioned all of us.
Then, just as in my vision, the Decepticons appeared over the horizon in one long wall of terror. Our side replied in kind, with one bot in the army letting out the first war cry and everyone else joining in in a full-out sprint. Ultra Magnus held his servo up at us, telling us to wait. My team began to organise themselves in front of the Senturion team. Once several rows of Autobot soldiers passed, Ultra Magnus dropped his hand and stepped to the side, signalling us to begin our charge. And that we did. Junction and I led with Interceptor and Throttle behind us, creating a two-person gap in the army behind us for the Senturion team to follow. We broke through the front lines and started burrowing into Decepticon territory, only now unleashed weapon fire. Once Junction and I created a large enough area for Senturion to combine, the rest of our team positioned ourselves at the edges, making the area slightly bigger with every kill. Junction and I were at the front as before, Interceptor behind me with the long barrel and Throttle behind Junction. Then we heard the roar. Devastator had started his charge.
"We better hurry this up, guys!" Throttle called out, almost in fear. I wouldn't blame him, we are on death row with one of the most feared Decepticon warriors charging right for us.
Just as in my vision also, Hauler dived to the ground and transformed in the exact same place in the exact same way… odd. Only now did I notice how this could all unfold. In a matter of seconds, Blockbuster will be shot by a sniper and killed, setting off a chain reaction that kills everyone here and ultimately dooms the Autobots.
I searched for my target, scanning the endless hoard of Decepticon drones ahead of me while still firing at the ones directly in front of me. I then saw a taller bot with a sniper in hand, shaky, but awaiting an opening. I then saw in my peripheral that Blockbuster was about to combine. I had to act fast. I swung my sniper under my shoulder and into my hands and fired at the first opportunity I had. I was just quick enough for me to kill him as he was firing, making the bullet go wide from his target. I then immediately turned to Senturion just as the arms connected and the head appeared. As soon as the last panel fell into place, his eyes glowed blue and the sound of a loud, deep horn rang out. Blockbuster likes making an entrance.
Senturion slowly stood, but then took a step back and dropped down slightly, anticipating Devastator's first attack. Sure enough, the Decepticon giant rushed in with his right fist behind him. Then he leapt toward Senturion with his fist held high, ready to rain down all hell on the newcomer. Senturion replied in kind, sending back a punch of his own with his right fist. The two fists clashed, sending a small shockwave out from them, making the closest bots fall to the ground. Devastator was slightly taken aback by the ineffectiveness of his attack but quickly replied with an uppercut to Senturion's chest, causing him to take a couple steps back. He continued with a left hook, but Senturion ducked below it. Another right jab was blocked by Senturions left arm. He then took advantage of the opening and grabbed Devastator's shoulders, slamming his face into Senturion's knee.
The two combiners were fairly evenly matched, although Devastator was still larger and stronger, Senturion used that to his advantage, using his speed to outmanoeuvre his enemy.
They fought for a long time, both gaining the upper hand only for it to be taken away and gained again. It was a constant back and forth battle. That is until Senturion used his intelligence to his advantage even further. When Devastator, out of frustration and rage, went for his hardest punch, Senturion dodged it. The momentum from how hard this punch was almost made Devastator fall on his face, but before he could even get the opportunity to do so, Senturion grabbed his arm and started to swing him. He kept swinging the massive giant over and over in circles around him, progressively picking up speed. Once he judged they were spinning fast enough, he let go. Devastator flew high and far, roaring in the process. He eventually crashed into one of the higher buildings in the city of Kaon on the left of the battlefield, the entire structure collapsed slowly. We all cheered now that Devastator was finally defeated and we obliterated most of what remained of the Decepticon army. Senturion, out of celebration, raised his arm and let out a loud war cry, we all replied in kind, raising our weapons to the skies and unleashing what remained of our ammunition as the remains of the Decepticons retreated. Suddenly, we heard stomping in the distance, even among the loud gunfire. Eventually, everyone stopped, Senturion turning to the noise behind him. Through the dust of the fallen Kaon skyscraper, emerged Devastator in full charge.
"Everyone, clear out!" Senturion exclaimed. Most ran, but my team stayed. Not by my order, but by their own loyalty to their friends.
Junction held his minigun at his side, ready to fire. Interceptor had his long barrel at his face for aiming. Throttle had his pistols at the ready, and I had my rifle aimed right for the giant's head.
As soon as he was in range, I cried out.
"Give 'em everything you got!"
Immediately, everyone unleashed their weapons on Devastator, even Senturion who adorned two large shoulder cannons from Blockbuster. However, most of this was ineffective. Devastator charged in a roar, leaping toward Senturion, grabbing his abdomen and slamming him into the ground after being airborne for a few moments. Senturion slammed his fists into his head to get him off, which worked. Devastator groaned and rolled off of him, Senturion then got up and grabbed Devastator. One hand at the backplate, the other near the aft. Straining, Senturion lifted Devastator high above his head and threw him to the ground ahead of him. Devastator growled, propping himself up. Senturion kicked Devastator hard in the face, causing him to fall to the floor again. While Devastator turned himself onto his back, Senturion deployed a long broad sword out of his left arm and slowly raised it high above his head.
"Now stay dead, Decepticon scrap." He growled.
But just as he was about to plunge the sword into Devastator's spark, Senturion stopped. He grunted and groaned, dropping the sword and clutching his head. He then suddenly collapsed and Hauler broke free from the combiner, causing the rest to disassemble as well. Hauler then began to run toward Devastator. I knew what he was going to do, and also what would result from it, so I still tried to stop him.
"Hauler!" I called out. He stopped and turned to me.
"It won't work! Don't throw your life away!" I continued.
"I have to try! You must understand, they are my brothers!" He called back.
I had no further objection, I let him go. He ran up to Devastator and word for word said the exact same thing to Devastator as he did in my vision. This time, without even a single word of indifference, Devastator crushed Hauler with his ped. Throttle screamed for Hauler, running toward Devastator, firing his pistols which clearly did nothing. I transformed and sped toward Throttle to intercept him without another thought. Once close enough, I transformed back into bipedal mode and tackled Throttle to the ground before Devastator noticed, who was now slowly propping himself up and standing.
"No! NOOOO! GET OFF OF ME!" He screamed.
I punched him in the face.
"Stop Throttle! Don't get yourself killed for nothing!"
"No, Jaeger! He killed my friend." He shot back.
"And what are you going to do, huh!? Are you just gonna run up to him with your pistols and finish what Senturion couldn't?"
Throttle then pushed me off of him and stood.
"It's worth a shot, don't you think?" He replied somberly.
"Throttle, we need to get out of here. If you come with me then you can finish this battle another day. Don't let Hauler's death go unavenged."
"My vendetta toward that thing will never be vanquished." He growled.
I nodded and turned to Junction and Interceptor helping up the remaining members of Senturion. I could not stand watching all of my friends die again, so I ordered a retreat. However, the Senturion team was clearly in no condition to do so.
"We need to go! Now!" I called out to them.
"You know we can't, Jaeger. Let us at least buy you some time." Blockbuster grunted, struggling to stand even with Interceptor's aid.
I watched as Devastator was beginning to stand slowly.
"You six will always be remembered for your sacrifice," I said somberly as I took Blockbuster's hand.
"We'll give 'em hell!" Sandstorm exclaimed in a grunt, pulling out his rifle and raising it high. "For the Autobots," Twilight added.
"For Hauler." Sandstorm continued.
"For Hauler," I repeated, I then watched as they all turned toward Devastator, painfully lifting their weapons at him.
My team and I transformed and bolted into a retreat. We could hear the war cries from Flywheel and the others as Devastator ended their suffering.
We eventually returned to Metroplex City, Ultra Magnus stood at the entrance waiting for us.
"Where is Senturion?" He asked.
"He gave his life for ours," I reported after transforming.
Ultra Magnus paused for a moment.
"And what of Devastator?"
"He… still lives."
Magnus sighed, "What a waste. At least they died heroes."
"Most of them did." Throttle muttered.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of running from behind Magnus.
"Where are they? All their life signs went blank!" Synapsis asked in yells from across the hangar bay.
"They're dead, Synapsis." Ultra Magnus replied bluntly.
"Wha- how?" He exclaimed.
"Same thing when he first formed. He got a headache and disassembled." I replied.
Synapsis sighed, "I need to figure this out. I'm sorry."
"Wow, Synapsis being apologetic. That's new." Interceptor quipped.
"He should be. If it weren't for Senturion decombining, Hauler might still be alive!" Throttle snapped.
"Woah, Woah. Okay." Interceptor backed up.
Then Throttle marched off in a bout of fury.
"Let me talk to him," I said to the others as I loosely followed him.
I called out his name with no answer in return. Then again, nothing. At this point, I'm close enough to grab him and spin him around.
"What!?" He yelled.
"What's going on? This is war, you should be used to having allies die in the field."
"You don't understand, and I don't feel like explaining." He snapped as he began to turn and walk away.
"Make me understand! Let me help you!" I persisted.
"How can you help me when they're all DEAD!?" He screamed at me.
"Throttle. Please." I asked quietly.
He stared at me with fear and anger in his optics. Then he sighed.
"Before the war, I lived on Velocitron. It was the best time of my life. I was the raining champion racer, even beating Cosmos and Clampdown. But then he showed up." He chuckled sadly, "I had never met Blurr before now, but he was the coolest guy I'd ever met."
"You ready for this, Rearview?" Blurr mocked.
"It's Throttle." He shot back.
"Well as far as I'm concerned, your name is Rearview, because that's where you're gonna be very soon."
"Well in that case, I look forward to it, Incinerator. As far as I'm concerned, your name is Incinerator, because that's where you'll be very soon if you keep this up." Throttle threatened without hesitation.
Blurr laughed, "I like you already!"
They both transformed on one of the wide tracks of the Velocitron raceway.
Throttle and Blurr became good friends and used Velocitron as a fun place to let off some steam.
But one day, they were just leaving Maccadam's as Throttle was beginning to feel lucky.
"Whaddaya say? 50 units says I'll lap you before the third cycle." He insisted.
"Ohh you are so on." Blurr laughed.
The space bridge to Velocitron opened, and the two walked through.
As they were setting up, Blurr came in with two other bots, one yellow, the other red and orange.
"Hey Throttle, this is Bumblebee and Hot Rod. They think they can outmatch us on the track." Blurr laughed.
"Is that so?" Throttle replied, "I'm gonna make some serious money today."
"We will see about that!" Bumblebee replied as he transformed and sped onto the track.
"Hey! No fair!" Hot Rod called out as he and the other two transformed and chased him down.
They all had a great time on the track, with Blurr beating them all royally. That until… it happened.
"Blurr was up ahead of us by easily 100 meters, but then the track started to… change behind us. It was turning brown and crusty, it was rust. I was the one to notice first, I alerted everyone about it, but when I called out to him, he got scared and distracted and hit a bump on the road. He slowed down big time but was just barely able to avoid the rust. We jumped impossible heights as the road crumbled beneath us, all rushing for the space bridge. But when we finally made it there and we all transformed… Blurr's arm turned to rust. It must've gotten him when he hit that bump on the road. He told all of us to go through the bridge. Of course, Hot Rod bailed without a second thought, and Bumblebee was a little hesitant but followed him all the same. But I stayed for a moment. I got through the bridge just in time to see my friend die as he closed it. I couldn't help but blame myself for it, if I hadn't distracted him on the track, or not even dared him to race in the first place, maybe he'd still be here." Throttle concluded. (2)
"Throttle, you can't beat yourself up over that. There's no way you could've known." I consoled.
"But I could've stopped it, I could've driven in behind him and prevented him from touching the rust. The same with Hauler, I knew how he felt about Devastator, but I was too… afraid… to stop him. And now he's dead too. All my friends are dead."
"Y'know, when someone close to us dies, we always try to find someone to blame, even ourselves. But it's just not true. Even if you swerved behind him, he might have pushed you back too hard and you both got taken by the rust. There is no way to change the inevitable."
"Was it inevitable for Hauler to die?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. I had foreseen it before and could not see a way to save him." I replied.
"But you still tried…" He trailed off.
"I did, but you can't beat yourself up about it. Keep looking forward and maybe someday, you can repay the favour."
Throttle slowly looked up and made eye contact with me, replying with a slight nod.
I then left Throttle and retired to the shooting range. I figured I should let off some steam myself after everything that happened. But it seemed like someone beat me to it. Synapsis stood in the centre of the shooting range section of the hangar, sniping targets perfectly with a plasma gun every second.
"You doing ok?" I asked as I approached.
In surprise, he turned his gun at me.
"Woah, Woah! I'm innocent!" I joked.
"Sorry… I'm a bit on edge at the present moment." He replied.
"And why is that?" I asked.
"Oh nothing, everyone mourns in their own way."
"Mourns? I didn't know you were close with the Senturion squad." I replied.
"I wasn't. But I can't help but feel like I was too reckless with them."
"Well, we are Wreckers…" I chuckled, but after noticing Synapsis stone cold expression I quickly stopped.
"When they collapsed the first time, I brushed it off like another one of my experiments. I forgot that these were real people. I can't help but feel like if I cared about them more, I might have found out what the problem was and fixed it. That's my job, anyway."
"Y'know, I think a lot of people can relate to you." I began, "But remember that not everyone is perfect, we all make mistakes. I'm sure that you are not the reason for their deaths. I'm sure you could find out for yourself anyway. Just don't take the blame like Throttle or anyone else. Sometimes these things happen, this is war after all. You just have to learn to move on and accept it."
"Thanks… your speeches could use some work, but I appreciate the incentive." He replied, returning the gun to its holster on his side.
I nodded before Synapsis left for what I assume would be his lab. I stayed in the training centre for a little longer, reliving the memories I made here. Similar to what I'm doing now, imprisoned in the Decepticon fortress.
I eventually walked up to the small stage where announcements were held and the Senturion team was chosen. I meditated on my past for several cycles.
Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my right shoulder from behind me.
"You need to come with me," Ultra Magnus briefed, "Synapsis is asking for us."
My whole team and I, along with Ultra Magnus, entered Synapsis' lab.
"Well?" Magnus asked.
"I figured it out," Synapsis replied.
"Figured what out?" I asked.
"Why Senturion disassembled, conveniently at the worst time."
"Go on." Magnus enthused.
"As I said when this happened the first time, there was no reason for this to happen. There still isn't. I was checking the vitals of the components while they were about to take out Devastator. Hauler's brainwaves skyrocketed. All components individually should have vital signs similar to a bot in stasis, they should be laying dormant as they act as a somewhat abiotic body for the Senturion consciousness, then when they dismantle themselves intentionally, their individual bodies are resurrected. The reason Hauler's vitals went through the roof was because I think he intentionally woke himself up to prevent Senturion from killing his past kin."
"Ok… but how does that explain how they disassembled the first time? There was no threat to Devastator then." I interjected.
"It was a new experience for all of them, it could have been anything from shock to a full-on panic attack. That would explain the headaches, even for Hauler. But he was perfectly fine when they disassembled the second time, correct?"
"Yeah, you're right," I confirmed.
"Well, then the only problem with Mark 1 was the components themselves. If we plan to create a new combiner team, then we must be more careful with the subject's dedication. On top of that, I think we should cut the sixth member of that future team, only five members may make the combiner smaller, but it will have more speed and hopefully less strain on the mental link." Synapsis concluded.
"Agreed…" Magnus replied, making a slight glance in my direction, "Which is why I have the perfect candidates for you."
"Oh? And who might that be?" He asked.
"They are all in this room." Magnus mused.
"Umm… shouldn't you fight alongside the other Wreckers, sir?" Synapsis asked.
"Oh I will be, I want you to be the fifth member, Synapsis. Do you accept?"
"You- wha- me? I… uh…" He stuttered.
"Do you accept?" Magnus reiterated more sternly.
"I… I do." Synapsis nodded.
"Well then… I think we should at least have a team name. I don't want us to be called 'combiner team Mrk. 2'." Interceptor suggested.
"I agree," I replied, observing intently my other team members.
I saw Junction, remembering his integrity and honour.
I saw Interceptor, remembering his faith and bravery.
I saw Synapsis, remembering his regrets and mental strength.
Finally, I saw Throttle, remembering his pain and his undying determination.
"We will be called… Vendetta."
(1) Cannae is cannot in Scottish. In case you haven't figured it out by now, Junction has a Scottish accent. (I personally imagine him cast by Simon Pegg but with a slightly deeper voice)
(2) Yes, this is similar to the episode in Cyberverse where Blurr dies, that was intentional. I was talking with Jdog about it and came to the realization that Blurr should not have died in that episode's circumstances. Basically, from what I remember, the rust was chasing him, Bumblebee and Hot Rod on the tracks of Velocitron when Blurr slowed down somehow and picked up the rust on his tire. Blurr hilariously outmatches bee and rod in speed, so we chalked it down to "Bumblebee and Hot Rod have plot armour for future episodes and shows in this universe." I decided to change that to make Blurr's death make a little more sense and also throw Throttle in that scene for a decent backstory.
The next chapter might take a while too... so please bear with me. If you want, you can follow the story for when I post another chapter. I will also be posting updates for chapter releases on my profile under "Vendetta News".