Promotional artwork: tigressa101/art/Arcee-and-the-Isle-of-the-Allspark-Cover-931607333
Wrathzone scaled the scaffolding beside Rockrider's "weapon" of choice in an underground warehouse in Iacon. He had some doubts about just what this thing would do with a tampered alien A.I. system.
"How's the system holding?" He asked as he reached the control center.
A few of Rockrider's paid scientists looked distraught, almost miserable. One of them was very vocal about it. "You don't want to know."
Not taking that as an answer, Wrathzone grabbed the mech's arm. "What was that?"
"I-I said what I said," the mech stuttered with some fear. "Look, I'm going to tell you for your safety that this robot...this machine is not a good idea to reactivate."
He then forced Wrathzone to see what he was pointing at on the screen. "You see that? That's processor signals. Whatever this A.I. system is, it's feeding on our information despite being offline. Growing! It's learning at a fast rate and from what we've been able to deduce from its foreign coding with the notes from before the war when it appeared and was first studied, this thing is something called a 'world-maker.' It seems to have been designed to help structure entire worlds from a race only decoded as the Precursors. Don't ask me what they are or how they made such an extravagant machine, but they did. What you are dealing with is a war machine and I assure you; you don't want to turn this thing on."
Peering at the Precursor Robot, Wrathzone noted it was indeed intimidating even with it offline. Almost two hundred feet tall with such an uncanny resemblance to both the Cybertronian Predator and the Kanjian ridgeback, it was curious as to just how a design such as this wonder could come up in another universe. That gave out more questions than answers though. Knowing Rockrider would get pissed if he didn't get this thing operational soon, Wrathzone made an executive decision and reached for the controls regardless.
The scientist went wide-eyed as the faded gold mech switched on the transfer of information. "Wait, no!"
The rumbling of the computer system alerted all present as the cabling attached to the Precursor Robot started linking its systems with the Cybertronian A.I. and all the orders prewritten in the invasive coding to carry out appeared on screen. The robot's bronze armor, much thicker than Cybertronian plating, seemed to flex briefly like its systems were recalibrating all the panels that could move.
"Warning! Warning! System breach!" The computer's voice said.
The scientist took his seat and typed in an overdrive code. "It's trying to access our mainframe! Wrathzone, you idiot-!"
The mech was suddenly shot and Wrathzone took his place. Instead of trying to stop the A.I., he decided to try a different method. Opening the system's mainframe that also contained a bar to write any code to add on to it or delete, he had a theory and typed instead a message to see if the foreign A.I. would respond.
I am Wrathzone of Cybertron. I order you to subdue Optimus Prime. Please respond.
He knew it looked stupid but if the A.I. was as advanced as they claimed, the system would have an algorithm to be able to decipher any messages hidden or presented to it. The other remaining scientist didn't dare question him. To his shock, a message appeared.
Foreign identity received: orders confirmed. Old directive: to contain virus, stop invaders. New directive: subdue Optimus Prime.
Wrathzone smiled at that. He didn't know what the "virus" or "invaders" were, but he assumed that was its primary function when it got trapped in their universe. But his grin faded when another message appeared.
Warning: do NOT tamper with my systems. I am in control. Your directive is primitive. Purging now.
Wrathzone quickly typed in response. I will help you get back to your directive if you help us.
It seemed the A.I. was even more advanced than he thought. He had never seen such a system recognize a hidden breach and erase coding on its own. It was almost sentient and apparently willing to listen.
Proceed.
Bring us the bot known as Optimus Prime and then go to a planet called Earth. Locate and destroy Arcee and we will promise, upon your return, that we will help find a way to transfer you home no matter how long it takes.
The system seemed to think. Subdue Optimus Prime. Destroy Arcee. Directive. Fair trade.
Yes.
Affirmative. Activating now.
The Precursor Robot began to shake and Wrathzone smirked as the system displayed on screen started to glitch. Suddenly, yellow bug-like optics opened on the Robot with another rumble. Despite having no mouth, it let out a fierce roar as it tore at its binds. The scaffolding around it toppled in its struggle.
Wrathzone found himself face to face with the Precursor Robot who narrowed its optics but didn't strike him down. The lumbering machine spiked crest and horns made for an imposing figure and the smaller bot almost believed that he may have been in front of a god.
"Kidnap Optimus Prime, destroy Arcee. That's all I ask, and you will receive a way back to your universe. And I'll provide the coordinates for each of them. Deal?" He repeated.
The Robot didn't respond now. He assumed it wasn't built with a real voice box like he was born with. Regardless, the giant machine seemed to understand him perfectly fine. Raising up, it lowered its three thick digit servo to allow Wrathzone to accompany it, and most likely have a means of killing him if he lied to it. Stomping toward the bay doors of the warehouse, it transformed its arm into a supersonic blaster and blew the doors out.
Wrathzone laughed as it broke every seal and climbed to the surface of Iacon. To see many people's faces shift to fear at the unknown mechanical being was worth the trouble it took to get it operational. As it crushed any bot or vehicle that got underfoot, it made its way towards the direction of Crystal City as Wrathzone provided the coordinates.
As they moved inland, Cinder's Swamp became darker with seldom light coming through. It was daunting and Arcee could only press a bit close to Megatron as strange noises of animals and other creatures became apparent. Some they had never heard before, so it only added to the creepiness of the swamp.
"So, by my calculations, the gem should be up ahead. It's still moving slowly so be careful," Bolt said.
"Thank you for the reminder...again," Arcee sighed.
"Rather safe than sorry."
Megatron smirked as Arcee lay on her front dangling off his shoulder like a ragdoll. "Tired?"
She rubbed her optics and replied, "You have no idea."
"I have a hunch," he then yawned. "But just think, Arcee, this is the eighth gem. That means only three more locations to go and one of them is a beach."
She looked at him with the raise of a brow. "For real?!"
"Really real. I think we should take a break after this and just hang out at the beach. Would the lovely queen like that?" He sang.
She tapped his shoulder excitedly, "Oh yeah! I can't wait! Relaxing finally...assuming there's nothing on the beach that can kill us though."
Megatron shrugged, "Eh, pick your poison. We know something's probably there, but it's nothing we can't handle."
In the shadows they passed by, something dragged its tail out of sight which both bots were unaware of as they continued talking.
"Look, I just need someplace I can lie down and relax without worrying about being attacked. Maybe once we clear the beach, that might be a good time-nah, screw it. We need some rest."
"See? A miniature vacation and maybe we'll invite Bolt assuming he doesn't yell at us for stopping," the warlord grinned.
Bolt's voice came through unamused. "You realize I can still hear you, right? No vacation! We're so close, guys, we can't afford anymore distractions."
Megatron muttered, "Told you. Bolt, we need a break here. Just an hour somewhere relaxing. Is that really going to hurt?"
"Well, no, but I have no idea what's in Dark Rock Bay and Energon Beach. I don't want you guys to put your guard down at the wrong moment-hey, there's something weird going on with my scanner."
Arcee rolled her optics. "Nice try, Bolt."
"No, I'm dead serious. I'm getting various energy readings scattered around you, but they aren't going towards you or anything. Why they weren't showing before, I don't know unless...do you two see anything in the water? Anything big?"
Both bots scanned their surroundings and saw little to no movement in the dark of the swamp. The small beams of sunlight poking through did little to distinguish much except they noticed finally there were multiple logs of fallen trees in the water...fallen trees...but in a very tree-dense swamp...
"Wait," Arcee said deadpanned, narrowing her optics.
Suddenly, all the logs' eyes lit up upon opening to stare at them and both she and Megatron froze. Logs don't have eyes...or metal ridges...or smoke coming from one end! The nearest "log" then opened its jaws with a hiss, showing off titanium fangs that could crush them. Alligores and crococinders! Caminus' predators were nesting in this particular part of the swamp, and they were just walking into their territory.
"Oh, this is bad!" Arcee gasped, "I thought we passed the main area these things were in when we first walked into the swamp?!"
Bolt immediately stated, "Unfortunately, no, you didn't. Like the species of similar names here, Alligores and crococinders can be found in multiple areas but they have a nesting ground where there can be thousands of them. What you saw previously with the young were those that had already bred. This is the main nest where they find mates and lay eggs. The adults leave once their children are hatched to prevent their young from being killed by others. Whatever you do, don't take another step forward."
Megatron peered around cautiously. "Will do."
Then they heard a loud hiss and all the alligores and crococinders raised their heads in unison before suddenly scattering as if in fear. Despite one of each species being almost as big as Megatron, they seemed to be not interested in the bots but very concerned with origin of the deeper rumble. Even the few organic alligators and crocodiles in the mix left.
Megatron and Arcee simply looked at each other and kept tabs on their surroundings so nothing snuck up on them until they saw the gem float by in the now vacant swamp water from behind a tree. It hovered on some driftwood unmoved by the ripples in the water.
"Huh, guess Bolt saying the gem was moving slowly wasn't an exaggeration," Megatron said.
"Yeah...but are you going to grab it?"
"Hell no, not until I find out what's hissing."
Something slammed into the water behind them, and they stared forward wide-eyed. Slowly turning around, Megatron and Arcee found themselves nearly nose to nose with a giant crococinder snout as smoke was blown into their faces by enraged nostrils.
Arcee peered into the deep red optics of the crococinder growling at them and made a small remark. "That's got to go. That is horrifying."
"And, pray tell, how exactly am I supposed to make it 'go,' Arcee?" Megatron asked in a tired tone.
The crococinder narrowed its optics at them with what appeared to be a very malicious smile before opening its jaws and a blue glow appeared in the back of its throat which they immediately recognized as fire.
"Oh no."
Megatron ducked fast and for a millisecond, Arcee was in the air without a shoulder to hang onto and fell right as a streak of flame roared right where their heads used to be a moment before. When the fire died to remain inside its mouth with a few spots leaking of its flame through the jagged teeth, the crococinder decided to lift up and slam its head down on top of the bots. Megatron managed to dodge it with Arcee in hand in the nick of time as water went everywhere from the impact. It hissed in annoyance seeing them still unharmed.
Snapping at them, Megatron threw Arcee across the water to a safer distance and hid behind a tree to at least buy him some form of protection. Arcee skidded a few times before hitting a shallow part of the swamp where she met an Earth crocodile. When it hissed at her in the same manner, she lightly bopped its snout to make it flee.
"Shut your trap, King K. Rool!" She paused when she realized what she said and facepalmed. She had watched her human friends play one too many video games. "Thanks a lot, Jack."
She heard something on the water and saw the gem floating still undisturbed. Taking it, she sighed, "All this trouble for you, as always."
A crack was heard and the tree Megatron had kept between him and the crococinder toppled. Megatron was quick to jump at the creature onto its back though he regretted the decision when the crococinder tried to bite at him, running in a circle. He held on like he was in a rodeo.
Arcee thought about bringing out her blood grenades, but she needed a better range to make effective throws so she ran at the crococinder but not before addressing Bolt. "Bolt, there's a giant crococinder in the swamp and I mean giant! How big can these things get normally?!"
"Uh, not as big as you're implying, that's for sure. If your next question is how to defeat one, good luck. They have very thick armor and you're probably not going to have the amount of time needed to penetrate such armor. My recommendation is to instead trick it into hurting itself."
She slowed down upon noting Megatron was still unharmed for the time being as she pondered the information. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is Snapjaw here can only leave itself open for injury. If you were to make it bite itself, etc, there's a chance it's powerful enough to rip apart its own armor leaving exposed sensitive areas open for attack. If you can get it to injure itself, you have a chance, Arcee. It's either that or you'll need some brute force to remotely injure that thing," he said. "No offense but as strong as you are, you're still not powerful enough for that big of one."
Arcee merely shifted her head uneasily. "No, I understand but I'm very tempted to try."
"I believe in you to fight it in your style. Just remember, teeth, tail, and mass are your biggest enemies here, pun intended. Ha ha! Now, slay Snapjaw and get the gem as you always do, dearest queen!"
Arcee cut communications as Megatron let go of Snapjaw's backside and was flung right over Arcee's head. He landed right in the water and snarled, spitting out the murky liquid.
"You okay?"
Megatron waved off the throw and without looking back at her, he gestured to her. "Your turn."
That made Arcee grow a neutral frown until Snapjaw suddenly aimed for her. Jumping up to the canopies, she exchanged looks with the crococinder, one of taunting smugness of its inability to get her which left it growling at her. It whipped around and used its speared tail to swipe through the tree's base. Cracking emitted as the tree she was on began to tilt. She leaped to another before jumping to two more and finally using her brief getaway when Snapjaw lost her to fall onto its tail.
The crococinder glared back at her with a hiss as she smiled cheekily. It narrowed its optics again before shooting a fireball at her. She lied on its tail and hung on as it whipped around but this time, it had learned with Megatron and didn't give chase long. Pinning its tail against a tree it went in for the kill...except Arcee rolled into the water as it bit down on its own tail.
Arcee smirked as she heard it whimper and gradually released its crushed appendage with tears almost in its optics. It chirped slightly upon feeling the sudden pain after it let go and smelling its own blood. She then winced looking at the wound. A whole chunk of its tail was flattened with endoskeleton pieces poking outward which may have also been a factor in its outcry as she could imagine feeling the endoskeleton poke at one's mouth would hurt as well. Bolt wasn't wrong about its power being used against it.
Just then, she heard it gurgle a growl, presumably through fighting the sorrow and agony. It had enough in it to glare in utter hatred at her.
"I suppose an apology won't work?"
As soon as it lunged, she was picked up by Megatron who sneered, "We're going to take that as a no."
Snapjaw followed them in a fury as Megatron used the trees to his advantage, dodging and weaving through them though the crococinder merely pushed them down in its waking rampage. Having a giant crocodile mechanoid chasing them gave little time to figure out another way to damage it but then she remembered her original idea of using the blood grenades.
As Megatron kept luring the crococinder around the swamp, Arcee posed on his shoulder to face it and brought out the grenades. She timed it opening its mouth and threw one right as Snapjaw. The grenade flew in as fire was just about to spew out. The grenade instantly reacted to the heat and jolted the creature from its power. However, it seemed to be not enough as it coughed out blood but was still standing.
"So close!"
She did note something upon looking at its lower jaw. The explosion managed to create some loose paneling and damaged the joints of its mouth. The jaw itself was still hanging on but she could tell it wasn't stable.
She then asked, "Megatron, do you know whether or not you can verse that thing head on?"
"Absolutely not! The deathtrap I could, the direfang I couldn't, and this is a definite no!"
"What about your cannon?"
He scoffed, "Unless I'm a fair distance away, I won't have a stable or safe spot to shoot, not with how fast this thing is."
Arcee thought about that, then replied, "Fine then, I'll give you a shot. Get ready to fire!"
Megatron slid to a halt when Arcee jumped off and ran at the crococinder. "Arcee?!"
She ignored his shouts as Snapjaw snarled and stomped towards her. She smirked and instead of jumping over it as it assumed, she slid beneath it and threw a grenade back to follow it as it was still moving. As soon as she was out from under it, the grenade hit a log as Snapjaw broke it and the explosion made the crococinder collapse in the water.
Angered even more, Snapjaw roared at her as she took the chance to climb onto its back. Bringing out one of her arm blades, she was faster than it could attempt to throw her off and slashed at its left optic. The crococinder began to violently thrash about as its eyesight failed. Arcee then changed her arm from blade to blaster and began shooting it in the side of its face trying to break through the armor.
A blast shook both her and the crococinder, and she looked to Megatron who took his own opportunity to strike. She smiled as he aimed for its chest and lower jaw as it moved frantically about. The cannon's power was much more suited for such a beast though it still held plenty of durability.
One particular shot to the right side of the face caused sparks and a crackling sound. Arcee attempted to peer down from her angle to see if she could determine if it was enough to break its jaw. But suddenly, it lurched forward and sent her flying over its head into the water. Shaking off the droplets, she paused when she realized the danger she was in.
She quickly looked back as Snapjaw powered up its fire breath. Just as it was about to burn Arcee to a crisp, Megatron gave a loud growl and raised his fist as he sprinted at the creature. The crococinder ceased its attack right as Megatron hit it in the lower jaw. Metal cracked and burst upon collision and Arcee barely saw it, flinching as she expected her death instead. In a flash, the creature's lower jaw went spinning several feet before hitting the water with an audible splash. The force of such a blow stunned it and Megatron was too on edge to care that his servo now was bleeding from the impact against an armor type he was not designed to battle naturally.
Arcee stared between Megatron's broken fingers and the crococinder's missing mouthpiece, the latter of which grew abnormally still as its processor took a minute to figure out just what had happened. Various wires, cables, glossa and loose inner plating in the structure of the permanently opened mouth hung down and sparked as Snapjaw slowly stared at Megatron with an unknown expression. Megatron, however, gave a predatory roar back before blowing steam from his own nasal plating, his fangs presented in a jagged frown like he was ready to bite.
Snapjaw tried to move back but Megatron had no hesitation in pursuing it. Unsheathing one of his messer swords, he used his undamaged servo to hold it. The crococinder couldn't retreat or do anything to protect itself when the sword was rammed right through its upper mouth directly into its processor. It gave a horrific rumble which made Arcee cover her audio receptors at the intense volume.
Its voice died as its voice box faded and remaining optic went dim. With no power to its limbs, it hit the water after Megatron pulled out his sword and its head sank, Energon blood mixing with the swamp's murky water to create a dark cocktail.
Arcee stared at the crococinder with distaste. "I understand it protecting its nest...but damn if that's not one of the scarier monsters on this isle."
She stood up as Megatron nodded, "Yeah, you're right. That had to go. Do you have the gem?"
She held it up with a smile, "Of course, now let's get out of here before we meet the rest of the float."
"Agreed. Bolt, we require a ground bridge."
Bolt's voice came through gleefully, "Ay! You're still alive! Awesome! Don't forget to bring me back something!"
Arcee frowned and peered at Snapjaw's corpse. "What could we possibly give him?"
Megatron thought about it then snapped his fingers with his undamaged servo before moving to the right of Arcee. Holding up Snapjaw's lower jaw that was broken off in his attack, he mused, "Think this will do?"
Smirking, the queen laughed and gave a thumbs up as a ground bridge appeared.
They were close to the palace. Bumblebee punched out several soldiers before opening fire on several more.
"Reliving the glory days, huh, Bulkhead?"
The larger green mech laughed as he brought his mace down on one soldier's head, "Oh yeah! Kind of makes me miss fighting Decepticons at the Hydrax Plateau. Feels just like their welcoming committee back then!"
Bulkhead and Bumblebee lurched back when a blast sounded, and they saw a ball of energy coming right for them. Suddenly, Alpha Supreme stepped in front of them with her pede coming down to shake the ground. The blast hit her knee and she was forced to kneel as smoke started to climb from the injury. Crystal Palace's defenses aimed all at the moment of weakness intent on bringing the giant down.
Fire blocked their view as several Predacons spewed molten flame among the sensors to buy Alpha a chance at regrouping. The cannons moved frantically trying to readjust from their temporary blindness as Beta Supreme made it to Alpha and helped her hide among the far buildings to protect her.
Optimus, Windblade, and Haywire watched Alpha and Beta with concern. With those cannons still operational, they couldn't get as far as they needed to.
"Shockwave, how close are you to the palace?"
"We've managed to sneak further down the northern front, but the only access not locked down is on the farthest area behind the main gardens. Scythe knows shortcuts but even he states this is ridiculous. Rockrider is taking all precautions and it is hindering our timeframe here."
Optimus growled, "She is getting desperate..."
Haywire stared up in horror, "More so than you can imagine."
The other two looked where he was staring, and they froze as the battlefield calmed as well. Jet boosters on its feet, a bot they had never seen before lowered itself to hover right above the palace walls. It gave out a booming roar.
"They did it. Those bastards did it..." the red mech muttered.
Both Optimus and Windblade stared at him in surprise before Windblade blurted out, "What do you mean?"
Haywire was quick to explain. "Before the war, there was some sort of alien machine that fell into our atmosphere via a rift and given its rough appearance to that of an old creature of ours, we assumed it was from a different universe, something maybe parallel to our own. It was hidden beneath Iacon per Alpha Trion's orders, very few knew about it. I worked in the Iacon Representatives Guild, and I accidentally learned about it though I forgotten it was still there. They talked about waking it but were too scared to. I see they finally did, and I don't know about you, but I really don't want to see what this thing can do."
They immediately spotted Wrathzone on its forearm as he pointed down at Optimus, which the latter's optics widened when he heard, "Get him!"
The Precursor Robot's gaze shifted straight at Optimus as it lowered itself to land on the ground. Lowering Wrathzone, it took a step forward with its three-pointed foot and made another ungodly bellow. The yellow upside-down triangle gem on its chest glowed angrily.
Optimus backed away seeing this thing stomping towards him. At more than ten times larger than him, it paid no mind to any soldiers who tripped and got crushed. Whipping out his blaster, Optimus fired at it only to watch helplessly as none of the blasts even dented its armor. It seemed impenetrable.
If Haywire was telling the truth and the Robot was from another universe, he was very quick to note just who else might be among the millions of galaxies with this type of technology in their universe alone. That was scary. Now he knew what humans felt upon dealing with Cybertronians like himself.
The Precursor Robot shot down its servo in an attempt to grab him, but he rolled out of the way. Windblade and Haywire also tried assaulting it with their weapons to try and lure it from Optimus, but it seemed dead set on him and him only. It took missions, not petty concerns and that made it even more frightening. The Robot reached out for him again when it was abruptly kicked backwards and fell.
Beta Supreme, the smaller of his fellow Sentinels, stepped forth and guarded Optimus by standing between the two. The Precursor Robot shook its brief stun and roared again in fury. The blue and red Sentinel started to run at it the same time as it ran towards him. Although Beta was larger by at least ten feet, the Precursor Robot countered him with ease. A straight uppercut had Beta stumbling before he tried to punch back. The problem he found was due to his stature, he was slower but even though the Robot was nearly identical in size, it had far faster reflexes.
He outstretched his arm for another punch, but the Robot happened to shift to the side right before he collided with its anteater-like snout. It brought its elbow down right at the joints of his arm. With a sickening crunch, the joint burst and Beta's lower arm severed from the hold. The Supreme gasped, clutching at the break. Before he could defend himself out of his shock, the Precursor's pede did a high kick right into his face. He fell backwards with a loud crash.
Optimus was terrified and stumbled at the brief rumble of the ground from Beta's fall. He was suddenly grabbed by the Robot, his arms restrained first. Clearly, the mechanical omnidroid had experience kidnapping and taking on such enemies. It was clever enough to know how to keep him from fighting back. Before Windblade and Haywire could try and stop it, it activated its jet boosters and flew upward out of reach of any of its perceived enemies. The Prime watched helplessly as he was brought directly to the palace.
The Robot landed in the bay of the palace's cargo ships and stomped with zero regard for the pristine crystalline floor, leaving cracks upon its wake. It had to lean to pass under certain arches, but it crawled partially into the throne room and threw Optimus down in front of Wrathzone and Rockrider, the latter of whom smugly smiled.
"Well, well, Optimus Prime. Nice to see you again," she said with faux cheery tone.
Then, she turned her attention to the Robot that stood menacingly over all of them as her soldiers crowded Optimus. "Good, now go to Earth and take out the one called Arcee and if she's already dead, bring back anything that proves it, pitiful Megatron or her corpse. Don't return otherwise."
Wrathzone then added, "We can only help you if you complete this, as my associate means. If not, maybe we can offer you a permanent place among us and all the rebuilding of Earth and other worlds you desire to do. In fact, consider Earth a down payment."
The Precursor Robot seemed to shift slightly as if it was thinking on the offer, or it was merely upset by the way Rockrider was speaking to it. It tipped its head as a nod and stomped off much to both bots' delight.
Meanwhile, Optimus groaned at the harsh grasp the Robot had. He then noticed a dozen weapons pointed at him and a dastardly smile by Rockrider.
"We have you now, Prime. And this time, you are not leaving my prison alive."
AN: If you're wondering why so many Jak and Daxter characters in a Transformers fic...well, it's not like NaughtyDog is using them, is it? And with my theory of the Metal Heads existing from another universe who fall into the world of Jak, that gives me incentive to be creative about it. So yes, that is a real Precursor Robot they are going to deal with but there's a twist. Let's see what happens when two powerful creatures from two universes meet.
Featured monsters:
Snapjaw the Crococinder (Caminus)