Answers to reviews:

Guest02957: Thanks.

anonymous: I understood that reference.

AlexBeowolf2: I'm still thinking on that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime. I only own the OC George Edwards/Bladewolf.


Da-thump.

I shuddered as we continued to walk down the path. The Dark Energon was pulsing all around us and I could feel it slowly ebbing away at my strength. It was weird, that I was even down here. Back in school, we were told that it would never be possible to be anywhere near the Earth's core because the extreme temperatures would kill us. Now, we were walking through it and I didn't even feel warm. Actually, I was feeling the opposite. I felt like death's cold grip was all around us.

When Megatron yelled out in pain, we stopped and waited. Megatron was most likely experiencing something by Unicron's hand, or being this deep and close to Unicron was affecting him due to the Dark Energon inside him.

"Unicron grows ever stronger." Megatron explained as he stood up, continuing to guide us.

"How do we know Unicron isn't using Megatron to lead us all into a trap?" Arcee asked pointedly once Megatron was a good few meters away. She made a good point.

"We don't." I answered and we walked on, following the Decepticon leader.

We all walked in silence for the next few minutes, least I think it was minutes. Who can tell the time down here? Thankfully, we soon came to an opening. When Megatron came to a stop, we all stopped behind him.

"Unicron's spark is near." Megatron stated, acting as the tour guide he was.

Chromia and Arcee walked a few paces in front of us before they turned and Chromia said, "After you." I didn't miss the glare that they were both giving Megatron and I doubted that he missed it either. I was just at the right angle behind him to see the smirk he grew before walking on. He seemed extremely amused at their mistrust. It was like he had expected it.

When my vision got a little blurry, I stopped and groaned. "Oh, that doesn't feel so good."

"You alright?" Cliffjumper asked me with a bit of worry.

"The Dark Energon is starting to do its effects." I said with a sigh as Arcee came to my side, worried.

"Steady, love." She said softly and I smiled at her reassuringly.

We walked a bit before Megatron stopped and looked at us. "He is preparing to expel is."

We heard something and looked to see winged creatures flying... right towards us. We all deployed our weapons as Bulkhead asked. "What are those things?"

"Since we're not exactly meant to be here, these are most likely Unicron's anti-bodies." I explained with narrowed optics as I deployed 2 Energon rifles like Arcee's.

The antibodies soon swarmed right at us, causing us all to fire at them, and they fired back with their own weaponry. I couldn't help but picture these things roaming Earth if we failed. Since Unicron's body was evolving with every second, it stood to reason that these things would eventually reach the surface and try to extinguish every living thing on the planet.

These things seemed to be everywhere and, when we blasted one of them, 2 would seem to take that one's place. It was a never ending battle.

"Can't these things just keep still?" Cliffjumper growled as he shot at them.

"Sure, Cliff, just ask them nicely." Flareup said sarcastically as she blasted 2 out of the air.

"Just keep firing." I told them. "They'll die eventually."

I put away my guns and reached up to unsheathe my swords, slashing and hacking at the little scrapheaps. But, as I swung left and right, I could never seem to clear them from me. I felt a pulse of worry through my bond with Arcee and looked to see her in the air, falling down but she then smashed through one of the antibodies and landed on the platform below, causing me to send a surge of relief to her which she responded with reassurance.

I continued to slice and slash any of the antibodies that came at me, before I turned and saw that Bulkhead was stumbling toward the edge.

"Bulkhead!" I shouted and ran, diving to grab his servo before he fell over and stabbed my free sword into the floor to keep myself on the platform. "Hang on!"

Ironhide came on my other side and grabbed Bulkhead's other servo. "Guys! Let me go, I'll only take you down with me!" Bulk protested.

"Enough with that talk, soldier." Ironhide grunted.

I looked around for any help but the others were busy handling the antibodies. I looked over at Optimus and Megatron and saw them fighting side-by-side, working well together as a team as they blasted and slashed the antibodies.

If Optimus and Megatron ever joined forces for real, nobody would be able to stop them.

"Together!" I said to Ironhide and he nodded. We grunted as we pulled Bulkhead up and Optimus ran over, helping us pull the ex-Wrecker onto the platform. I looked down at where my Sparkmate was. "Arcee! Get up here!"

"I'm coming!" Arcee called back in response.

Arcee saw another antibody flying closer to her. I saw the idea forming in her head. She knew that this would most likely be a long shot, but it was worth a try. She began racing ahead, trying to gain as much speed as possible. The antibody followed her. Taking the opportunity, Arcee jumped onto its back. The antibody thrashed around, trying to shake Arcee off of it. When she punched the side repeatedly, it flew her back towards the entrance.

Now that we were regrouped, we began to run ahead, blasting any antibody out of the air or in our way. But the rest of the antibodies were still coming after us. We ran until we came to a closed door, and the antibodies swarmed us but we fired on them, blasting them to pieces.

"Unicron's spark lies just beyond." Megatron informed us as he ran to the wall.

"How are we getting inside?" I asked as I went to stand by him, keeping my blade out in case the antibodies grew to close to me.

Megatron smirked at me before answering. "By fooling Unicron's defenses into believing we are not a threat." He then walked even closer to the wall. I watched as Megatron's insignia glowed with a bright purple, and soon enough the door was opened, Megatron walked in like he owned the place. Optimus and I shared a look before nodding and Optimus addressed the rest of the Autobots.

"Autobots! I will need you to keep our attackers at bay for as long as you can." He said before we ran after Megatron. I felt Arcee's worry through her bond and sent her reassurance.

Be safe. She said through our bond.

You as well. I replied.

Optimus and I ran into the central core room and we beheld the very core of Earth: Unicron himself. I could feel the Dark Energon at its strongest here, but how that would affect me... I had no idea.

"Optimus, swiftly!" Megatron said.

Optimus in turn walked closer to Unicron's spark. But, when he got just a tad too close, the spark sent out waves of energy. Optimus was the first to get hit who was then followed by me. When the wave hit me, I couldn't describe the pain and I had no idea how I had simply let off a groan instead of a full blown yell. It was ripping at my spark, trying to corrupt me and turn me into Unicron's puppet. I had no doubt that it was doing the same thing to Megatron. The Matrix was probably protecting Optimus to an extent.

"You are no longer in control, son of Solus Prime." I froze as I heard Unicron's voice my helm. But I didn't feel much of a fight to control me and I realized that Unicron must have been focusing his efforts on Megatron and, from the looks of it, said warlord was going through some extreme pain and I was glad that Unicron wasn't focused on me.

When Megatron drew his blade and walked closer to Optimus, I tried to get in his way, to block his path. But, Unicron had just enough control over me to stop my movements and freeze me to the spot where I was standing.

It was also then that I saw that Optimus was being attacked, and rather painfully. I could only imagine what he was going through. A yearning to help stop this ran through me, but Unicron's hold over my chassis was too strong.

A yell from Megatron brought my attention back to him as he took back in his blade and said, "Megatron, is commanded by NO ONE!" Well, he yelled it, but the point was there. He was fighting this with all he had.

Another bought of pain going through me had me going to my knees and I could now see Unicron's faceplate in my head, staring at me. "You cannot fight me, foolish boy. Yield to me."

"N-Never!" I gritted out through the pain. I yelled as a bought of pain wracked through my frame. Guess Unicron didn't like that act of defiance.

"Matrix of leadership," Optimus voice brought me somewhat out of my pain as curiosity took over. "I call upon you."

The only thing that took my optics off of Optimus was Megatron going all pretty and shiny and glowing purple with purple flames that were glowing. "You cannot defeat me, disciples of Primus. I have transcended physical being. By my will alone, all upon this world shall fall into chaos."

"Not while I still function, Unicron." Optimus retorted before turning to the dark spark that was Unicron's. "The power of the Matrix, will light our darkest hour!"

"NO!" Unicron screamed through Megatron, aiming his arm cannon to stop Optimus.

But, Optimus opened up his chest plates and a blue energy started to pulse around before a beam of pure energy slammed into the spark.

"Gah!" I yelled as a wave of energy crashed into me as well as Unicron slamming me with another bought of pain. When I landed, my vision was fuzzy and I could barely make out the stream of energy dissipating. But, I could see that Optimus had fallen to the ground, though whether he was conscious or not, I wasn't sure.

Unicron didn't go quietly. "NO!"

Unicron was soon put back into stasis and he hit us with one last wave of pain. This one was what it took to knock me into unconsciousness.


When I awoke, the first thing I noted was that I was in some serious pain and I was not wanting to get up. The second thing I noticed was that I was too weak to get up at the moment so I had to settle for laying there, facing Optimus.

"Teamwork." It was also then that I noticed Megatron stand up and walk toward the waking leader. It was also Megatron that said teamwork, like it was pointless.

I was too weak to move as Megatron aimed his fusion cannon at Optimus, who looked up at him and asked. "Where are we, Megatronus?"

I watched, too weak to move after the pain that racked my body, as Megatron offered a hand up for Optimus. "Don't you remember, old friend?" Megatron asked and I saw the sinister grin on his face.

The door was soon blown open and the Autobots ran in. "Optimus! Are you alright?!" Elita called to her Sparkmate worriedly.

"Why did she call me that?" Optimus asked confusedly as Arcee ran to my side.

"What have you done to him?" Elita growled at Megatron.

"Who are they?" Optimus asked Megatron, who's grin just seemed to widen.

A Groundbridge soon opened next to them and Megatron declared. "Our mortal enemies! We're outnumbered. Go, I'll cover you."

Megatron fired at us as Optimus ran towards the Groundbridge before stopping to look back at us for a moment then ran through. I growled before I transformed into my jet mode and flew right at Megatron who smirked before he ran through the bridge, which closed as I transformed, intending for a punch but because he went through the portal and it closed my fist hit the ground.

I growled as I stood and turned to the confused, worried and helpless Autobots. I said nothing for a whole minute, nobody did. I then contacted the base. "Ratchet... do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Bladewolf!" Ratchet said with relief. "We thought you'd-"

"Please... open the Groundbridge." I said. Now was not the time for relief. A moment of silence passed before the Groundbridge opened and we walked through. As soon as we were through, the humans ran to meet their guardians.

Ratchet looked at me. "Optimus? Is he-"

"Dead? No." I said with a sigh as I lowered my helm before I straightened. "When Optimus surrendered the Matrix, he didn't just lose the wisdom of the Primes, he lost his memories of his time as Optimus Prime. In his perspective, he's just Orion Pax, back before the war, when he and Megatron were still friends. And Megatron has used that to his advantage, now Optimus will start to believe he's a Decepticon..."