Code Prime - R2: Revolution

by Iron117Prime

Britannia has fallen, and the Decepticons are well on their way to the complete global domination of Earth. However, hope is not lost. Six months after the failed Black Rebellion, Zero and Optimus Prime have returned to finish what they've started. With their Autobot-Black Knight alliance grown with new additions, our heroes have ever intent on freeing Earth once and for all.

2. A Measure of Trust

Hi everyone. Wow, I did not expect my sequel to get so many favs and followers right away. I'm truly flattered. Before we begin, there are some things I want to clarify, at least as far as the TV Tropes page is concerned. Lugnut and Blackout are not cannon immigrants; they are from the Aligned Continuity, look them out (though Blackout is actually based on his live action movie counterpart), sorry to be technical about those little things, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

And as many of you have noticed, and I've probably said before, this series has plenty of new characters and aside from the main line up of protagonist, each character has at least one or two chapters devoted entirely to them. It'll make more sense as the story progresses.

One last thing, this story will be separated into a series of arcs, something at a different pace than what R1 had; this first one is an introductory arc to get to know some of these new characters as well as establish the dynamic shared by the protagonists with each other, that with the antagonists, and the rivalries with the heroes and villains themselves. With all that being said, let's get started.

A Measure of Trust

Guilford was nothing short of amazed. Just a few moments ago, he and at least a million other people were enslaved in the Decepticon Fuji mines, only to learn that the Autobots and Zero were alive and have grown even stronger since he last saw them, but now he and all the slaves had been transported to what he could only describe as a massive hidden city. He didn't get a chance to see most of it as he and all the salves were escorted straight to a shifting building that appeared to be built into the walls of this unknown location. This building appeared to be one of many hospitals that were located all across this area.

At the moment, Guilford laid in a bed as what a Japanese woman, who appeared to be a nurse, looked him over. "Hmm, no internal damage to your bones and organs, that's good. Just malnutrition and minor dehydration. Most of the people brought in seem to be in the same state, so no need for prosthetic limbs or anything."

"They… they made the effort to see that their prisoners… or rather slaves… were not worked to death." The tired Guilford responded. "Wanted to keep their Energon lines efficient."

"Well, that's considerate." The nurse said with sarcasm for a minor attempt at humor, which seemed to work as Guilford had a half smile. She then proceeded to put on a series of patches on his limbs and chest. "These patches will emit small electric pulses that should help your muscles regain their strength. Given what Euphie said, you're a soldier and you'd want to get out there and teach the Cons a thing or two, right?"

That got his attention. "Did… did you just say… Euphie?"

The door opened as someone else stepped in that caused Guilford's pupils to shrink. "Hello Guilford, it's been a while."

It was Cornelia li Britannia, but she looked nothing like the Viceroy of Area 11 that she used to be. Her hair had grown slightly and was straitened out a bit more, and her attire was completely different. She wore a dark magenta and white colored uniform, with a black robe draped over it like a cape, and a white sash tied on the right side that bore the Autobot-Black Knight emblem on it. The moment she saw him, Cornelia had a warm smile on her face with her eyes shaking with emotion.

"Pr… Princess Cornelia…!" Guilford attempted to sit up, only for Cornelia to quickly rush toward him and put a gentle yet firm grip on his shoulder.

"Please don't get up, you need rest." Cornelia told him.

"He's certainly excited to see you." The nurse said. "I wonder if there was more to your relationship than just that of a commanding officer and her soldier."

Cornelia blushed slightly. "Nurse Kozuki, it's not…"

"I already told you, call me Akari." The nurse, now identified as the mother of Kallen Kozuki, said in a friendly manner.

"Right, Akari. It's not like that." Cornelia said as she tried to wipe the blush from her face. "But, would it be alright if I had a moment alone with him? And it's not what you think?"

"Of course, it isn't." She teased before she genuinely smiled. "But alright, just keep it brief, he still needs to rest."

"Understood." Cornelia nodded as Akari Kozuki left the room, leaving Cornelia alone with Guilford as she pulled up a chair to sit closer to his bed. "Guilford… I… you have no idea… how happy I am to see you again. I honestly had no idea if you… if you'd even survived the Uprising…."

Though Guilford was happy to see her again, one look at her and all he could feel was shame and regret. "Please forgive me, princess. I couldn't protect you. I failed in my duty… I'm unworthy to be your knight."

"No, the fault is mine." Cornelia told him. "After what happened at the Special Zone, I was… only seeing red… I let my rage take control… I challenged Megatron directly… a horrible mistake. And that led to my capture. But… I think that my fault actually extends well before that…"

"Is… is Princess Euphemia…?"

"She's here, with everyone else. She's alright." Cornelia assured, causing Guilford some relief.

"That's good. But your majesty… what happened back then… it wasn't your fault…" Guilford tried to tell her.

"Yes, it was." Cornelia insisted. "Euphie tried to talk to me, to warn me, to get me to see reason. But I wouldn't listen. Pride and anger clouded my judgement. Maybe if I did listen, that…. That horrible massacre… wouldn't have happened." She gave a small sigh as she clenched her fists on her lap. "But… now I'm going to do everything in my power to make it right."

Guilford noticed the emblem on her uniform. "You're… a Black Knight?"

"And partner to the Autobots." Cornelia confirmed. "I know, it doesn't quite seem like me to do so, does it?"

"To be honest… I never imagined you would. Not after what Zero did… especially when he killed Clovis." Guilford replied.

"True, he killed my brother." Cornelia responded. "But… that's the thing. He's my brother too."

Guilford shot out of his bed and looked to Cornelia with an expression of pure shock. "What…?"

"Lelouch vi Britannia…." Cornelia began. "Presumed deceased, alongside Nunnally when Britannia invaded Japan. Only to emerge from the ashes as the man who would try to liberate not only Japan from Britannia, and later the Decepticon's rule, but the whole world."

"Prince Lelouch… survived…?" Guilford questioned, still not over his shock.

"As well as Nunnally." Cornelia added, causing Guilford to look even more shocked. "She's here with the Black Knights too."

"The Prince…. Is Zero… I don't… I don't understand why he would…." Guilford stuttered. "Why… betray Britannia…?"

"Oh really, I can't imagine." Cornelia began, her voice carrying a lace of anger. "After having his mother murdered, most likely by someone else in the royal family as opposed to terrorists, then having his own sister blinded and crippled, only to be later exiled by our mutual father who didn't even bother to start an investigation over his wife's murder, and then later practically sentenced to death when said father invaded Japan with no regard for his or his siter's life whatsoever, knowing full well they would die, and not even bothering to take responsibility for such a betray when he was clearly at fault, and falsely made into a martyr specifically to discriminate against a nation's of people who had nothing to do his life whatsoever. With all that taken into account, I can't possibly see a reason why he would rise up against Britannia!" She finished with clear sarcasm.

Guilford winced at her tone. "Alright… When you say it like that… I suppose it makes sense."

"Lelouch had every right to despise and rebel against Britannia." Cornelia told him seriously. "His own family betrayed him. I betrayed him." Guilford looked toward her as her face contorted an expression of regret. "I should have been there with him when he confronted our father. That way, even if I got exiled too, I'd still be with them. Maybe I should have gone with them anyway and brought Euphie as well. I've tried to murder him, Guilford. My own brother, whom I loved and grieved over after hearing reports of his 'death'."

"But… your highness… you didn't know…" Guilford tried to tell him.

"That's no excuse." Cornelia replied. "I failed him, him and Nunnally. Honestly, it's a miracle that he even saw fit to let me into his ranks after all that, but he did, and I am humbled and grateful. Guilford, the Goddess of Victory, that Princess that you served, she no longer exists; and it's not because Britannia's been destroyed, even after it's official fall, I've renounced my name, Euphie as well."

"You… you renounced…"

"It only seemed fair." Cornelia continued. "I've done so much wrong since that day, my only concern right now is making this right. I'm going to help my brother and Optimus fight off the Decepticons and make this world into a better place, a far better place than what Britannia tried to do. I've spent more than six months doing what I can to contribute and earn all their trust. I'm no longer Princess Cornelia, I'm a Black Knight, a member of the Elite Guard unit under command of Ultra Magnus, the Autobot second-in-command. And I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but I can't be that Goddess of Victory you and Darlton once worshiped. Please don't take that the wrong way, I still care about you, and I'll do everything I can to try and honor Darlton's memory as well as those of his sons; but my priority is to protect my siblings, work alongside their friends, be they Autobot or human, and fix this world. I… I would like it… if you were there with me. But if not, I understand."

Guilford honestly had no idea what to say to Cornelia right now. One look in her eyes and he could tell that she had meant every word. She was no longer the same individual he served six months prior to the Empire's fall. He could tell that she blamed herself for a great many things, but there was also a firm resolve to redeem herself and protect those she cared for. That was something he could respect.

"I… I will join you as well." Guilford said, causing Cornelia to look toward him with pleasant surprise. "I know it might be hard, but if you say you're going to fight as a Black Knight alongside the Autobots, then I will as well. Britannia may be gone, and you may have renounced your royal status, but I swore an oath to you, and I will not break it now, not ever."

Cornelia smiled, almost tearfully. "Thank you… Guilford. But there are two conditions you must follow."

"Anything."

"First, try to be more open-minded." Cornelia began. "I know you were never racist or anything like that, but you'll be taking orders from individuals who were once your enemies. I'm sure they'll listen to what you have to say, but things are going to be quite different from now on."

"I understand." Guilford accepted. "What's the other condition?"

"Don't ever call me Princess, 'your majesty', 'your highness', or anything of the sort." Cornelia replied. "Same goes for Euphie, Lelouch, and Nunnally. If you do call us that, I'll personally put you back into this hospital bed." She glared at Guilford, causing him to look somewhat intimidated. But Cornelia's glare faded as she giggled. "Gotcha, I'm just kidding." She said in-between chuckles.

Guilford looked somewhat stupefied for a moment. She just made a joke. Cornelia li Britannia had just made a joke! He would have expected her to make a similar gesture whenever she was in private with Euphie, but for her to openly jest in front of him was quite a surprise. But he didn't mind. In fact, he actually liked the fact that she smiled. It looked nice on her.

"But seriously, please don't address me as if I were royalty." Cornelia told him. "Just 'Cornelia' will do."

"As you wish, your high…" Guilford stopped himself when she gave him an indifferent look. "Sorry. If it's what you want, Cornelia. It's gonna take some getting used to."

"It's alright. At least you're not alone." Cornelia told him before standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am glad that you're here, Gilbert. Please get some rest."

"Alright." He nodded as he watched her leave, right before he just realized something. She called him by his first name! Today was certainly full of surprises, and he sure had a great deal of many questions that he was certain he'd get answers to. But for the moment, he was just happy to know that not only was Cornelia alive and well, but she appeared to be happy. And that was enough for him.

---

Cornelia had walked out of the hospital building as she was greeted by not only her fellow Black Knights, Ohgi and Chigusa, but also her Autobot commanding officer.

"Commander, Magnus." Cornelia acknowledged. "Ohgi." She also nodded to the organization's deputy commander.

"How is he?" Ohgi asked, referring to Guilford.

"He'll be fine. Thank you for your concern." Cornelia assured.

"That's good to hear." Chigusa nodded. "This might be a little embarrassing… but I've always looked up to Sir Guilford. He was honestly an inspiration for me."

"I imagine you'll be working alongside him soon." Cornelia told her. Not long after the Black Knights and Autobots went into hiding, Chigusa's memories as Villetta Nu came back to her. But something rather unusual happened. Though she retained all her memories, her kind personality as the amnesiac Chigusa remained in-tact, though she had also developed the resolve and physical abilities she had as a soldier of Britannia, it was almost as if the mind and soul of Chigusa had control over Villetta's physical body, like the two separate personalities had merged together. But whatever the case, Ohgi was particularly happy to know that she was more than willing to try and change herself and become a better individual.

"So, you are certain he'll work alongside us?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Absolutely. He confirmed it himself." Cornelia replied. "Commander Magnus, if possible, could he be placed in our unit, within the Elite Guard?"

Ohgi chuckled. "Really? You wanna be in the same unit as him? You better know to keep it professional when working." He teased, resulting in Chigusa giggling.

"It's not like that, Kaname!" Cornelia exclaimed, her face blushing again before getting serious. "This is from a professional standpoint. It'll take him some time to adjust from being a Britannian soldier to a Black Knight, so it might be best if he's placed in the same unit as someone that he's familiar with to ease the transition. And we've worked together before, so I can safely say that if we're in the same unit together, he should contribute as a team-player."

"Understood." Ultra Magnus nodded. "I'll talk about it with Optimus and Zero and get back to you on it."

"Thank you, Commander." Cornelia replied. "So, where are they anyway?"

Suddenly, T-AI appeared in-between the three humans, causing them to startle slightly. "They had just left for a mission a few minutes ago."

"T-AI! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Cornelia exclaimed.

"We talked about you suddenly showing up in front of people." Ohgi told her in a firm tone, like a parent addressing a child. "Just because you're an advanced A.I., doesn't mean you can't learn manners."

"Sorry." T-AI smiled apologetically. "Still learning."

"You said that Optimus and Zero had gone a mission." Ultra Magnus got right to the point.

"Yes. An Autobot beacon was detected within a deserted area of what was once the Britannia homeland." T-AI informed, getting everyone's attention. "The area was relatively uninhabited by both Britannian and Decepticon forces so they should be in and out pretty quick."

"Then went by themselves?" Cornelia asked.

"No. They took Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Suzaku with them, just in case they were to run into trouble." T-AI answered.

"An Autobot beacon? Does that mean reinforcements?" Chigusa asked.

"I don't know." T-AI responded with a shrug. "We'll have to see when they get back."

---

A single silver Cybertronian jet flew toward the rocky base of this desert area, which also appeared to be an excavation site occupied by a large group of Vehicon troopers and miners working to uncover whatever it was they've been sent to dig up. This jet came to a stop once it got closer to the ground to transform and reveal himself as the leader of the Decepticons.

"Megatron." Suzaku growled as he, Lelouch, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet remained in hiding, unbeknownst to the Decepticon forces presently stationed, both young Black Knights in their respective Knightmares of the Shinkiro and Lancelot Albion.

"Suzaku, take it easy." Lelouch told him. "We don't need you flying off the rails." Though he couldn't blame Suzaku for feeling more than livid at the sight of the Decepticon leader again after six months. Lelouch felt the same way, but it wasn't just anger. Seeing Megatron again reminded him too much of being subjected to his Dark Geass, and that made him more than a little bit nervous.

"[But what is he doing here?]" Bumblebee wondered.

"It seems the Ark detected the ancient Autobot frequency, precisely because it was unearthed." Optimus said.

"Perhaps we should call in for assistance." Ratchet offered.

"Maybe, that sounds like it might be a good idea." Lelouch agreed, not liking the idea of facing off against Megatron again.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we can afford to wait for back-up." Suzaku stated.

"I agree with Suzaku." Optimus said. "Without knowing what the Decepticons have exhumed, I do not think I'm willing to wait either." He said upon forming his Ion blaster.

While Lelouch did agree that they can't take any chances if they didn't know what exactly the Decepticons were looking for, it still didn't make him any less nervous about confronting Megatron again. But he nonetheless joined his comrades in making their way closer.

Meanwhile, as Megatron looked around the dig site, he noticed a pair of Vehicons had found something, or rather they had found what they were looking for. "Show me." Their leader told them. The two Vehicons pulled out a large spherical pod. "Bring it to me, with utmost care."

One of the Vehicons walked toward his leader to present to him the pod. Megatron opened the top to reveal its contents, causing him to smile upon seeing it. However,…

"Megatron!" He and his soldiers turned in minor surprise to see the trio of Autobots, and two Knightmares with them, aiming their weapons directly at him. "I cannot allow you to pilfer Autobot relics!"

Rather than look intimidated or angry, Megatron actually looked almost amused, if not eager. "Not only are you misinformed Optimus, but I would strongly advise you to lower your weapons." He said as he pulled out the device within the pod. "Unless you and your cohorts are in the mood for mutually assured destruction." The device in question was a hand-held disk-shaped object made out of a dark blue material coated in silver metal.

"What is that?" Suzaku questioned, while the Autobot trio looked as if they saw a ghost.

"It cannot be…!" Ratchet stuttered.

"The Spark Extractor!" Optimus voiced in horror.

"The what?!" Lelouch and Suzaku exclaimed at the same time.

"Huston, we have a problem." Bumblebee played through his radio.

Megatron appeared to have just now recognized the white Knightmare with an intrigued smile. "The Lancelot… Suzaku, is that you, my boy?" Suzaku himself glared hard. "It's been quite some time." He then paid a glance at the Shinkiro. "And am I correct to assume that's you in there, Lelouch? Or do you still play the revolutionary under the name, Zero?" Lelouch glared as his arms shook. "You know, I was actually surprised to see you in your 'return speech'. You honestly caught me off guard, the first human to survive my Dark Geass. Well, the first human without a Code anyway. But seeing as your Autobot companions have yet to tell you what exactly this weapon is, allow me to explain it to you." Megatron showed the device in his hand. "The Spark Extractor, as its name suggests, is a device that is capable of extracting every spark within its radius, a powerful and dangerous weapon indeed. And to think that you two actually gave me the means to find it. Although, the credit also belongs to sweet little Euphie."

That really earned a glare from Optimus, Lelouch, and Suzaku, the later practically gnashing his teeth at the mention of the Decepticon leader saying her name.

"If it weren't for her Special Zone, I would never have been able to swiftly and effectively remove Britannia off the face of the map." Megatron continued. "They would have certainly jumped at the chance for a device such as this, so be sure to extend her my thanks, won't you Suzaku?" He spoke to him directly while also noticing the Autobot-Black Knight emblem on the white Knightmare. "You really should have left your Decepticon shield intact. You would have been given quite a position of power in this new world order, far greater than anything Britannia would have offered you. Instead, you'll get a grave."

"Why don't you come here and say that?!" Suzaku challenged. "That fancy weapon of yours might be deadly to Cybertronians, but I don't think it's the case for humans."

"True." Megatron acknowledged. "And as much as I'd enjoy another round with you and Lelouch, I'm afraid the acquisition of my prize takes precedence." He then accessed his comns. "Soundwave, send a Groundbridge." Instantly, a Groundbridge portal opened up on the upper-most area of the excavation site. "Engage them!" Megatron ordered his troops as he proceeded to walk to the portal.

The firefight had begun as all the Vehicon troopers opened fire on the five heroes. Optimus and Bumblebee quickly returned fire with their respective Energon blasters, with Ratchet drawing his blades to cut down any Vehicon that got too close. At the same time, the Shinkiro and Lancelot Albion shot into the air, and got back-to-back with each other as the black Knightmare fired a weapon that seemed like a cross between a Hadron cannon and Energon blaster from its hands, firing blue pulsating spherical blasts to obliterate the Vehicons with explosive results. The Albion's arms converted into weapons identical to VARIS guns, firing Energon blasts of their own.

As Bumblebee cut down one Vehicon with his katana, he noticed Megatron was already at the portal. "[He's getting away!]"

"Suzaku, secure the package!" Optimus ordered.

"Understood." Suzaku was about to fly forward, but Lelouch quickly contacted him.

"Suzaku, your objective is only to secure the Extractor, do not engage Megatron." Lelouch told him. "You understand, don't you? No matter what happens, or what he says to you, I order you to live!"

"Yes sir!" A red ring formed in both Suzaku's eyes, the old Geass command activating as the Lancelot Albion transformed into a white Cybertronian jet before gunning straight for the still-open Groundbridge at incredible speed.

'Seeing how Lelouch and Suzaku's new Knightmares, along with Kallen's, Rai's, and Ohgi's are made from Cybertronian Protoforms, it only makes sense they have the ability to transform as well.' Ratchet thought as he saw Suzaku enter the portal, with Lelouch and Optimus remembering their talk with Suzaku six months prior.

---

Flashback - Six Months Earlier

Lelouch and Cera sat down with Suzaku, with Optimus present as well, as the former two explained to Suzaku what exactly happened on Shikinie Island just before arriving on Kanime Island; or more specifically, they told him about Lelouch using his Geass on Suzaku to 'live', which is how he was able to escape without remembering any of it.

"I see… so that's what happened." Suzaku said, in a tone indicating he didn't know what to think.

"I'm sorry that I did that to you Suzaku." Lelouch told him. "But they would have killed you just to take myself, the Autobots and the Black Knights all out. I couldn't let that happen. I imagine Nunnally and Euphie wouldn't have wanted that either."

"If you want, I can use my powers and remove the effects of that Geass from you." Cera offered, surprising many of them.

"You are able to do that?" Optimus asked.

"I can." Cera confirmed. "It'll be as if it never happened."

Suzaku thought for a moment before giving them his answer. "Thank you… but no." That took them by surprise. "For a long time, all I've wanted was to die, and you all know the reason for that. I've wanted it for so long, that I think my body automatically jumps at the chance before I even think about it."

"Suzaku…" Lelouch tried to say something.

"That's why I can't trust myself not to die. I know that sounds wrong, but it's the truth." Suzaku said. "I know what I did, what my intent was, was selfish. I don't want to put Euphie, Nunnally, or any of our friends through that, including you. That's why, until I can find a way to truly redeem myself and somehow let go of this, I'll carry this Geass command you've given me. I'll find a way to use it to help our cause. It'll be my penance, a way to make up for all I've done."

"Suzaku, are you absolute certain this is what you want?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, without a doubt." The young soldier confirmed.

Cera had a look of somewhat uncertainty. "Well… I suppose I could help find a way for you to control it. But something like this has never been done, so I can't make any guarantees."

He looked toward his friend and leader who looked like he was about to protest. "Lelouch, you told me that I have to take responsibility for my actions, that's what I'm doing. I've joined your cause, and I need to be responsible, this is the best way to assure that."

Lelouch didn't quite like it, but he also knew that it provided a tactical advantage. "Alright. I'm trusting you Suzaku, just be careful."

Suzaku smiled honestly. "You got it."

End Flashback

---

The Lancelot's jet-mode was already in the Groundbridge vortex as he saw Megatron walking toward the other end. The Geassed-Suzaku wasted no time in gunning straight for the enemy leader, veering toward the right side as he transformed the Albion back into robot mode to snatch the Spark Extractor from Megatron's hands and land in front of him.

"What?!" Megatron exclaimed.

"You're right about me Megatron." Suzaku told him, still under the Geass command, while also maintaining his own freewill to speak. "I've made mistakes, and if left unchecked, I might have indeed become the monster that you wanted me to be. A grim reaper. But now, I'm going to do everything I can to seek true redemption! We will stop you, that's a promise!"

Megatron snarled as he drew his blade, ready for a fight, but Suzaku knew he couldn't take Megatron in a fight right now and survive. So, using Lelouch's command to live, Suzaku transformed the Lancelot once again into its jet-mode and soared over Megatron, causing him to miss his slice as he shot out of the vortex. "No!" Megatron shouted as he ran in pursuit.

The Lancelot's jet-mode made it back to the dig site to see the Shinkiro, along with Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet finish off the last of the Vehicons. "Package is secure!"

"T-AI, we need a Groundbridge extract, now!" Lelouch ordered. Less than a second later, a Groundbridge portal opened behind the group, who wasted no time entering just as Megatron exited his own portal, right as both closed.

Megatron had his Fusion cannon aimed at the ready, but he lowered it upon seeing his enemies were gone and his own forces had been destroyed, resulting in him growling in anger.

---

The Ark – Laboratory

"Oh my…" Lloyd smiled upon seeing the recording of the Lancelot's footage of Suzaku taking the Spark Extractor from Megatron. "Looks like you really gave Megatron quite the headache there, Suzaku." He told the young Black Knight, who appeared clad in a uniform resembling a Knight of the Round, only it was black instead of white, and it bore the Autobot-Black Knight emblem on its chest. "Cybertronian Knightmares will be all the rage across the world I imagine. Nobody on Earth will have anything like that."

"Eh, thanks I guess." Suzaku said, not sure if that was a complement towards him or his Knightmare, though he was sure it was the later.

"Everyone, over here now." Perceptor ordered as not only the assembled scientists consisting of himself, Ratchet, Fixit, Nina, Lloyd, Rakshata, and Cecile gathered around him, but also the assembled leadership and commanders consisting of Optimus, Lelouch, Cera, Bumblebee, Kallen, Ohgi, Ironhide, Tohdoh, Elita-One, Cornelia, Jazz, Ultra Magnus, and Kaguya, even Nunnally was present alongside Euphemia and Sayoko.

The group had gathered around the device that was currently analyzing the Spark Extractor. Up on the screen above it, there was an Autobot logo shining on an image of the weapon. "I have the found the source of the frequency T-AI detected." Perceptor informed.

"An Iacon homing beacon." Optimus recognized it.

"An Autobot beacon on a Decepticon weapon?" Ohgi looked in surprise. "How did that happen?"

"Our forces had confiscated a large number of Decepticon weapons." Ultra Magnus explained. "Many of which had the capability to inflict massive casualties."

"So, this Spark Extractor isn't even the worst of it?" Euphemia asked in surprise.

"This weapon is indeed a deadly device, but there were many other equally dangerous weapons created by the Decepticons." Ratchet replied. "Any that we couldn't destroy were confiscated and placed under heavy guard."

"So how did this thing end up on Earth?" Cecile asked.

"More importantly, how would such a weapon work?" Rakshata asked. "Perhaps there may be a way we can use it."

"A machine that can literally suck the life out any Cybertronian." Lloyd added. "If we dropped it off in Megatron's back yard, we might pretty much end the war."

"Why does it sound like you actually admire such an instrument of death?" Cornelia questioned.

"Well, it's to be expected since I'm a full-fledged sociopath." Lloyd admitted casually, causing most of the Autobots and Black Knights assembled to look at him questionably.

"How do you put up with him?" Jazz asked Cecile.

"I find myself asking that same question almost every day." Cecile replied.

"Getting back to the topic at hand…" Cera got everyone on point.

"We tried to capture or destroy any Decepticon weapon we could find during the war." Ironhide said. "The most dangerous ones were locked up in the vaults under Iacon."

"Wasn't that the capital city of the Autobots on Cybertron?" Nunnally asked.

"indeed." Optimus confirmed. "I worked there as an archivist under Alpha Trion's mentorship."

"One of the original primes." Cera said, mostly to herself, remembering meeting Alpha Trion face-to-face via the Matrix of Leadership."

"Iacon was both a cultural center and a stronghold." Optimus continued. "It had held up during most of the war, where all the confiscated weapons as well as other cultural relics were stored safely."

"Until Megatron was able to weaponize Dark Energon." Elita added. "After that, nothing stopped him. He all but destroyed the city, raided the Hall of Records, overthrew Sentinel Zeta Prime, and even killed Alpha Trion."

That caused most of the Black Knights, particularly Cera, Lelouch, Euphie, and Nunnally to look in surprise while the Autobots present all grimaced.

"But before Buckethead got to him, Alpha Trion launched all the confiscated weapons off-world so the bad guys couldn't get em." Jazz said.

"And one of them just so happened to land on Earth." Kaguya put in.

"Well thanks to Suzaku, that very same weapon will continue to remain out of Megatron's reach." Euphemia praised, causing Suzaku to smile. However, Kallen did her best to hide a small scowl, though it did not go unnoticed by Lelouch.

"Optimus, is this Spark Extractor the only the weapon we'll find on our planet?" Tohdoh asked. "Or do you think there might be more?"

"I'm afraid I do not know." Optimus replied. "Only Alpha Trion knew of where they would be hidden."

"If only Alpha Trion knew, then how were the Decepticons able to find it?" Nunnally asked.

"This is only a guess…" Lelouch began to speculate. "But I think that perhaps Alpha Trion would have had the coordinates logged onto a computer of some kind. You cannot just launch a weapon of mass destruction without knowing exactly where you're sending it, just in case a random party would happen to stumble across it. But when he… when he died, the Decepticons must have hacked and stollen the files."

"Then why are we only hearing about this now?" Ohgi asked. "I can imagine a lot of individuals in Britannia would have loved to get their hands-on weapons like this. No offense." He quickly said to Cornelia.

"None taken." The former Britannian Princess replied. "I know I would have jumped at the chance to use this Spark Extractor myself."

"Alpha Trion likely had the files heavily encrypted." Ultra Magnus assumed.

"Yeah, he was old, but he wasn't senile." Jazz added.

"But Britannia fell six months ago." Kallen said. "And it didn't take the Cons long to wipe em all out."

"So, it would only make sense for them to work on decoding those stolen files." Lelouch said with a grimace.

"There wasn't any way we could have known about this." Euphie quickly said. "None of us had a clue these weapons would be here on Earth!"

"What's done is done." Elita stated. "The Spark Extractor could be the extent of it, or all the confiscated weapons could be stored here. There's no way for us to know."

"Maybe there is." Nina spoke up for the first time, getting everyone's attention. "If there's a way we can reverse engineer the Iacon beacon placed on the Spark Extractor, and if there are similar beacons placed on the other weapons, maybe we can use it to track them."

"That could work." Fixit put in. "But if it doesn't, we can still analyze the beacon's frequency so that T-AI can immediately detect any other relics that might be unearthed."

"Please get to work as soon as possible." Optimus instructed the scientific division. "Alpha Trion and so many others made the ultimate sacrifice to keep these weapons far from Decepticon reach. We must not allow their sacrifice to be in vain."

---

The Nemesis – The Bridge

Megatron slammed his fist onto the main console in frustration. "The Spark Extractor was in my grasp! I should have terminated that boy when I had the chance!" However, Megatron's rant was interrupted as Soundwave approached from behind. His visor turned on to show two more sets of coordinates. "Indeed Soundwave, we do possess two more sets of coordinates. Let us see what other long-lost treasures we might be reunited with."

---

The Ark

Kallen sat in her own personal quarters as she looked over some data from her latest performance in her advanced Guren, trying to see where she could improve upon when she heard a knock on her door.

"Kallen, can you come outside for a moment?" She heard Lelouch's voice. Putting down her data-tablet, she walked out into the main hallway to see not only Lelouch, but also Nunnally and even Bumblebee and Arcee.

"You guys want something?" Kallen asked.

"I'm gonna get right to the point, here. Is there an issue you're having with Suzaku?" Lelouch questioned, causing Kallen to narrow down her eyes. "I've noticed the way you've been acting around him lately."

"It's not like I'm yelling or punching him." Kallen said stubbornly.

"Kallen, you know what we're talking about." Lelouch pressed.

"And you should probably know why, all of you!" Kallen exclaimed. "Look, it's not that I don't trust him…"

"You don't, and that's the issue right there." Arcee said.

"What? You trust him, Arcee?" Kallen questioned. "You're all buddy-buddy with him now?"

"Kallen… why don't you trust Suzaku?" Nunnally asked. "You don't think he's a spy or anything do you?"

"No, he's not that smart." Kallen said. "I know he's not a double-agent or anything like that."

"[Then why are you giving him such a hard time?]" Bumblebee asked.

"I don't get why you guys are trying to make a big deal out of this." Kallen quickly stated. "I know he's part of the team, he's not a spy or anything, heck you even put him in the freaking Zero squad Lelouch, so I'm willing to work with him. But I don't have to be friends with him if I don't want to be."

"But why?" Nunnally asked. "Why don't you want to be friends with him? He knows what he did was wrong and he's taking responsibility for it. You and the Autobots all said that's why you didn't trust Suzaku at first, because he didn't take responsibility. But now he is."

"I just don't, okay?" Kallen stated, becoming more irritated. "I don't want to be friends with him. Does there really have to be some underlying reason about it?"

"It sounds like there is." Arcee said. "Kallen, you know can talk to us, to me."

Kallen looked away slightly. "It's nothing, just leave it alone, okay?" She turned around and went back into her quarters.

"[Well, that went well.]" Bumblebee bleeped.

"I… I don't quite understand." Nunnally said. "I know Kallen's stubborn, but it seems like she's holding a grudge."

"This is only a guess." Lelouch assumed. "But it may have to do with Suzaku's father, and possibly her brother."

"Maybe… but I think it's a bit deeper than that." Arcee pointed out. She knew her partner, and she knew that when Kallen holds a grudge, it's hard for her to get over it.

"Arcee, what do you think? About Suzaku and all of this?" Lelouch asked.

"Honestly, the kid seems pretty genuine about wanting to make amends." Arcee replied. "I don't think he's going to pull the same stunt he did with his dad or anything like that."

"I'm sure Kallen knows that too. You think maybe you can help her with this?" Lelouch asked. "Because I have a feeling this grudge of hers is only going to grow, up to the point where it can get her hurt, as well as those around her."

"I'll see what I can do, but you know how stubborn she is." Arcee pointed out, causing Lelouch to exchange concerning glances with his sister, as well as Bumblebee.

---

Meanwhile, in a separate area of the Ark, Suzaku had walked toward his own quarters, but as he walked, he noticed many of the looks several Black Knights gave him and recognized it before. It was similar to when he first joined the Britannian military and they all looked down upon him for being an 'Eleven', now many of them are glaring at him because he used to be a Decepticon. He didn't blame them for their resentment, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. However, before he made it to his quarters, he looked more than a little shocked to see a large black and green Autobot standing in front of his door with a friendly smile.

"Hiya." Grindcore waved in a friendly fashion.

"I… Gri… Grindcore…?!" Suzaku stuttered.

"Not just him." He turned around to see both Shirley and Euphemia, the brunette having spoken to him first.

"Shirley, Euphie." Suzaku voiced in surprise.

"Are you okay, Suzaku?" Euphie asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh maybe because of all the looks that most of the people here have all given you." Shirley pointed out.

"I've noticed it, but you don't need to worry. It's fine." Suzaku told them.

"No, it's not!" Euphie exclaimed. "I can't stand the way people are thinking about you! It's even worse than before when they only looked down on you because you were Japanese, now they actually think you're a bad person! I can't just…"

"Euphie, it's alright." Suzaku insisted as he put his hands on her shoulder. "I deserve it. More than once did I attack them, I even attacked Lelouch and his friends. I became a Decepticon."

"But only because Megatron tricked you!" Shirley tried to tell him.

"It doesn't matter." Suzaku replied. "I made a horrible mistake in choosing his side, I'm not gonna run away from that. It's fine, I appreciate your concern, all of you, but I don't mind."

"You ain't gonna run from the blame, I like that." Grindcore spoke up. "Speaking as one Ex-Con to another."

That took Suzaku by surprise. "You used to be a Decepticon?!"

"Yep, not something I'm proud of." Grindcore explained. "To be honest, I didn't join Megatron's little crusade because of the whole 'equal rights' thing. Don't get me wrong, that would have been great and all, but I joined up because I thought those guys were tough, and they kinda are. I mean, Megs was a full-fledged gladiator that took on all sorts of guys in Kaon, then he went straight up to Cybertron's higher up to take them on. I kinda liked that, I liked to pick on things my own size, maybe bigger. Till I realized that old buckethead and his pals were picking on guys smaller than us. I might like punching stuff, but I ain't a bully! I'm not gonna go out of my way to kick the little guy like he would! So I left the Cons and joined the Bots. And yeah, like you, they didn't like the idea of an Ex-Con joining up. But, I worked my up and before I knew it, the Bots and I became best buds! Now I'm an Autobot and a Wrecker. Look, the point is kid, I get it, I know what it's like and everyone here's gonna be pals with you soon enough. But for right now, you can consider me a friend."

Suzaku looked toward Grindcore in surprise, not just the fact this Autobot was a former Decepticon like himself, but he even appeared to have a sense of honor and wouldn't attack someone who was defenseless. In some ways, Grindcore reminded him of Dreadwing, even Euphie thought the same as they both smiled toward him, along with Shirley.

"Thank you Grindcore."

"No prob." The Autobot smiled. "And hey, you want some advice on how to get on everyone's good side like I did? You gotta 'wow' em!"

"Um, what do you mean by that?" Suzaku asked.

"I mean do something that'll turn some heads." Grindcore clarified. "Punch out a bad guy that's like ten times your size, or something like that. Maybe save a few pals, worked for me. So, keep up the good work, teamie."

"Teamie?" Suzaku asked in confusion. "But we're in different squads…"

"Eh, so long as we both got this…" Grindcore pointed to the Autobot emblem on his shoulder and the similar one Suzaku bore on his own uniform. "…I don't care if we're on different squads, we're on the same team. And anyone on the same team, is a teamie to me."

Despite that, Suzaku still smiled. "I'll be sure to remember that…" He said before walking past him and into his room.

"Grindcore, thank you for that. For… talking to him and understanding him." Euphie thanked the Autobot sincerely.

"It's no problem." Grindcore smiled.

"Ah man!" They all heard Milly's voice as she, Rivalz, Kaguya, and even Rai came around the corner; the former two wearing standard Black Knight uniforms, while Rai wore an outfit similar to Tohdoh's and Ohgi's that was more dark blue in color as opposed to black or dark green. "And I had the perfect speech planned."

"And by that, you mean you were gonna have me and Kaguya say all the mushy stuff to him, right?" Rai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you are his cousins. It only means more if it's from his family." Milly put in.

"That's pretty devious." Grindcore commented with a joking grin. "You sure you ain't a Con?"

"She may not be a Decepticon, but Milly here is a bit of a She-Devil all her own." Rivalz joked back.

"And her and Kaguya together have not made it any easier." Shirley said with mild dread, remembering all the 'harem' talks they had regarding Lelouch, Suzaku, and Rai and all the women they knew. Bumblebee, Jazz, Bulkhead, Smokescreen, Air Raid, and Sideswipe even Cera and Nunnally were among those that got a good laugh out of it, while the three boys just paled in comic dread.

"Seriously though, I'm grateful that all of you were able to become friends with Suzaku." Kaguya told the former members of the Student Council before turning to the former Britannian Princess. "Especially you, Euphie. I never imagined a Britannian princess would be the one to help bring light back into his life. Thank you." She offered Euphie a hand to shake, which she did with a smile.

"Oh, don't worry about that Kaguya." Euphie smiled. "Suzaku really is a good person deep down, even if he himself doesn't think so."

"And other people around here too." Rivalz added, only to be elbowed by Shirley.

"It's been especially difficult with Kallen." Rai added. "She's nothing if not stubborn, but since they're on the same team, they need to get their issues sorted out before it becomes a problem on the battlefield."

"Actually, I do have an idea on how we can help with that." Milly offered. "I've been meaning to pitch it to Optimus and Lelouch and see what they think. If nothing else, it'll get him and Kallen to at least talk and communicate with each other since they're both on the same team and all."

"Really? You do?!" Euphie asked in an excited tone.

"Milly, no offense, but your last idea involved helping Nina, Ratchet, and the other scientists with the Groundbridges, which led to you, me, and Shirley getting stuck in that Shadowzone." Rivalz pointed out.

"We were lucky that we were still in the Ark when all that happened." Shirley added. "They were able to get us out and nobody got hurt. But I didn't like the idea of being a ghost."

"I said I was sorry!" Milly quickly stated. "But, seriously, there's no special trick to this. I know what I'm doing here."

"If it means helping Suzaku, I'm willing to listen." Euphemia nodded.

"Can I get in on it? Please?" Grindcore tried to put on a cutesy face, but the attempt only resulted in the teenage Black Knights laughing at his expense before Milly put on her usual devious smile.

"Alright everyone, listen closely. Here is what we're gonna do." Milly brought in Shirley, Rai, Rivalz, Kaguya, and Euphemia as even Grindcore kneeled down to listen in as Milly whispered her plan to all of them.

---

"And that's what we came up with." Milly said as she, Rai, Rivalz, Shirley, Euphemia, Kaguya, and Grindcore all explained to Optimus, Lelouch, Cera, Nunnally, and Elita-One on the Ark's bridge.

"Hmmm, maybe that could work." Lelouch thought. "Putting those together on a mission, albeit one that's less… vital… could at least help them dialogue so it would be a step in the right direction."

"Kallen and Suzaku have already proven they can work alongside each other." Elita spoke. "If they were to find a way to 'build a bridge' as you humans say, it could improve the Zero Squad's effectiveness in battle."

"But this could also mean that if something goes wrong on this mission, it might make tension between them even more difficult." Cera put in. "I've seen that kind of thing happen myself too many times."

"I'm sure they can find a way to work it out!" Nunnally voiced her opinion. "I know tensions between them are high, especially with Kallen, but they want the same thing! I know they can find a way to work past it!"

"Suzaku and Kallen are two of our best soldiers." Optimus said. "Cooperation is key to victory. I can indeed see this idea helping them to work past their differences, as well as the risks pertaining it. However, given the crisis we all face and what is at stake, it is a risk that we'll have to take."

Nearly everyone gathered there all had smiles on their faces as this could help bring their friends closer together and make it easier for them to work with each other. However, the moment was brought to an end as the main console on the bridge sprang to life with two coordinates located on the holo-map.

"What's going on?" Rivalz questioned as the group got to the situation.

"Sounds like trouble. Good. Means it's time for punching!" Grindcore smiled in anticipation.

"T-AI, what is the situation?" Lelouch asked as the holographic girl appeared before the group.

"Two Iacon homing beacons have been detected!" T-AI revealed. "I already have their coordinates. One is in the lower regions of the Himalayan Mountains, the other is here in Japan near Mount Ontake."

"Ontake was one of the largest Energon distributors back when Britannia occupied the country!" Euphemia remembered. "It wasn't as big as the Fuji operations, but it was still rather considerable!"

"Which could mean it's a potential mine where more human slaves are kept." Elita assumed.

"A sound theory. I am detecting multiple Decepticon signals within the vicinity." T-AI told them.

"Ontake is serious, but I'm more concerned about those two beacons." Lelouch stated with a serious expression. "It means there are other Iacon relics here on Earth, and the Decepticons are already beginning to unearth them." He and Optimus exchanged nods and serious expressions as the Autobot leader accessed the Ark communications.

"Wait!" Milly stopped them before they could assemble the troops. "T-AI, how much of our conversation did you hear?"

T-AI had a smirk on her face as she responded. "Enough to locate a small Decepticon weapons cache in the Oyama forest here in Japan." She said, giving them a not-so-subtle hint.

"I don't like the idea of involving the rest of you in a potentially dangerous mission, even if it's only as mediators between Kallen and Suzaku." Lelouch told the group, but before they could protest, he continued to speak. "Which is why we will be assigning other Bots and Knights to join you just in case you run into an enemy, but do not engage the enemy yourselves! Understood!"

"Don't worry, we'll play it safe." Rivalz assured.

"Thank you, Lelouch." Euphie smiled as Optimus was able to access the Ark's communication system.

"Attention all personnel, we are deploying for multiple simultaneous missions!" Optimus spoke throughout the massive ship. "Wreckers and Black Dragon unit proceed to the Groundbridge bay immediately and be ready for immediate deployment! You are being sent to a mine to not only liberate the human slaves, but also to locate a potential weapon! Zero Squad and Elite Guard report to the bridge, we have a special instruction for you."

---

A Groundbridge portal opened on a cliffside as the group consisting of Autobots Bumblebee, Arcee, Jazz, Strongarm, Smokescreen, and Sideswipe, along with the Black Knights Kallen, Suzaku, and Orpheus in their respective Knightmares, with Euphie, Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz right beside them. The group found themselves overlooking the forested area that was known as Ontake, which appeared relatively untouched by Britannian forces pre-fall, or even the Decepticons post-fall.

"Wow… look at this place. It's huge!" Sideswipe observed.

"It's actually… rather beautiful." Euphie commented.

"And surprising that it's still around since the rest of Japan is basically one big ghetto." Kallen pointed out.

"That's because there's no Energon out here for the Cons to mine." Jazz explained. "If it ain't got the goods, they ain't gonna waste the effort."

"Kinda the only good thing that separated them from Britannia." Arcee said. "The Decepticons aren't gonna go out of their way to destroy something just for the heck of it if isn't necessary."

"They won't waste resources." Orpheus added. "Doesn't make them any less guilty."

The gathered Britannians, even Suzaku, and especially Euphie looked with grimaces. They all knew just how bad the old Empire was, not just the fact that they almost destroyed Japan and any other smaller countries, they would go out of their way to humiliate them by stepping all over their heritage and traditions, just to advertise their superiority. Though the Decepticons were almost the same, they didn't need to unnecessarily wipe out any traditions just to further insult their victims, but it didn't mean they were innocent either.

"Okay… this just got heavy." Smokescreen said trying to get everyone back on track. "So, what's the plan?"

"Eh… right. There's supposed to be a weapon's cache somewhere in these woods." Suzaku pointed out.

"Couldn't they have dropped us off closer?" Rivalz asked.

"[There might be security precautions.]" Bumblebee answered. "[The Cons don't like leaving their stuff out in the open.]"

"They left the Harbinger out in the open." Milly pointed out. "Which let us renovate the entire Ark. And gave us some state-of-the art Knightmares that would make Britannia jealous."

"Probably because they were too busy destroying Britannia." Orpheus pointed out.

"Finding this cache might be like finding a needle in the haystack." Euphemia pointed out. "Maybe we should split up and cover more ground?"

"Good idea." Strongarm agreed. "I propose we follow protocol and have at least one veteran soldier per group, but at the same time, we shouldn't make our groups too small in case we run into trouble."

"Most of this group is veteran soldiers, including yours truly." Sideswipe said in a partially bosting tone, causing Arcee and Kallen to roll their eyes in annoyance. "So, who's going with who?"

"Arcee's with me." Kallen said immediately before glancing around at the rest of the team. "And… I think we'll take Strongarm. Give a chance for a rookie to get her feet wet."

"Oh… I'm honored, ma'am." Strongarm said, addressing Kallen as her superior.

"Um Kallen, maybe you would also like…" Shirley was about to make a suggestion.

"I know what you guys are trying do, but it's fine. I don't need Suzaku holding my hand." Kallen said with minor irritation.

"Kallen, I'm sure that they're only trying to help." Suzaku tried to tell her in a reasoned tone of voice.

"Arcee and I have been a team since this whole thing started, we can handle ourselves. You guys figure out who you wanna be with on your own." She said irritatingly before transforming her Guren into something resembling a red Honda with a Cybertronian-esque haul that made it slightly bulkier. She drove off into the forest, not even waiting for anyone else.

"Um… Arcee, ma'am? Not that I'm questioning a veteran's decision-making skills, but does she even know where she's going?" Strongarm asked the other fembot.

Arcee shook her head with an annoyed sigh. "Come on, let's catch up." She told her teammate as they both transformed into their respective vehicle modes before driving after her.

"So…" Rivalz tried to defuse the awkward situation the rest of them were feeling. "Who's going with who?"

"Suzaku, Sideswipe, you guys ride with me and Undertone." Jazz instructed. "Milly and Euphie too."

"[OZ, Smokescreen, Shirley and Rivalz, you guys are with me.]" Bumblebee also said. "[Everyone maintains constant communication. Find the cache or make enemy contact and call for back-up right away!]"

"Understood." OZ and Suzaku both nodded while everyone else silently accepted as the Autobots transformed into their respective vehicle modes, with Shirley getting into Bumblebee, Milly riding in Jazz's passenger seat, Rivalz inside Smokescreen, and Euphie inside Sideswipe. The groups drove off in opposite directions.

---

Orpheus' Byakuen rolled on the ground alongside Smokescreen and right behind Bumblebee as they moved through the forested area. "So far, it doesn't seem like there's anything out here." Orpheus pointed out.

"[Keep your optics peeled.]" Bumblebee told them. "[There's more to this than meets the eye]"

Trying to find a way to strike up a conversation, Rivalz noticed the emblem on Smokescreen's steering wheel inside his vehicle mode. "So, Smokey, you and Strongarm trained together in the same group?"

"Yeah, but I didn't interact with Strongarm all that much." Smokescreen pointed out. "Saw her a few times, but not that often."

"So, what was the Autobot Elite Guard like? What did you guys do?" Shirley asked.

"It's only the most prestigious unit on Cybertron." Smokescreen commented with pride. "They only accepted the best of the best. Though it wasn't much more than a boot camp by the time I joined."

"Were you ever in the Elite Guard, Bee?" Shirley asked the scout. "You seem like you'd fit right in."

Bumblebee's radio played a laughing segment from a sitcom. "[Hardly. I was only a scout, a messenger. It's how I met Optimus just before he took command, and before I knew it, I ended up tagging along with him on nearly every other mission.]"

"So, what'd you end up doing, Smokescreen?" Orpheus asked, deciding to join in on the conversation.

"I got security detail at Iacon, guarding Alpha Trion during what turned out to be the final days of the war." Smokescreen answered.

"Wasn't he one of the original Primes?" Rivalz asked in surprise.

"Yep." Smokescreen confirmed. "I wasn't thrilled at first, thinking I just watching the back of an old bot instead of kicking Con tailpipe."

"[Hey! A little respect!]" Bumblebee told him. "[He wasn't just one of the original Primes, he was Optimus' mentor!]"

That took the three humans by surprise. "He mentored Optimus?!" Shirley exclaimed.

"[Yeah, he did. I even met Alpha Trion]" Bumblebee answered. "[He might have been old, but he was really something else.]"

"Yeah, he was." Smokescreen added. "The big A turned out to be a great teacher to me too, and a true friend."

"Uh, one question." Rivalz pointed out, looking a little awkward as he asked. "If he was one of the original Primes, why was he called Alpha Trion? Shouldn't he have been called Alpha Prime?"

Smokescreen chuckled. "Funny, I asked him the exact same thing. He told me the 'Trion' part came from the fact he was the third Prime created. First was Prima, number two was Vector Prime."

"Optimus himself is amazing… but if Alpha Trion was his mentor…" Shirley had an awe-inspired expression on her face. "I wish we could have meet him."

"Well, I know he would have liked you guys." Smokescreen remembered his old teacher fondly as well. "He always had a soft spot for the younger generation."

---

At the same time; the vehicles modes of the Guren, Arcee, and Strongarm drove deeper into the forest as Kallen appeared to be in the lead.

"Ma'am, may I ask you something?" Strongarm asked Kallen.

"First, don't call me ma'am!" Kallen replied. "Makes me feel old. Just 'Kallen'."

"My apologies." Strongarm quickly said. "Kallen, if I may ask, why did you have your Knightmare adopt an alt mode of a land-based vehicle? Zero and the others who have their Knightmares made from Protoforms all chose air-based vehicle modes. I'm not questioning if or not it's effective, just curious."

"The Guren can already fly, so I don't need it to turn into a jet." Kallen answered.

"Oh, thank you for answering my query." Strongarm replied.

Kallen gave a sigh. Though she knew Strongarm was a capable soldier, she still acted like a rookie fresh from boot-camp, which wasn't entirely wrong. But her willingness to follow protocol, while good intentioned, doesn't quite fit with how chaotic and complicated a real mission can get.

Arcee's motorcycle form rode up beside the vehicle mode of the Guren as she addressed her partner. "Kallen, what's going on?"

"What are you talking about, Arcee?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Arcee pointed out. "Do I really need to point out the elephant in the room?"

"There's an elephant nearby?" Strongarm asked.

"It's a metaphor." Arcee quickly told the cadet.

The redhead groaned in annoyance. "We've been over this; I don't have a problem with Suzaku! Yeah, he worked with the Decepticons, and was even considered a Con himself! Yeah, he killed his Dad! Yeah, he says he's taking responsibility and now he's on our side to really redeem himself or whatever, now he's part of the Zero Squad and trying to be all friendly, well woopy do! No matter what he does, or how friendly he tries to act, he's no Cliffjumper! I swear he…"

"Cliffjumper?!" Arcee questioned, coming to a halt in her vehicle mode, and forcing the Guren and Strongarm to halt as well before the blue Autobot transformed. "That's what this is about?! You think he's replacing Cliffjumper!?" Kallen said nothing but gave a scowl, which all but confirmed it for Arcee. "You think you're the only one who's not hurt by that, Kallen?! Cliff was my partner, too! He was my partner long before we met you!"

Kallen's scowl faded into a look of sympathy as she briefly deactivated her transformed Knightmare and stood up from a hatch at the top to look Arcee straight in the eyes. "Arcee… I… I'm sorry… It's not you… I… I just…" She found herself unable to hide her pained expression as she couldn't even finish what she was saying with tears in her eyes.

Arcee gave a small sigh of her own as her look softened as well. "Kallen, it's okay to miss him… I miss him to. But you know Suzaku's not replacing Cliff, nobody could ever replace him."

"I know…" Kallen muttered with a small sob.

"You can't keep this buried inside you." Arcee told her. "I'm not saying to forget about Cliff, but… as hard as it is… he's gone, and he's not coming back." A saddened look fell Arcee's face as well before she got back to the point. "Just because he's gone through… doesn't mean you can't find someone else, Cliff helped show me that. But it wasn't just him. I also ended up meeting Optimus, Bee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Ratchet, Fixit, and… I met you." Kallen looked up toward Arcee as the blue Autobot smiled. "And I know you got plenty more people too. Suzaku… he's not perfect… and I'm not saying you should be instant best friends with him or anything… but if you open up a bit… you might be surprised."

Arcee reached down to place her large hand on Kallen's back, which she appreciated as she looked up to her partner and older-sister figure with an emotional smile.

Strongarm, who had remained at the side for the duration of the conversation, transformed into her robot form as she spoke. "Ma… Kallen. I… I don't really have a whole lot to contribute to this conversation, but you can consider me a friend, if you'd like."

Kallen stifled a chuckle as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Thanks… both of you."

Arcee smiled along with Strongarm. However, the latter's smile faded as a device built into her wrist gave a small alarm, also drawing the attention of Kallen and Arcee.

"What is it?" Arcee asked.

"A Decepticon signal." Strongarm reported with a serious expression. "Fifty meters due east of our position."

Arcee and Kallen both got serous as well as the human teenager got back into her transformable Knightmare to transform back into its robot form and ready its weapons, while Arcee primed her Energon blasters, and Strongarm drew her crossbow-like weapon as they slowly made their way toward their target.

Once they made it past the trees, they found their target, a single Decepticon who currently had his back turned. Right away, the two Autobots aimed their Energon blasters while Kallen aimed the Guren's Surger Claw.

"Hands in the air, Con!" Arcee ordered.

The Decepticon, whom none of them recognized, raised his clawed hands as he turned around to reveal his face with a seemingly sincere and friendly smile.

"Greetings, Sisters." Steeljaw began. "I'm so glad I found you, you wouldn't believe how many close calls I had since arriving on this Decepticon infested planet." He noticed the red Knightmare. "Am I to assume you are a Black Knight? It's a pleasure."

"Quit acting so friendly, Con!" Kallen glared. "What are you doing here?"

"Let me guess, there's no weapon's cache." Arcee assumed.

"Unfortunately, no." Steeljaw confirmed. "But I had to do something since I lacked any means of contacting anyone."

"Decepticon, lower your weapons immediately." Strongarm ordered.

"Of course, you're confused, probably because of this." Steeljaw said, referring to the clawed Decepticon emblem on his shoulder. "Despite the logo, I'm no Decepticon. I'm an Autobot, albeit undercover."

"Then why did we detect a Decepticon signal?" Kallen questioned, not buying it.

"I had to… forge my signal." Steeljaw replied. "This way I could better blend in with all the incoming Decepticons and enter this system without drawing too much attention to myself. Now that I'm here on this planet, I can finally end this charade."

"An undercover agent." Strongarm lowered her weapon slightly, but still remained cautious.

"Arcee?" Kallen glanced toward her partner, who seemed more than a little skeptical. "Maybe we should contact the base, before we do anything else."

Before Arcee could reply however, Steeljaw gave a slight chuckle. "Still cautious, I see. Not what I'd expect from the ferocious Kallen Kozuki."

That really got their attention. "How the hell do you know my name?"

"Well, let's say we're both acquainted with a certain individual who has quite the grudge against you." Steeljaw said with a small sneer. "Perhaps you'd like to be reacquainted?" He glanced up past them to a certain Decepticon that hung in the trees, who aimed her left hand to shoot a strand of webbing that ensnared and pinned Arcee to the ground, causing Strongarm and Kallen to turn around in surprise to see the smirking spider-Con.

"Airachnid!" Kallen exclaimed, only to grunt as Steeljaw ran and tackled the Guren from behind, causing it to crash into the trees as Strongarm tried to shoot at Airachnid, but she leapt from her tree to another as Strongarm attempted to call for back-up.

"This is Strongarm! We're under attack! Decepticons…!" However, something fast and large suddenly rammed her from the side, sending her crashing through multiple trees and into a large rock, shattering it on impact. The one responsible for attacking her was none other than the smirking Thunderhoof.

The Guren quickly drew its MVS knife to swipe at Steeljaw, who parried it with his claws, but Kallen quickly aimed her Surger Claw point-blank to his face and was ready to fry him when suddenly…

"Oh Kallen!" She heard Airachnid's taunting voice as Kallen saw the one-eyed spider-Con looming over the webbed Arcee, her hook close to her neck. "You may want to hold off on that, less you want to lose yet another partner. I happened to overhear how you lost good old Cliffjumper, you want me to send him some company?"

Kallen glared as she practically gnashed her teeth, but she also looked through the Guren's screen to see Thunderhoof walking onto the scene, dragging the unconscious Strongarm by the foot. Realizing that both her teammates were immobilized, and she herself was out-numbered, Kallen had no choice but to surrender. With reluctance, Kallen shut down the Guren and stood up from its cockpit, her hands raised and a scowl on her face.

"Wise choice." Steeljaw smirked.

---

Meanwhile, in another part of the woods, Jazz and Sideswipe's vehicle modes rode alongside the Lancelot as Euphie sat inside Sideswipe, with Milly in the passenger sat of Jazz's vehicle mode with Undertone in the back.

"So… strong silent type, huh?" Milly asked the silent Mini-Con, who only nodded in confirmation.

"Don't let that or his size fool ya." Jazz commented. "Undertone trained with me and Prowl under the same old bot back on Cybertron."

"Really? Cool." Milly smiled.

"Hey, how you doing there Mr. White Knight?" Sideswipe asked Suzaku specifically. "You've been pretty quiet."

"Just a lot on my mind." Suzaku said.

"Is it Kallen?" Euphie asked, and before Suzaku could respond, Euphie continued to speak. "Suzaku, we all know that's what you're thinking, you don't have to hide it from us."

"Well… it's partly her." Suzaku began to confess. "I know I've said it before, but I don't blame her for being mad at me. I'm still disappointed in myself by what choices I've made. I just… I just wish there was a way I could make it up to her."

"Kallen is probably one of the most stubborn people in the world, kinda like you." Milly said to him. "But my grandpa told me that when two people are arguing, the best way to begin making it up is to take the first step. I'm sure Kallen feels the same way, and maybe we can work something out."

"And for what it's worth Suzaku, I think you're pretty cool." Jazz told him.

"You screwed up, but you're doing what you can to fix it. That makes you an okay guy in my book, too." Sideswipe added.

Suzaku smiled. "Thanks guys."

"Hello! Milly!? Suzaku?! Jazz!? Is anyone there?!" Shirley's voice rang through the comns.

"Shirley, what's going on?" Suzaku asked with a concerned feeling.

"We just got an alert from Strongarm! I think she, Arcee, and Kallen might be in serious trouble!" Shirley alerted, causing the group of Bots and humans to look surprised as well as worried.

---

Himalayan Mountains

Meanwhile; the group consisting of the Autobots Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Elita One, and Prowl; alongside the Black Knights Zero, Cera, Cornelia, Ohgi, Chigusa, and Monica in their respective Knightmares, stood on a mountain top as they scanned the area for the source of the beacon they were tracking.

"I think I found our target." Zero told the group as he glanced down the mountain top to a rather large cliffside at least two hundred feet below them. From the looks of it, they could already see four Decepticons at work.

Two of these Decepticons were recognized instantly; Soundwave and Knock Out, the former having deployed Rumble to begin excavating the relic. The other two consisted of a tall and thin purple Decepticon, while the other was massive, almost like a giant metallic mole that walked on all fours and carried razor-sharp teeth in its massive maw.

"What… in the world… is that?" Cornelia questioned, referring to the giant metallic creature specifically.

"That is a Chompazoid." Elita identified. "A ravenous canid-like Cybertronian. They're known to consume almost all types of metals to further enhance their physical strength. They're incredibly dangerous."

"And this other Decepticon?" Zero questioned.

"From a mere glance, I would say that is Fracture." Ultra Magnus assumed. "A bounty hunter, one of Megatron's fiercest."

"And with Soundwave here too, this is going to present quite the problem." Monica commented.

"Looks like they found the relic." Chigusa pointed out. "Hold on…" She tried to zoom in with her Knightmare's screen. "Is that… some kind of hammer?"

Optimus recognized it instantly. "That hammer is a sacred relic of the thirteen original Primes."

"What?!" Zero almost shouted, as everyone else looked more than a little surprised.

"Seriously?!" Cornelia also exclaimed.

"Isn't that… the opposite of a Decepticon doomsday device?" Ohgi asked.

"The master archivist of Iacon was Alpha Trion, one of the original primes." Cera spoke. "So, am I correct to assume that aside from weapons of mass destruction, Alpha Trion also kept the relics of his fellow predecessors for safe-keeping within Iacon's vaults as well?"

"You assume correctly, Cera." Ultra Magnus confirmed. "I've seen similar relics myself."

"And just like all those confiscated weapons, Alpha Trion must have launched these relics to keep Megatron from getting his claws on them." Elita added.

"So, what kind of relic are we looking at?" Zero asked.

"Arguably the most significant of all." Optimus answered. "The Forge of Solus Prime. For it possess the power to mystically infuse raw material with working mechanisms."

"So… if we had that artifact… we could use it to pound any weapon we can dream of into existence?" Monica said in an awed tone of voice.

"We could outfit all our Knightmares, possibly the entire Ark, with weaponry that could easily overwhelm the Decepticons! We might even be able to end this war in a week!" Chigusa could already see the possibilities.

"Maybe… maybe even a new voice box for Bumblebee!" Lelouch's eyes widened at the thought of that.

Cornelia smiled in her brother's direction. 'It's amazing that's the first thing that comes to mind for you, Lelouch.'

"Let's not get our hopes up just yet." Elita advised the group. "First, we actually have to get it."

"Leave that to me." Prowl said with a slight smirk.

---

Strongarm's optics slowly opened as she regained consciousness. As she did however, she felt her body was being restraint by something. Upon fully awakening, she realized that her body was pinned to a rock by a large amount to of webbing, with Arcee almost completely cocooned and hanging upside down next to her, and Kallen in the same kind of position, only being hung right side up.

"Well, look who's awake?" Airachnid teased as she stood alongside Steeljaw and Thunderhoof before walking toward Arcee and Kallen in particular. "Long time no see, girls. You missed me?"

"About as much as eating crap." Kallen scowled before a smirk formed on her face. "Nice new look though."

Airachnid hissed as she brought her hook close to Kallen's face. "Maybe I could give you the same treatment?"

"Airachnid, I swear to Primus that if you touch her….!" Arcee scowled.

"You'll what?" Thunderhoof questioned as he stepped up as well. "You know, I owe you Bots and your meatbag pets big after bringing that mine down on me!"

"An act I can guarantee none of us can regret, Thunderhoof." Strongarm glared.

"How's about I make ya'll!?" Thunderhoof was about to punch Strongarm had Steeljaw not pulled him back slightly by the shoulder along with Airachnid.

"As entertaining as it would be to watch you two get the revenge you so crave, perhaps these three might be better use to us alive." Steeljaw suggested. "Think about it, if Kallen and Arcee in particular are close at all to Zero and/or Prime, they might have sensitive information. And if not, perhaps a possible bargaining chip; to both the Autobots and their Black Knight allies, and maybe even Megatron. I can see quite the promotion for us if we turn in two highly ranked enemies."

As Steeljaw continued to reason with his associates, the rest of the Autobots and Black Knights deployed for this mission watched and heard everything from a safe distance as they tried to come up with a rescue plan.

"Airachnid." Suzaku scowled, gripping the controls of the Lancelot hard, while Euphie's face went pale at the sight of the She-Con, remembering what Airachnid had put her as well as Cornelia through.

"That same Spider-Con you guys told us about?" Milly asked.

"The one who killed Arcee's partner, Tailgate." Shirley confirmed. "That's her alright."

"Looks like Thunderhoof's still kicking too." Rivalz observed.

"Guess he's a lot tougher than he looks." Sideswipe commented.

"I've heard the horror stories about Airachnid back on Cybertron." Smokescreen said. "But who's that other Con right there?"

"[Never seen him before.]" Bumblebee said.

"I think I have." Jazz revealed, getting everyone's attention. "Never actually met him, but I read some reports of a Con who fits his description. Steeljaw, I think. And if those reports are anything to go by, then he's really bad news."

"Maybe worse than you think." Euphie said. "I've never met him before either, but the way he's talking… he almost reminds me of my brother, Schneizel. He always had a way of getting to people with words alone, and I feel like this Decepticon is almost exactly the same way."

"Should we radio the Ark? Call in for back up?" Orpheus asked.

"Or maybe we can go in and take them out ourselves." Rivalz suggested.

"I'm cool with that. There's only three of them." Sideswipe agreed.

"[Bad idea!]" Bumblebee bleeped. "[We got too many unknowns with that Steeljaw guy, not to mention how dangerous Airachnid herself is]"

"Plus, if we go in guns blazing, what's to stop them from knocking off our friends right there." Jazz added.

"So, it's a hostage situation." Milly observed. "We gotta get Kallen, Arcee, and Strongarm out of there before we do anything."

"We'll need a distraction." Suzaku said. "As much as I would enjoy snuffing out Airachnid once and for all, we can't go in recklessly, especially when it comes to her."

Most of the group looked toward Suzaku in surprise. They all knew how much he was against the idea of killing, and even when he became a Black Knight and understood that taking an enemy's life might be an essential part of war, to hear that he actually wants to kill someone was more than a little concerning. But Euphie understood clearly; Suzaku still blames Airachnid for the death of Dreadwing, something she herself blames the Spider-Con for as well. And while she herself is against the idea of killing, she wouldn't mind not seeing Airachnid again either.

"I think I have an idea." Orpheus suggested as he stood up from his Byakuen's cockpit. "The Decepticons, as their name suggest, often use deception to trick their enemies, right? Well two can play at that game." He said with a grin as a Geass sigil lit up in both his eyes.

---

Himalayan Mountains

Rumble had finished digging away at the rocks and dirt that had covered the relic the Decepticon team had been tasked with retrieving, fully revealing the Forge of Solus Prime in all its glory. "Now that's a big hammer." Rumble commented as Soundwave called him back, the evil Mini-Con returning to his master's literal side.

"Time to get a grip." Knock Out smirked.

However, Soundwave pointed up the mountainside as the Decepticons gazed up to see Optimus, Ultra Magnus and Elita one sliding down the mountainside above them, opening fire with their Energon blasters, forcing the Decepticons to split up and leave them vulnerable for the Black Knights to get the jump on them.

Cera, Monica, and Cornelia flew in from the right side in their respective pink Akatsuki, Florence Nero, and custom Vincent, ramming directly into the large Chompazoid to knock him down, while Ohgi and Chigusa simultaneously flew in from the left side, with the Gawain Neuron transformed into a Cybertronian hovercraft that carried a tank-like attachment up front, with Chigusa's Vincent riding on top. She drew her Knightmare's assault rifle to fire magnesium bullets directly at Soundwave, while Ohgi fired his hover-tank's main weapon, causing an explosion that blew most of the Decepticons back.

"Thank you all so much for recovering the relic for us." Zero announced as the Shinkiro revealed itself; the Black Knight Knightmares and Autobots standing together and aiming their weapons at the Decepticons. "We truly appreciate it."

"Autobots and their human pets!" Fracture scowled.

Knock Out however smirked once he saw the Shinkiro, he even gave an impressed whistle. "Nice new Knightmare up there Zero. Most Cons won't admit it, but you got style."

"Yo!" The Chompazoid stomped forward. "Name's Underbite! Any of you heard of Nuon City? No? That's because I ate it!"

"I wouldn't boast if I were you." Elita advised.

"Stand down Decepticons and be spared." Optimus ordered.

"Why don't you tell that to them?" Knock Out pointed upward, with Lelouch being the first to glance up as his eyes widened in shock.

"INCOMING!" His warning came just in time as the Autobots and Black Knights scattered any way they knew how to avoid the devastating Hadron blasts from a hovering Knightmare being flanked by two others, with a fourth climbing up from the other side of the cliff to stand below them.

All four had a similar black and purple color-scheme, similar to that of the Knightmares from the Pluton organization in the Geass Order. The one on the ground resembled something of a centaur a horse-like body, four legs, built underneath a humanoid upper body, while wielding a giant mace-like weapon; this was the Dark Equus. The one directly above that was a thinner Knightmare with talon-like feet with long and large bladed-winged arms, this Knightmare was known as the Dark Aquila. The one in the middle that fired the Hadron cannons looked identical to the Mordred, save for its darker color scheme, which had earned it the title of the Dark Mordred. Finally, the one on the other flank was the Tristan, which also bore the darker paint job, thus becoming known as the Dark Tristan.

"The Mordred… and the Tristan…?" Monica couldn't believe it. "Anya?! Gino!?"

"Hey Monica." Gino said with a grimace, confirming it was him in the pilot seat, wearing a dark purple pilot suit with the Decepticon emblem on his chest. "Sorry to meet again like this."

"Targets identified." Anya, also wearing her own Decepticon pilot suit, said in an ever-stoic tone.

"Looks like we're about to test out these modified Knightmares." The pilot of the Dark Aquila noted.

"Personally, I'm actually rather thrilled about it." The pilot of the Dark Equus also commented.

Cornelia recognized those voices. "Castor?! Pollux?!"

"Oh Cornelia, it's been a while." Castor said from within his Dark Aquila.

"Guess it's a family reunion." Pollux stated as he piloted the Dark Equus.

"Why… why are you all working for Megatron?!" Chigusa shouted. "You're Knights of the Round and Princes of the Empire!"

"You mean the fallen Empire, don't ya?" Fracture mocked.

"Don't blame them, it's not their fault." Knock Out said. "These guys got bombs in their Knightmares that the boss will blow up if they take a step in the wrong direction. It's what they get for trying to take us on. Meet the Dark Knights."

Every Bot and Knight narrowed their eyes or optics at the enemy. "That's just cruel!" Elita glared. "But I shouldn't be surprised!"

"Enough talk! Time for dinner!" Underbite was the first to charge at the Autobots and Black Knights, followed by his fellow Decepticons and their own human 'allies'. All except Soundwave, however…

The silent Decepticon glanced back toward the Forge of Solus Prime and scanned the area with a vision that looked similar to infrared, which allowed him to see something that one wouldn't normally see with normal eyes or optics. An invisible Autobot attempting to take the Forge. Soundwave launched his tentacles from his chest at the invisible foe, who sensed them coming as he back-flipped into the air to avoid them before landing to deactivate his cloaking field and reveal himself as the Ninja-Bot Prowl.

"So much for stealth." Prowl said as he faced Soundwave directly. "But then again, stealth isn't my only weapon." He drew a set of shurikens from his hand, which he threw towards Soundwave who blocked them with a swipe from his hand, right before Prowl jumped to lash out with a flying kick toward the silent Decepticon.

Optimus found himself attacked by the Dark Mordred as Anya fired her Hadron cannons at him, forcing the Autobot leader to roll across the ground before opening fire. Though Anya brought up her blaze luminous shield system to protect herself from the blasts. Ultra Magnus ran towards Underbite alongside Elita One as he drew his hammer and had Elita leap on top of the mallet before Magnus threw out his hammer to send Elita flying over Underbite, while blasting his back with her Energon blasters before landing behind him, her attack caused Underbite some irritation, which distracted him enough for Ultra Magnus to slam his face in with his weapon.

Monica flew into the air to clash the Florence Nero's MVS blade against that of the Dark Tristian. "Just like old times, huh Monica?" Gino said, trying to find some humor in this otherwise bleak situation.

"Gino, you don't have to do this!" Monica pleaded. "You and Anya can come with us! We can help you!"

"You heard Knock Out, I can't." Gino said reluctantly. "I wish I could. I'm sorry, it's not personal!" He fired his Knightmare's slash harkens at her, forcing Monica to fly back and gain some distance.

Fracture squared off against Ohgi and Chigusa's Knightmares before he deployed a duo of rockets from his shoulder, which knocked down Chigusa's Vincent before they transformed to reveal themselves as his Decepticon Mini-Con partners, Air Razor and Divebomb. The two Mini-Cons chuckled evilly before they leapt at the recovering Vincent. Ohgi would have run to help her, but he was quick to bring up the Gawain Nerion's armored arms to block the blade-attack from the smirking Fracture.

Cera fired her Akatsuki's arm-rifle at the fast-flying Dark Aquila before it shot directly at her at super speeds faster than any normal jet. Fortunately, the Shinkiro appeared by her side as Zero attempted to fire its central cannon at it. However, Castor flew directly up to just barely avoid it before Zero transformed the Shinkiro into a black Cybertronian shuttle that flew after the flying Knightmare for a high-speed chase around the mountains. While down below, Cornelia rolled her Vincent back to avoid the devastating smash from the Dark Equus' massive mace-weapon. Cornelia attempted to fly above him and shoot, but the Pollux's reaction speed proved to be more than Cornelia could anticipate as it reeled itself up on its back-rear legs for higher reach to slam the custom Vincent with its main weapon to knock it down.

Knock Out however appeared to be simply sitting on the Forge and watched all the battles unfold around him. "Hmm, now I could go and help them. But, after so many scratches and skids done against my paintjob, I think I'm more content to just sit back and enjoy the show."

---

Oyama Forest

"So, we're agreed then." Steeljaw told his cohorts, still standing by their captives. "We'll get into contact with Megatron and we can use our prisoners here to get a rather high position, and we'll let him and whoever else he chooses handle the interrogation."

"I'd rather do the interrogating myself." Airachnid brandished her hook.

"Of course, but wouldn't you rather use your talents in his service and get more than just revenge?" Steeljaw offered with a sneer.

"Oh? And what would you believe I'd have to offer?" A familiar voice spoke out as a towering individual stepped out into the clearing; someone that caused Kallen to gasp as Arcee's and Strongarm's optics widened in shock. The Decepticon trio was certainly surprised as well, clearly not expecting to meet their leader like this.

"Lord Megatron." Steeljaw made a formal bow, followed by Thunderhoof and Airachnid. "Just the Decepticon I've been meaning to see."

"What is your name, soldier?" Megatron questioned.

"Steeljaw, my lord." He introduced himself. "And I'm sure you're already familiar with my associates."

"You mean, my interrogator and former mine operator." Megatron corrected, glaring at Thunderhoof in particular.

"Eyy Yoo, that wasn't my fault!" Thunderhoof exclaimed. "Those dang Meatbags…!"

"Silence!" Megatron bellowed, causing Thunderhoof to bow his head in submission. "I do not want your excuses!"

However, as the Decepticon leader continued to address the Decepticon trio; a small group of unarmed Black Knights, and a white Mini-Con, silently made their way behind the rock where Strongarm was webbed to.

"Psst." She, Kallen, and Arcee all heard as they glanced, however way they can, in the direction they heard the sound originate from, which was revealed to be from Milly, who was standing alongside Shirley, Undertone, Rivalz, and Euphie.

"That is not Megatron." Milly whispered as she pointed to her eye to give a secret message, something all three of them recognized.

'That's right.' Arcee recalled. 'OZ's Geass lets him disguise himself as anyone he wants. He must be using it to hide himself and his Knightmare, pretending to be Megatron.' As Strongarm and Kallen also understood, the Mini-Con and his four human companions each took out a bladed weapon of some sort and quickly got to work cutting away the webbing that bound Strongarm to the boulder. They all understood the plan, Strongarm was the only one they could reach. All five of them could quickly cut her free, where she'd then quickly free Kallen and Arcee, all the while rest of their friends quickly circled the perimeter in an attempt to surround and corner the enemy.

"I'll ask only one last time." 'Megatron' stated. "What is it you want?"

"Only a chance to prove myself, a chance for all of us to prove ourselves to your cause, my lord." Steeljaw said. "Each of us have failed you in some way, which is why we've marked ourselves." He showed the slashed Decepticon emblem on his shoulders, as well as that on Airachnid and Thunderhoof, which bore similar slashes. "As a sign that we accept our failure and are willing to atone, if you would allow us."

"Too bad you won't get the chance!" This came from the Autobot Jazz as he leapt onto the scene, aiming his sonic blaster, followed by Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, and even the Lancelot Albion as they quickly surrounded the Decepticons. But this was nothing compared to the surprise they got as the freed Strongarm gave a fierce kick to Steeljaw's face and knock him down into Thunderhoof and Airachnid, allowing Undertone the chance to leap up with a blade and cut down Arcee's bindings as he slid down the cocoon with his blade, allowing Arcee to free herself as well as Kallen. Once freed, Kallen quickly pulled out a remote and pressed the button.

In less than a second, the Guren SEITEN Eight Elements rolled up onto the field automatically as Arcee quickly ran toward it, and placed Kallen inside, allowing her to grip the controls and fully activate the Knightmare. Steeljaw, Airachnid, and Thunderhoof all recovered to find themselves completely surrounded from all angles.

"Hands in the air, Cons!" Sideswipe ordered.

"Or don't, we got a clear shot either way!" Smokescreen said as he aimed his Energon blaster.

"But… but how…" Steeljaw stuttered, as he turned to 'Megatron' however, he was more than surprised to see the visual completely fade to reveal the Gouka Byakuen, with Orpheus at the pilot seat as he aimed its own weapons at it.

"We've been tricked!" Thunderhoof exclaimed.

Steeljaw growled. "Clever."

Airachnid glared at everyone circling her, but her eyes set upon a certain pink-haired girl that stood by the Lancelot. "Euphie, did you miss me? I know I missed you." However, before she could make a move, the Lancelot aimed it's VARIS weapon directly at her face.

"You are never going near her, again!" Suzaku warned.

"Nice to see you too, Suzaku." Airachnid snarled.

"How do you Cons like them apples?!" Rivalz gloated. "Getting show up by Autobots a bunch of 'Meatbags'! Sucks to be you!"

However, Steeljaw ended up chuckling, much to everyone's confusion. "What's so funny?" Sideswipe questioned.

"You seriously didn't think we'd take such a risk of capturing Autobots and/or Black Knights without some kind of fallback in case things go wrong, did you?" Steeljaw smirked as he glanced to Airachnid with a nod.

Airachnid broadcasted a signal only she could use, two seconds later, the entire ground around them began to shake as a massive metallic fist erupted from the ground behind Bumblebee, Jazz, and Smokescreen; with another behind Arcee, the Guren, and Strongarm; and a third behind the Lancelot, Undertone, Euphie, Shirley, Rivalz, and Milly. These were revealed to be the hulking forms of the Insecticons as they climbed their way up from under the ground and surrounded the heroes.

"Insecticons." Kallen scowled. "That's just freaking dandy."

"Scrap." All the other Bots and Humans muttered at the same time.

---

Himalayan Mountains

The battle for the Forge of Solus Prime appeared to be a bitter stalemate for the Autobots and Black Knights against the Decepticons and their human 'allies'. Ultra Magnus and Elita One continued to battle Underbite, having a hard time getting through his tough hide while they did their best to avoid getting eaten or crushed. Fracture proved to be quite a match for Ohgi, even with the Gawain Nerion's advanced weapons; while Air Razor and Dive Bomb proved too quick for Chigusa to even land a hit on. Prowl threw almost everything he had at Soundwave, with the silent Decepticon's defenses almost impossible to penetrate. Gino and Monica continued to clash in the air with the Dark Tristan and Florence Nero respectively, but both seemed reluctant to hurt the other. Cornelia attempted to maintain her distance from Pollux and his Equus, else she be crushed by its overly large weapon. All while Knock Out continued to watch the 'show' with an entertained smirk on his face.

At the same time, Zero in his transformed Shinkiro continued to give chase to Castor in his Dark Aquila, shooting rapid-fire Energon blasts at it, but the Dark Aquila proved to be quick and agile enough to avoid most of the blasts.

"Who would have fought Zero had what it takes to be in an actual fight." Castor commented. "I would have thought you were just a strategist who hangs in the back."

"Who says I can't be both?" Lelouch smirked as this was all according to his plan. Gunfire was shot in the Dark Aquila's path, curtsey of the pink Akatsuki piloted by Cera, who had spent the time of their chase analyzing its flight path to determine where and when to strike, all per hers and Lelouch's plan.

The Dark Aquila had lost its stabilization and was sent hurtling toward the mountainside again, specifically toward Knock Out, who could only scream as he couldn't dodge the crashing Knightmare, sending them both skidding across the ground and rather close to the cliff's edge.

The Dark Mordred had been knocked back against the side of the tallest mountain as Optimus kept it pinned down.

"Anya Alstreim, though you are a Knight of the Round, you are also a child." The Prime attempted to plead and reason with the girl inside. "We do not have to fight, neither you nor Gino can serve Megatron. Abandon your Knightmare and come with us, we can help you."

Inside, Anya looked with about as surprised as one would expect from a stoic and emotionless girl. 'Why is he trying to reason with me? We are enemies.' She noticed her hands were shaking. 'I'm shaking…? Why? Do I… do I want to fight? Do I… Do I want his help?' She looked in surprise to see the white Geass sigil form in both Optimus' optics.

"Let us help you." Optimus tried to raise her own hopes and courage.

For a moment, a pair of white rings formed in Anya's eyes. "I… I want his help. I want help…!" Anya stuttered. However, the white rings quickly turned red as someone else took control of her body.

"But I don't!" Marianne exclaimed as she shot her Knightmare straight up into the air, taking Optimus with her. Once they were high enough, Marianne shot a point-blank Hadron blast at Optimus, sending him falling and crashing back down on the ground.

"How dare you…!" Marianne sneered, gritting Anya's teeth. "It's your fault! If it weren't for you, Megatron would have never discovered Ragnarok! Charles would be alive, and Lelouch and Nunnally would be with me!" She was ready to fire a fully charged Hadron blast and end Optimus. But was caught off guard by a concentrated blast that was shot in her direction. She quickly activated the Dark Mordred's shields, but the blast only needed to graze it before shattering them entirely.

"Get away from him!" Lelouch shouted with anger, having fired the Shinkiro's central cannon. Though he intended to only disable the Knightmare as he didn't want to kill Anya, it did little to quell the rage he felt from someone attempting to murder his father-figure.

'No! Lelouch! He's not the one for you!' Marianne thought in panic and rage. 'I'm your mother! You are supposed to be with me!' However, this also left her vulnerable for Cera to fly in and strike with her Akatsuki's katana as the Dark Mordred, on Marianne's instinct alone, brought up its armored arms in a desperate attempt to block it.

"If I can disable her Knightmare, then maybe…" However, Cera suddenly felt a familiar presence as her Geass sigil on her forehead began to glow and shine multiple colors. Even Marianne's eyes widened as both of them, and even Anya, saw a series of memories flooding through each of their heads. Memories of Lelouch and Nunnally in their childhood, and even that of Marianne's in her younger years.

"No… not you C.C… not now!" Marianne stuttered as she felt herself losing control of Anya's body, with Anya feeling like her head was about to split in two.

"What is this…?" Anya said with a gasp.

"So… that's where you've been hiding…" Cera muttered in shock as she desperately slashed her Akatsuki's katana to cut at the Dark Mordred's Float System, sending it falling to the ground.

"Anya! No!" Gino exclaimed as he and Monica looked in shock, prompting the Dark Tristan to fly and cover the downed Dark Mordred as Anya herself appeared unconscious from the impact.

The crash was enough to draw Fracture's attention, while also allowing Ohgi to see the Forge of Solus Prime was unguarded. He quickly transformed his Knightmare into its hover-tank mode and fired a point-blank shot at Fracture to send him crashing into the mountain's side.

"Master, no!" Divebomb exclaimed as he and Air Razor were quick to try and help him, only to end up getting shot at by Chigusa in her custom Vincent.

The Gawain Nerion quickly made its way to the Forge before transforming as Ohgi attempted to pick it up with his Knightmare as he also made contact with the Ark. "Ratchet, I need a Groundbridge stat! I got the relic! We need…!"

However, a Groundbridge portal opened up from behind the Gawain Nerion as a purple Energon blast struck it from behind, causing Ohgi to drop the Forge as he was knocked down.

"Kaname!" Chigusa exclaimed in shock as everyone, Autobot, Black Knight, Decepticon, and Dark Knight watched Megatron himself step out of the portal. Immediately, the heroes all aimed their weapons at the Decepticon leader.

"Nuh, uh, uh." Megatron aimed his Fusion cannon at the downed Gawain Nerion, causing the heroes to lower their weapons less the enemy leader kill their friend and deputy commander, who glared up at Megatron as well. The Decepticons and Dark Knights all converged on their leader as Gino helped the Dark Mordred up, with the unconscious Anya still inside, and bring it closer toward Megatron who picked up the Forge himself.

"This day is full of surprises." Megatron began. "First, a relic of the Primes here on Earth, and I even get to meet some old friends. Ultra Magnus, and even dear Ariel." Magnus and Elita both glared hard at Megatron but said nothing in response.

'Ariel?' Lelouch wondered aloud as he glanced at Elita.

Megatron even noticed the purple Vincent, recognizing the pattern. "Is that you, Cornelia?" The former Princess turned Black Knight scowled, which appeared to be the confirmation he needed as he walked backwards toward the active Groundbridge. "The Decepticon cause is once again, indebted to the generous contributions of Euphemia li Britannia." He mocked one last time before taking the Forge with him into the Groundbridge, followed by his Decepticons and enslaved Dark Knights.

Once the enemy was gone, all the Autobots and Black Knights regrouped as Chigusa rolled her Knightmare towards the Gawain Nerion. "Kaname?! Are you alright?!" She asked urgently as Ohgi pulled his black Knightmare up and opened up the cockpit.

"I'll be fine." He assured as a scowl formed on his face. "Optimus… Lelouch… I… I'm sorry… I didn't…!"

"Ohgi, this wasn't your fault." Lelouch tried to assure him. "We all should have seen Megatron coming."

"But now he has the Forge." Cornelia muttered angrily. "I don't even want to think what he could do with it."

"While we would have put the Forge of Solus Prime to valuable use, I do not believe we have reason to fear Megatron's possession of it." Optimus said.

A smirk formed on Cera's face. "Let me guess. Only a Prime can use it, right?"

"That is correct." Ultra Magnus confirmed. "Alpha Trion himself confirmed it. The Forge, and other similar relics can only be accessed by a Prime."

"Still, we should do whatever we can to find a way to obtain the Forge ourselves." Lelouch stated. "Even if Megatron can't use it right now, we all know just how far he'll go to get what he wants. I have a feeling he'll find a way to use the Forge somehow, it may only be a matter of time."

---

Oyama Forest

Sideswipe drove as fast as he could in his vehicle mode; with Shirley, Rivalz, Milly, and Euphemia all screaming as a roaring Insecticon bashed its way through all the trees, trying to get to its prey. However, the massive beast felt a series of blasts from Strongarm with her Energon crossbow, causing the monster to turn its attention towards her as she ran backwards to gain some distance.

Smokescreen ran along the side of the second Insecticon, shooting his Energon blasts at it. However, the beast reacted quick enough to deliver a punch to Smokescreen and send him crashing through multiple trees. But suddenly, the Gouka Byakuen came in from behind to strike its back with an electric surge from its right-arm device. This caused the Insecticon to roar in pain before it turned around to chase the white and black Knightmare.

Airachnid leapt from tree-branch to tree-branch, blasting Energon from her left palm at Arcee, who ran and rolled to avoid each blast before returning fire with her own Energon blasters. Airachnid then dislodged her hook hand, which connected to the rest of her arm via an extendable chain, which she threw out toward Arcee and wrap around both her arms. But this worked to Arcee's advantage as she pulled down with all her strength to pull Airachnid right into a powerful kick and send her crashing across the ground.

Thunderhoof attempted to charge Jazz, who leapt over him as the antlered-Decepticon smashed through a large boulder. As Thunderhoof turned around to charge him again, Jazz used his Energon grappling hook to zip his way up towards a tree and avoid the charge before jumping down to land his feet onto Thunderhoof's face. However, Thunderhoof was able to quickly pull back his feet and kick Jazz in the chest to send him rolling back. But this left the Decepticon vulnerable for Undertone to leap down from behind, slicing at him with a pair of dual blades.

"Ugh! Eyy Yoo!" Thunderhoof scowled at the Mini-Con, which also gave the recovered Jazz a chance to grab Thunderhoof with his grappling hook by his right antler, allowing Jazz to zoom right into his face, feet-first.

Bumblebee fired his Energon blasts at the charging Steeljaw, who proved too fast and nimble, to avoid each blast before rushing Bee to slash at him with is claws and knock him down. However, as Steeljaw went in for another slash, Bumblebee quickly drew his katana to block and parry the slice before delivering a kick to Steeljaw's face and knock him back, allowing Bumblebee to go on the offensive and strike back.

The Lancelot rolled backwards, using its MVS blades to block and parry the strikes from the third Insecticons. However, Suzaku found himself backed into a literal corner as the Insecticon loomed over him.

"Hey! Bug!" It turned around to see Kallen lunging her Surger Claw right at it and blasting a point-blank wave of radiation to fry the face and most of its front side, allowing Suzaku to finish it off with both his Lancelot's swords in its back and through its sparks.

"Thanks, Kallen." Suzaku told her.

"Everyone else is in trouble." Kallen replied as they saw the states their friends were in against their enemies. However, her eyes widened slightly. "Hey Suzaku, remember when Rakshata and Lloyd told us that our Knightmares and Rai's had those Energy-Wing things?"

"Yeah?" Suzaku recalled.

"Well, what was that theory they had about using that as well as our main weapons?" She asked with a smirk as she showed her Surger claw for emphasis.

Suzaku's eyes widened, realizing where she was going with this. "But… but we haven't even tested it yet!"

"This is the test! Our friends are in trouble, and we're going to help them! So, are you with me or not?!" Kallen exclaimed.

Suzaku looked to her in surprise. She was actually asking for his help, though it sounded more like demanding, he could tell what it really was underneath her ferocity. This was enough for him to smile with a determined expression. "Let's do it."

Both Knightmares shot into the air as Kallen contacted her teammates via the comns. "Guys, you might wanna clear out! It's about to rain fire!"

Arcee glanced up to see the Guren and Lancelot already high in the air. Suddenly, both Knightmares produced a pair of glowing energy wings from their backs; bright red wings from the Guren, and bright green ones from the Lancelot.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" Arcee exclaimed to her fellow Autobots and Black Knights. She, Bumblebee, Strongarm, Jazz (whom Undertone returned to), and Smokescreen all transformed and joined Sideswipe, who was still in his vehicle mode and had his four teenage passengers still inside, as they and the Byakuen all rolled away from the area as fast as they can.

"Where are they going?!" Thunderhoof exclaimed as he, Steeljaw, Airachnid, and the remaining two Insecticons regrouped.

Steeljaw was the first to glance up to see the Guren and Lancelot flying in a large circle at high speeds thanks to their respective Energy wings. They were flying so fast that two rings of red and green energy began to shine in the sky as the Guren aimed its Surger Claw, and the Lancelot did so with its dual VARIS rifles set to the Hadron setting, all three weapons pointed directly downward.

The wolf-like Decepticon's eyes widened in borderline horror. "MOVE! MOVE!" He quickly transformed into his vehicle mode and tried to drive away with Thunderhoof right behind him and Airachnid riding on top. But it was too late.

The VARIS rifles and Surger claw opened fire with a series of rapid-fire energy blasts and a continuous blast of radiation respectively. It literally rained down firepower over the whole area as the two Insecticons were the first to get caught in the resulting explosions and blown to pieces. Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, and Airachnid were also caught in the blast and blown away as well. Explosions rang across the whole area as the entire section of the forest was reduced to a small burning wasteland.

Once it all finished, the Lancelot and Guren landed as their power was almost completely drained. "Well… that was… something…" Kallen muttered, rather surprised by the results herself.

"Yeah… let's agree… to never do that again." Suzaku said. "Unless… we're up against some really dangerous enemies…"

"Agreed." Kallen nodded.

That caught Suzaku by surprise. "Wait… wait… did… did you just… agree with me?!"

"Yeah…" Kallen replied with a small chuckle. "I did… weird right?" She said before she actually laughed, followed by Suzaku who laughed as well.

"Hey! You guys!" They heard Smokescreen call to them as the rest of their team joined up with them before they transformed into their robot forms and allowed the humans to step outside as Kallen and Suzaku stood up from their open cockpits. "That was awesome!"

"Heck yeah! You should totally do that again!" Rivalz shouted.

"Raining Fire!? Freaking sweet!" Sideswipe also exclaimed with a laughing grin.

"Yeah… that was pretty cool." Even Orpheus smiled. "You two should work on that move."

"Oh, big time." Jazz agreed. "Might even give the Big M some trouble."

"A bit excessive for my taste… but I agree it'll definitely come in handy in the future." Strongarm said with a smile and a nod.

Arcee, Shirley, Euphie, and Milly however didn't say anything save for genuine smiles shared by the brunette and pink-haired girls, while the blonde and blue fembot having knowing smirks toward Suzaku and Kallen respectively, something that caused Kallen to blush and look away while Suzaku smiled genuinely.

However, Shirley glanced past them to see something that made her look in surprise. "Hey… everyone… come here for a sec!" She quickly ran toward what she spotted, followed by everyone else. It turns out that Shirley had spotted a rather large hole, one that was recently dug to avoid the blasts. But what really got their attention was the sound of a wolf-like howl coming from down below.

All smiles faded as they knew exactly who was down there.

"I have a bad feeling we'll be seeing those three again." Euphie said.

"I hope so." Arcee commented with a glare.

---

The Ark

Both teams returned to the main vessel, as they began to report their respective findings with each other on the bridge, Kallen had brought Suzaku to the hallway just outside the bridge to speak in private.

"Hey… Suzaku I…" Kallen stuttered before sighing. "I'm… I'm not really good at apologizing but… I'm… I'm sorry… for acting like a bitch to you."

"No, no, I deserved it." Suzaku raised his hand, showing no hard feelings. "I was selfish, irresponsible, and even dangerous. I could go on-and-on about justice, or what I thought was justice, and doing things the right way, but really… I was just looking for a way to ease my conscious… about what I did to my father. You were right to be mad at me."

"But… now you're actually making the effort to change." Kallen said. "And that wasn't the only reason I gave you a hard time." She looked away with a guilty expression. "When you were… put in the Zero Squad with me… I… I thought you were replacing Cliffjumper." That got Suzaku's attention. "He… he was one of the first to… break through my shell, him and Arcee. They were more than just partners to me, more than friends even. He… he felt like family. And when he… died… it… it felt like I was losing my brother all over again."

"Kallen…" Suzaku spoke with sympathy. "I was never trying to replace Cliffjumper."

"I know… but… I just wanted something… or someone to lash out on and… I thought since you were with the Cons… you'd fit the build." Kallen said with shame in her voice. "But I was just being petty… and I'm sorry."

Suzaku put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Back when I was with Britannia, and working for Megatron, aside from Euphie, Dreadwing felt like he was my only friend, even called me his brother. When he… sacrificed himself to save me, Euphie, and Cornelia, it felt like a shot to the heart. I know how it feels to lose someone you're close to. And I think I can understand what it was that drove you to rebel against Britannia like your brother did."

Kallen smiled slightly as she looked away. "Honestly, I feel like you, Cliff, and Naoto would have gotten along really well."

"Yeah… maybe." Suzaku admitted with a smile of his own. "So… friends?" He offered his hand to shake.

"Oh, what the hell?" Kallen shook his hand as she smiled as well, before it turned into a smirk. "But if you try and hug me, I'm gonna punch your lights out."

Suzaku smirked back. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't." They then proceeded to walk in separate directions.

As Kallen walked away, she happened to run into Arcee and Milly, both of whom were smirking at her. "What are you two looking at?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Arcee replied.

Kallen then shot a small glare in Milly's direction. "If you try to say that we're couple-material, you'd better be prepared for the beating of a lifetime!"

"Oh, don't worry, I won't say anything." Milly assured before a playful grin formed on her face. "Cause we all know you're in love with Lelouch." That caused Kallen's face to turn red.

"Oh yes, she definitely is." Arcee teased, causing Milly to laugh before Kallen attempted to chase them with her face even more red.

"I'll kill you!"

At the same time, Suzaku had round a separate corner to find both Euphie and Kaguya waiting for him. "How long have you two been there?" He asked almost playfully.

"Enough." Kaguya smiled.

"I'm really happy you and Kallen were able to talk things over, Suzaku." Euphie told him before a sad look crossed her face. "And… I miss Dreadwing too."

A look that Suzaku shared himself. "Yeah… so do I."

"Well, I know how you two can honor his memory." Kaguya offered. "By living your lives to the fullest. Ya know, if you asked me a year ago, I never thought I'd see my cousin marry a Britannian Princess. But now that you're both Black Knights, I'd say you two make a darling couple." That caused Suzaku and Euphie to both blush as Kaguya began to walk away. "Please do take care of my cousin Euphie, else you'll have to answer to me." She smirked before disappearing.

"Is she always like that?" Euphie asked.

"No. Usually, she's worse." Suzaku replied before he looked at Euphie with a smirk. Before she knew it, he gave her a kiss on the lips, causing her to look in surprise. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but back in Kyushu, didn't you command me to love you? I don't think I need a command for that."

Euphie looked to him with emotional eyes as she felt her heart skip a beat. "Suzaku…" He smiled one more time before pulling her into another kiss, one that she returned this time, wrapping her arms around him and vice versa.

---

The Nemesis - Workshop

Megatron had pounded with the Forge of Solus Prime on to an empty Energon storage container, but all he appeared to do was flatten it, as opposed to create a powerful weapon of mass destruction.

"Hmm, it doesn't look like a Fortress Maximus grade nucleon shock cannon." Knock Out observed alongside Soundwave.

"It is as I suspected." Megatron said. "Without the power of a Prime to activate it, the Forge is merely another addition to our tool chest." He said as he placed the Forge of Solus Prime onto the table. "One we must, nonetheless, keep as far as possible, from the reach of a Prime."

"Seems like one step forward, but two steps back if you ask me." Knock Out said. "I mean, yeah we've got numbers on our side, but the Bots and BKs have grown quite a bit, enough so that our 'Dark Knights' and guys like Underbite and Fracture are put on the defensive. Even with Onslaught and the Combaticons, it's not going to be an easy fight."

"It would seem that in addition to strength and numbers, I require another Decepticon who is not only cunning but reliable as well." Megatron observed as the door to the workshop opened.

"Excuse me, Lord Megatron." They all turned to see a certain Decepticon enter the room. "But I couldn't help overhearing." Steeljaw said with a smirk.

Done.

So this chapter turned out to be a bit longer than I had anticipated. But, then again, so much has happened.

First, Cornelia and Guilford have reunited (I also decided to make Kallen's mom a nurse. We don't really know what her profession was prior to Japan's invasion and her being a maid. So, I decided to make her a nurse, and it seems like it suited her.)

One small thing to note, just for technicality and explanation purposes, the Ark, while it CANNOT transform into a giant robot, it does now have the programable ability to transform most of its interior to accomendate the many human and Autobot personel on-board, both soldiers and civilains: this includes a massive farm-like area to grow food for everyone, a series of apartment-like buildings built into the ship for people to live in and sleep, and even a few hospitals and medical centers.

The hunt for the Iacon Relics has also begun, with the heroes having secured the Spark Extractor, but lost the Forge of Solus Prime (which Megatron is unable to use, at the moment). Expect to see some more relics, besides those that were included in the show. However, do not expect the Omega Keys to show up right away. The Autobots and Black Knights already have their hands full trying to liberate Earth, they don't need to worry about restoring Cybertron right now. But that's not to say that the Omega Keys won't come into play at all. I've got big plans for them; you'll just have to wait and see.

We are also beginning to understand more of the dynamics on the Autobots and Black Knights' side, as well as see some additions among the Cons' forces as well (including Gino, Anya, Castor and Pollux who are forced to work with them as 'Dark Knights', but we ain't seen nothing yet, just wait till you see what Shockwave has been doing with the Geass Order). And it seems that Kallen and Suzaku are beginning to look past their differences and truly cooperate with each other.

At the same time, Steeljaw's pack has grown to include Airachnid and Thunderhoof, and it's gonna get bigger as well, especially now that our favorite sly Decepticon has now met Megatron face-to-face.

Up next, we deal with the Wreckers, Black Dragon unit, Aerialbots, and other Black Knights on a simultaneous mission to raid another Energon mine while also securing another Iacon relic. As for who is going to stand in their way? You'll have to see for yourself.

I hope you guys have all enjoyed this. Please stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you.