Hi everyone, welcome back. Here we are with the last completely original chapter of the Iacon Relic hunt arc, after this the last two will be based somewhat on the TFP episodes, albeit with some modifications. This chapter is something I've been really looking forward to as this particular relic is unlike all the other relics to say the least. You'll see what it is, and I'm sure you'll be quite surprised.

Now with all that being said, let's get started.

Ghosts

Within the hidden facility that served as the headquarters of the Geass Order, Shockwave had activated a Groundbridge portal and watched as a large, dark, metallic figure with glowing red eyes stepped into the portal, which shut down immediately.

"Transportation successful. Project Nemesis has been transported toward to the planet's equator to retrieve the designated relic." Shockwave recorded on his logs before accessing the console again to open yet another Groundbridge portal. "Coordinates set for the abandoned settlement known as Chernobyl. Dark Knights, assemble to me."

Shockwave turned around to see his hand-select team that would accompany him to the site. The Dark Mordred, piloted by Anya, stood alongside the Land, Order, Power, Refrain, Headmaster Units that were controlled by Lucretia, Sancia, Dalque, and the cybernetic-Mao respectively. And standing at the lead was the Dark Queen itself.

"We are embarking on to retrieve the Relic at Chernobyl. Do not hesitate to destroy everything that stands in the way of our objective."

"Affirmative." Anya and all the Headmasters replied as the team of seven walked into the portal.

Chernobyl, an abandoned city that once housed a nuclear reactor in the E.U., now nothing more than a ghost town. White ash blanketed the entire ground and most of the ruined buildings, one could say it looked like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, but the damage didn't look as bad as one. But that was not the case. No, what had happened was something far worse than any volcanic eruption.

Suddenly, the ash on the ground was picked up as, probably for the first time in decades, there was a disturbance in the abandoned city. A Groundbridge portal opened up, and the first to step out was the massive Autobot known as Grimlock, with Cera's pink Akatsuki and Alice's Pegasus.

"We have arrived." Cera reported.

"Triangulating your position and receiving visual feed from your Knightmares." Fixit responded over the comns. "Oh my… this city it's…"

"A ghost town." Rakshata said.

"That's putting it mildly." Alice commented, glancing around from her Knightmare's cockpit with an uncomfortable expression.

"Where's the Relic?" Grimlock questioned.

"Not far from your location." Fixit answered. "Proceed northward but be cautious. We do not know what Decepticons you'll be facing."

"I don't care who it is. They'll be torn to pieces if they get in my way." Grimlock stated as he walked forward with the rest of Zeta Team right behind him.

As they made their way through the streets of the ruined city, Alice and Cera found themselves glancing around at what had become of Chernobyl. From the way the city was structured, it looked as if it could have been a well-populated city, probably having a population near a million. But, the fact that nobody besides them was there was more than a little eerie. Even the air itself seemed still. The only sounds that were made were the hovering of the two Knightmares and the enormous stomps of Grimlock.

Cera had seen the aftermaths of many battles and more than her fair share of ruined cities during her unnaturally long life, but even she couldn't help but feel some form of pity for the people that used to live here. It looked like they had lost everything. Even Alice had a similar feeling herself, especially when she glanced in one direction and saw an abandoned playground complete with slides, seesaws, rocking horses, and even a merry-go-round. That really made her feel uncomfortable and sympathetic at the same time.

Grimlock, on the other hand, didn't really care all that much. Sure, so many people losing their homes like this was upsetting but crying about it wasn't going to change anything. He had a job to do, and he was going to get it done. And if the Decepticons really were here, then this city may not be standing for too much longer… and he would likely be responsible for much of the damage.

Meanwhile, back on Horai Island, Fixit and Receptor watched everything that was going on with Zeta Team from their own station within the Ark.

"This city… why was it abandoned? Was there an attack?" Fixit asked.

"No, officially an accident." Rakshata began to explain, holding her pipe in her hand. "While Britannia was making its own scientific advancements and had access to most Sakuradite deposits on the planet, the EU tried to keep up using nuclear power as an alternative fuel source."

"That sounds incredibly unsafe." Fixit stated. "While it is true that nuclear power holds a great advantage in energy output and even efficiency if used right… there is also a greater risk in the fact that an accident could cause greater collateral damage."

"True, but given how Britannia wanted to dominate everything, Europia was desperate enough to find a way to properly fight back, and they just felt it was worth the risk." Rakshata continued. "Chernobyl was dedicated to the study of nuclear power. I visited the city once myself and it was quite lively, while the work was rather diligent. They knew exactly what they were dealing with and made all the preparations and failsafes necessary to in order to prevent any kind of accident from occurring."

"Still seems rather risky to house a populated city within the range of such a potentially devastating power." Fixit said.

"True, but the politics felt it was best because such a city would make it easier to hide a potential secret weapon that could give them a leg up over the Britannians." Rakshata put in.

"So… what happened?" Fixit asked. "You said it was an accident…"

"Officially." Rakshata replied as a serious look formed on her face. "I wasn't there when it occurred, but the records said that it was due to a failure in the coolant system, as well as cheaper use of control rods. The reactor erupted and destroyed much of the facility, the radiation spread though the surrounding city even as the populace was evacuated. Most of the casualties came from the workers in the facility, several died from the accident itself, others from severe radiation poisoning; same with several of the citizens. It's a particularly nasty way to go."

"But… when you say 'officially' do you mean there is more to it?" Fixit asked again.

"While I do not have any proof to confirm it, one of the bodies recovered from the wreckage of the facility was of Britannian origin." Rakshata revealed, catching Fixit's attention. "And upon investigating, it was revealed the person in question had history within the military."

"Sabotage then?" Fixit assumed.

"It's not been confirmed, but I would not be surprised if that were the case." She answered. "The politicians didn't allow the investigation to continue any further because Britannia could have used it as an excuse to invade, claiming the EU was preparing weapons of mass destruction. But of course, with Britannia gone, it really doesn't matter at this point."

"I see…" Fixit looked down as he glanced again at the footage of the abandoned city. "It's a pity… it seemed like such a lively city."

"It was, but now it won't be habitable again for at least another twenty thousand years." She said, feeling some form of remorse.

Deciding to change the subject, Fixit looked at the coordinates for which Zeta Team would find the Relic. "It would seem they are nearing the Relic. It is only… Oh my."

"What is it?"

"The coordinates for the Relic they seek." Fixit brought it up on the main screen, a map of the entire city with a pulsating dot at a specific area. "It appears to be at the ruined facility!"

"Under the wreckage of the failed reactor…" Rakshata noted. "Well… that certainly makes things interesting."

The trio of Zeta Team arrived at the top of a small incline where the ruins of the Chernobyl reactor stood before them. Out of everything in the city, what was left of this facility seemed the most devastated as a large section of it had been completely blown off.

"A word of advisement, Zeta Team." Rakshata chimed in. "The radiation levels in the old reactor are the highest in the area, obviously. So I would recommend that our lovley ladies do not leave their Knightmares. Your units should be sealed enough to keep you safe from any radiation poisoning, but be sure to stay safe. Though our little immortal witch may make it out unscathed, death by radiation poisoning is an ordeal I certainly wouldn't want to go through."

"Acknowledged." Cera responded.

"Understood." Alice replied. Even with whatever physical enhancments that had been made to her, she was doubtful that she was immune to radiation.

"Let's get this over with." Grimlock said as they proceeded further up the hill. But they did not get very far before Fixit alerted them.

"Alert! We have enemy signals incoming!" The Mini-Con revealed. "One Decepticon, one signal of Dark Energon, and five enemy units!"

"Here comes the welcoming committee." Cera commented.

From the gloomy clouds, a bright red light shined beneath it before the clouds were blown away by a powerful blast from a Hadron cannon. Grimlock immediately rushed to the front and brandished his shield to deflect the blasts. When the attack subsided, the Dark Mordred descended from the skies with Order, Land, Power, and Refrain flanking it on all sides, and the Dark Queen at the head of it all.

"It's them…" Alice muttered, her eyes shaking as she recognized the units powered by her former teammates.

A dark purple Cybertronian tank quickly rolled up from underneath them before it transformed to reveal the Decepticon scientist who was pulling at all their strings.

"Grimlock." Shockwave acknowledged. "The likelihood of our encounter one another on the same site was at least eleven percent; unlikely, but still possible."

"Shockwave…" Grimlock growled, his optics glowing bright red before he brandished his sword along with his shield. "You're going to lose more than your arm when I'm done with you!"

"Unlikely." Shockwave then began to relay instructions. "Order, Power, Land; engage Grimlock according to formation D6. Dark Mordred, Dark Queen, engage the immortal known as C.C., capture her if you can. Refrain, with me as we deal with our lost asset, Speed."

With that command, all six units flew forward and began to engage Zeta Team. Grimlock wasted no time charging forward, gunning straight for Shockwave. However, Power flew at high speeds before bringing its arms together and slammed them into Grimlock like a battering-ram. This provided enough force to halt Grimlock's advance and knock him back slightly. Order and Land then began to encircle around him with Land shooting rapid-fire Energon blasts from its gatling guns while Order slashed rapidly at Grimlock's sides, though this only served to fuel the Dinobot's fury.

Cera flew her pink Akatsuki upward with the Dark Queen and Dark Mordred in pursuit, the Dark Queen brandished its massive blade and swung it down toward Cera's Knightmare, but she quickly drew her Knightmare's katana to parry its strike, though the force did knock it back somewhat. She then gave a gasp as the Dark Mordred appeared behind her and fired its Hadron cannons again, but Cera was able to fly higher and avoid the blasts.

Alice gave a yell as she flew directly toward Shockwave, but Refrain blocked her path, brandishing its scythe, with the Pegasus quickly zoomed backwards slightly to avoid the scythe-strike but Alice activated a pair of arm-blades from her units and went on the attack, slicing at Refrain, but it blocked every one of her strikes. She then was forced on the defensive as Shockwave fired his massive cannon at her.

Grimlock used his shield to protect himself from the onslaught of Land's gatling guns and tried to press forward and swing his massive blade down toward her, but Power came in from behind and slammed one of its armored arms onto Grimlock's head to disorient him and allow Order to fly forward and slice at his chest. Though she couldn't quite cut through his armor, Order's attack was able to knock him back, which Power took advantage of as she hovered just barely off the ground and flew in to strike at Grimlock's legs, tripping him up and knocking him flat on his back. Taking advantage of his downed position, Land concentrated rapid-fire Energon blasts on his central chest area in order to keep him pinned and give Order a chance to try and strike at his neck area with her swords.

However, Grimlock was still able to reach up with his enormous hand and grab Order before throwing her at Land, causing them to crash and roll across the ground. Power came in and tried to thrust both her unit's armored arms at him, but Grimlock caught them both in his own and lifted her up with his superior strength before slamming her onto the ground and throwing her away.

Power was able to stabilize herself somewhat as she, Order, and Land regrouped. Within each of the head-units of the three Headmasters, the human females inside couldn't help but look with worry as they saw Grimlock stomp his way over to them. His hulking figure was imposing enough, but his eyes… the glowing red in his optics showed nothing but an uncontrollable rage that was slowly boiling its up toward the surface… along with the absolute intent to kill them where they stood.

'Well, this is certainly a unique confrontation.' Cera thought to herself as she flew around the Hadron blast of the Dark Mordred and zoomed right at her, firing her guns and missiles as Anya pulled up her unit's shields to protect herself. The Dark Mordred then lowered itself and allowed the Dark Queen to go on the offensive and swing its blade at the pink Akatsuki. Both swords clashed as Cera struggled against her enemy. 'The ghost of Marianne fighting alongside her zombified corpse. I can only imagine Charles tossing and turning in his grave at this.' She pulled back to gain some distance.

'Of course, Marianne herself is probably throwing a tantrum like the brat she is.' Cera continued to think. 'I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to find a way to regain control of her old body and turn it on Megatron… but since the Dark Queen is fueled by Dark Energon, Megatron would easily take control of her, and I think she knows it. She's a brat, but Marianne isn't stupid. At least not that stupid.'

Cera then fired her Knightmare's missiles, launching a volley in an attempt to separate her two units before going straight for the Dark Queen, clashing their swords once again as Cera fired her slash harkens, which chinned off some of its metal. 'If I can at least kill this monstrosity, it should cause Lelouch a bit of relief.' Her thoughts wavered slightly. 'He'll have to find out soon though… if only so we can find a way to properly help Anya. Poor girl doesn't deserve this.'

Speaking of Anya, her Dark Mordred appeared behind her as the Dark Queen pulled away. Anya's unit fired multiple missiles from all over its wrists, chest, hips, and legs; causing Cera to turn around and fire her own machine guns from her pink Akatsuki's wrist to intercept most of them, though the resulting explosion did push her back slightly.

Alice moved her Pegasus as fast as she could, slashing rapidly at a speed that was far superior than even the likes of the Lancelot or the Guren… and yet Refrain was able to block all her strikes, receiving no damage whatsoever. The fact that she hadn't even landed a single scratch on him only graded on her frustration as she tried to quickly fly around and strike from behind, but Refrain was able to counter by using the staff of his scythe to block the Pegasus' blades before slicing upward with the scythe-blade, creating a large scratch across the Pegasus' chest, right before it was shot in the back and knocked down by Shockwave's canon.

"Your unit appears to be modified, but it still follows the same patterns and principles as before. Your tactics have not changed." Shockwave told Alice, earning a glare from her. "You should already know that Refrain's ability to read his enemy's thoughts allows him to predict all your moves. I further modified him to enable him to process information faster than any human or even natural Cybertronian. Your speed cannot do much if your enemy knows every intent you'll make." Shockwave aimed his canon at the Pegasus' head. "You'll be returning to me now."

"Over my dead body!" Alice pulled on a lever, causing the Pegasus to fly straight backwards and avoid Shockwave's blast before zooming forward. The Pegasus drew its blades once more and went on the attack, but Refrain blocked one blade with its scythe, as Alice intended and moved quickly enough to spin via their clashed blades to deal a spinning quick to Shockwave's face, landing an attack to knock him back.

This however proved to be a mistake as Refrain was able to fly upwards, catching the Pegasus with its left arm and push it upwards, sending it flying up before Refrain flew up to reach it and deliver another scythe-strike to send Alice crashing back to the ground.

Meanwhile, Grimlock swung his massive blade at all three Headmasters as they flew around him in all directions. He swung with such ferocity and speed that Order, Power, and Land dared not make a move to attack, one hit from that huge broadsword could cleave each of their units in half, and that was the best-case scenario. Of course, the fact that Grimlock was unable to hit any of them made it increasingly frustrating for the Dinobot. His already boiling anger was fuming even more.

Deciding to go for hit-and-run attacks, Order relayed her orders to Land and Power through a digital interface that connected the other Headmaster units together. Land attacked first, concentrating her gatling-blasters on Grimlock's legs to trip him up, allowing Order to come in from behind and strike him in the back, sending him tumbling toward the incoming Power that knocked him up and to the ground.

'If we strike him like this, hit-and-run, we may have a chance.' Order thought to herself before resuming their attack pattern. One would strike him in the side, move away and another would come in from Grimlock's blind spot for the same kind of attack, and they'd repeat it.

Grimlock found himself so stuck in their attacks, unable to counter. His anger boiled more and more, until finally… he could no longer contain it.

"ENOUGH!" Grimlock slammed his fists onto the ground, creating a big enough shockwave that pushed the three Headmasters back slightly. He then transformed into his massive T-Rex form and gave a loud roar that would echo throughout the entire dead city, catching the attention of everyone else.

"Oh no…" Cera dreaded, knowing that Grimlock's rage-induced transformation was almost completely uncontrollable.

Grimlock quickly swung his tail at all three Headmasters, striking them with enough force to send them crashing and skidding across the ground. He gunned straight for Power first, ready to bite down onto her. But she quickly used her unit's arms to keep his upper jaw open and prevented it from closing on her. It took all her Knightmare's strength to keep it from closing, and even then it was a struggle. However, she gave a gasp as she saw the flames quickly building up from below his threat. Power quickly tried to pull out, but was still struck by Grimlock's plasma breath, which did scorch the front of her unit quite a bit, the raw force from his attack sent Power flying.

Land attacked next, concentrating all her gatling's firepower directly into Grimlock's tyrannosaurus face, but he rushed her and slammed his head into her unit to press it hard into the ground. Order flew in next and struck her blades at Grimlock's throat, slightly disorienting him before kicking him in the face, but he quickly bit down to rip off her Knightmare's right leg and then quickly swiped his tail to knock her to the ground.

Alice could only look in shock and even fear at how quickly her old team was being beaten back. "Sancia… Dalque… Lucretia…" Her pupils shrunk in terror as she saw Grimlock's T-Rex mode loom over the Order unit.

Inside, Lucretia could only look in absolute terror as the out-of-control Grimlock was ready to incinerate her with his plasma breath. But right before he could unleash it…

The Pegasus zoomed in as fast as it could move and pulled the Order unit out of the way, sparing Lucretia from the inferno that would have consumed her and her whole unit.

"Grimlock! Stop!" Alice exclaimed, tears flowing in her eyes. "Please! Don't! They don't want to do this! It's not their fault!"

Grimlock seemed incapable of listening to reason as he roared at her and charged at her in his T-Rex mode, trying to bite at her, but she moved out of the way quickly enough and barely had time to dodge his tail-strike that barley grazed her front.

"Not good…" Cera immediately disengaged from her fight against the Dark Mordred and Dark Queen, though the later pursued her, something Cera was counting on. As she closed in on Grimlock, she fired her Akatsuki's machine gun to get his attention, the out-of-control Dinobot turned to her and unleashed his plasma-breath at her, but Cera was able to move her Knightmare out of the way and allow it to strike the pursuing Dark Queen. Though the enemy unit was far enough away to avoid any serious damage, the force of the impact still sent the Dark Queen flying and crashing into a nearby building at the bottom of the hill.

With Grimlock briefly distracted, it allowed Cera the chance to fly in from behind and land on his back.

"This is really indirect contact… but we have to stop him!" Cera then began to channel her own power, her hair flowing up slightly as the Geass emblem on her forehead began to glow. "Time to go to sleep, Grimlock."

In that instant, Grimlock froze as he saw all sorts of visions flash through his optics. At first, he saw a tunnel of colors, like he was falling through some kind of vortex; though it was hard to see anything past the blurry of red in front of him, almost as if his rage was preventing him from seeing clearly.

But in a flash of white light, countless memories began to flood through Grimlock's mind all at once. He saw his days as a gladiator in the pits of Kaon, then the early days of the war and joining the Autobots, such as his frequent disagreements with Optimus. But he later saw the formation of his own unit, the Lightning Strike Coalition, where he had found a team and friends to truly care for and look after.

Then he saw swarms of mechanical insects ambush him and his team in the Sea of Rust, before he found himself strapped to Shockwave's laboratory table… and fully conscious as the Decepticon scientist began to cut him open and pick him apart from the inside. He remembered feeling everything as he was torn apart and welded back together with no regard for his own well-being. And even more furious, was that he even saw his own teammates endure the same thing. His own pain he could take… but to have his comrades and friends go through the same kind of torture?! That was unacceptable!

He felt his rage build up again, but it clashed with the rage he was currently feeling. One would expect the two forces of anger to merge together and become unstoppable, but that didn't happen. They both pressed against one another, almost like backfire. The two flames ended up consuming the other and snuffing each other out in that one instant.

Grimlock's rampage came to a sudden stop. Just as Cera detached her Knightmare from him, Grimlock lost his T-Rex form and turned back to normal, slumping to the ground in exhaustion.

"Alice, we have to get him out of here!" Cera told her teammate. "We need to retreat and regroup!"

"Alright…" Alice nodded. She paid one final glance towards her old team before flying up to meet with Cera as both their Knightmares picked up Grimlock by his arms and dragged him away as quickly as they could.

Refrain and the Dark Queen were ready to give pursuit. "No. Do not follow." Shockwave ordered. "Top priority, secure the Iacon Relic." Both units landed close to him in response, following the orders of their puppeteer like robots.

The Dark Mordred landed near the recovering Headmasters. "Is everyone present and accounted for?" The young pilot asked.

"Yes, we're all in one piece." Dalque answered.

"Status report." Shockwave ordered as he approached the group.

"Headmaster Units Power and Land received twenty-seven percent and twenty-nine percent damage respectively but remain functional." Sancia reported. "But the Order unit has lost its right leg and has received forty-eight percent damage."

"Is your unit still functional?" Shockwave questioned.

"Yes, though not as effective as the others." Sancia answered

"Then we resume the mission." Shockwave stated.

"Why not pursue the enemy?" Sancia asked. "Their biggest weapon seems indisposed. We can strike now and be done with them."

"Negative." Shockwave shook his head. "Grimlock is not so easily disposed of. He was survived far greater threats than anything we currently have at our disposal. Perhaps this Relic we seek is capable of destroying him, all the more reason to obtain it. If it is not, then we must retrieve it immodestly and return to base. Acquisition of the Relic takes priority."

"Acknowledged." Anya, Sancia, Dalque, and Lucretia all said as they followed Shockwave into the partially destroyed facility with Refrain and the Dark Queen beside them.

Grimlock groaned audibly as he regained his senses. The first thing he tries to do is see what kind of environment he was in. He was still in Chernobyl, but he was now inside a partially destroyed building that had one of its walls broken down, which was presumably likely used as a makeshift door to bring him in for cover. He also noticed the two Knightmares standing just outside, guarding him.

"Someone's awake." Cera said, turning her Knightmare to face him as Grimlock rubbed his head. "Have a nice nap?"

Suddenly, Grimlock rushed out through the broken building, collapsing it entirely as he busted through its walls to grab the pink Akatsuki and pin it onto the building across from him.

"Hey! Put her down!" Alice exclaimed, reading her Pegasus to fight him, but Grimlock wasn't focused on her at the moment.

"What did you do to me?!" Grimlock shouted toward Cera.

"I had to shock you out of it! You were out of control!" The immortal shouted back from inside her Knightmare. "Your smart enough to know when you transform and full of rage like that, you're a threat to everyone around you, including your allies!"

Grimlock let her go, but he was still far from pleased as he leaned in close to the Akatsuki's face, confident she could see him from inside. "Never. Do that. Again."

"You were going to slaughter them!" Alice exclaimed. "She had no choice! I would have done that to you myself if I had that power!"

The Dinobot finally turned around to face her. "I remember what you did. Why did you protect them? They're the enemy! More of Shockwave's experiments!"

"Just like you?" Alice glared at him. "I know your story, Grimlock. Shockwave captured you and your team and made you into what you are. You hate him for it! So much so you wanna rip him to pieces the very second you see his one eye!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Grimlock loomed dangerously over her. "My team and I were taken apart! Piece by piece! And then stitched back together like dolls! I felt every single second of it! I saw him do that to my team! HE MADE ME INTO A MONSTER!"

The cockpit of the Pegeasus opened up as Alice stood up fully, to reveal her face. It was flushed red with rage as tears poured down from her eyes.

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!" She shouted, staring Grimlock straight into his red optics.

"Alice…!" Cera was more than a little shocked to see her exit her Knightmare, potentially exposing herself to some of the lingering radiation… but also because she was challenging Grimlock right to his face, without any means to defend herself.

Grimlock said nothing when Alice screamed at him. He kept his eyes on her, but remained silent, almost as if he was inviting her to speak up.

"When I was a child… my family… my own little sister… who was confined to a wheelchair… they all died in a fire…" Alice began, her voice choaking up as so many emotions flowed out all at once. "I probably should have died too… but… somehow he found me… V.V. He took me… to his precious Geass Order… and they had me strapped down to a table almost every day… drugged me… experimented on me… tried to make me into a killer. A soldier for them. And it wasn't just me… countless other kids… some even born in the Geass Order… they… They went through the same thing."

She remembered it all vividly. Nearly every day, she and so many other young boys and girls were subjected to experimentation with Geass, trying to enhance their abilities and make them into their own personal army. And on the days where she wasn't being experimented on, she was trained like how one would train an adult soldier, only even more intense. And the one who supervised it all was none other than V.V. From the first moment she saw his smirking face, she knew what hate was.

"Those people… in those Knightmares… Sancia… Dalque… Lucretia… they… they were there with me too…" Alice continued, speaking in a more hushed and sorrowful tone. "They were with me every day… and every day… through the pain and torture… they at least made it bearable… because we had each other. We bonded… they're… they're like my family… even when Shockwave took over… and made things worse… they were still there. They don't serve him willingly… I didn't either… they're victims… just like you." She looked to him with a pleading expression as her eyes continue to water. "Please… don't… kill them. Help me… save them… like how… your side… saved me…!"

Cera looked to the crying girl in utter sympathy. During her time in the Geass Order, she had indeed see Charles and V.V. create an army of child soldiers to do their bidding, so that when they grew up and were old enough, they'd be a near-unstoppable army. Hers and V.V.'s cells were extracted for those experiments, to see if their regeneration and immortality could enhance their abilities. It seems they still had some of her cells when they experimented on Alice and her friends. And she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

For one of the very few times in his life… Grimlock actually felt genuine pity. He didn't sympathize with that many other individuals, even among his fellow Autobots outside his team, with just a few exceptions. But this girl… he knew what she was going through. To have everything taken from you and be helpless as a monster tortures you and makes you into their own personal lab rat. It was a fate he would not wish upon anyone. But more than anything… he knew what it was like to want to save those closest to you.

"I'm sorry."

Cera and Alice both had to double take to make sure they heard right. Did Grimlock just apologize?! In the short time they've met him, Grimlock always gave the impression of a brute that didn't care much for others. But to actually hear him apologize was almost akin to a lion deciding to become a vegetarian.

"No one should have to go through what you did. What we did." Grimlock said. "Those friends of yours… they're important to you, aren't they?"

"More than anything else…" Alice confirmed. 'Except maybe… for her.' Aside from her friends, she knew of one other person who seemed just as precious. The first person she met and befriended in the Black Knight-Autobot alliance. The same girl who had nothing but pure goodness in her lavender eyes and genuine smile.

"I know what that's like." Grimlock continued. "Snarl… Swoop…. Sludge… Slug… they're my men. My brothers. We fought and bled together through the entire war. They were also experimented on by Shockwave, just as me. Turned into… this." Grimlock gestured to himself for emphasis. "I haven't seen them since I came here… when Shockwave's tower exploded on Cybertron… years go. I have no idea where they are now… or if they're even alive." He looked down in grief, causing Alice to look at him with sympathy. "But… I know they're some of the toughest Autobots out there. There's a reason my team has lasted long as we did. And you?" He gave a slight chuckle. "You and your friends endured all that kind of stuff for years, and you were young… but look at you. You came out of it. You're stronger now for it. And you don't give up on those you care about. On your team. I respect that."

Alice wiped the tears from her eyes with her arm as she smiled at him. "Respect… from probably the biggest Bot on the planet. Guess I did something right."

"We got a job to do." Grimlock said.

"I know, get the Relic…"

"Not just that." He interrupted Alice. "I'm not the nicest Autobot, but I am an Autobot. If I didn't care about the weak, I'd have the other side's emblem on my chest." He gestured to his Autobot emblem. "They think they're strong just because they pick on the weak, but that makes them the weakest of all. Megatron, Shockwave, even that V.V., they're weak. They're cowards. But you're strong. Your friends are strong. They don't deserve to be on Shockwave's leash, so I'll help you free them."

Alice did not expect him to say those words. Was Grimlock really offering to help free her friends? "Y-you… you mean it?"

"Yes." He confirmed.

She couldn't quite explain it, but the way this giant looked down at her, the way he was speaking to her… it was almost as if he was speaking to her as an equal. No, he was speaking as her equal. In that one moment… despite being physically smaller than him… she felt as big and as tall as he was. Before she knew it, tears of joy were falling down her eyes as she tried to rub them out.

"Thank you… Grimlock…"

"Perhaps we can accomplish both goals." Cera spoke up. "Maybe there's a way to free them and get the Relic."

"What do you have in mind?" Grimlock asked.

"We let Shockwave and the others dig it up… and if it's a weapon, we use it against him." Cera explained. "If not, you go straight for Shockwave. You can have your revenge and rip him to pieces. If he's gone, Alice's friends won't have to serve him any longer."

"That's too simple. He'll see it coming a mile away." Grimlock shook his head.

"What if he doesn't see it?" Rakshata chimed in.

"Wha… when did you patch in?" Alice questioned.

"We've always been in contact. Remember?" Rakshata asked rhetorically.

"Did… did you hear our entire conversation?!" The youngest girl exclaimed, her face blushing with embarrassment.

"Yes, very emotionally moving by the way." The female scientist said on the other side of the link.

"But I believe we may have found a way to catch Shockwave off guard." Fixit said. "The ground underneath Chernobyl is lined with tunnels, rather large ones. Perhaps a means to move the uranium and other radioactive materials to and from the reactor undetected. They lead straight to the facility."

"And if the Relic is underground… we can launch a surprise attack and maybe surprise him!" Cera followed along.

"Still rather simple though." Grimlock said. "There is a chance Shockwave may have already figured out the same thing. Megatron's made him his top scientist for a reason."

"But it may be our only chance." Alice put in. "And besides… what's battle without taking a few risks, right?" She said to the Dinobot with a smirk.

Grimlock chuckled in response. "Right."

"Then it seems we have a plan." Cera said. "Rakshata, Fixit, where are those tunnels?"

Meanwhile, Shockwave and his team of Dark Knight units had already arrived in whatever was left of the reactor. It didn't take long for them to start digging. In fact, much of the reactor was built into the ground itself, and when the accident had occurred, the resulting explosion had already created a large enough crater that had given them plenty of room to work. The Relic they were searching for was deeper underground, Shockwave assumed the reactor was built over it. Whether the Relic itself was responsible for the accident here was unlikely and irrelevant.

Using controlled blasts from all their long-ranged weapons and heavy artillery, the Dark Knight units dug deeper and deeper underground. The Dark Mordred's Hadron cannons appeared to be digging the deepest.

"If this Relic happens to be a weapon, is there any chance we can use it against Shockwave?" Anya asked Marianne via their telepathic connection.

"Not without exposing our whole plan." Marianne replied. "And we can't just destroy it either for that same reason."

"Perhaps we can 'give' it to the Black Knights and the Autobots, make it look like we were fighting over it?" Anya asked.

"I doubt Shockwave is easily fooled. He's not like V.V., he's far more perceptive. It's taken all this careful maneuvering just to remain undetected from him." Marianne said. "If it weren't for the fact that Shockwave had turned Mao into a machine meant solely for combat rather than espionage, he would have already found us out."

"Even if I died, you still would have escaped via your own Geass, just like how you first got to me. Remember?" Anya reminded in a somewhat spiteful manner, which Marianne couldn't fault her for.

"Shockwave wouldn't kill you for that very reason." The 'ghost' inside her responded. "He would have turned his Geass Cancellers on us and erase me from your mind, and then probably either kill you or turn you into a cyborg."

Anya made no response, but the cold shoulder was still clear.

"Listen… Anya. You want to get out of this? You want to stop Shockwave and everything the Geass Order has been doing? Then we need to work together on this." Marianne told her.

"Ironic, isn't it? That was everything that you, Charles, and V.V. worked so hard to create… now that it's all turned against you, you are doing everything you can to destroy it all." Anya said. "If you think for one minute that it's going to redeem you, you're wrong. I may not have known Lelouch or Nunnally all that well… which is more-or-less thanks to you too… but I know they won't forgive you either."

There was silence for a moment, almost like Marianne was trying to come up with some kind of response. Perhaps an excuse to justify her actions? But in truth, she had none.

"That's fine." Marianne finally responded. "I don't expect their forgiveness or yours… but if Megatron is allowed to do what he wants with Ragnarök… it'll be bad for all of us. At the very least, help me stop that from happening, not for my sake but for your sake and the sake of those you care for."

"I know. That's why I'm working with you." Anya had already understood why she formed this alliance with the ghost that stole her life from her. Because it was the only way to stop the Decepticons. That didn't necessarily mean she had to like it, however.

With the next Hadron blast from her Dark Mordred, it appeared she had struck something. Clearing away the last of the irradiated earth, to reveal a large metallic surface underneath.

"I have found something." Anya said, getting the attention of Shockwave as he slid on his feet down the diagonal hole that his Dark Knights had carved their way through.

With the Dark Mordred stepping to the side, Shockwave fired blasts from his cannon to clear away more of the ground and reveal what appeared to be an enormous metallic sphere. It was so large, that it seemed this was only one side of it, and it was already twice as large as Shockwave.

"This Relic… it is quite large." Sancia observed.

"This is no ordinary Relic." Shockwave performed a scan on it. There was Energon inside, a large quantity of it. Even a Cybertronian life signal… albeit dormant but still alive. In that instant, he knew what was inside.

"Deal with the interlopers." Shockwave ordered his Dark Knights. "They will attempt to ambush us via those tunnels we had discovered. I will join you shortly."

With that command, the Dark Knights flew up from the hole and in the direction their puppeteer had instructed for them. Shockwave then aimed his canon and fired into the metallic sphere, already causing it to crack as he was about to unleash true horror onto his enemies.

On the positive side, Zeta Team had managed to locate the underground tunnels that were used to transport the uranium and other similar materials in and out of the reactor, which would lead them directly to their target. Bad news however, it was rather narrow. While the Pegasus and Cera's Akatsuki could roll their way through with little issue, going single-file, Grimlock was a different story. He had to crouch down on his legs and fold his arms inward, moving rather slowly, one foot at a time, and it was quite irritating.

"Good thing you're not claustrophobic." Cera joked.

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes?" Grimlock questioned.

"Hard to tell. You seem to always have a scowl on your face." Cera cracked, earning a growl from Grimlock.

"Well good news… I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally." Alice said as they found the end of their path.

One-by-One, the Pegasus, pink Akatsuki, and Grimlock emerged from the tunnel, the later bashing his head through the roof as he finally stood up freely into a more open area, which had a massive hole in the ceiling that led straight up to the outside. Only to find themselves confronted by the Dark Queen, Dark Mordred and the four Headmasters.

"I told you he'd be expecting us this way." Grimlock said to his teammates.

"Sancia… Dalque… Lucretia… even you Anya… please!" Alice tried to plead with them. "You don't have to do what Shockwave says! We can help you! I know none of you want to serve him! Please!"

"It's not our choice to make… Alice." Lucretia responded. "It's never been our choice."

"Well, if you won't get away from him willingly…" Grimlock brandished his sword again. "How about I tear apart those pieces of scrap metal you're using and drag you back?"

Before a fight could ensue however, the entire building began to shake, catching everyone's attention. Dust and small pieces of debris fell from the already ruined ceiling, causing it to break up even more.

"What now?" Grimlock questioned.

"Zeta Team, be advised… a Cybertronian life signal has just been detected!" Fixit alerted.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Cera asked.

"Neither… I… I've never seen anything like it…" Fixit reported.

"Whatever it is, it's big and it's heading right for you!" Rakshata warned.

Right on cue, the ground around them began to crack open, almost as if the entire area had been struck by a high-level magnitude earthquake. Already much of the building around them had begun to collapse.

"Everyone out! Now!" Sancia exclaimed. Immedietley, the Dark Knight units all shot straight up toward the opening.

"Go!" Grimlock told his teammates as the tunnel behind them had already collapsed. "I'm right behind you!"

Cera and Alice piloted their Knightmares and flew upwards while Grimlock leapt toward the nearest wall and tried to climb his way out as fast as he could. As he felt the shaking increasing, the sounds of rumbling coming ever closer, the Dinobot glanced down to see the entire ground he was previously standing on had already collapsed… revealing something large and metallic... moving very rapidly.

The Dinobot tried to pick up the pace, but his own heavy mass made it difficult even for him, and whatever was causing this was catching up to him quickly. By the time he made it, whatever was pursuing him had shot up, striking and sending him flying upwards and into the air. Grimlock fell and rolled on the ground briefly as he tried to pull himself up, Alice and Cera's Knightmares were immediately by his side as they, and the hovering Dark Knights, saw what the source of the tremors.

Diving up and down and all around the old facility, causing it to collapse in on itself, was a Cybertronian creature unlike anything seen before. It was made out of rotating metal that spun all throughout its body, its entire form seemed a mix between a massive worm and a serpent. Only when the entire building was completely obliterated did the metallic creature stop, it's face… if you could call it that… was a massive circular mouth that had multiple rotating spikes around and all throughout its innards. It also had several tentacle-like attachments near its front that had massive saw-like weapons at the tips.

Alice, Cera, Anya, Dalque, Sancia, and Lucretia all looked in complete and utter shock at the massive monstrosity that had appeared before them. Even Grimlock was rendered speechless, this creature was far larger than even him.

"By the Allspark… what is that…?" Fixit stuttered as he and Rakshata saw the creature on their screens from the footage of the Knightmares.

For one of the rarest times in her life… Rakshata looked genuinely scared… so much so that she lost grip of her pipe and let it drop to the floor.

"I… I think that's the Relic…"

Rising up from the creature's mouth was none other than the Decepticon that appeared to be controlling this monstrosity.

"Shockwave!" Grimlock drew his sword and shield, taking a defensive stance. "What have you done?!"

"This creature that you see here is known as a Driller." The Decepticon scientist explained. "A subterranean Cybertronian lifeform that existed during the prehistoric Age of Evolution, alongside the Predacons that roamed the surface of Cybertron. They were considered the apex predators among even the Predacons, consuming all that ventured too far underground, but they were rendered extinct during the Great Cataclysm. Upon one of my expeditions in Cybertronians underground for an Energon deposit, I discovered a Driller hatchling in stasis, somehow surviving. I took it to my lab, subjecting it to genetic experimentation to serve as a weapon for the Decepticon cause. Autobot forces however raided my facility and captured the creature while it was in stasis, and likely had it ejected into space with the other Relics from Iacon. A foolish choice, if they sought to destroy this creature, the more logical option would be to send it to the sun. As of now, the Driller is completely under my control. I'm curious as to see how it would fair against my other greatest experiment." He eyed Grimlock specifically. "Let's find out which is strongest."

Grimlock growled as the Driller gunned straight for him. "I'll handle this! Deal with the others!" He told the rest of Zeta Team as he used his shield to try and protect himself from the Driller's advance, which sent him flying and crashing toward the abandoned city, with the monstrosity and its master following close behind.

No time to argue, Cera and Alice were immediately under fire from the Dark Knights, led by the Dark Queen, and forced to take to the skies with their Knightmares, all six enemies pursuing behind.

"You know how your friends operate, deal with them. I'll handle the others." Cera told her.

"Understood." Alice nodded as she flew the Pegasus straight for the Order, Power, and Land units; leaving Cera's pink Akatsuki to face off with the airborne Dark Queen, Dark Mordred, and Refrain unit.

'How fitting… face-to-face with my greatest mistakes.' Cera thought with reluctance. 'Well… time to start fixing it.' She immediately went on the attack.

Grimlock rolled through a couple of old buildings, bringing them down in the process before getting back up on his feet, drawing his sword and shield again as the Driller advanced forward. It dove up and down through the ground like a whale would in the ocean, drilling through the hard and solid earth with ease. As it got closer, Grimlock rushed to the right side of the Driller and dragged his blade along it, only for one of its tentacles to lash out and smack Grimlock through another building.

The Dinobot picked himself back up once again as the Driller tore through what was left of the building that separated them and loomed over Grimlock, lashing out with several of its tentacles. Grimlock braced himself with his shield, the buzz-saws at the tips trying to cut through it, but Grimlock was able to use his broadsword to cut off the tips of two tentacles, causing the Driller to give a pain-induced roar before digging straight underground and rushing back up in front of Grimlock; knocking him down once again. The Driller shot through the ground, its bladed mouth wide open, intent on swallowing him hole; but Grimlock was able to roll out of the way in time.

"In all my studies and observations, I've never seen you on the defensive, Grimlock." Shockwave noted, riding along the back of his Driller. "Interesting. It would seem that you are no longer the strongest living Cybertronian."

Even if Grimlock couldn't overpower the Driller, he can at least take out the one that was guiding it. With a roar, Grimlock leapt to the Driller's side, driving his blade into it, and causing it to squirm and roar in pain as he pulled himself up to the back to face off with Shockwave, who immediately opened fire, but Grimlock used his shield to block the blasts as he advanced toward his hated enemy. However, the Driller's tentacles came up from the sides and struck at Grimlock in all directions, who was forced to use his sword and shield to block and defend himself, though he got cut and sliced along his sides, back, and chest several times. This allowed Shockwave a chance to get in close and blast his canon right into Grimlock's face, sending him falling off the massive beast.

Grimlock groaned as he felt his sides, which were already bleeding Energon. Though the damage wasn't that bad and didn't need any proper medical attention… the fact that this beast made him bleed was a concerning sign.

"Let us continue this experiment, shall we?" Shockwave mused as the Driller went on the attack once again.

Meanwhile, Alice did her best to fend off against the relentless onslaught of Order, Power, and Land; the Pegasus' own blades parrying against the strikes of Order before Alice used her own superior speed to escape and avoid the rapid gunshots from Land, and appeared to be gunning straight for Power, who pulled back its armored fist, forcing Alice to cross the Pegasus' arms and block the attack, but the force of the impact still sent her falling toward the ground. Fortunately, she was able to barely stabilize herself and hover mid-air as she glanced up at her old team.

'What's going on? Even though I'm the fastest… I feel like they're holding back.' Alice thought. 'If they wanted to kill me… they could have. Shockwave may want to capture me again but… maybe… there's something else to it.'

Back with Cera, the pink Akatsuki's katana was once again blocked the massive blade strike from the Dark Queen, though the force still sent her Knightmare back. She sensed the incoming Refrain and launched a volley of missiles, a few struck Refrain's chassis as it tried to defend itself with its scythe, but the damage was still done.

'Even with Shockwave's modifications… Mao still can't read my mind. But that's about my only advantage here.' Cera thought as she dodged another Hadron blast from the Dark Mordred. 'I won't be able to solve all my mistakes here… but I can at least do one.'

Cera gunned the pink Akatsuki straight toward the Refrain unit. She tried to bring her katana down onto it, but Refrain used its scythe to block and parry it. However, this left it open for Cera to run her Knightmare's arm into the enemy unit.

"Indirect contact once again, but it should suffice." Cera channeled her powers once again and directed it through her Knightmare and into the Refrain unit, allowing her to connect to the mind of whatever was left of Mao inside.

With a gasp, the child form of Mao appeared in a grassy field with a soft breeze, clear blue skies, and a bright sun shining over him. The child looked around, confused as to what was going on.

"Mao? Mao…"

He heard his name being called and turned around to see none other than the beautiful woman who had been with him when nobody else was.

"C.C.!" The child ran up to her with a wide smile as she held her arms out and embraced him when he reached her.

"Mao… I'm sorry. I truly did love you… but I should have tried to actually help you, instead of just using you for my own sake." She said to him as she stroked his hair with her hand. "Maybe if I did, things would have been different. But… it's too late now. At the very least, let this moment of comfort ease your pain. Goodbye Mao…"

In the real world, the katana from Cera's pink Akatsuki had run through the Refrain unit before she sliced straight upwards, cutting through the central head-unit where Mao's brain was located. Cera pulled back just before the unit exploded, ending Mao and his suffering once and for all.

She was certain that Lelouch and the others would be rather pleased to hear that Mao was now finally gone, and she wouldn't blame them. But now that he's finally gone… the suffering she caused him finally ended… it felt like an enormous weight off her shoulders. A small smile graced her face before she returned to the task at hand.

"That's one mistake down, onto the next." Cera turned to the remaining two enemies, but the Dark Mordred was on the attack first, flying straight toward the pink Akatsuki before Cera tried to move out of the way, only for the larger Knightmare to reach out and grab Cera's unit by its leg. "Yeah… you're the one in control, aren't you?" She said with a glare.

"C.C…. Look toward the orange stars as we have done." Marianne spoke out, causing Cera to look in confusion. But it only delayed her counter as she fired her slash harkens at the Dark Mordred's arm to free her unit.

Back with Grimlock, he had once again been knocked back, sent crashing into an old building which began to collapse on top of him. The Driller loomed the fallen structure as Shockwave continued to ride on top.

"Perhaps this test is concluded. This Driller appears to be the superior specimen. Regardless, acquisition of your corpse could allow for future experimentation." Shockwave said as he directed his Driller to collect the supposedly beaten Dinobot, or to finish him if he was still alive.

Suddenly, Grimlock's T-Rex form exploded out of the debris with a roar, right before he bit down on several of the tentacles, tearing them away from the Driller's body, causing it to roar before Grimlock unleashed his plasma-breath onto it, making sure to aim it for the Driller's mouth and do some internal damage. The Driller pulled back however, but Grimlock kept up the barrage with his inferno, stomping closer to the Driller before he stopped and rammed his head into it, tearing at it with his teeth.

However, this only seemed to anger the Driller as it quickly moved and coiled its larger body around Grimlock's dino alt. mode, squeezing it tight to ensnare Grimlock before launching upward to send the Autobot behemoth straight up before crashing down on the ground, where he transformed back to normal.

"Grimlock, nothing you have at your disposal seems to be any damage to that monster! I recommend a retreat!" Fixit advised.

He knew he was right. Grimlock was outmatched against this monster, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Fine. Send a Groundbridge, for me and the others." Grimlock grunted. A portal then opened up to his side as he stood up and turned to face the Decepticon scientist and his pet monster one last time. "This isn't over, Shockwave!" He ran into the Groundbridge portal which vanished as soon as he entered.

"I agree." Shockwave said. A few seconds later; the Dark Queen and Dark Mordred flew up to rendezvous with him, along with Power, Order, and Land.

"Shockwave, the enemy has retreated." Anya reported. "Refrain was lost in battle."

"An acceptable loss, as we have gained something more powerful." Shockwave said as the Driller below him gave something of a moan that seemed akin to a purr. "This mission was a success."

After returning to Horai Island, Alice and Cera were both placed in a decontamination chamber that cleansed off whatever kind of radiation that may have gotten on them. While Alice was only outside her Knightmare for a short time, and Cera was immortal, nobody wanted to take any chances. Their Knightmares were also getting a more extensive decontamination in a separate area, being overseen by Perceptor.

Both females stepped outside where Rakshata, Fixit, as well as Grimlock were waiting.

"The decontamination was a success. There is no longer even a trace of radiation on either of you." Fixit reported with a smile.

"While we are certain you were properly protected, it wouldn't hurt to play it safe. Radiation is no joke." Rakashata added.

"Thank you." Cera said as Alice nodded as well.

"Hey, kid." Grimlock spoke to Alice specifically. "Sorry we couln't help your friends." That caused Alice to look down. "But we're not done. They're still out there and we will save them. I give you my word."

An emotional smile fell on Alice's face. "Thank you Grimlock… And I know your friends are still out there too. You'll see them again."

Grimlock gave a nod of approval, all the while Cera couldn't help but think back on what just happened. 'What Marianne told me… that was the same message Anya relayed for Shirley but… it was different. She 'orange stars' this time. What does that mean? Is Marianne working with Anya and Shirley's father? What is going on here?'

"Sh-sh-shock… wave…! Wha… what in God's name is this… monstrosity?!" Bartley exclaimed as he and Arkveille bared witness to the newly arrived Driller that moved about freely through the massive underground base that was the Geass Order, though the creature caused no damage to the surrounding area.

"Oooh… such raw power… such ferocity… it is beautiful…" Arkveille said with a maddened grin, causing Bartley to look at him with a horrified expression.

"The Driller serve as an effective weapon in the coming battle against the Autobots and the Black Knights." Shockwave said. "It, combined with the unit operated by Lanfranc, should prove will render our position impenetrable, if the enemy should discover our location."

"Oh by the way, thought you should know… Orange's signal went offline just before you came back." Arkveille reported, catching Shockwave's attention. "Seems the old margrave has finally kicked the bucket. Looks like stubbornness doesn't equal invincibility, hmm?"

"No matter." Shockwave brushed off. "The loss of Gottwald as well as Refrain are to be expected in this time of war, but with the acquisition of the Driller, our forces have only grown."

Meanwhile, in another location of the Geass Order; Anya, Sancia, Dalque, and Lucretia had just been decontaminated to clean off any potential radiation that may or may not have touched them from their time in Chernobyl. The one that had overseen their cleaning was none other than Joseph Fenette.

The man entered the room where the four girls were currently resting, reaching into his lab coat to grab a hidden remote and pressed a small button. There was a brief flash from the hidden cameras that lasted only one millisecond.

"We have thirty seconds before the feedback loop ends." Joseph quickly said. "Jeremiah's signal went offline, which means he's now with the Autobots and the Black Knights."

"The message was delivered on our end too." Sancia added. "And as it so happened, C.C. was the one who received it."

"Her, hmm? I suppose it must be fate." Joseph remembered her all too well. "That's it then. We've done all we can do."

"Now all that's left is to wait and hope." Anya said just before their time was up. Once thirty seconds had passed, the feedback loop in the security footage had ended, and Joseph went back to his role to see to the girls were all cleaned and healthy.

'Hope… huh?' Marianne briefly thought as Anya's eyes glowed briefly with a white ring. 'I had long since abandoned that… probably when I first met Charles and V.V. But… maybe that was a mistake. Maybe all this world ever really needed… was hope. I'm just glad you were able to find it… Lelouch… Nunnally.'

Done.

Yep, this Relic was in fact the Driller from the 'Dark of the Moon' movie. Didn't see that one coming, did ya? I had a lot of fun writing Grimlock's fight with it. As tough and mighty as the leader of the Dinobots is, even he had a hard time against that monster. Like I said before, even though they have made many victories; the Autobots and Black Knights are still in an uphill battle against the Decepticons and they won't win every single fight; that's how war works.

And it seems victory was now in favor of the Decepticons has they have gained a very powerful and very dangerous asset. But it wasn't a total defeat for the heroes. Cera had finally put Mao out of his misery, giving him something of a mercy killing (even though he didn't really deserve it, Cera is still responsible for how he turned out and owed him that much). But more importantly, Alice's old friends are working with Anya/Marianne and Joseph on sabotaging the Geass Order and escaping. But only time will tell whether or not their plan will succeed.

Between this and Schneizel's own schemes with Starscream behind Megatron's back, everyone's playing 5-D chess it seems.

We also had a nice bonding moment between Grimlock and Alice. I had a feeling those two would come to an understanding because of the care they have for their teammates as well as being forcibly experimetned on and turned into living weapons. Don't worry, we will be seeing the other Dinobots soon. I've got special plans for their grand reappearance.

That's six Relics down, two to go. These next two are going to be quite intense as I've got very special plans for the upcoming showdowns. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. I love you all.