SZ: Sorry we've took so long with this, but welcome to the next part of the Transformers side story. Where we last left off, Optimus and his crew had to return to Cybertron because its core is dying..and they have to deal with Sentinel's ego and paranoia, Insecticons...and a newly freed and remade Megatron.

GT: A very scary remake at that…

Z0: Mwahahahaha,...I give them nightmares.

SZ: Yup..oh and to answer your question on designs of the bots, Variable Zero...think of it like a mix. As for Ben's grimlock being based on the TFA one or the Cyberverse one?...it should be obvious its the former.

Z0: Yeah we're not trying to stay linear here.

SZ: Yeah...ahem. Anyways...let us prepare for some more robotic action! But first...we own nothing aside from original content, so start us off z0!

Z0: *aims bazooka and shoots it at the screen*

"Mmm! MMMM!" Sentinel gavea a muffled yell, trying to get out of his bindings as he was dragged along by Ratchet and Ironhide...mostly Ironhide.

"Okay I get I'm the young strong one...but why do I gotta drag his oversized chassis?" Ironhide complained.

"Because we can't leave him, otherwise he'll further compromise things," Ratchet argued, "That and I don't wanna touch stupid."

"MMM!" Sentinel muffedly snapped.

"You don't get to complain for releasing Megatron and trying to overturn Autobot code!" Ratchet snapped back.

"At this point...I just wanna find the Bossbot, save Cybertron, and get a good strong brew from Maccadam's...go home, and enter a nice stasis nap." Ironhide grunted, "Also...toss this dense hunk of scrap off of something…"

"..." Ratchet turned to Ironhide.

"What...I mean like off some stairs...not into the abyss…" he complained at the look.

"MM?!" Sentinel exclaimed at that.

"...Let's just hurry and find Optimus before we encounter any Cons or Insecticons..or worst both," Ratchet sighed.

"I'm just saying it's gonna take a lot longer with junk-trunk here…" Ironhide grunted.

"Yes...but Optimus would berate us for abandoning an Autobot...even if it's Sentinel…."

"Yeah...I know good and well what Bossbot would say." Ironhide grunted, "So may as well drag this rustbucket for now…"

"MMM MMM MMM!"

"Yeah yeah. I know your angry…"

"Easy...easy…" Rattrap whispered, looking from inside Bulkhead in Vehicle mode as Optimus and his team continued to travel further down to Cybertron's core.

"I am taking it easy…"

"You sure? Because I've been stuck down here longer than youse guys…and the further we go down, the more dangerous those Insecticons get."

"And you sure you wanna go to the surface right now?" Bumblebee countered.

"Scrap no! Not with a bunch of Cons and Megatron up dere!" Rattrap argued, "And less I get found by that crazy speedster the better!"

"Speedster?"

"Some young new bot on da force called Cheetor...and oh Primus is he fast..and wreckless!" Rattrap ranted, "Seriously he kept goin' after me because of some moving violations! In fact….bein' stuck down here is one bright side because I don't have to deal with him!"

"He's not a Decepticon is he?" Sari asked.

"Nope. Autobot…"

"I mean if anything...the one more like a con is the rat right there riding shotgun…" Bulkhead muttered.

"I heard that!"

"Uh yeah...you were meant to."

"HEY!"

"Now now. Let us not fight," Silverbolt spoke as he walked besides Bulkhead, "And who knows? This Cheetor Rattrap speaks of could be a young bot looking to strike a swift hand of justice to the enemies of the universe!"

"...uh...what?" Rattrap blinked.

"I am losing the track too…" Jetfire muttered with Jetstorm nodding in agreement.

"I am merely trying to raise morale," Silverbolt explained.

"It's much appreciated, Silverbolt." Optimus spoke up, "But I think everyone's just too high strung. Let's instead focus on saving our home, from one problem and then another. Afterwards...I'll treat all of you to a drink when we're done saving Cybertron."

"A drink?! Ooh we are the very looking forward to that!" Jetstorm beamed.

"Yes! Indeed we are!" Jetfire added.

"Good. Now let's hurry Autobots and Maximals!"

"Yes sir!"

"...why fight it? May as well go along with it…" Rattrap muttered, "You got it boss."

"Yeah, this is how it works, Optimus is awesome, and we save the world." Sari smiled.

"SO may as well sit back," Bumblebee added, "Who knows? Maybe you'll end up joining our team."

"Phe! If dat happened, I'd sooner eat a helmet slathered in super hot spicy oil," Rattrap snorted.

"We have a spare helmet." Bumblebee spoke.

"...I walked into dat…" Rattrap deadpanned before Bulkhead skidded to a halt, making him nearly jump, "Oh now what?!"

"...I think you jinxed it earlier…" Sari whispered as she quickly hopped out of Bumblebee, letting him transform into robot mode.

"...Dere's Insecticons in front of us, isn't dere?"

"Yup…" Bulkhead gulped, seeing a massive horde of Insecticons growled at them.

"...We're gonna die."

"...I feel like I'm missing a big fight," Ironhide muttered.

"...It's quiet...too quiet," Ratchet frowned as he stood ready.

"Nothing good ever happens when that's said…" Ironhide groaned.

"Mmm…" Sentinel growled as he tried to free himself.

"Sorry….no. You're too much of a loose cannon right now, so…" Ironhide began as he dropped Sentinel, "Just lay there and let me have a bit of fun…"

"MMMMMMM!-!-!-!-!"

"Oh don't be a-" Ironhide began before an Insecticon burst forth from the ground before him and Ratchet, "?! Oh slag!"

"MOVE!" Ratchet shouted as he and Ironhide moved out of the way of the Insecticon's lunge.

"Mmm! MMMMM!" Sentinel muffled ordered, barely managing to avoid the lunge by acting like a caterpillar.

"Sorry, but can't let you go," Ironhide apologized as he quickly armored up, "Even if ya did help, no doubt you'll pull a...what do the Earthlings call it? ...Oh yeah. A snake in the grass type of move on me and Ratchet."

"Mmmm!" Sentinel growled as the Insecticon got up and bellowed at them.

"Seriously, doc? You jinxed us with saying it was too quiet," Ironhide deadpanned.

"You were the one who sounded bored earlier!" Ratchet argued, bringing his magnets out as he pulled some metal debris to block another lunge from the Insecticon, "So either put up or shut up and help me fight this thing!"

"I will, but…" Ironhide began as he quickly turned, slugging an Insecticon that burst from the wall and attempted to lunge at the bound Sentinel, "It's not like we have a third bot helping us here to watch Sentinel!"

A loud cheetah-like growl could be heard, making everyone stop as they heard the sound of rapid footsteps filling the area.

"...What in Primus was th-" Ratchet began, unaware of the Insecticon he was facing was lunging at him once more...before what looked like a large cheetah blurring past him and pounced the robotic bug, "?!"

"Yeehaw! Bring it, bug creep!" the cheetah whooped as the Insecticon roared out, trying to buck the cheetah off it.

"...Again, what in Primus is that?" Ratchet questioned in surprise.

"...It's not like Energon will suddenly pour out and distract these bugs," Ironhide spoke, looking at the ceiling for a moment before frowning, "...Yeah. I think I just used my one."

"MMMMM?!" Sentinel muffled snap in anger.

"Don't worry, Sentinel Magnus!" The cheetah shouted as he leapt onto the other Insecticon, causing the previous one he was riding to crash into it as he jumped off the second, "I can take care of these things, then we can hunt down some Cons together!"

"MMM MMM!-!-!-!-!"

"...oh Primus, it's another bot like Silverbolt...and this one is a cocky rookie," Ratchet groaned in realization.

"Cocky!?" the cheetah exclaimed as he rushed over, "I'll have ya know, old man, I was one of the top recruits at the academy and one of the members of the force...though I kept losing partners after each job…" he muttered before scratching his head a bit, "And I haven't been able to transform after I got back from that Earth place after chasing after Rattletrap. Was going for a sweet car near this 'Zoo' place when I was chasing to add a bit of a step up to my speed, but that prototype scanner the police force got to catch criminals that try hiding off Cybertron glitched." he chuckled sheepishly, "Of course...I did use it after Rattletrap swiped it and dropped it."

"Well, you lucked out. In organics on Earth, Cheetah's are considered the fastest land organic," Ironhide noted, earning a look from Ratchet, "What? After Silverbolt joined us, I thought I'd do research on some animals. Didn't you do it too in case he caught an animal disease that could mutate to infect Cybertronians?" a small silence fell, "...Seriously?"

"...I...was busy…." Ratchet muttered before sighing, "Still...we could use the help...even if he's a rookie…" he looked over at the Cheetah, now dodging between the two Insecticons, making them crash into one another again, "Hey kid! What's your name?!"

"Eh?" the cheetah blinked as he skidded to a halt, "Uh...Cheetor, but why ask me that if we're in the middle of a f-"

"Just say 'Cheetor Maximize' and you'll be able to fight proper!"

"Huh? Cheetor Maximize? That's kinda-WHOA!" Cheetor yelped as his body transformed.

His hind legs straightened out with the lower halves spinning around and shifting, exposing a dark-blue armor with yellow feet and three small gold spikes near where his legs turned to feet. His front legs swung forwards and made an 'X' over his chest as his upper body from the waist up sound around 180 degrees before his back opened up and shifted around, letting two metallic dark-blue and gold robot arms emerge and a beast-like, metallic dark-blue 'loincloth' go over his lower half. His cheetah head folded down and seemed to widen to form a chest as his robot head emerged. It was the same metallic dark-blue as most of his robotic parts were in the back while the front was gold with two flat 'horns' on his head. His face was dark metallic blue with faint darker spots on the cheeks that resembled his cheetah spots with some feline-like fangs poking out of his mouth with gold optics.

"Whoa~ Ultra gear!" Cheetor awed, looking down at himself, "...Wait. So my transforming code just changed? That's why I couldn't transform?"

"It's something we've noticed in SIlverbolt, too. While his first transformation seemed to have acknowledged his original code from what those girls told us, it was due to a small glitch that corrected itself shortly after once I examined it," Ratchet noted before pointing at the two Insecticons that were getting back up, "And we can discuss this more after we either escape or beat these two."

"Kay….or we can go with a third option, make them fight each other," Cheetor offered, making him raise a brow, "Watch...just one more crash into one another…" he paused as he rushed out at the two Insecticons, who charged at him once more...only for the young bot to leap over them, causing them to crash into one another before they began to growl at each other and start pummeling each other, "...and boom...two hungry meatheads distracted with trying to dominate one another in a fight. Learned that in my first Decacycle down here. And now that they're beating each other up...why's Sentinel Magnus tied up?"

"Long or short version?" Ironhide asked.

"Short. Usually fall asleep on the long parts."

"Kay. Cybertron is dying out, so Optimus is heading down to the core to save it…" Ironhide explained before jerking a thumb at Sentinel, "And that bothead is trying to arrest Optimus and us for 'trying to destroy Cybertron' or something...and he ended up freeing and upgrading Megatron."

"Oh scrap th...AHH!" Cheetor exclaimed as he held his hands against his head, "That's right! I saw the Deceipticreeps' leader fly into here! At least, I think it was him. It was kinda spooky and ominous..." he quickly turned and saluted to Sentinel, "Sentinel Magnus, permission to help find Optimus Prime a-"

"MMM MM! MMM MM!" Sentinel shook his head in an angry motion.

"Eh?"

"Probably said something xenophobic while telling you no," Ironhide guessed.

"Xeno-whatsit?" Cheetor blinked, tilting his head.

"Means he hates you now that you're technoorganic," Ratchet snorted.

"Huh?! Really?" Cheetor gawked, "Bummer…"

"Eh don't worry about it...he's crazy anyway," Ironhide chuckled.

"MMMMMMMM!-!-!" Sentinel muffledly shouted before he was picked up once more.

"...Well….uh…" Cheetor muttered, trying to figure out what to say, "...since Sentinel is...well...unavalible right now in a way...may as well go with the next best thing...finding and asking Optimus Prime for help."

"He's the only Prime to ever do that," Ratchet sighed.

"Hopefully, he's not in too much trouble at the moment," Ironhide chuckled as they went on.

"Ya lousy, no good, rotten bugs!" Rattrap snapped as he ran from two Insecticons that were chasing him, "Y'er messin' wit' da wrong 'bot here!" he quickly shifted into Robot mode and aimed at the ceiling, "'Cause with my nose…" he pulled the trigger and shot at a spot on the ceiling, causing an explosion to go off and crush the two under large chunks of the ceiling that fell to make a hole above, "...knows da explosives smell like down here." he rubbed his nose area, "Heh...Maybe havin' dis here Beast Mode ain't all dat bad."

"Least we lost them," Sari muttered, dismissing a pair of energy blades that came from her wrist, "Still that was freaky..."

"And coordinated…" Optimus noted with a frown, "That behavior wasn't to feed...rather, it was to hold us back."

"That...seems too smart for them," Bumblebee noted.

"And counterproductive," Jazz added, "Don't these guys also want to survive? Why stop us?"

"They probably don't even know we're here to help. They must see us as regular intruders," Optimus offered his take.

"It is concerning though," Sari noted, "Let's just be extra careful just to be safe, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Bulkhead noted, "Any idea how far we've got left?"

Silverbolt shifted into Beast Mode and sniffed the air, "It's faint...but I can smell fresh Energon several hics away."

"Hics?" Sari repeated, thinking for a moment, "Oh, right. Elite-One said that a hic was a kilometer, so several kilometers…" she sighed, "...great..."

"Least we're getting closer…" Bumblebee sighed.

"Yes...but let's be careful," Optimus advised with a frown, "Considering how the Insecticons acted just now...it means we might be encountering the leader soon enough."

"...Joy...We're gonna meet the alpha of the pack soon," Rattrap muttered.

"No saying we're gonna die," Bulkhead stated.

"Oh, no prob. Youse just did it for me."

"...Frag."

"Hmm...So much has happened since we've been locked up," Shockwave noted, looking through some files on a computer, "Incurseans having taken over Earth and soon lost it within a solar cycle or so...hmph. They are lucky Lord Megatron was not on Earth at the time…"

=Shockwave, report= Megatron's voice came from a nearby communicator.

"We are still obtaining as much Energon as possible to power our ship," Shockwave explained as he answered, "I have also learned that Incurseans had conquered the planet Earth during our incarceration."

=Those toads? I'm surprised they were able to do that with their incompetence=

"Yes, but it would seem they lost the Earth within a solar cycle against a resistance that included Optimus Prime and his team...and lead by a human known as Ben Tennyson….though given this sloppy work, Sentinel Magnus tried to overwrite that he was the one who defeated the Incurseans and 'chose' to let Ben Tennyson walk away..."

=Ben Tennyson? Ah, the boy with the Galvan's Omni Matrix=

"You know of him?"

=His existence was exposed to Earth a few days before our attempt to bring our forces to Earth was thwarted by Prime and his Autobots. While I and Starscream worked to cease Omega Supreme's teleportation, I also spent the time learning about how a human was able to obtain a power such as his=

"Ahh..I see," Shockwave noted.

=Yes...and from what I've read...he even managed to defeat the likes of Vilgax=

"The Conquerer?"

=Tis to be expected, the Omnitrix was made by Azmuth. Its power would be formidable= Megatron noted.

"But if it were in our hands...surely we could create an army stronger than the replica Supremes we controlled," Shockwave offered.

=Perhaps. But Azmuth is not known as 'The First Thinker' for no reason. If we did obtain it, how would we know if he does not have a way to disable it and render its user as the weakest, most vulnerable alien within the device?=

"Ahh...That is a fair point, my lord," Shockwave nodded, his lone optic widening in the thought of that happening.

=But...the Omnitrix could have our DNA...specifcally that of Decepticons...Worth investigation, wouldn't you say?=

"Hmm..possibly my lord...I'll look into more of it," Shockwave answered.

=Good…I believe I am nearing Prime now...keep me updated if anything happens=

"Of course, Lord Megatron," Shockwave replied as the screen turned off from Megatron ending the communication.

"Was that Lord Megatron!?"

"...Oh lord...Lugnut's awake," Shockwave groaned as a large, hulking decepticon in Dark-green and purple lingered in.

"Move, fool! I must speak with our glorious leader!"

"You just missed him," Shockwave stated.

"What?! What did you say to Lord Megatron that made him leave!?"

"I didn't...He went back to searching for Optimus Prime," Shockwave explained.

"Then I shall head out and assist my lord in terminating Prime and his followers!"

"He wants all Decepticons to get as much Energon as they can and bring it back here."

"...Then I shall head out and gather the most of all of us to prove my worth to be a faithful servant to the glorious leader that is Lord Megatron!"

"You do that…" Shockwave deadpanned as Lugnut rushed out, "...ugh. I would take even Starscream to have that oaf still...no no. He'd be just as bad…And more than likely try to kill me in a ploy to usurp Lord Megatron. Ahem...now then," he muttered as he looked back at the screen, changing it to show an image of a silhouette and a DNA strand, "Let us resume with this project, shall we?"

"There!" Silverbolt exclaimed as they entered a massive chamber with small puddles of Energon scattered about, "This must have been where one of the veins of Energon flowed."

"This is pretty creepy and unsettling," Bumblebee noted with a frown, "I know hearing about Cybertron dying is one thing...but seeing proof like this? Yeah...that's...that's disturbing."

"Ain't no picnic for me either…" Rattrap muttered with a frown, "I was here when da vein stopped flowin'. Dem Insecticons went nuts and I barely hid before they could spot me and my Energon-filled self."

"Brr...I did not need to imagine that," Sari shivered with Bulkhead.

"Still, it means we're close," Rattrap noted, "I think dat da way to da core is down on the other side and down a tunnel."

"You think?" Optimus questioned.

"Well dere's dis huge door sealed tighter den Macadam's mouth on his secret recipe," Rattrap replied, "Tried everythin' I could to get it to open...nada. Zip. Zilcho. Nothin' worked."

"Well that sounds bad," Bumblebee frowned.

"Can you show us the door?" Optimus asked.

"I don't know why, but sure," Rattrap sighed as he motioned them to follow, "Right dis way...but don't cry t' me if we meet da Alpha or whoever is da leader of da Insecticons."

"Considering the bargaining chip we've got, I think we can convince them to let us pass if we do encounter them," Optimus replied as they followed after the rodent.

"Hard to imagine that there was an elevator of all things down here," Ratchet noted, the second group all standing in an elevator with clear walls.

"I got lucky and found a few," Cheetor shrugged, "The Insecticons avoid these things since they give off a weird noise."

"I don't hear a noise," Ironhide noted, "Could be your Beast Mode's boosted your hearing."

"...Huh. Now that you brought it up...I've been hearing a lot more noises lately," Cheetor muttered, "Like a few of my ex-partners complaining that I'm too much of a 'speed demon.' Not my fault I like to go fast to deal with the problems."

"Sometimes you gotta go slow to get things done," Ratchet argued.

"No ho ho~ Cheetor does not do slow," Cheetor denied

"Of course you don't…" Ratchet sighed, 'It's almost like dealing with Bumblebee...only instead of a car, it's a dang big cat. If he starts chasing a dang light...I am so done with this…'

"So if everything you do is fast...how do you ever enjoy anything?" Ironhide asked, "I mean...how can you ever enjoy kicking back with a nice mug of energon and doing nothing?"

"Doing nothing?" Cheetor repeated, tilting his head as the elevator reached the end, "What's the point of nothing if there's nothing exciting to do?"

"But if you do everything fast...then you really will have nothing to do." Ironhide argued, shutting Cheetor up for a moment.

"...Processor...blown," Cheetor muttered, blinking a few times as Ironhide hefted Sentinel over his shoulder once more.

"Don't go having it blow just yet," Ratchet warned before a wall broke down as one of the slugs crawled out of it, "WHAT?!"

"Oh, these guys are pretty ultra gear," Cheetor noted, shaking his head to get back into it, "They clean up down here. The guns on their backs are new, though."

"Guns?" Ironhide repeated as he looked at the slug's back to see a man-operated turret on its back, "?! No way…That is awesome!"

"Why is it looking at us?" Ratchet asked.

"Huh?" Cheetor looked to see the slug was indeed looking at them, "...Do you think it wants us to ride it?"

"I hope so…" Ironhide whispered, trying to hide his excitement.

"MMM MMM!" Sentinel shook his head.

"I'm sorry, did you hear something?" Cheetor asked.

"MMM?!"

"Must be the cave settling or somethin'," Ironhide offered with a shrug.

"Alright, everyone on the giant creature that reminds me of those slug things on Earth," Ratchet ordered.

"Seems kinda like you, Cheetor," Ironhide noted, "Technologic but organic, too."

"Yeah," Cheetor nodded as they began to get on, "I don't really get it, but I feel these guys have been down longer than any of us were even protoforms."

"What makes you say that?" Ironhide asked while RAtchet raised a brow at Cheetor.

"Dunno...but I just feel it."

"Mmm…" Sentinel gave a deadpanned look, finding that ridiculous.

"Well we've done more with less," Ratchet sighed, "We may as well ride these...things in hopes of meeting back up with Optimus."

"Mmm….!" Sentinel growled before slamming his face into the wall, causing the metal covering his mouth to fall off, "Like scrap I'm getting on those slagging things! And the moment Optimus and his team of backstabbers is found, I'll execute them for attempt to destroy Cybertron!"

"Oh come on he got the thing off his face…" Ironhide groaned, "Doc Bot…"

"Do I gotta weld the thing on…?" Ratchet sighed.

"Wait. Execute? But...why?" Cheetor asked, "Didn't Optimus save us from Megatron…?"

"No! I was the one who ordered it, so I saved Cybertron!" Sentinel snapped, "I was the one who gave the orders to make sure those damn Incurseans didn't invade Cybertron! I was the one who killed Megatron...but fate denied me that! ...But no more…" he frowned dangerously, "Once I'm free...I'll kill both Optimus and Megatron...then unify Cybertron under my rule...where Cybertronians don't have to associate with those fleshbag freaks...and then I can declare war on Earth for the torture I've had to endure there...and destroy the biggest threat to the gala-MM!"

"I looked for a stronger metal," Ratchet explained, a larger piece of metal covering Sentinel's mouth, "This one should take him a while longer to get out of. 'Cause that stupid speech was getting old fast. And don't think of any old jokes you." he pointed to Cheetor.

"I wasn't thinking that…"

"Yes, you were."

"Yeah, I was…" he looked down in shame at how easily he was read and predicted.

"I mean, I know of some fools who do all sorts of mental loops of logic to justify their nonsense...but never have I seen someone who can't handle failure as bad as this sorry excuse for a Prime." Ratchet began, "I'm not gonna hold back and say...Cybertron can be a real screwed up planet. We began the war over refusal to understand each other, the Con's got worse and worse because we treated them worse and worse. And now...they are the most bloodthirsty race of monsters in the galaxy. And what does that make us Autobots?" he sighed.

"The...good guys?" Cheetor asked hopefully.

"No kid...no we're not." Ratchet sighed, "We were just the guys who kicked their problem off their planet. Then we began lying to ourselves. In all my time on Earth learning from those annoying humans...I realized there is no real justification for war and prejudice. The Decepticons are our enemy and are bad, but we can't deny...we Autobots made them that way. It's an endless cycle we just can't let go of. But then I finally met a Prime who seemed to care about trying to do good, who risked his spark for these little organics on a world not our own. So...if that Prime asked me to take on this suicide mission to the center of a dying world to save it...well if he's asking me, I know we're doing the right thing."

"...woah…." Cheetor whispered in awe at that.

"Also Sentinel is kinda going crazy from a cracked processor," Ironhide smiled, "Optimus just being a good leader with our safety always on his mind is just decal."

"...A good...leader…." Cheetor whispered as he processed all that info.

"Okay, he we are," Rattrap spoke as they stood before a massive doorway within a nearly empty 'lake' of Energon, "I used all kinds of explosive materials I could scrounge up on my last attempt and not even da soot could stick to it."

"I can feel something behind it," Sari noted as Silverbolt's fur and feathers started to rise up.

"I can as well. Such raw energy coming from behind here," Silverbolt noted.

"I guess it's safe to say…" Optimus spoke as he looked the door over, "We're here."

"Cybertron's core," Bumblebee and Bulkhead whispered.

"Excuse me, comrades, but we are to be wondering…" Jetstorm began to ask.

"How are we to be opening this?" Jetfire finished asking.

"Ya forget about dat?" Rattrap reminded, "Da door's stuck tighter den an Insecticon in da mucus of a Slug dey peeved."

Sari walked up to it and pressed her hand against the door. Her eyes glowed for a few moments before the circle in the center of the two twitched and shifted, exposing an indent. Rattrap slowly took his dropped jaw and pushed it back up.

"How did youse do dat!?" Rattrap exclaimed.

"Macadam helped me," Sari replied.

Optimus approached the door. His optics narrowed as he looked at the indent. For a few moments, that's all he did. He looked down at the Energon Matrix around his neck and then back at the indent. He removed the item from around his neck and held it up to the door. The Energon Matrix pulsed a few times before slowly floating up. It spun around and slammed right into the indent. The circle covered it once more before spinning around 180 degrees clockwise. It opened up again and the Energon Matrix popped out. The door split open down the middle and slid to the sides, exposing a pool of Energon. Eighteen square panels emerged from the pool and connected to one another, completely covering it and exposed a new path.

"Whoa~" the youngest members couldn't help but awe.

"What kinda key did you bring from da surface?" Rattrap asked, his optics wide in surprise.

"Let's just say...I feel like someone is guiding me down the right path, so we have all we need," Optimus explained, "And yes...I'm being cryptic to annoy you. It's what you've been doing this whole trip," he smirked. He then looked down at the Matrix and blinked as he realised the handles on the side now had these holes as if to fit four fingers, 'The casing was altered? Just how much of this adventure was predetermined?'

"We're close now," Silverbolt noted, "Hopefully, we need not fear what else comes." Rattrap's paw met his head, "Ah!"

"You scrap head! Did you just invoke Murphy again?!" Rattrap demanded.

"Wait, what?"

"I think he did," Bumblebee agreed.

"No, no. I assure you that I didn't," Silverbolt replied, "I'm just saying that after everything that's happened, I'm relieved that we're close to our goal and that there shouldn't be anything too bad if that door was locked so tightly."

"YOU DID IT AGAIN!" Rattrap screeched, "You might as well just ask: What else could possibly go wrong...NO! I didn't mean it!" As if on cue, the ceiling on the other side of the chamber they had come from exploded, "Welp...we're doomed." Rattrap sighed, "Like they say on Earth: smoke 'em if you got 'em, 'cause we're all dead…"

The smoke from the explosion slowly dissipated, giving way to what came from the smoke. The bulky Insecticon let out a weak warble before its lone arm went limp while its optics lost their light. Burning red optics kept their focus on their owner's slain opponent before turning. A mouth without lips twisted into a dark smile as the optics, despite the distance between them, focused solely upon Optimus. Despite the changes, Optimus knew who it was. No matter how different they looked, no matter what they had become. That look and those eyes could never hide who they were from him.

"...Megatron…" Optimus frowned.

"Prime…" Megatron growled as he stepped out of the shadows.

"M-Megatron!?" Bulkhead gasped.

"Gah! Megatron got an upgrade...a massive scary one!" Bumblebee freaked.

"I knew it. I KNEW IT! We're gonna die!" Rattrap screamed in pure fright.

"You've looked better...what's with the overhaul to your body?" Optimus asked simply.

"An unfortunate side effect from the cure to the Cosmic Rust that fool Sentinel tried using to offline me." Megatron rasped out with a slight chuckle, "Sadly, he botched my perfect formula...so my cure...caused horrible alterations to my body, my very CNA changed as a result. As such my new...shape...my voice...but...I rather like it," he smiled, revealing his new razor sharp teeth, "It feels like I am my real self."

"Yeah...Now the outside really matches the inside," Optimus replied.

"Honestly...it feels like the mutation has even made me stronger," Megatron smiled, "Now...Optimus Prime…" he flexed and closed his clawed fingers, "I have a debt...that must be repaid. And a shame wiped away, both of which are settled simply...with your spark in my hands."

"You're welcome to try," Optimus replied, his mask forming.

"Heh…" Megatron smirked again.

All seemed silent for an agonizingly long moment as the two just glared at one another. It was horrible...this silence wasn't just any normal silence. It felt like any moment now, the most horrible of catastrophes would happen. And then just like that...the silence was broken.

"HA!/RAH!" with that, Optimus and Megatron clashed. The two grappled with their arms clasped against one anothers in a battle for dominance.

"Every single Cycle in that cell...humiliated by a puny little Prime...no...even as small and young as you are...you're the only Prime I, Megatron, have ever acknowledged!" Megatron growled pushing Optimus back, "Consider it the final honor of your life!"

"I don't care about glory, Megatron. I'm saving Cybertron...and I'm locking you back in prison!" Optimus grunted, leaning back and kicking his legs up, slamming them into Megatron's face. His tires extended down and began grinding against Megatron, smoke coming off the meeting of tire to face.

Megatron grunted, stumbling back. Optimus twisted and landed on his feet before rushing and punching Megatron, making him stagger back. The young Prime swung again only for Megatron to grab his punch and fist in his hand. Megatron lowered his other hand, revealing the skid marks on his face, but a grin on his face. The evil tyrant of the Decepticons pulled Optimus in before slamming a punch to his torso, and then another, followed by a kick just as he let go of his arm, sending Optimus stumbling backwards.

"Come now, Optimus...surely you can do better than that!" Megatron roared as he tackled Optimus hard into the wall.

"Optimus!" Sari called before yelping as she nearly fell over from catching the AllSpark Matrix, barely keeping her footing from the weight and size of the larger object.

"Get going!" Optimus shouted before charging at Megatron, transforming in mid charge to ram into him only for Megatron to dodge out of the way and shoot several shots at the fire truck Autobot.

"But…!"

"I said get going!"

"I'm already gone!" Rattrap screamed as he ran off.

"I knew that was coming," Silverbolt sighed before following after the rodent, scooping Sari up in the process with a wing.

"But Optimus…" Bumblebee began.

"GO NOW!" Optimus snapped, transforming in time to jump over a shot.

"Always risking yourself for those around you," Megatron noted, "How noble as always."

"This is between you and me, Megatron…" Optimus countered, his optics narrowing as he pulled his axe out.

"Oh, I know that. I'm just taking note of who will be next while I am down here after dealing with you," Megatron replied.

"I think you got that wrong," Optimus replied, "After I'm done with you, I'll go after your men. So you don't feel lonely in your cell."

"Then I will take satisfaction in not just conquering...but breaking that organic planet you love once I crush your Spark," Megatron countered as the two began to circle around one another.

"You sure love to hear your own voice don't you, Megatron?" Optimus smirked in a manner meant to drive his enemy mad.

"RAH!" he roared as the two clashed.

"Hm?" Cheetor looked up in his Beast Mode.

"What's up? You picking up on any Insecticons?" Ironhide asked.

"No, I'm hearing the sounds of fighting below us," Cheetor replied, his ear twitching, "At least...I think it's below us."

"...If it's fighting, then that means Optimus is below us," Ratchet guessed before a frown grew on his face, "Which also means Megatron found him…"

"Well that can't be good." Ironhide spoke, "The Bossbot is tough, but Megatron was still one of his hardest fights ever. And some bot with a cracked processor did something to make him freakier I hear…"

"Mmm…" Sentinel growled.

"Well, now we know what to do!" Cheetor beamed, patting a paw on the slug's head, "Let's head on down!"

"MMM!?"

"You're not planning what I think you are, are you?" Ratchet asked.

"Dive, big guy!" Cheetor cheered.

"Whoo! Let's dive!" Ironhide laughed.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Ratchet groaned.

"Mmm."

"You're included in that."

"MMM!"

Optimus's axe boosted by the built-in rocket collided with Megatron's blade, letting out a shockwave around them from the impact. The barrel of Megatron's cannon glowed and Optimus barely moved his head out of the way of the shot that fired out of it, yet he hissed in pain as the shot tore off some of his shoulder armor. The opening from Optimus receiving that damage let Megatron slam a foot into his chest, knocking him away from the leader of the Decepticons. Optimus flipped back, managing to land on his feet only for Megatron to bum-rush him and swiped with his blade, tearing into Optimus' axe-wielding arm and forcing him to drop it. Optimus, despite the pain, managed to jump back only to grit his teeth as another shot of the cannon grazed his right leg, hitting the part with a wheel on it and even destroyed the wheel from the heat alone.

"Good….I've been waiting to see that…" Megatron smirked, keeping his blaster aimed at Optimus, "The agonizing look of pain on your face...one I've hoped to see during my imprisonment."

"If all you wanted to see is pain, then I guess you have no intent of winning this fight do you, Megatron?" Optimus grunted, "You can hurt me all you like...but that doesn't mean I'll let you win."

"Then get up!" Megatron growled as he picked Optimus by his neck and threw him away, "Come at me with your all, Optimus Prime!"

"Oh...good I was waiting for that line." Optimus grunted as he rolled and landed near his trailer before a handle extended out for him. He grabbed hold and pulled out his Magnus Hammer. He roared, lifting it up and then slamming it down, sending a surge of electricity which blasted Megatron back and into a wall.

"Ghh...The hammer of Ultra Magnus…" Megatron grunted as he got back up with a grin of dark delight, "I remember that well from our last battle."

"Then you'll remember the dents that it gave you," Optimus countered, with that he charged and swung the hammer as Megatron blocked.

Optimus leaned back and slammed the head of his hammer on the ground and used it to lift his legs up and kick Megatron's side. As Megatron lurched to the side, Optimus planted his feet on the ground and swung his Magnus Hammer and struck Megatron's legs, knocking him off his feet. Megatron looked up and his eyes widened as Optimus jumped into the air and swung down his hammer as it unleashed another surge of electricity, causing a huge explosion upon impact that resonated throughout the caves.

"...heh heh heh…" Megatron gave a low chuckle as the dustcload settled, revealing him dented up a bit with bits of Energon dripping off him, "Yes...This is what I was waiting for...now I will show you how different in power we truly are, Prime!"

"Funny…" Optimus spoke as his trailer drove over to him, "I was about to say the same thing," at that, it opened up as a link of light shone to his back.

Megatron's eyes widened as Optimus merged with the trailer and now stood...even if not taller than him. Optimus stepped forward as he opened and closed his hand several times. Megatron growled and moved to attack only to be blindsided by a punch that made him stagger back, followed by a hammer strike that sent him flying.

"I'm not the same as before, Megatron. I've gotten stronger, because I have even more I want to protect now." Optimus spoke, dropping the Magnus Hammer, "And I plan to do it...as me."

"Good...because only one of us will come out of here alive…" Megatron whispered as he stood fully back up.

"One shall stand…" Optimus whispered as he prepared himself.

"And one shall fall...you! Optimus Prime!" Megatron roared as he charged.

"Not today Megatron!" Optimus shouted, rushing to meet him.

The two swung their fists as they began glowing at the same time, letting them collide and fill the cave with a blinding light.

"Ahh!" Sari yelped as she and the others nearly lost balance from the area shaking, "What was that?!"

"It is sounding like it is coming from Optimus' battle," Jefire noted.

"Ooh...That is giving me the back of flashes to our accident," Jetstorm shuddered, earning an assuring pat on the shoulder from Jetfire.

"This feeling…" Silverbolt whispered, "Optimus...he and Megatron are going at each other with their full power."

"That explains why it feels like a Pred is staring down at me!" Rattrap exclaimed, trying to get his tail to go back down, "Come on...Come on, already...Geeze, ya loony tail…Get down already..."

"There's no way Optimus would lose to Megatron...he's got this," Bumblebee spoke.

"He beat him before; he can do it again!" Bulkhead agreed.

"I hope he's done sooner than later," Sari noted before the group skidded to a halt before another pair of massive doors, "Oh come on!"

"I think I see another indent that looks like the AllSpark Matrix," Cheetor noted before looking at an indent shaped like a hand beside the indent, "But it looks like it's got a hand scanner, too."

"A hand scanner?!" Rattrap exclaimed before facepalming, "Oh fer bootin' up cold!" he blinked for a moment before slowly turning to see who he was talking too, "..."

"Yo."

"GAH! NOT YOU!" Rattrap freaked as he shot behind Bulkhead, "How are you down here?!"

"Oh, I was riding on this big slug with Ratchet, Ironhide, and Sentinel before I smelled your stink," Cheetor explained, "So I went on ahead. That fight going on up there was pretty Ultra Gear when I went past it. They were so focused on each other, they didn't even notice I was running by, either."

As the Cybertronians were distracted by the appearance of the feline, Sari looked at the door with a frown. She took a deep breath before slowly exhaling it and approached the doors. The Cybertronians looked at her in confusion as she pressed her hand against the door as she closed her eyes. For several moments, the area shook from the fight above them and was the only cause of sound in the area. Slowly, Sari opened her eyes as they glowed a soft blue.

"Only a Prime can access Cybertron's Core," Sari spoke, looking at the group.

"Great...And our only Prime is up above us battlin' Megatron," Rattrap groaned.

"I was a Prime," Silverbolt noted as he transformed and approached the scanner, "I may still be considered one by the planet."

Silverbolt was given the AllSpark Matrix and he plugged it into the slot. The hand scanner lit up the moment it was plugged in and he put his hand on it. For a moment, nothing happened. It let out a buzz before Silverbolt screamed as he was electrocuted for several seconds and shot off, hitting the wall behind them.

"...Ow…" Silverbolt groaned as he fell out of the indent he made.

"...Are...you okay?" Bulkhead asked.

"TALLYHO~!" Silverbolt slurred before the feathers and fur on his body puffed out from the static electricity still on him.

"Oh, he is not to being the okay," Jetstorm cringed.

"I don't think it means the Prime rank," Bumblebee noted.

"...Does it mean one of the Original Thirteen?" Sari asked.

"The ones from the Covenant of Primus religion?" Jetfire asked.

"So...then that means...we need a fabled chosen one…" Bumblebee added, "Where do we find that?!"

Optimus and Megatron roared as they performed a cross-counter, the impact sending out a shockwave from the impact. Both grunted as the visor on Optimus' visor cracked.

"You have gotten stronger, Optimus...you make me wish this could last. But, by the end of this Cycle...I will claim your Spark." Megagtron raised his clawed hand and wiped a little streak of his own Energon.

"So you say...But by the end of this Cycle, I think I'll still be around while you're back in jail," Optimus replied.

"Don't get cocky, Prime…" Megatron spoke as they circled one another, "I have nothing but time and patience...but Cybertron...does not." he smirked.

With that, the two rushed as they traded punches back and forth. Megatron proved his skills and ages of combat superiority as he landed more blows to Optimus that knocked him around, breaking several parts of his armor. Optimus raised his arms and blocked a punch before twisting his body around and spinning around Megatron and punching him across his face, making more Energon spray from an already inflicted wound. Megatron stumbled back only for an uppercut to knock him back another step. Optimus grunted and charged again, only for Megatron to block his punch. The Decepticon leader smirked as he grabbed Optimus by his wrist and pulled him in, using this moment to slam his knee into his torso and swing his free hand and smacked his back, finding something to grip...and spin Optimus around by pivoting his hips and toss the Autobot through the air and into a wall.

Optimus groaned, sliding down the wall. He looked up in time as he swung his hands out and stopped Megatron's legs before he could land a kick. Optimus grunted as he moved his right arm around under the Decepticon leader's foot and pushed up, knocking him onto his back. Megatron grunted before looking up as Optimis took a note from him, grabbed both of Megatron's legs, and twisted his body around, lifting Megatron up. Optimus began spinning around before releasing and tossing Megatron headfirst into and through a wall. Optimus came to a stop as he focused on the hole, only for a very angry growl to be the response to his unasked question, Megatron charging through and tackling Optimus back into and through the wall. Both tumbled across the ground, taking any chance to land a blow with their fists, knees, even their heads as they tumbled along an incline.

The two hit more even ground, the force separating them. Both pushed themselves up as they silently glared at one another. No need for words by this point as they only desired to battle to the bitter end. Both charged as they swung and caused their fists to collide with one another, sending out a ground shattering shockwave.

'Interesting...This armor has made him even stronger than before,' Megatron thought, 'But the kind of output for this should have long since fried his circuits...unless…'

Megatron roared as he swung in for a left hook. Optimus roared as he swung his own...only for Megatron's hook to be a feint as he moved to let the fist go past his head while his blaster rose up, blade extending. Optimus cried out as he was knocked back by the slash of Megatron's blade. He grabbed at his torso...before paling beneath his helmet as he felt a spot missing something vital.

"Impressive," Megatron noted before the cannon part of his arm charged up...and blasted apart Leader-1, impaled upon his blade, "But such great power meant for you Autobots to rival someone like me comes with a dangerous flaw, does it not?"

"Yeah…" Optimus spoke, "We Autobots were never forged for combat to the level of Decepticons." he admitted, "But...even if it puts my Spark on the line...I don't mind using it against you."

Megatron let out a cackle as his dark grin grew larger, "Now why couldn't you have been around in the Great War, Optimus Prime?"

With that, the two charged once more at one another with a roar. Above them, a wall broke as the slug crawled through.

"I swear when I find that feline…" Ratchet growled as Ironhide looked around.

"Man...You think this place was filled with Energon before?" Ironhide pondered.

"Mmm…" Sentinel grumbled before looking over the side and spotted the fight, "!? MMM!?"

"Oh what now?" Ironhide groaned before looking down as well, "...Uh...Doc?"

"What is it?" Ratchet sighed in exasperation before Ironhide pointed down, making Ratchet look, "!? By the AllSpark...Is that...Megatron?" he glowered at Sentinel, "You really messed up this time. He's moving as he did in his heyday in the Pits of Kaon! What kind of mockery of cosmic rust did you have made that caused that!?"

"Oh? Well now...if it isn't the greatest fool in the history of Cybertron." Megatron laughed, spotting Sentinel, "I honestly thought you turned tail and ran for your little office for protection. This is the most I'll ever be impressed with one such as you."

"Sentinel?" Optimus pondered, looking up at them before cringing as sparks came off his joints.

"That's not good," Ironhide noted.

"He's lost Leader-1," Ratchet gasped, "Prime, are you insane?! Without Leader-1, you're going to…"

"I know," Optimus replied, "The others went ahead. Get going!"

"I too would like some privacy. Best listen to your leader," Megatron smirked.

"We'll be back for ya, Boss Bot!" Ironhide called as the slug went on ahead towards the open doors.

"Alone at last," Megatron smirked once they were far enough away, "Now...let us...continue."

"..." Optimus stood up in spite of the sparks coming from his body. He raised his arms at the ready.

With that, the two roared and rushed one another before they crashed into one another. They struggled and grappled with one another in an attempt to get the edge over the other.

Ratchet and Ironhide yelped as the three were tossed off the slug before it crawled away. Sentinel let out a muffled groan underneath the duo until they got off him.

"I guess we go on our own from this point on." Ratchet muttered, "I'm sure he'll be fine if we abandon him here." he looked down at Sentinel.

"Eh, fair enough," Ironhide shrugged, "Off to go fix up Cybertron!"

"Mmm! Mmm-mmm!" Sentinel shouted beneath the 'mask' on his mouth as the two left him.

"You hear somethin' doc?"

"Probably an echo."

"MMM?!" Sentinel snapped as the two were soon gone.

Sentinel grunted to himself as he struggled with the mouth binding. After a minute at most, he finally got it off.

"Phwah! Ugh...Those frag-heads," Sentinel growled as he struggled with the metal bindings until he finally tore them off, "Dragging me all the way down here and then dropping me like the next Cycle's news. And Prime...Prime and his group of traitors..." He looked between where Ratchet and Ironhide walked off and to where Optimus and Megatron were fighting, "..." he scowled, "And from what that old rusty bolt for brains said, this 'Leader-1' was probably a way to filter the energy from my Powermaster armor that he stole." his chest opened and he pulled out a rectangular object, "Lucky for me, I kept the original filter on me. Hopefully, the override vocal code didn't get messed with." he proceeded to run back towards the fight between the two, 'Watch out...because I am going to show you both why I am the Autobot Leader!'

"Great, just great! We came all dis way down here and finally got through dat door...only fer this one ta be a pain in the afterburner!" Rattrap complained, "And to make matters worse…Pussycat's here now, too."

"Hey…" Cheetor growled in annoyance before Ratchet and Ironhide ran around the corner, "Oh, hey guys! Uh-oh, I know that look Ratchet has."

"Cheetor!" Ratchet shouted.

"And that tone," the cheetah cringed as he tried to hide behind Bulkhead only for Ratchet's magnets to pull him towards the medic, "Uh...H-Hey, Doc bot."

"You sniffed the air and then ran off leaving us on a giant slug," Ratchet growled.

"I oddly miss that slimy thing," Ironhide sighed, "It felt like we bonded."

"You said that about the first rabbit you caught in your traps on Dinobot Island," Ratchet deadpanned.

"Hey, Mr. Fluffles was a good bunny with a family to take care of," Ironhide argued.

"..." Ratchet brought a hand to his face and sighed, "Situation report."

"It was straight crusin' for us until we got to this last door," Jazz explained, "Apparently, we need a Prime to access what's behind it."

"Oh great...And we just left Sentinel after we got past Megatron fighting Boss Bot," Ironhide groaned as he turned around, "I'll go grab him..."

"We think we need one of the Thirteen," Bumblebee spoke up.

"The Thirteen? That old tale?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.

"Ratchet...Look at this place!" Bumblebee snapped, waving an arm out around them, "You think any old Prime would fit the bill?!" he then pointed at the downed Silverbolt, "We tried that and look at what happened to Silverbolt."

"Allonsy!" the dazed wolf-eagle declared, pointing a finger to the sky before collapsing once more.

"And where do you suppose we find one of these mythical legends of old?" Ratchet argued back.

"..." Sari looked at the Energon Matrix, "Maybe the AllSpark knows."

"Excuse me?" Ironhide asked.

"You're gonna do like what you did with the door just now or with the computers for the Spacebridge back at Sumdac Tower?" Bulkhead asked.

"Wait a nanosec. What are you talking about?" Ratchet asked.

"It's something Maccadam helped me learn more about when I was with him," Sari explained, "I'm a Speaker, someone who can 'talk' to machines."

"I'm not sure, Sari. What if it's dangerous?" Bulkhead asked out of concern.

"Well what choice do we have? Optimus is above us fighting Megatron and I'm pretty sure that if we use Sentinel, he'll be in just as bad a shape as Silverbolt or even worse," Sari replied.

"...Can we do it anyway?" Bumblebee asked.

"...Tempting…" most of them shrugged.

"I say she has a sit down with the AllSpark," Jazz voted.

"What?!"

"Now just hear me out. What other options do we have? We need a Prime that can open the door and, right now, we don't really have many options," Jazz explained, "So if this cool cat can get the AllSpark to talk, then let's give her a chance."

"I don't like it...but Jazz does have a semblance of a point," Ratchet sighed, "Sari has always been unique in amazing ways, and I think this could be a bad idea. I don't want her getting hurt. But if this is our only option, and she thinks she can do it...Fine," he then pointed at Jazz, "But I'm coming for your afterburner later if this goes bad."

"I'm down with that," Jazz replied.

Sari smiled at the former Elite Guard member before looking at the AllSpark Matrix. She inhaled deeply before putting a hand on it. Her eyes snapped open, a solid white light coming from them.

"Hello?" Sari spoke, looking around the vast stary void she stood within, a perpetual mist covering the landscape.

"So you've come to speak, young Sari."

"!?" Sari looked around, "Wh...Who said that? Are...Are you the AllSpark?"

"Not exactly," the voice chuckled as a flash of lightning went off.

"Gah!" Sari flinched, covering her eyes from the sudden light.

Once it faded, she uncovered them and blinked a few times. Standing before her was a Cybertronian...as big as her. He was strong-looking and made of metals in various shades of cyan, white, and a pale grey. His blue optics were gentle with large eyebrows. His most notable trait, though, was that his torso seemed to be a stylized 'M' of sorts.

"When you tried to 'speak' with the AllSpark, you connected to us," the Cybertronian spoke, "Maccadam as he calls himself now may have spoken of us."

"..." Sari took a moment before gasping, her eyes growing wide, "Micronus Prime!"

"Yup. Got it in one," he nodded, "A pleasure to finally meet you in person...well, as in person as one can be in the Realm of the Primes."

"!?" Sari gawked, "How did I get here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Micronus asked, "When you tried to speak to the AllSpark, you connected to its origin, who sent you to us instead."

"Us?" Sari repeated.

"Yes," another voice spoke as lightning flashed once more, revealing several Cybertronians, "Us."

"No way…" Sari awed.

One of the figures chuckled. His armor was an off-white as if it had grown duller with age with trimmings and details done in golds and magentas. Solar panels made up what appeared to be a cape of sorts for him while a longsword adorned his hip. His optics were gentle, yet from what Sari could see...they were filled with a great weight to them.

"Indeed, Sari. We are The Thirteen Primes, the first, the forgotten, each of us serving a function vital to the survival of the universe," he informed, "Each of us designated a Prime and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity." he gave a formal bow, "I am Vector Prime; I am the guardian of space-time and why you were found by your father Issac."

"What?"

"My brother Alchemist and his Lenses allowed him to see a glimpse of a timeline filled with anguish and struggle not just for Cybertronians, but for all walks of life," Vector Prime explained, "But at the same time, he saw a future of peace for all. It was decided that we would aid in helping with the latter and, with my blade, I found you, a young Protoform millennia ahead of the present day born on a Cybertron neither fully technological nor organic with a great gift that would light our darkest hour."

"Me?"

"Yes. I brought you to the past where you were found by Issac and scanned his DNA, leading to your 'birth' and eventual meeting with the Autobots and the AllSpark. What we never foresaw was that you would use the gift the AllSpark gave you to upgrade yourself," Vector Prime explained, waving a hand showing a younger Sari plugging a metallic key into her chest and transforming into her current self, "That was quite the surprise and a blessing as it awoke your power as a Speaker."

"We know that you're here to find a Prime who can access Cybertron's core," Micronus informed, "The only Prime who can open that door...is Optimus himself."

"Optimus? But he's…"

"We're aware that he's battling Megatron, but that fight will not go on for much longer," Vector Prime explained, "Hurry to him with Safeguard, Cheetor, and Rattrap. You will know the correct opening to get him and bring him to the door. We wish you luck."

"Wait! I have so many questions," Sari spoke.

"When you return to this realm, you will already know many of those answers," Micronus assured, "Hurry to Optimus, Sari. He must not fall."

"Till All Are One," the Primes declared before the mists swelled and engulfed her.

"WAIT!" Sari shouted as her eyes went back to normal.

"Sari, what happened?" Bumblebee asked.

"I need to get to Optimus!" Sari exclaimed before looking at Jetfire, Jetstorm, Cheetor, and Rattrap, "I need you four to come with me."

"What?! You want us to go back dere?!" Rattrap panicked, "Where Megatron 2.0 is?!"

"We don't have time for this! Optimus is in trouble and he's the only Prime who can open this door!" Sari replied.

"Well, don't just stand there, get moving!" Ratchet snapped, "Do as the small girl says!"

"Okey dokey!" the twins declared.

"Ratchet, be ready for any repair work just to be safe," Sari added as Jetfire scooped her up.

"Oh great...I wanted ta get away from da danger...and da danger comes ta me-WHOA!" Rattrap yelped as Cheetor tossed him onto his back as he ran off with the twins flying alongside him.

Clashing and metallic ringing filled the air as Optimus and Megatron continued their slugfest. The two delivered a kick to each other, knocking them away to other sides of their field of battle. Optimus panted as he cringed as smoke started to come out of various parts of his body while his optics kept flickering.

"Is this it…?" Megatron frowned, "Is this all the great Optimus Prime can muster?!"

"I never professed myself as Great…" Optimus spoke, "I just was the only one with the nerves to stand up to you. And I'll do it again and again, because that's the vow I took."

"Then here is my vow…" Megatron began as he charged right at him, "You will die here!"

"Ever since getting to Earth...I've heard that a lot. Several times from you and your goons," Optimus replied, "And I'm still functioning." he grunted as Megatron tackled into him, sending him crashing into the wall, "And as long as I have life in my Spark...I will stop you…!"

"And that is why I shall dedicate all that is left in my Spark to snuffing out yours!" Megatron growled, punching Optimus several times.

"And I will extinguish yours!"

"Hmm?" Megatron blinked before he was impaled in the shoulder by an energy lance, "GAH!"

"Sentinel?!" Optimus shouted as Megatron was tossed off him.

"Hmph," Sentinel snorted, "Emergency Eject. Passcode: Zeta Release."

The Powermaster armor on Optimus hissed before it ejected off Optimus, "Sentinel, what are you doing?!"

"Taking my armor back," Sentinel replied before tossing the rectangular object into the air.

The armor glowed before changing into Sentinel's colors. It quickly attached to him as the rectangular object opened up and unfolded into a stylized 'S' that attached where Leader-1 had originally been. Sentinel then held his arm out and the Magnus Hammer shot into it from where it had been knocked away in Optimus and Megatron's fight.

"There...Much better," Sentinel smirked.

"Sentinel, stop...y-" Optimus began before Sentinel smacked him away with the hammer.

"Silence!" Sentinel snapped as he turned his back to him, "Once I finish off Megatron...you and your group of traitors are next, Prime."

"Oh how amusing...Sentinel. I must thank you. If not for your attempt at recreating the Cosmic Rust Oilslick created, I would never have felt as if I were in my...prime," Megatron chuckled.

"I did not take that into account...but…" Sentinel paused as he stood ready, "It'll make my victory all the more worth it when I take you down at your prime!"

"And then what will you do once you terminate me, Prime, and his band of misfits?" Megatron asked, as if to amuse himself.

"I'll disband the Autobot and Decepticon rankings...and make it so Cybertron is the strongest planet in the galaxy! We'll colonize every planet we see and stomp out the inhabitants...and furthermore...take over Earth and destroy that intergalactic menace Ben Tennyson to show as a sign not to defy Cybertron!" Sentinel snapped..only to growl when Megatron started to laugh, "Stop laughing!"

"No...It is rather funny...you think you're putting on a strong front...but in truth...you're afraid."

"...Say that again?" Sentinel scowled dangerously.

"You are afraid, Zeta," Megatron replied, "Oh yes, I know of who you were before you joined the academy. Shockwave saw to it that I had a record of all those of notable rank in the Autobots during his time as Longarm. A clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records alongside Orion Pax or, rather, Optimus Prime. Taken under the wing of Ultra Magnus, Ultra Prime at the time, after joining the academy with Optimus and Elita-1. If I recall correctly...She was your Sparkmate at the time, wasn't she?" Sentinel's optics narrowed, "Even back then, you were afraid. Afraid of her leaving you to go with Optimus as your training went on. Afraid that Ultra Magnus would drop you in favor of training Optimus personally. But then...you had a big break, didn't you?" Megatron smirked, "The Thrasher that crash landed on a forbidden planet and you discovered its location by sheer luck. Or, rather...by swiping a map from the Iacon Hall of Records under cover of 'visiting' your old place of work."

"Sentinel did what?" Optimus asked in surprise, "But you said that an Autobot…"

"Isn't it obvious, Optimus? He lied to you and Elita-1. He wanted to go there and get the Energon caches upon the Thrasher, but...he didn't realize why it was considered forbidden by the current leader of the time; it was filled with organic life," Megatron chuckled.

"Shut...your filthy mouth…!" Sentinel snarled.

"While Elita-1 was thought lost, becoming Blackarachnia, you were able to put all the blame on Optimus who was already blaming himself for the loss of her," Megatron went on, "In one fell swoop, he was cast out of the academy in disgrace and you were taken under Ultra Magnus's wing. But it was bitter, wasn't it? Because Optimus kept his rank of Prime. And that only worried you. It made you fear that as long as he kept that rank, he could one day become Magnus over you. And with his crew discovering the AllSpark, that truly would have been the reality if they had been able to return to Cybertron at the time instead of being in stasis for fifty Stellar Cycles."

"..."

"Though that does beg the question...How did you get your title as Magnus?" Megatron questioned.

"Because Ultra Magnus entrusted the title to me…" Sentinel growled.

"Did he now? Sure he didn't entrust it to...anyone else?"

"?!" Sentinel tensed at that.

"You truly think that someone so wise as Ultra Magnus...wouldn't see the flaws in you? You lack true strength to lead. So...why choose the single worst option? Unless...his choice was someone more worthy, who proved himself by standing up to authority for the disgusting Autobot Code you all swore to uphold...for the sake of others?" Megatron went on, "Shockwave was very meticulous in his reports." he smirked, "And by my judgment, the only plausible truth...you lied and hid who he truly wanted to take his place."

"...Sentinel...what's he…" Optimus began.

"SHUT UP!" Sentinel roared as he charged at Megatron, the Magnus Hammer erupting in lightning.

As he swung it, a massive explosion went off from the impact. In the smoke from the explosion, Optimus was startled by a blur grabbing his arm and pulling him out of their makeshift arena. He looked up to see Safeguard was keeping hold of the arm.

"Safeguard?" Optimus pondered as the Combiner landed before Sari, Rattrap who was fiddling with something in Robot Mode, and Cheetor in Robot Mode and having his shoulder occupied by Sari, "Sari? Rattrap? I thought I told you all to go ahead! And who is this?"

"Hey, it ain't our fault a door's bein' picky," Rattrap argued.

"I'm Cheetor," the cheetah-bot replied as he looked at the smoke and hearing the sounds of fighting, "Jumpin' gyros, what happened down there?"

"...A lot more than I realized," Optimus whispered.

"What do you mean?" Sari asked.

"Sentinel...if what Megatron said is true...he didn't earn his title as Magnus. He lied about it," Optimus replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rattrap sighed as he continued to work on whatever he was doing, "Guy was nutso to begin with…"

"Gh…" Optimus cringed as sparks came off his joints as another bout of smoke started to come off his body.

"Whoa! What happened?" Cheetor asked.

"He destroyed Leader-1. If I had stayed in the armor any longer and my Spark would've been burned out by the backlash of power," Optimus replied as he attempted to take a step only for Cheetor and Safeguard to catch him.

"It's a good thing we got here so fast then," Cheetor noted.

"You almost done, Rattrap?" Sari asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm workin' as fast as I can dat it won't cause it ta go off prematurely," Rattrap replied.

"Excuse me?" Optimus asked.

"Ya think dat guy can handle da big bruiser?" Rattrap scoffed before throwing a glowing orb at the ceiling where it stuck and began to beep, "This is just ta help us get enough time to do what we need ta do. Get your afterburners in gear because it's gonna blow!"

"Hoo boy!" Cheetor yelped as he ducked and covered, shielding Sari as the beeping began to go faster and faster.

"You bolt for brains! I said run, not hide!" Rattrap snapped, facepalming in exasperation.

"Oh...uh, right. I knew that!" Cheetor replied, switching to Beast Mode and running back through the doors with Safeguard carrying Optimus through and a hitchhiking Rattrap just as the smoke was dispersed by the Magnus Hammer and Megatron's blade colliding.

"Useless...USELESS!" Megatron roared as he grabbed Sentinel's face and slammed him into the floor, "You thought you could handle me?" he grabbed him by his leg and slammed him onto his back, "You believed yourself my equal?" Megatron spun Sentinel around before ripping the armor right off his leg, "You are nothing to me, Zeta!"

"Gh…" he grunted in pain before he was lifted and slammed around again.

"You thought yourself my equal...but you're not even worth my time," Megatron went on, ripping off the armor on Sentinel's right arm and bashing him with it, "A failure of an Autobot...and barely good enough to be a Decepticon recruit."

"RRAAAGH!" Sentinel roared as he shot up, punching Megatron square in the jaw as he reached out for the Magnus Hammer again, only for Megatron to stomp hard on his hand, "GAH!"

"Pathetic…" Megatron spoke while kicking him, knocking him over, "You can't even settle it with your own hands. You need something, anything, to cling to for your power. Nothing to call your own. You are weak."

"I...am not...weak…" Sentinel growled as he struggled to get up, ignoring the pain in his now mangled up and sparking hand.

"Oh really now?" Megatron asked in mock amusement, "Enlighten me...what makes you strong?"

"I…"

"By imposing your will onto others? By imposing your xenophobia against organics on others? By thinking you're much better than Optimus Prime….then Ultra Magnus even?"

"I'm...I...I worked so much harder…"

"It came to my attention from one of my subordinates that you got to where you are...by stepping off your own friend's back. After your mistake dragged him down. Face it, all you are...is an opportunistic, desperate, traitor. Almost like Starscream, only...I find you amusing."

"..."

"Hmmm? Not a counter? A roar of rage? ...Not even an argument?" Megatron asked, walking over and lifting up Sentinel, "This is almost sad, I had hoped you'd fight back a little longer. But since I shattered your will...it's fitting I make your body match." He tapped his cannon to his chest, "I wish I could say it was an honor...but...it was an annoyance at best." with that, he fired as a powerful flash impacted Sentinel and sent him flying away as a burning divot was melted into his chest, "Ahh...but you are built strong...That normally burns all the way through," he chuckled, "Perhaps one more?" he aimed his blaster once more when the sticky orb stopped beeping and exploded above them, "What?" he looked up in time to see chunks of ceiling coming, "What?!"

"Oh that doesn't sound good," Bumblebee noted, hearing the explosion and rumble.

"No...no it does not," Bulkhead added.

"Gangway!" Rattrap shouted as Cheetor and Safeguard rounded the corner.

"Optimus!?" Bumblebee gasped, seeing the state he was in, "I haven't seen him this bad since the first time we fought Starscream in Detroit."

"It looks worse then it is..." Optimus grunted, "But I would love a good stasis nap to sleep it off after all is said and done."

"Uh-huh…" Ratchet deadpanned as another bout of smoke came out of Optimus.

"You can scold him later, Doc," Jazz advised, "Right now, Cybertron takes priority."

"You need to put your hand on this scanner while the AllSpark Matrix is in that slot," Sari explained.

"Does this have anything to do with why Silverbolt is currently dragging his animal form's butt across the ground?" Optimus blinked.

"The organic half of him keeps my EMP from working on knocking him out," Ratchet sighed.

Optimus raised a brow as Safeguard helped him over to the door. The AllSpark Matrix connected to the slot once more and Optimus placed his hand on the scanner. It lit up before turning blue. The door hissed before it opened up, exposing a massive metal core. Numerous cables extended from it and reached all over the massive chamber. The central part of the core was constantly flickering as if it were about to die out. Optimus grasped the AllSpark Matrix as it started to shine brightly. He held it up and the casing shattered, letting the AllSpark float in the air. It hoved for a few moments before shooting into the core. For a moment, it continued to flicker and worry began to fill them. Then, after several moments of tension, the core lit up as several cables began to fill with Energon and flow towards the ends of the cables.

=OPTIMUS PRIME…=

"!? Did...Did the core just talk?" Bumblebee asked.

=YOU HAVE DELIVERED ME FROM THE BRINK OF TERMINATION BY DELIVERING WHAT REMAINS OF THE ALLSPARK= The Core continued =BUT...I AM AFRAID THAT I CANNOT SUSTAIN LIFE ON THE PLANET FOR A VAST PERIOD OF TIME=

"We're too late?" Optimus asked.

=i CAN SURVIVE IF I SHUT DOWN MY SYSTEMS COMPLETELY...BUT THE PROCESS WILL TAKE MILLIONS OF YEARS...DURING WHICH, CYBERTRON WILL BE LEFT COLD AND BARREN= The Core spoke.

"Um...What's Cybertron saying?" Jetfire asked.

"Well...We both made it...and we didn't…" Optimus sighed, acting as a medium of sorts to relay the news, "We have to leave Cybertron if we are to survive."

"Leave to survive?" Ratchet asked.

"In order to fully heal, Cybertron must sleep. To regain its lost strength, during that time, it will grow cold and...harsh for even us. But so that it may one day live again, to sustain life for a whole new era of Cybertronians...It must be done."

=THE LINE OF MAGNUS AND PRIME HAS FAILED, YET HOPE STILL REMAINS. I OFFER A PORTION OF MY SPARK TO TAKE WITH YOU TO THE STARS. FOR AS LONG AS IT SURVIVES, SO SHALL I. WILL YOU ACCEPT THIS HONOR, OPTIMUS PRIME?=

"I...am not worthy of such honor…" Optimus shook his head, "I am...far from a perfect leader, I still make mistakes. I have much to learn still, I doubt I am perfect for the role of leading our people."

"And yet look at all of us," Sari argued, "You've gotten a ragtag bunch of misfits into a great team. And when Megatron showed up, you chose to protect us by fighting him off while making sure we kept going for Cybertron's sake."

"Ultra Magnus was a great leader, den Sentinel sucked big time," Rattrap snorted, "Honestly, I think dat you'd be better than Ultra Magnus. I mean, if I didn't run into youse, I'd probably still be hidin' and not get to give ol' Megs a big ol' explosive reaction when we got you outta dere."

"If Sentinel was to be lying about being picked as Magnus, then would that not be making you the obvious choice as leader?" Jetstorm asked.

"Not a lot of options out there who could fit the bill," Ratchet spoke, "He trained both, and must have seen the true potential Optimus had."

"I'd pick you any day to be leader, Boss Bot," Bulkhead grinned.

"After everything we've gone through, you've got my vote," Bumblebee added.

"I've only know you for barely a Cycle and I'd be willing to follow," Cheetor noted, "You're pretty Ultra Gear, Big Bot!"

"Shoot, I don't think I could see myself joining up with anyone else anymore." Jazz laughed, "My time with you has been one wild ride Optimus. One I'd happily take again and again," he reached out and put his hand on Optimus's shoulder.

"We are to be enjoying following your orders over Sentinel's, Optimus Prime sir," Jetfire spoke as Jetstorm nodded in agreement.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're the best Prime we've ever served with," Ironhide smiled in agreement.

"..." Optimus looked at them all before smiling at them and then looking up at the core with a determined look, "I accept."

The Core seemed to shine all the stronger at that. Within it, what appeared to be the AllSpark Matrix emerged. Yet...it was smaller with the handles slimmer, seemingly not even attached, and the casing glowing with a power that felt just as great as the AllSpark.

=BEHOLD THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP= the Core spoke before a beam shot out of the item and hit Optimus in the chest, causing it to open and expose his Spark Chamber as he began to float as well =CYBERTRON RECOGNIZES AND WELCOMES OPTIMUS PRIME. KEEPER OF THE MATRIX. LEADER OF THE FREE AUTOBOTS!=

With that, the Matrix of Leadership slammed into his Spark Chamber. Optimus's Spark Chamber closed with it inside as a sudden rush of energy overtook him. His body glowed as this otherworldly energy flowed throughout him, causing the group to shield their eyes from the light. The wounds to his body began to mend as if never happening, his own armor seeming to close and repair...before the effects continued. He began to grow. Before, Optimus was a tall Autobot, but his size kept growing to where he now rivaled his enhanced state...and even Megatron's stature. His armor toughed up and took a much sturdier and rougher appearance, making him look far more suited for battle.

His chest was far more broad than before, jutting out ever so slightly as a metallic grill formed in his abdomen, with two black screens formed along the sides of the pectoral region as red lines flashed through them. His shoulders were much larger, jutting up as massive pauldrons with his Autobot symbol stamped on each shoulder. His upper arms were made of silver armor, leading to the large red forearms, with silver openings along the sides, and blue armored hands. His legs were silver leading down to blue armor around his knees down, with two tires attached to the side of each leg. Two tires formed on his back like a backpack. His helmet remained the same bright blue, only it seemed like his mouthguard was now up permanently. As the light died down, everyone lowered their arms to gawk.

"Big Bot?" Cheetor asked as Optimus turned to them.

"It's me, Cheetor," Optimus replied, his voice deeper and stronger but also gentle at the same time, "Th-this...could take some getting used to." he admitted, looking over his new much larger and imposing figure.

He opened and closed his now giant hands as he tried to get use to his change in size, he then flinched as his arm opened up to reveal...even more new abilities compared to before, his hand sinking in as out popped a long handle as the end flipped out and transformed into a bright blue double headed axe.

"You've been Reformatted," Ratchet realized.

"Wow...That is one heck of an upgrade…" Bumblebee mumbled in awe.

"We can worry about what these changes entail later," Optimus shook his head as he reverted his hand to normal, "We need to get back to the surface and evacuate."

"Right!" everyone agreed.

The trek out of the Planet's core was more somber. As they entered the chamber where the first door had been, Rattrap took a moment to bask in the makeshift arena having been filled with rubble...until part of it began to shake. Everyone tensed before Sentinel began to emerge, the Powermaster armor destroyed.

"Sentinel," Optimus gasped as he quickly pulled him out before hiding a cringe at the damage, "Ratchet."

"You're a bleeding Spark," Ratchet muttered before approaching and looking him over, "...I can't help him. He's barely holding on and by the time we could get to a lab, his Spark would already be joined with the AllSpark."

"Hold on, Sentinel. We'll get you help," Optimus encouraged.

"O...Or…" Sentinel struggled to lift his hand up to Optimus, "Orion…Pax..." his arm went slack as his body greyed out.

"Zeta…" Optimus whispered before looking at the others, "Let's bring him home."

"Let's move. The faster we get out, the better help he can get," Ratchet spoke, "If...there is any to give."

As they turned to leave, the rubble exploded. Megatron emerged from it, his armor dented and cracked in several places and his cannon a mangled mess from its last shot. He looked around before spotting Optimus and chuckled.

"Megatron," Optimus growled.

"Well now...It seems you've changed, Optimus Prime," Megatron noted, "A pity we won't finish our fight today. But there will always be a next time." before anyone could move, he transformed and flew off.

"Next time...I'll capture you again," Optimus promised.

"So you've arisen. You look just like yourself back then," Maccadam chuckled to his empty bar before a nearby floating screen crackled and Optimus appeared on it.

=To all Autobots within range of this signal on Cybertron. My name is Optimus Prime= Optimus spoke =Today, a team composed of both Cybertronian and organic ventured down to the core of Cybertron to discover what was going on and why these Insecticons began to emerge. In the process, we encountered Megatron, Reformatted and as strong as he was at the beginning of the Great War. In the process of fighting him off, Sentinel Magnus sacrificed himself to stall him long enough for us to join the AllSpark Matrix with the planet's core=

=It is with great regret that while we succeeded in delivering the AllSpark Matrix to the core, the damage to it was too great for it to heal and sustain life on Cybertron= Optimus continued as Megatron entered the command room of his city =As such, our planet is entering a deep slumber and will be unable to support any form of life on it for millions of Stellar Cycles. We have no choice but to take to the stars. I hereby order the evacuation of all Autobot cities effective immediately. Remember that no matter where we go, Cybertron will always be with us in our Sparks=

"Heh...So our next battle shall be somewhere else then," Megatron smirked, "Men...let us go."

"Yes, sire," Shockwave replied.

Outside, the city began to shake. Buildings started to shift and move about as it transformed. Moments later, the city was replaced with a massive black vessel with wings shaped like horns curved to point ahead. The massive engines glowed before the city-turned-ship took off and left the planet. All that was left was the crater that the city had once inhabited.

"Fortunately, there's enough Energon to let Cybertronians go to one of our brother planets," Ratchet noted, watching as the Autobot inhabitants were in lines, going through the Spacebridges to other planets.

"It is a dark day for the planet," Optimus sighed, "But also one with hope that we will return one day to a Cybertron restored to its full health."

"It's not how I wanted to save the planet...but at least one day when I'm old...er...older, I can see it grand once again," Ratchet sighed.

"As long as we stand together, I am sure that we'll be able to see it once again," Optimus replied, "No matter where we go, Cybertron will be with us."

"You okay there, Boss Bot? ...You've been talking...uh...really weird since you got the upgrade," Bumblebee noted.

"Weird?" Optimus asked, kind of concerned, showing a good deal of his normal self in the process.

"At times," Bumblebee replied.

"He just got a lot of burden put on him by the planet itself," Jazz replied, "Could be catchin' up to him."

"Never thought I'd say goodbye to Cybertron for such a long time…" Bulkhead whispered.

"It will be...difficult," Arcee admitted.

"Well...It will be hard for many more of us," Optimus added, "But, we have another home to stay on." he turned to the Spacebridge, "We all have some place to call home for a while. But we'll just have to hope we can deal with the Decepticons in the meantime. So when we all come home, it won't be to return the conflict to our home. Besides, I think we can all spend a while just being robots in disguise."

"Can't believe I'm bein' recruited as a...what's it called again?" Rattrap asked.

"A Maximal!" Silverbolt beamed as he pulled him and Cheetor over into a tight hug, "We may be small now, but soon we shall be large enough to fight alongside our Autobot brethren!"

"I am digging that name! A Maximum animal!" Cheetor beamed.

"Seems quite a few folks are interested in the Spacebridge to Earth," Jazz noted, seeing most heading for that one.

"Considering that it's the planet where a group of Spacebridge repair bots became a group of heroes, I'm not shocked," Bumblebee chuckled.

"We better get going and calm my dad down," Sari noted, "Don't forget where the Spacebridge is on Earth."

"Oh right!" Bulkhead exclaimed, "It was the only place in Detroit that had the proper elevation for a stable Spacebridge without needing the natural minerals the one the Decepticons had us make in that cave base of theirs to act as a signal booster."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Optimus chuckled, "Autobots, Transform and Roll Out! Maximals, Transform and Roar!" With that, he transformed into a Cybertronian land vehicle and took off towards the Spacebridge.

"Here's hoping things are chillin' on Earth," Jazz noted as they headed for the Spacebridge for Earth.

"Okay, we've got the dwarf star installed. Now we just need to connect these and…" Driba muttered as he and Blukic connected two cables together, causing the lights to turn on, "Yes! We did it!"

"Hoo boy, this feller sure is big. Y'all think that it's one of them Sentinels from old stories we heard?"

"Those were myths the Supreme line were based off of," Driba replied, "Still, I'm quite excited! We've managed to revive a Cybertronian without that AllSpark of theirs!"

"Think it'll even work? I mean...ain't that AllSpark what gives them Sparks which are souls?"

"It's why we put the Dwarf Star in it," Driba replied.

"All...Spark…"

"!? Was that y'all?" Blukic asked with wide eyes.

"No...I thought that was you," Driba gulped.

"Matrix…Primes..."

"..." the two slowly looked down to see the Cybertronian they were standing on was rumbling, the tarp moving a bit to show...the Decepticons' symbol, "..."

"...oh…" Blukic began.

"Crud…" Driba paled.

"I sense...the Matrix…" the area rumbled, "The Primes...are here!"

"Time to run?" Blukic asked.

"Yes...Very much yes," Driba agreed.

"AHHHH!" the two screamed as the ground began to violently rumble.

"Okay...My thesis is done," Kajun whispered as she put her pen down, "That was nice way to spend my vacation, but it's back t-"

*RUMBLE~! CRASH!*

"?!" Kajun tensed as the area rumbled, "What...was that?" her tablet buzzed, showing a picture of a chibi Blukic and Driba's heads spinning around in a circle, "..." she tapped it, the screen changing to show a worried pair of Galvans, "What happened?"

=Um...Funny story= Blukic replied.

=We found a big ol' Cybertronian buried in the mountain near Bellwood= Driba informed =But it's Spark went kaput, so Blukic used the Dwarf Star to make it come back=

"You used the Dwarf Star!? I was still studying it!" Kajun snapped.

=Yes but you will be happy to know it revived the Cybertronian!= Blukic yelped.

"...Wait, what? It...It did?" Kajun blinked, "I'm...I'm impressed. You actually…"

=But…=

"And there it is…" Kajun sighed.

=Turns out that Cybertronian...was a Decepticon= Driba answered.

"..."

=Are ya mad? Your eye's twitchin' like when yer mad…=

"...Oh no...I'm not mad. I don't want to lose my composure…" Kajun admitted.

=Phew…= the two Galvans sighed in relief

"It's just...oh, I don't know...I'm just a little bit absolutely livid!" she snapped.

=EEK!= both yelped.

"Show me what you brought back to life right now!"

=Yes'm!= both replied as the screen spun around and Kajun's eyes widened.

"...Is that zoomed in?"

=No...No it isn't= Blukic replied.

"DESTROY THE BEARER OR THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP!"

"...That wasn't on the screen," Kajun noted.

=...It was his idea!= Driba and Blukic pointed at one another.

GT: Hoo boy...What did they revive?

SZ: That...you will have to see in GSE. On another note...this took a LONG while to do...but life got in the way once more.

Z0: Things are not important. We're done now, you can enjoy it. For those wondering, no Optimus is not gonna remain a Cybertronian truck, we're still deciding on his Real New form.

GT: Eeyup. But for those interested...we went with his design from Fall of Cybertron for his upgrade. Hope you guys enjoyed, so please Read and Review!