Chapter 9: Revenge of the Banished

Back in the Badlands, Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and the Vehicons continued their fight against the New Decepticons in an intense and unrelenting shoot-out. For each enemy the Autobots shot down, the New Decepticon's forces took out twice the number. And they were gaining ground over their heroic adversaries fast. Ultra Magnus soon realized that there were too many of them to defeat, and they would be overwhelmed. So, he made the only decision he could to ensure his fellow Autobots' survival before more New Decepticons appeared. "Autobots! Retreat!" Ultra Magnus yelled. No one had to be told twice, and they obeyed.

Magnus and his Autobot troops fled the area and found refuge in an abandoned building that was close to the Omega Lock. "Ratchet, this is Ultra Magnus: the situation has escalated! We need a Groundbridge at these coordinates." But then suddenly, just before Magnus could relay their exact position, a ground/space bridge portal opened inside the very building they had taken refuge in - and in the very same room, they were in. The Autobots had hopefully assumed that Ratchet already activated the ground bridge when things started going south: perhaps their scanners detected the danger, and Ratched had acted accordingly. But then, to the Autobots' dismay, and growing fear, a dark figure stepped out of that portal. A sharpened grin stretched across his face as his arms locked behind his back, and the Decepticon symbol on his chest glowed an eerie, purple light - even his crimson eyes flashed the same toxic purple for just long enough for the Autobots to see. From the moment this being stepped forth, Ultra Magnus as well as Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and even the Vehicons could feel the presence of evil. Malice that hung in the air like a festering malignancy even Megatron himself was hard-pressed to match, even at his worst.

"Surprise!" The figure said with a malevolent grin. From his voice, the bots now fully recognized the Decepticon standing before them as his identity became all too clear. "Doomsayer!" Bulkhead exclaimed in complete shock. This made the Decepticon Overlord's smile lessen a bit as a grimace in his eyes stared at his enemies. "That's Lord Doomsayer to you!" Doomsayer corrected. "Overlord of The New Decepticons, and Herald of Unicron The Chaos Bringer, himself. Such a pleasure to meet you all face-to-face." He scanned the group with what seemed to be a look of disappointment. "It's a shame the rest of your team couldn't be present, but...I already anticipated a mere scouting party. So, oh well."

"You said your base was in the Badlands!" said Arcee angrily.

"I lied! Though I thought it should be obvious, all things considered." He pointed to his emblem with a single index with a mocking smile. "I lured you into the Badlands with false information, and bait. And guess what? You Autobots do what you always do, and you actually believed me even when experience should warn otherwise. I set a trap and you sprang it gloriously!" Doomsayer replied with wicked glee. "But now, enough about me, for now. Allow me to introduce my high-ranking generals: the Inner Circle of The New Decepticons." The dark robot stretched his hand at the portal behind him. Doomsayer's followers, Astrocharge, Scourge, Reflector, Crossfire, Skywarp, and Motorstrike stepped out of the portal, either smiling in malevolent satisfaction or glaring with the intent for harm on the Autobots. All had arrived, including...

"Hello, Autobots," Starscream said to the Autobots in that same slimy, slippery, conniving, and arrogant tone he was known for. "Did you miss me? Hopefully, as much as I DIDN'T miss any of you. Not that I care, since all of you are scrap piles waiting to happen."

"Starscream!? Is that...?" Wheeljack said in shock, as he almost didn't recognize the seeker who was once Megatron's right-hand bot. Starscream himself chuckled at the shocked expressions of recognition, courtesy of Wheeljack. "Yes, it is I: Starscream, former Second in Command to Megatron, and Commander of the Seeker Armada of The Decepticons. Although, I am sad to say that I'm no longer the seeker commander you knew." Starscream told the Autobots in a fake sad tone, as it only led to a brief cackle. "Now I am AIR Commander Starscream of the New Decepticons - and the Battle Fleet to come!" He proclaimed triumphantly.

"Where'd you get the new look, Starscream!?" Bulkhead asked angrily. "Dug up some old junk parts from Darkmount, then slapped them on to make that ugly mod?!" Starscream growled in indignation at first but then recomposed himself with a malicious grin as he chuckled. "Oh, this? Do you like it?" He asked sarcastically. "My new master gave me an improved modification to my old designs and made me superior to what I once was. I have been given the ultimate makeover of style, strength, speed, and most importantly, armament. Basically, an upgrade if you will." Starscream answered. "And one that will put an end to your miserable existence once, and for all!"

"Enough!" Doomsayer roared, before firing a bolt of purple lightning that caused Starscream to scream out in pain as he fell to his knees. "D-...Dark Energon?" He muttered in his gasps, which the Autobots heard. And now grew even more concerned at the implications of what Doomsayer had done to himself, as they saw his hand surging with purple electricity before it died down. "Another of many secrets I hold in my possession." He grinned, before hissing at Starscream, "And unless you want to learn more of them, you will NOT undermine me again, "Air Commander" - is that clear?!" He had Starscream scared out of his wits, and the air commander was now groveling, "Yes! Yes, of course! Forgive me, master, I-...I forgot my place!".

"Good...so GET BACK IN LINE!" He roared, making the seeker scramble to his place among the elites. Once he had recomposed himself, Doomsayer told the Autobots, "Forgive my new Air Commander: he still suffers a bit of an," He glares at Starscream, "egotistical power high which WILL be corrected in time so that he understands his place." Starscream mentally sweats profusely at the prospect of what that meant. Doomsayer turned back to the Autobots, stating, "Only effort, discipline, loyalty, and dedication earn the right to serve the New Decepticons. And my warriors were long trained to acknowledge, and train to accept these ideals. They are the pinnacle of all Megatron sought, but failed to realize for his so-called empire." His smile returned. "But I will prove my superiority as I forge a greater empire of power than what Megatron himself ever sought to build: one built on the foundation...of CHAOS!"

This unsettled the Autobots greatly, but before they could say anything, Doomsayer commanded, "Now, New Decepticons: surround the prisoners, and take aim. Make sure none are out of your sight!" Ultra Magnus and his fellow Autobots were surrounded, just before more of those deadly robots that attacked, and killed some of the Vehicons entered the building. "We're surrounded!" Arcee exclaimed. Ultra Magnus glared at Doomsayer as he laughed evilly before his minions aimed their weapons at the Autobots. "Now that we have you, I believe the time has come for...aggressive negotiations: you will give us exactly what we want...or we will terminate you." Doomsayer said.

"Forget it, rust bucket! We'll NEVER give you Unicron's Anti-Spark." Bulkhead replied.

"You have no choice in the matter. Just hand it over and we'll let you live," said Astrocharge.

"We don't have the Anti-Spark." Ultra Magnus told Doomsayer in a stern, and certain tone. Doomsayer scoffed at the Autobot leader. "Don't you lie to me, Ultra Magnus. I know you have it in the Autobot base. There is no logical reason you would leave the most powerful, and dangerous force in the universe unguarded." He then sneered at the bots. "Unless you thought to jettison him into the same location your leader, Optimus Prime, had hidden it the last time? What was it called, again: Theta Scorpii?"

The Autobots expressions filled with dread as Doomsayer revealed he knew such intricate knowledge that was supposed to be classified. "How did you know about that?" Wheeljack asked the Overlord, who merely chuckled in amusement. "How I enjoy seeing the gears in your heads turning and grinding to know the answer. But the answers are sometimes the most obvious: or did none of you anticipate the possibility of your systems being hacked? And every iota of data on the history of the Great War, previous and present, could be leaked? We've waited over four million stellar cycles for our return, and for the birth of our empire. And I assure you that I will forge an even mightier empire than that of the old Decepticon order. With my master, I shall reign in a new age for the New Decepticons, and the universe itself: The Age...of Chaos. So I will only ask for a final time." Doomsayer said as his scowl grew more menacing as the telltale signs of Dark Energon flashed in his eyes, and he approached Ultra Magnus until their faces were mere inches from each other. "Where. Is. UNICRON?!!?" he roared at the bot only a few inches smaller than him, with enough force to almost knocking Magnus off his feet. He maintained his stoic expression, but if one were to look close enough, they would see the uncertainty in his optics. But one look from his determined Autobots, who were willing to throw down their lives for the sake of Cybertron, Earth, and the Universe to thwart Doomsayer's plan, his resolve grew, and he repeated the same thing he had said previously.

"We do not have the Anti-Spark."

A look of disappointment and irritation crossed Doomsayer's face as he backed away. "So that's how it's going to be? Valiant until the end...but foolish." He turned to his troops, and made the command, "New Decepticons, take aim, and prepare to firepower output to 80 percent capacity." Starscream seemed confused by this. "Eighty percent? But, that would only leave the Autobots in-" A deathly glare, along with another flash of Dark Lightning in his left hand had Starscream's optics widen as he gulped, and quickly said, "Shutting up!" before following his command. Now, all of the High Ranking members aka The Generals, and the soldiers of The New Decepticons took aim at the now helpless Autobots. Their weapons charging as the group looked around to find no opening. And no escape. What Doomsayer revealed next only unsettled them further. "One way or another, I always get what I desire: and my desire is to place all of you into stasis lock the most excruciating way possible, before ripping out each of your core processors, and extracting the information - personally." A sadistic glee filled his eyes as he explained. "I'll certainly make better use of your undead existence as Terrorcons than you did in your living existence as I...cannot guarantee the process I have in store for you all will be painless." His last sentence sent a chill down their bodies as his body shimmered with the evil, purple glow of Dark Energon.

"Because after I have the information, and before your sparks are extinguished...each and every one of you will die screaming."

Even Starscream thought the same thing as the Autobots did from such an intense proclamation.

"Scrap!"

During the Autobots excursion to the Badlands, Orion and Bumblebee had started hitting it off rather well. Each was sharing their own experiences in life - or of what Orion knew. Laughing, and enjoying each other's company. True, he still hated being here because he felt caged, still...but Bee was making it worth the wait for him to return home. It didn't matter what Knockout said: he was born on Cybertron, but Earth is his home. And there is nothing in all the universe that is going to keep him away from it. After a time, Orion began asking some new questions for the former scout. Though he didn't consider it home, he at least wanted to know its history for curiosity's sake. And Bee was happy to tell him all that he knew: from the creation of Cybertron and the birth of the Celestial Twins, Primus and Unicron, followed by their war for the stability of existence with the balance of power constantly shifting between them, to the birth of The Thirteen Original Primes who finally turned the tide, and cast Unicron out into space (leaving out the part where Unicron's body actually became the Earth) before Primus became the heart of Cybertron, itself. The Golden Age of Cybertron where all its people began prospering, and growing...until the coming of the Caste System came and heralded at the beginning of the end of The Golden Age. Something that interested Orion surprisingly much so, that he asked, "I hope I do not bring up anything touchy, but...what was the Caste System? Something about it sounds... unpleasant."

Bumblebee sighed with discontent as he recalled that period in time. "I was still pretty young back then, so I didn't experience much of it. But from what the others told me, it was the High Council, and our then-leader, Zeta Prime's means of keeping the populace under control. Their supposed means of establishing order when all they were doing was planting the seeds of disaster." Seeing Orion still listening, he continued on. "Basically, it was a system that put Cybertronians in jobs, and status' that was based on our vehicle modes. Our other forms dictated our lives: if you were a construction vehicle, you were a laborer, some wheeled bots were either racers or officers in the Autobot's police force. And those with the most efficient, flashy, and grand alternate forms, like planes and others, were of high society. Though even aerial bots had positions that made them suitable for the military. Some were content with their lot, but more were worse off because of this system: like the Energon miners. They were practically slaves, from what I heard, and suffered a great deal." Bumblebee sighed again, exasperated just thinking about it. "Sorry, Orion, it's just hard to keep track of everything regarding that era. But, I do know there were bots in the more... unexpected locations that began to see the signs that the system wasn't working, and eventually, they met to do something about it. And it led to some big changes for both the better," rubs his neck from phantom pain, "and for the worse."

Orion noticed the gesture Bee was making and understood that something happened to his friend during the war. But he had a feeling it was a touchy subject, so he moved on to one of more significance. "That's very interesting. But who were these bots that caused such drastic change?" Bumblebee smiled a bit as he recalled what Ratchet had told him and the others stellar cycles ago. "One was a humble, but noble clerk from the Iacon Hall of Records... who would basically be considered a librarian, if you know what those are." Orion nodded, "I do. What about the other one, since it sounds like this was a duo at one point."

Bee's expression lowered to a mildly somber one as he explained, "You could say that, Orion. The other bot was an ex-miner who escaped from his station and fled to Kaon to become a Gladiator. And from what I learned, Megatronus - a name he took from one of the Thirteen Original Primes - was the best of the best. In the gladiator pits, bots were all equal, whether they be spectators or contestants. That's why so many who were unhappy with their lot in life flocked to see him whenever he fought. His original purpose, by the council's standards, was to be nothing more than a laborer: a slave. But he rose up to prove he was more than that. He showed that bots aren't automatons that need to obey a corrupt system without thinking for themselves. Anyone on Cybertron could be anything. And they believed it, too, which is what eventually led to his massive gathering of followers, which also brought him into the political side of things so he could challenge the system. His symbol for this was shortening his name to have his own sense of identity instead of using someone else's name. And it's what leads to the pair from different worlds meeting for the first time."

"Can I ask what their names were, though I think the gladiators might be obvious?" Orion asked.

"Sure thing: the clerk was named Orion Pax, and his new friend/mentor figure who eventually became a brother to him was called Megatron."

This caused a sudden reaction from Orion, whose grunt of pain, and the clutching of his head made Bee worried he did something wrong. "Orion?! Are you okay?!" He asked desperately. Orion grunted as he shook off the pain, and he took the time to catch his breath. Once he was settled, he gave a reassuring smile, and said, "Uh, y-y-yeah. I'm alright. Guess something in my head just...went off. Nothing serious, I promise, bee." Though he wasn't, at least, completely convinced, he decided to let the subject drop as he said, "If you say so, bud. Though maybe you should see Ratchet later about it." He then made a little smirk as he said, "Then again, if I heard another bot shared names with me at one point, I'd probably be pretty shocked, too." Both had a friendly laughter bout that lasted a little while before they calmed down, and Orion himself said, "Yeah, that...that was surprising, I'll admit. But something about the other name - Megatron - I can't help but feel like I know it, somehow."

"Maybe it's your memories coming to the surface." Bumblebee said hopefully.

"I hope so." Orion said wistfully, before asking, "Can you finish the story, please? I at least want to know what happened to Orion Pax and Megatron." Bumblebee nodded, and said, "Okay." His expression suddenly turning solemn. "But let me warn you that things are going to get real serious from here on."

"I understand, Bumblebee," Orion said with confidence, urging him to go on.

"Okay, then." Bee sighed deeply, preparing to finish this story. "The first thing to know is that I wasn't just saying that the two had become like brothers. They were practically inseparable from what Ratchet told me. And together, they worked to raise in political influence until they were finally considered important enough to be granted an audience with The Senate. At first, everything was going great, with the two explaining the problems that led them to this point. Making it all too clear that the Caste System was failing as if it wasn't obvious enough." Bee then seemed to grow sad as he said, "But Megatron's campaign to unite Cybertron, and bring equality to the masses, added by the masses of followers he had gained during his mission...it started to change him. And the meeting with The High Council only revealed this to everyone present."

Hesitantly, Orion asked, "Changed him how?"

"He was more arrogant, presumptuous, and obsessive with getting whatever he wanted," Bee answered. "Somewhere along the lines, his noble cause became corrupted by his anger, and hatred for the ones who made slaves of him, and he made clear that HIS vision of the future was to seize absolute control over the planet, and throw away the "Old Guard" by force. Worse yet was his demand that HE be named the next Prime, as though he had earned that right. He coveted the power he was building, and he only wanted more, as his demand made clear." Bee then made a sad smile. "But that's when Orion stepped in before Megatron made things worse, and offered his OWN perspective. That Cybertronians are not cogs in a machine, and that using force, and a caste system to establish peace was flawed. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, he always said, and he believed that EVERY being on Cybertronian on the planet deserved that right more than anything. And that if they wanted to prevent a great calamity of some kind, The Council needed to relinquish the old way of thinking...and give its people the right to live as they want: with the freedom to choose their own destiny."

Orion was honestly surprised by such an inspiring sense of idealism. And how it felt like Bumblebee shared these ideals, as well. This made him smile warmly at the wisdom he had ultimately been given...before asking the questions he knew he had to ask. "I take it that the council liked Pax's version better?"

"Yep."

"...Aaaaand Megatron wasn't too happy with it?"

"Yep."

"...Should I even ask how unhappy, and the levels of such a thing applied to him?"

"Maybe not, but I'll tell you, anyway," Bee said. "So try thinking "he was so angry, that he thought Orion Pax had set him up to upstage him so that he could take the mantle of prime for himself, and thus betrayed him by undermining everything Megatron hoped to accomplish". Orion meant to do no such thing, and he sure as slag never planned to be named the next Prime by the Council." Bee sighed. "But some things are outside of our control. The biggest example being Megatron spitefully cutting all ties with Orion, and setting off on his own. With his old ambitions thwarted, he intended to bring balance to Cybertron through the means of force I mentioned, through a creed he created: Peace through Tyranny. From that point on, Megatron took his faithful followers who had risen to an army of warriors no Autobot, or Cybertronian ever saw coming. It was like they'd been waiting for this chance, and preparing for it. So when the day finally came, Megatron enacted The Great War as leader of the army he had named "The Decepticons". A civil war that ravaged our planet for thousands of years, costing countless lives. Eventually, I even took part in it when The Autobots were fully realized under our original leader, Sentinel Prime. Though he was more of a placeholder if anything since Ratchet explained that only the one who is worthy enough to wield The Matrix of Leadership can become a true prime."

"The Matrix of Leadership?" Orion inquired. "Sounds important."

"It is...or as if it's still around." Bee said, and when he saw Orion about to ask something he knew was regarding it, he quickly said, "I'll tell you about it later, I promise. But anyway, the Matrix is a legendary relic of the ancients: containing a fragment of our creator, Primus' spark within it. Thus giving it and its wielder unimaginable powers the likes of which has never been seen before. And among many other things, Megatron vowed he'd find and claim the Matrix for himself wherever it may be. His quest for domination eventually lead to him discovering the substance that nearly ended our whole race: The Blood of Unicron aka Dark Energon." Seeing the silent, but intrigued look in Orion's eye, Bee kept explaining, "It's the evil counterpart of Energon that, if you recall, we found inside of you while you were in stasis." Orion nodded as he did remember them saying it. "Dark Energon is corruption, and destruction incarnate. Megatron found a way to weaponize it, and turn the tides of the war in his favor. Eventually, he killed Zeta Prime and then used it to corrupt the sentinel guardian to the core of Cybertron, and its key, Omega Supreme, Megatron infused the planet's core with the stuff. Poisoning, and defiling the very heart of our creator in the vain hope of using his symbiotic control of Dark Energon to conquer the planet. It was our world's darkest hour." he said solemnly.

Orion himself felt the same thing as he thought about it. So much atrocious evil, and all in the name of a corrupt version of peace? What made this...Megatron any better than the so-called oppressors he claimed to fight against? It didn't, obviously, but it still sickened Orion to think about it. As he did, however, he remembered a crucial detail to all of this. "But what happened to Orion Pax? You haven't mentioned him for a while, and it sounds like a lot happened. Did he still play a role in this civil war?"

Bumblebee's optics seemed to brighten up a bit after being asked that. "Oh, Orion buddy, you have no idea. Let's just say that in Zeta Prime's absence, it was Orion...who actually took a page from Megatron's book, and changed his name to Optimus, that lead the Autobots to victory more times than I can count. We took back Iacon city, infiltrated Kaon's prison to free not only our captured Autobot forces, but even rescue Zeta Prime...despite him being preserved on life-support long enough to draw Optimus into a trap, and thus dying when the system died, before freeing Omega Supreme, and by the will of the Council, who officially named him Prime, stood before Primus himself and freed him from the influence of Dark Energon." Bee was saddened as he said, "But the damage was done, and Cybertron had to shut down ALL vital functions in order to heal itself: a process that would take millions of years. It was here that the Autobot formerly known as Orion Pax was found worthy by the very creator himself to be given that fragment of his own spark I mentioned: The Matrix. With it, Primus and Cybertron would live on in him. And that was the day Orion Pax well, and truly became "Optimus Prime". Often referred to as "The Last Prime", and he definitely lived up to the name. If it weren't for him, then Megatron's weapon, Trypticon, would have wiped us all out, and the Exodus could never have succeeded."

Orion's optics widened. "Hold on: an Exodus? As in, an Exodus of the entire planet?!" He asked incredulously, to which Bee nodded in reply. "Though we bots under Optimus' command stayed behind to defend Iacon until our own ship, The Ark, could be completed, and we could escape." Orion rubbed over the top of his head as he took a deep breath. "Holy heck, that's insane...but at the same time amazing." He smiled like a gleeful sparkling. "You SO gotta tell me about that part of the story!"

Bumblebee chuckled at his friends' enthusiasm, and desire to learn. He felt like a mentor, teaching a young protege a lesson. In this case, though, it was a history lesson, but one he enjoyed sharing. Though he knew that things were dragging along, and he was getting tired. "I'll get around to it, Orion, but I think right now, we should go see Ratchet, and find out if the others made it back yet, or not."

Orion sighed in mild disappointment but still smiled as he said, "Okay. I guess that's fair. Also, I wonder how others are doing on the mission. Hopefully, they're alright."

Back in the Badlands, things were as far from 'alright' as you could get.

The Autobots still stood their ground, as Doomsayer, and his firing squad prepared to execute their enemies. Finally ending the conflict before it could truly begin. Arcee, naturally, just before Doomsayer gave the order to shoot, had her own thoughts on the Overlord's plans. "So, even though there's a new generation of Decepticons, and a new leader...nothing's really changed." Doomsayer merely chuckled at that statement before he began rebuking her. "On the contrary, my dear, there WILL be changes to the old Order, which my New Decepticons will enforce. Unlike the weaklings, chaotic fools, and treacherous ingrates he surrounded himself with, every last member of my regime-to-be-empire will be a disciplined, refined, and perfect organization united through the same cause. All will be trained to the fullest extent of what it means to be a soldier. An empire where all of its members are the perfect cogs in the machine that will make it work perfectly because I will see to it that all mesh together as one. A perfect unity of perfect order of the most disciplined, loyal, devoted warriors imaginable."

But Wheeljack noticed something strapped to Starscream's hip, along with other New Decepticons, that gave him an amusing idea. "You don't say?" He asked rhetorically. "Then I wonder if you don't mind my asking if that perfect order includes having your goons strap Energon crystals to their waist clips. That your policy, or is it a new one you just implemented recently - no matter how stupid it is?"

Doomsayer's smile dropped, and his expression became one of shock. "...What?" he asked no one before he began scanning the room. To his own disbelief, he saw his New Decepticons carrying Energon crystals as though they were grenades. The cons were uncomfortable with how their leader was eyeing them so intently. Noting how his expression was turning from disbelief to anger. "What in the inferno is this?!" He shouted, startling his troops. "I did not order any of you to carry around Energon on your external persons! Who told you all to do this?!" The group, at first, was too nervous to say anything. "WELL?!?" Doomsayer roared in his unnatural, demonic voice, finally forcing them to choose life. And forget all about the Autobots, the New Decepticons all pointed to one Decepticon in particular, who looked like he was about to leak a little oil from the way Doomsayer was scowling at him.

"Starscream."

His dark tone remained and frightened the air commander, who knew there was no way he could blame this on someone else. How can he when he was the new guy on the block? Even so, he tried to defend his actions. "My lord, please! There were only so many Energon crystals in that cavern we discovered, I felt no harm in having the men carry them in such an easy fashion! Surely, you can understand my-*PPZZZZZZFT*YEAARGH!" he screamed as another bolt of dark energy hit him, with the threatening visage of his master looming over him with those infernal, purple eyes. "All I can understand is that Megatron was a fool to entrust you to be his second in command, Starscream!" He roared, making the former seeker flinch in fear. Both unaware of Wheeljack quietly pulling out his blaster and giving the team a look that asked them to await his signal to get the tables to turn. All the while, Doomsayer continued, "If you were actually as clever as you claim to be, then you would know how dangerous carrying Energon on one's person is a hazard waiting to happen: ESPECIALLY in the field of battle!!"

"You mean like this, Doomsy?" Wheeljack rhetorically asked before he shot directly at the crystal resting on Starscream's hip, in perfect shooting range. The result was exactly what one would expect as in but mere seconds, with Starscream's face stretching out to one of horror, he was caught in an Energon explosion that had an impressive domino effect with the circle formation of the New Decepticons. The heat and surge of the explosion interacted with each crystal and caused them all to explode. This gave the Autobots the opening they needed to gun down the Soldiers while they were stunned. Here, the bots made a thankful discovery. "The comms are back on!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "They must have been jamming us without us realizing it."

"That's good, Bulk, but now I think as good a time as any to leave!" Arcee stated, slicing up a soldier with her blades. A sentiment Ultra Magnus shared as he knocked out another Soldier. "Agreed. Ratchet, this if Commander Magnus requests an emergency ground bridge!" After a few seconds, the team was relieved to hear their medical officer on the comms. "Commander Magnus? Eh, whatever is going on, it'll wait until your back. I'm opening the Groundbridge to your exact location now!" And in no time, a Ground bridge opened right beside them as Doomsayer, and his generals caught their second wind. Despite being hit with a direct, point-blank Energon explosion, they were mainly scorched. The New Decepticons were clearly made of sterner stuff than the Autobots thought. A snarling Doomsayer lit up both of his hands, and bid his forces open fire as bolts of Dark Energon fired at the bots. They shot back to hold off the enemy but jumped in one at a time. Wheeljack remarking, "Maybe you should rethink your management skills before making your "Perfect Empire" a real thing!" before jumping into the closing ground bridge.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Doomsayer roared as he flooded the room with purple lightning, which his troops struggled to avoid. Although the building's room they were in was even less fortunate as it was torn apart by the Dark Energon crystals each bolt generated. Starscream was surprised to see this, as it reminded him of the power of the Dark Energon used during the Great War. Something that only added to the mystery of Doomsayer, and how deep his connection to the chaos bringer was.

But he had other things to worry about, as Doomsayer loomed over him like a malevolent demon, with his voice still in its enraged, dark tone. "Well, Starscream? You have officially cost us our opportunity to lessen the time to make our quest a success. Have you anything to say for yourself?" Nervously gulping down his fear, Starscream stammered a bit before he nervously smiled and asked, "Would you believe that my intentions were true, Lord Doomsayer?" in his meekest voice. Doomsayer merely scowled at the Air Commander, before he finally spoke. "No, I wouldn't. In fact, here is what I believe: I believe...you are an INCOMPETENT WRETCH!" Charging his fist, he then bonked Starscream hard on the head.

"A BRINGER OF DISGRACE" he snarled, hitting him again.

"A MASTER OF UTTER FAILURE, GAAGH!!" he struck again, before punching him clear out of the building, and onto the ledge of a cliff. "DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE COST US?! GRAH! DO YOU?!?" Starscream tried to get up, but Doomsayer kicked him right off the ledge, watching the seeker tumble down. He then looked to where the ruins of The Omega Lock stood, and with all his power, fired a bolt of Dark Energon so strong, it completely, and utterly annihilated the area, bringing the Overlord great joy. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHA HAHAHAHAAAH!" He then sighed in relief. "Ah, that was good." He said in his normal voice. "Now I realize the true reason Megatron kept that fool around." He smiled again as he turned to his general. "New Decepticons, take heed! Though we have been delayed, our quest continues! We WILL find the Anti-Spark, wherever it may be! And we will aid our lord, and master in ushering in The Age of Chaos! And I shall bring forth a true era of peace, and stability in the wake of this cleansing! Long live the empire! Long live the New Decepticons! LONG LIVE UNICRON!!!"

"Long live Unicron!"x5

Hearing his men reinvigorated gave Doomsayer a sense of elation. True, this was a setback due to the incompetence of a new addition to their forces. But he would soon beat that flaw out of the Air Commander when it was necessary. Besides, he still had time to locate the Autobots in their base, acquire the Anti-Spark, and revive Unicron. Everything he had experienced in his life was all leading up to the end times of the old order.

Chaos would reign supreme by his, and his masters, guiding hands...and it made him grin with such malicious glee thinking of it all.