Long ago… in the Palace of the Primes… where the Halls of Iacon will one day stand….
—-
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
He could hear his sister working inside her quarters as he stood in front of her large doorway. The sounds of steel crashing into one another echoing the hall. Optimus wonders whether or not it was a good idea to do this. He debates with himself the pros and cons of going through with what he was about to do. The cons in his head outweighed the pros.
Optimus simply turned around and started walking away from the door. Maybe it was too soon to talk about it. Maybe tomorrow would be best to discuss-
Kshhhh… schwoop…
"Optimus?" Solus asked. She felt his spark from the shared bond all 13 had with each other. A bond gifted - or cursed upon from a certain Prime's point of view - to them by their Father, Primus. That was how Optimus knew where to find his sister in the first place.
He paused. The future last Prime turned around and saw Solus - his sister and nothing more - standing near the door to her room. The same one she just opened.
"I would entertain a conversation with you anytime, Optimus. But not out here. Come inside. I believe there are many things you would wish to converse with me about." And with that, she entered her room. Leaving a still troubled Prime in her wake.
He followed suit.
—-
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
How long has it been since he entered her room? The Silver mech cannot remember. Nor would he try to. Not with all the current thoughts flooding his processors. Not with all the questions he wanted to ask. Not with his spark not in the right state to address such a thing. No. He was too occupied with himself to care. In his future stint as Leader of the Autobots. Optimus Prime is the epitome of cool. The manifestation of calm under pressure. The Rock on which all the 'Bots under him look to for some stability.
But right now, he's nothing but a soup of nervousness inside.
CLANG! Shhhhh….
"How long will it take for you to finally start speaking?" Solus teased. She set aside the Forge and deactivated her Lathe of Creation before walking to where the mech was sitting. Which was an extravagant bench beside another of the same make situated at the near corner of the room. Where the door that leads inside the Lady Prime's room is.
"Optimus. You must learn how to calm your nerves. You need to ease yourself as well." Solus then sat beside him. The blue optics of the future last Prime watching her every move while she had done so.
"You were reckless." Optimus half scolded.
"That I was." Solus agreed.
"It was fortunate that Prima had been considerate to our foolishness, Sister. I cannot comprehend what would have happened if he had thought it was just to punish us." he explained. But he was confused when he was met with only laughter.
"Hahahahaha… ah, Optimus. You were always the most cautious of us. It was nothing but a little escapade that only served to lighten the mood. Surely, our brother and the others would understand." Solus exclaimed as her melodic laugh slowly died down.
"You have been spending too much time with Amalgamous…" Optimus sighed as his servo found his forehead.
"That boisterous brother of ours knows how to make the Palace lively, Optimus. A trait you need to develop one day." Solus said as she poked him at the side.
A slight chuckle escaped his lips at that. However, he immediately shut up before he could go out. Maybe he is a bit dour at times, yes. Humour is to be lighthearted in intent. But, surely Solus must realise the gravity of what they - well, he whilst subject to her machinations - have done.
"Sister." Optimus said. Emphasising on their sibling-like connection to one another. His optics looked straight at Solus.
"Yes, Optimus?" Solus emphasised his name in turn.
"Why did you attempt to seduce me in front of the others, when we were all in the main hall?" Optimus asked. Although he wanted to say 'in front of Megatronus' to be more specific, he understood that other Primes like Nexus and Liege had some separate grievances concerning what happened.
"Oh? You were referring to that? What made you claim that I was, in your words, seducing you?" Solus challenged. A fire of false indignation alight in her optics as she spoke. And was that a hint of… mirth in her voice?
"You kept referring to all of them as your brother - save I - not only throughout the whole day, but rather the entire week. You merely refer to me by my name. Even now, as I call you my sister, do you still persist with this." Optimus explained.
"Is that it? Surely that means nothing of note. What if I was simply playing a simple trick on you to keep you second guessing like a sparkling with two toys?" Solus suggested. Her arms crossed and her legs as well as she met Optimus' optics filled with confusion.
"You spend more of your time with me than the others nowadays. Scarce is the time I have spent on my own without you present. Usually, you are with Nexus and Micronus conversing about creating adequate technologies that can help our people. Other times, you are to be seen with Alchemist and Onyx discussing the many ways the universe works. If not any of those, you are with-" Optimus was about to say Megatronus but was stopped by a finger on his lips.
"You ought to understand that I am my own, Optimus. Who and how I spend my time can only be decided by me. But, I have to admit. You are right when you said that I suddenly increased my hours being with you." Solus acquiesced.
"You… you even…" Optimus looked away. Ashamed of himself for not being able to say it out loud. It was a world shattering event, what happened back in the main hall.
"Please, Optimus. It was nothing but a simple hug from behind. What more could you complain about?" Solus asked. Perplexed at his sudden bashfulness but was secretly amused by it as well.
"You kissed me on the cheek when I turned around to see who was behind me." Optimus said. He thanked his newly installed battlemask - courtesy of Alpha Prime - for it was hiding his expression of embarrassment.
"Nothing but an accident. It was not intentional." Solus explained in a not so serious manner that made Optimus think that she is not being genuine.
"Is this whole thing about Megat-" cue the glare.
"...I see." Optimus remarked.
—-
Optimus drove out of the groundbridge portal. He found out that he was in the middle of a forest and was driving on a wide dirt road. He cannot tell where exactly he is, but from what he's getting from Ratchet back in the base. Team Prime is close to their target.
"Bulkhead, you will take Bumblee to the western side of the island. Arcee and I will head north and then east to see if any Decepticon activity is present there." The last Prime ordered.
"Got it. And when we find some 'Cons. We'll comm Ratchet to groundbridge you to us." Bulkhead replied.
"Be careful out there. Do not engage. Simply recon." Optimus and Arcee then sped up by 20 miles an hour as Bulkhead and Bumblebee took a left turn at an intersection.
"I don't get it, Optimus. Why here? Of all the places, they had to be in this place?" Arcee wondered as they went offroad by the 7th mile and towards the more remote areas of what the locals called Panganiban district.
"Not long ago, we intercepted a Decepticon mining crew in the desert. I have come to the conclusion that they may have dug something more than energon that day. Something that may have pointed them to this island." Optimus hypothesised.
"But I cannot claim this theory to be true. More information is needed to make a definite answer to your question." the Prime continued.
"I see. Whatever the 'Cons' reasons for being here has to be huge if they're going to make quite the noise around here." Arcee suggested.
"That, I can concur." Optimus conceded. He then commed Ratchet and ask him,
"Old Friend, how close are we to the coordinates?" Optimus asked as he transformed into his robot form. Arcee followed suit. They were in an open area near the local town of Tibo - a city they recently passed by through the road of the same name.
"Hang on. I'm trying to get a visual. I'll have it in a minute." Ratchet answered.
"Stay alert, Arcee. They could be anywhere." Optimus warned as he kept his optics on the forest and away from the blue femme.
"Um… Optimus… I don't think we have to look far…" Arcee pointed out as she watched a gigantic Cybertronian ship flying high above the sky.
And is that… is that smoke coming from the ship?
"Ratchet. We found the Decepticon warship. It is burning." Optimus briefly explained.
"Wh-what?! How!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"No time to explain, Ratch. Get Bulkhead and Bumblebee to our next location. The ship is heading North." Arcee said.
"Yes, I can see that. Satellite footage shows that it's on the course to a small island called Panay near your location. Little to no population except for some sparse areas. My best guess is that the Nemesis will fly over one of the beaches and not the island itself." Ratchet said as he made computations on his computer.
"Excellent work, old friend." Optimus complimented. A brief snort was the medic's reply.
"I already sent Bulkhead and Bumblebee to the location as we speak. You will be greeted to either a Decepticon welcome party or a brief flyover view of the ship. The two of them haven't reported back to me since landing on the beach. Opening the groundbridge now." Ratchet said as he opened the bridge before moving on to try everything he could to restore communications with the Wrecker and Scout.
"Then we have no time to waste! Arcee, let's move." Optimus then transformed into his truck mode and drove towards the centre of the treeless area where the groundbridge just spawned. The motorcycle engine coming from behind the Prime was all he heard before he passed through the portal.
—-
It was a Decepticon party. But as soon as Bulkhead and Bumblebee began to rumble with the drones, they came to the realisation that they weren't expecting them. But that's okay for them. More chances to wreck them in Bulkhead's opinion. It just seemed off that they were all disorganised and unprepared, that's all. Quite unlike Megatron's style.
"Hey 'Bee. How long till Prime gets here?" The Wrecker asked.
"Ratchet just came in, he already bridged them here. But I guess he got the wrong beach. Yup, he confirmed it himself. Optimus and Arcee are on a different beach." the yellow scout then pointed the direction where their leader could be at. And that's when Bulkhead couldn't help but be sympathetic to Ratchet's mistake.
"Oohhh… that's the beach I accidentally drove to…" He said as he bashed a Vehicon who was running towards him armed with blades.
"I guess the old mech lost our comlink and just used your last known location to bridge Optimus and Arcee. Must mean the Nemesis is close. They've got signal jammers, if I'm right." Bumblebee suggested as he shot two drones with his dual stingers. The pair were now running towards the other side of the beach they were on since they didn't exactly land at the coordinates Ratchet recently gave them.
"If only these 'Cons could just bug off!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he was pummelling his 15th drone of the day. He was about to change his wrecking ball into a blaster when he heard a loud noise akin to a boulder hitting the ground to his right.
Where he last saw Bumblebee…
"Bee! Are you al-" Bulkhead's words left him as he saw that his scout friend was underneath a large, purple femme. How did he know it was a femme? Just guessing, honestly. That, and the fact that she was blatantly cursing in a form of Cybertronian so ancient he couldn't understand it.
"O-ow… what happe- Wha-what?!" Bumblebee went from disoriented to confused. Being young and all, he couldn't help but be flustered a bit when the femme rose her head up from the scout's chest and opened her crystal optics to face him. Those optics were the only things the yellow bot saw since half her face was covered by her battlemask that seems quite similar to a certain red and blue Prime.
"Forgive me. It appears that I underestimated my foe. I haven't had this much trouble since duelling that intransigent fool, Prima." The femme rose up with both arms on either side of Bumblebee's head and after standing up on her own feet, gave the scout a helping hand. Something he happily took.
"But let us not dabble in the past. The present is much more important." After making sure that Bee is on his feet, she then addresses the green wrecker.
"Your optics… they're blue. Do you happen to be Optimus' kind?" the femme asked. She made the conjecture in her head that red optics belonged to her brother's enemies. And if that is the case, surely, blur optics mean they are his allies.
"Y-yes! We are. You an Autobot?" Bulkhead asked as he shook himself from the surprise from earlier. It's not everyday you see a femme literally bigger and taller than you crashing into your friend, after all.
"Autobot? Hm… after all that I've done now, I suppose I am one." The femme then looked away from the two and towards the drones that stopped attacking for some strange reason. But after a few seconds, the reason became evidently clear.
They were retreating.
"Why are those Cons retreating?" Bumblebee asked as he scratched his head in puzzlement.
The answer to his question came when all three bots saw a sleek black ship nearing their general direction. Strange purple lights can be seen flickering on said ship. Bulkhead had seen this before. And it wasn't a good sign in the least.
"Oh scrap! They're going to blast this beach into the Pit! We gotta go." Bulkhead exclaimed. As he transformed into his alt mode. Bumblebee followed suit. The purple femme however did not and just looked at the two bots like they were something weird.
"You're Amalgamous' children as well?" She questioned. Only her prankster of a brother could shapeshift into different forms using the T-Cog relic given to him by their father, Primus. But the two Autobots who didn't bother asking who this femme really was simply looked at her like she grew two heads.
"Uh… no? Listen, lady. We gotta go now. The Con's are gonna destroy us with those warp cannons if you don't transform and follow us."
"But I can't transform." She said. Because she didn't have a T-Cog. She didn't need one back then since she spent her days building the foundations of Cybertron after Unicron's defeat. Meaning, she would have had to spend more time being a bot rather than a car or a plane.
"You can't what?" Bumblebee asked incredulously. He was looking towards the Nemesis and found that the purple lights were getting brighter and brighter.
"Okay, just hang on to my vehicle mode and don't let go!" Bulkhead ordered. The femme found no other reason to refuse him since the mech was simply trying to get them all out of the beach. Unhesitating, she clamped her hands onto the top of Bulkhead's car mode and just hung onto it for dear life.
"Bee! Follow me!" And so, the two vehicles drove off away from the beach and into the tropical forest not far from where they were. They were driving at speeds not unlike racing cars. If they had left 5 seconds later, the first of the warp cannon blasts would have evaporated them then and there. Not to mention the fact that Optimus and Arcee would've been greeted to a healthy dish of crisp Autobot with a side of Solus Prime.
But that didn't mean they were safe from the warp cannons. The automated firing systems hunted them down like bloodcrazed dogs. But the cannons kept locking into the coordinates they used to be instead of the coordinates they were going to be. So, the only thing they hit was the ground. Craters the size of soccer fields littered the beach as well as the ground the Autobots drove on seconds before. After the 30th Warp cannon shot, the firing stopped. Just in time for the trio to enter the forest unscathed.
But then came the cavalry. A squadron of 14 Seekers accompanied by a Helicopter, an unmanned drone, and a Cybertronian jet started shooting them with more accuracy and precision compared to the Warp cannons. Makes you wonder why the cannons were used in the first place. (A: it's because of Megatron's gladiator tendency to make a spectacle out of nothing.) Bumblebee was hurt the most since the femme on top of Bulkhead either deflected the shots with her energon blades or tanked them using her armour. He tried to dodge the blasterfire but there were too many of them. One precise shot to one of the wheels from Megatron is what caused the scout to go out of his car mode. The yellow bot found himself clutching his leg as the pain set in.
"Scrap! Bulk, they got my leg."
Bumblebee beeped out to his comrade who transformed into his robot mode armed with his blasters as he approached the scout. The femme not being far behind. She still had her energon blades and battlemask equipped. All three understood that they wouldn't be able to get out of this situation with an injured Bumblebee holding the two bots back. They're going to have to fight.
"So, lady. You got a chance to leave this to the two of us. I'll give you enough time to get out of this." Bulkhead offered. He didn't think that they would survive this. Might as well save one life in the process. He didn't expect to earn a fierce glare from the femme as a reply, however.
"And leave you two to die? I am not so craven as to leave my brother's men behind." the femme responded as she brandished her energon swords towards the Decepticon force.
"Brother?! Who-"
Bulkhead's question was met with blasterfire from the drones. He, along with Bumblebee who was now leaning onto the Wrecker like a crutch, began shooting at them. The femme who was with them charged the Vehicons with unbelievable speed and grace. Cutting down 5 of them while leaving 4 to the mercy of Bulkhead's blaster and Bumblebee's stingers. It helped that Bulkhead placed Bee behind 2 coconut trees close to each other to give him some sort of protection.
"No way! She's taking them all on like they're nothing. Who is this femme?". Bumblebee exclaimed as the femme started duelling with Megatron, Airachnid, and Soundwave.
The duo Autobots assisted with their ranged fire. Successfully taking out the few remaining Vehicons. But they couldn't do much help for the femme sword dancing through the three Decepticon higher ups. They aren't risking friendly fire.
"I'm not sure. But we'll get some answers once we smash these Cons back to the Pit! Bee, contact the base. See if you can get Prime and Arcee here while the lady and I keep 'em busy." Bulkhead said.
He then switched his blasters to wrecking balls and looked to Bee who simply nodded. The Wrecker then ran straight towards Soundwave and Airachnid. Catching them off guard as he dragged them away from Megatron and the femme. The Wrecker's advance ended when he directed the heads of both Decepticon lieutenants with his wrecking ball fists. They ended up breaking a couple of trees in the process. Airachnid rebounded by kicking Bulkhead square on the chest.
"That move is going to cost you, Autobot." the spider mistress sneered.
"..." Soundwave, having regained his footing, didn't say a word. Proving that he was superior.
"Heh, I don't want to hear that from the 'Con who got their faceful of wood." Bulkhead chuckled. He smirked as his plan of goading one of them into attacking him worked.
Airachnid ran towards him with the intent of digging her hands into his skull. But was bashed aside by one of Bulkhead's fists. The wrecker would've back that hit with another, however he was stopped by Soundwave's claws. A scratch on the arm later, the Communications officer found himself dodging a blaster shot. He felt something from his behind, so Soundwave leaned to his right. It was fortunate he did so on time, because he just dodged one of Airachnid's talons. Bulkhead got shoved back by the surprise attack. He couldn't counter since the spider mistress and the spymaster combined their efforts to strike a finishing blow towards the Wrecker's chest. They failed in breaking through his thick armour. But on the bright side, they managed to send him flying towards the trees and knocking him out of the fight.
"Hmph. You weren't bad for a fighter." Airachnid scoffed.
"..." Soundwave said nothing. For he knows he's the best.
—-
"Ratchet. We've entered the forest. Where are Bulkhead and Bumblebee?"
"They're not far ahead. I'm detecting… no, wait, that can't be."
"What is it, old friend?"
"They're not alone! I'm getting 3 Decepticon readings as well as a strange fourth signature that doesn't identify either Autobot or Decepticon."
"Optimus, incoming Cons up front!"
"Ratchet, try and establish some sort of communication with either Bumblebee or Bulkhead-"
CRASH!
"Make that only Bumblebee, Ratch." Arcee said as she and the last Prime engaged both Soundwave and Airachnid.
Their blaster fire was enough of a danger for the two Decepticon lieutenants to retreat into the trees for coverage and leave the area. Airachnid would have just gone in and gut Arcee with her talons. But the sight of the Prime and the Forge was enough of a factor to dissuade her. Soundwave didn't see it necessary to engage the duo. He simply thought that they had distracted them from assisting them with her duel against Megatron.
The newly arrived Autobots didn't know that however, so they made the inaccurate decision of tending to the Green Wrecker. Something he was quick to correct.
"Argggh! You shouldn't be here, guys." Bulkhead said as he gnashed his teeth in pain. Arcee, who was in the middle of cauterising the leaking wound on Bulkhead's chest, simply grunted in disagreement. She was even about to tell him to shut up and let her work, however, Optimus asked him.
"What do you mean, Bulkhead?" the Prime's voice was laced in worry. If the green Wrecker was here, then where was Bumblebee?
"Bee's out there with a beat up leg helping out some femme who was fighting against Megatron as we speak!" Bulkhead exclaimed. He held in a yelp of pain as Arcee went over the more damaged part of his chest. Optimus meanwhile blinks in confusion. Who is this strange being powerful enough to stand up against the warlord that wasn't him?
"Optimus, I'll handle him. You better go and help whoever that bot Bee is with. She might be an Autobot sympathiser." Arcee suggested. The last Prime didn't doubt his second in command's abilities. So he left them without a word. The Forge gleamed with power in his hands as he ran.
He frowned as his feet stomped the ground. That weird pulse he felt from the Matrix the other night has returned. And it's only becoming stronger the closer he gets to Bumblebee's position. The last Prime tried to remember the knowledge he had from his time as an Archivist as well as his past life to make a plausible conjecture as to why the Matrix was acting this way. All the way from EMPs that can affect the Matrix to an obscure memory from aeons ago that appeared the night he woke up from the pulse. Optimus removed the chance that the Matrix reacted to the sparkbond. Because there are no other Primes for the bond to be valid still.
At least, until now.
"Optimus! Over here!" Bumblebee blurted out as the Prime reached the area where the scout was. He was still propped up on the same trees Bulkhead placed him. However, Megatron and the femme were gone.
"Bumblebee. Where is Megatron?" He asked with urgency.
"He left. Transformed into his jet form and flew off towards the Nemesis in the east. But the femme tried to finish him off by grabbing onto his wings. Haven't seen them since." the scout explained.
CRASH!
"Nevermind… there they are… the big lady must've done quite the damage to make big ol' Megatron crash land." Bumblebee said as both he and the last Prime watched two bots fall from the sky and back to the same place they dueled in. One in perplexed amazement while the other in complete shock.
"That's impossible…" Optimus muttered. He only watched as Megatron rose up from the ground. His blade drenched with energon was slowly being removed from somebot's body. And that bot was…
"Megatron!" Optimus ran with the Forge in hand. The power of the hammer flowing through his energon veins. He was intent on slamming this old friend of his far away from the femme.
Megatron didn't see it coming. One second he was relishing his victory over the femme who claimed herself as the long dead Solus Prime. And another second he was flying high up in the sky whilst in robot mode. 20 trees were destroyed as Megatron soared through the sky. To his credit, Megatron was relatively unscathed. His arm would need some fixing and dent removal. But for the most part, he tanked the hammer's strike. Had the trees been replaced with a whole mountain of hard rock, he would've been worse for wear. After shaking off the pain, the Decepticon warlord left the area and returned to the Nemesis. Where his lieutenants were waiting. He swallowed his pride and declared the retrieval of his guest as a failure for the Autobots managed to secure her.
But in the end, he is the least of Optimus' concerns.
The last Prime… no, that wouldn't be accurate now. The leader of the Autobots found himself in a situation that he never expected to be in. Millions of years did not even help when it came to figuring out what to do now. He acted on impulse when he kneeled down towards the fallen femme and returned the Relic of Iacon to its rightful owner. She was wounded in her torso area. Near the area where the Fallen had shot to kill her. Which begs the questions.
"How can this be?" Optimus asked the lying down figure. The Forge was working spectacularly on said figure. Quickly patching up a life threatening injury in mere seconds and restoring the area of injury into tip top shape. Not a single dent was left.
The only reply he got was the femme disengaging her battlemask and raising her left hand to the face of the Autobot leader. And then she spoke.
"After all these years… we finally meet each other again…" liquid akin to tears from her optics started to flow down her soft smiling face.
"Solus…" Optimus then grabbed his sister in a bridal style carry. He then began walking towards his team.
While the Primes were busy with each other, Bulkhead with assistance from Arcee hobbled to where Bumblebee was. The scout had wisely called in a groundbridge during that time. And out that groundbridge came Ratchet and the humans (much to the medic's dismay since he tried to stop them).
The other Autobots and humans' voices were drowned out by the flood of thoughts trying to explain how his dead sister somehow managed to rise from the dead. But even those thoughts were washed away when Solus spoke once more.
"It's good to see you once more. Optimus."