Several Autobots emerged from from the green swirling portal of the space bridge. Swiftshadow recognized their faces immediately. Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumble Bee, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack stepped into the hanger. Their steps heavy and purposeful. Jack's, Miko's, and Raf's eyes lit up as they greeted their former partners.
Wheeljack waved at Miko before approaching Swiftshadow. "Nice to see ya back safe and sound,"
"I about safe as the rest of the world at the moment," She looked around. "Where's Optimus?"
The Autobots looked away with sadness in their eyes. It was Magnus who answered. "Optimus had to make the ultimate sacrifice to save our planet from an ancient enemy."
Sadness and shock fell upon her shoulders and settled into her gut. But She couldn't allow herself to grieve. There was far to much at stake to allow herself that luxury. There would time to grieve later she told herself. If there was time later.
"Now what emergency would facilitate us being here?" Stated Ultra Magnus.
"If you'd take a look outside You'd know," Ratchet pressed a button on his console. The hanger door rolled up into the ceiling. Beyond a violet veil the inky black pillar along with horde of darklings and glowing eyed beasts. Several darklings clawed at the barrier but the barrier held firm.
Her instincts urged her to spring out there and start fighting the darkness single handedly. She pushed them away as that would accomplish nothing but get herself killed.
"By the Allspark!" Gasped Bumble Bee.
"What the frag is that thing?" Said Bulkhead.
"Malic Korvoth," Answered Swiftshadow.
"Basically a world ending eldritch horror," Wilson adjusted himself on her shoulder. His sickle claws hooked securely in her hoodie.
"So. Any ideas on how to stop that thing?" Asked Arcee.
"We did." Crawford stood up from his seat. June just finished dressing his wounds. "Unfortunately the means to ascertain victory has been lost to us."
"So we're on plan B." Said Jack.
"Which is to blow that thing to kingdom come!" Said Miko.
"An act of folly if one perchance asked me," Crawford grunted.
"What, are you from the middle ages or something?" Miko challenged.
"I am far older than that." He retorted.
"Eyup, eyup," Ratchet interrupted, "We should be focusing on the solution,"
"And what might that be?" Asked Magnus.
"A device capable of emitting a blinding light over a large radius upon detonation. A bright nuke if you will," Wilson darted along the catwalk railing onto Ratchets console and jacked himself in. A schematic appeared on the screen.
"So where do we start?" Said Wheeljack.
Todd grunted as he set down another flood light. The unnerving visage of the pitch black pillar lay beyond the barrier. Glowing eyed beasts prowled about tracking down whatever soldiers remained. Fortunately a few managed to retreat to the safety of the barrier. Kelsey and Wilson assured that if Malic Korvoth is destroyed that the afflicted should return back to normal. He certainly hoped so.
When he woke up this morning the last thing he expected to deal with was the literal apocalypse. He supposed that was what everyone else expected too. He felt like his head was going to explode with all the new information coming to light. Alien robots, magical beast spirits, eldritch horrors? It all seemed too much.
Wilson, Raf, Ratchet, and Wheeljack were hard at work building the Bright Nuke as well as new bright bombs. Hopefully there was a slight chance they could change the tide. But that Crawford fellow was unconvinced that it would actually work. He and Kelsey chatted in the lounge area.
"This would a lot easier if you'd actually bothered to teach me anything instead of being all cryptic," Kelsey glared at the mage.
"Balderdash. I've taught you illusion and the sight."
"Big load of help that is right now. Could've been teaching me something helpful like that barrier spell. Not to mention you could've done something to stop this. Don't think I didn't notice you flutter between the trees."
"You have a keen eye. It shall serve you well." He said. "Yet this was an unfortunate yet necessary step in the grand scheme of things."
"Explain."
"The seals would only last so long. That was known the moment they were set. There was always going to be a need to reset the seals,"
"Let me guess resetting requires breaking the old seals and making new ones."
"A rather regrettable factor for something so dire."
Todd recalled something the man had said back in the woods. Something along the lines of her being the only hope. It gnawed continuously at the back of his brain. "I hope I'm not interrupting but why is my sister needed for any of that?"
"She has been blessed by The Wolf Spirit. Chosen and gifted with great power."
"If she has this power then why is The Wolf Spirit needed?"
"While we the champions are gifted with magic, It is but a small fraction of our patrons might. We champions are the ones who are the ones able to channel the magic in ways that our patrons are unable to in the mortal plane. By working together as a unified force great feats of magic can occur that neither could accomplish alone." Crawford explained.
A creaking groan like glass under pressure shook the air followed by a shattering snap. A bone rattling shrieking roar enveloped the hanger. Dread holed up inside Todd's chest suffocating him in the shadows presence. Darkling claws punctured the hanger doors.
They had run out of time.
Ultra Magnus had seen many things in his long life as commander of the Wreckers. Scraplet swarms, Tox-En super weapons, Predacons, even the rise of the chaos bringer himself. He faced them and fought them as best to his abilities like any dutiful soldier would.
This was a new threat that was not Cybertronian. It was not like anything he'd ever seen. Ink black creatures broke through the violet barrier that shattered in flurry violet sparks. Earthling beasts of all sorts poured on through the mangled door. Each a former loyal soldier now bent to the dark demons will.
Magnus wasn't sure what to do about the beasts. Optimus had forbidden the harming of humans and these beasts were once human. Yet they had to fight them off without hurting them. So he took careful aim at the darklings and picked them off one by one with his blaster. One factor remained was that they had to hold them off until the bright nuke was complete.
Swiftshadow's wolves were already on the offensive attacking a massive grizzly that made through the door. His fellow Autobots drew their blasters and fired upon the darkling's. The energon blasts tore into the horde. Splotches of shadow flew into the air like oil.
Swiftshadow charged into the air. Silver fire spewed from her jaws immolating all the dark creatures in the way. Violet light formed a blade Crawford's hands. Hellish shrieks raked across his audial receptors. Magnus was certain that this battle would forever be ingrained in his memories.
A soldier shouted an order shortly before a bright flash of light. Though Ultra Magnus had shut his optics the light was still visible. Darklings reared back as dark smoke rolled over their forms. The beasts yipped and rowled as the clawed at their faces.
A deer charged blindly into a line of soldiers. Its antlers and hooves pummelled a couple men into the ground. one of the men screamed as fur sprouted from his flesh and large claws replaced his fingers. A large snow leopard rose from his place. A silver eyed coyote was what remained of the other man.
Magnus was warned that the inflicted could spread their curse via bite or scratch. It was terrifying to see in action. Organic creatures weren't supposed to transform like Cybertronians could. Seeing organic flesh twist and mutate out of form was sickening.
Jack swung a crowbar at an attacking goat. Miko was parrying a stag with an axe. Fowler, June, and Todd manned the flood lights flashing them at the horde. It wasn't as effective as the bright bombs but it did a well enough job keeping the shadows at bay.
"Arcee!" Jacks shout rose high above the din of battle. A jaguar slashed into the two wheelers shin. A feat that no ordinary earth creature could accomplish. Cybertronian armour was far too tough for that. There was no mistaking the deep cuts in her leg.
Horror twisted into Magnus's spark as Arcee staggered. He raced over to catch her before she fell. A golden amber eked into her optics over taking their natural cobalt. Her panels shifted as they did before a transformation, but it looked forced. Arcee was fighting the transformation which was never a good thing.
"Stay with me soldier," He commanded. The look in her optics told him everything. Whatever happened next was both inevitable and beyond each others control. Her body spasmed as it shifted and twisted around in ways that were not normal for her.
She broke away from him, landing on four legs each poised over a sharp clawed paw. A long thin tail extended from her spinal struts. Metal settled into a new lithe form. Hissing she bared her new sharp fangs. Golden optics locked onto his cerulean.
Magnus was not too familiar with Terran animals. He never went much beyond the basic common creatures. However there was one animal that stood out to him that most resembled what Arcee had become.
A cheetah.