Chapter 3

Ultra Magnus woke up. Metal, he realized that he was lying on something metallic.

As soon as his systems were fully activated, he looked around. It wasn´t clear where exactly he was but it was definitely on Cybertron.

The area around him was empty and torn up in some parts. It seemed he was somewhere in the outlands.

But Cybertron had changed, he remembered. Ever since they were forced to open the Plasma Energy Chamber, the core of the planet was sending out an massively high energon-radiation that was harmful for regular Cybertronians. Only the new Maximal and Predacon models were resistant.

But his sensors detected nothing of this radiation.

So where exactly was he?

Magnus was on his way to find someone. But he was careful when he was walking around. It was more than clear that something was not right.

His radio was receiving some traffic that clearly seemed to come from Decepticons. But there should be no Decepticons on Cybertron right now.

Just like Cybertron should be unhabitable for both Cons and Bots.

He remembered the scenes they had watched. Had the Pyramid actually send him to the past? But if - when?

After about an half hour, he sensed that someone was approaching.

He saw a Transformer showing for a short moment, who was then going back into hiding.

No - he realized it were actually several robots were taking cover in a ruin direct before him. And probably aiming their guns at him. He decided he had nothing to loose. He had already been detected.

If it were enemies, he would have to fight his way out anyway. But then, he had to do it anyway no matter if he was calling out to them or not. So he decided to talk to them.

"Hello. I am no threat to you. Can you tell me who you are and where I am."

Now he could only hope that he wouldn´t get blaster shots as answer.

"Magnus. Is that you?" was what he got instead.

He recognized the voice. It was Roadbuster - a warrior who served under him for a long time and a old friend.

"Yes," Ultra Magnus answered. "Don´t shoot. I am coming out."

He showed himself, but held his arms up. He had no idea who the others were and he decided to be careful. Now he could only hope that this wasn´t some sort of trick.

They came out. Roadbuster was the first, followed by the rest. Magnus now recognised them, Inferno, Twin Twist and Topspin - Autobots.

"Ultra Magnus Sir. We thought you were on earth," Inferno told him.

"That is a long story," Magnus answered him. "It might seem strange but can tell me the current date?" he asked them. "I don´t know how exactly I came here and how long I have been inactive." They looked at him and then understood.

If he had been in stasis than he couldn´t even be sure what year it was. Especially if his instruments had been damaged.

"It is the year 9.000.024 after the beginning of the war," Roadbuster replied.

Magnus registered what that meant.

"You are a part of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron right?" He asked.

"Yes," they confirmed.

He was in the Earth year 2005. Obviously before Unicron´s attack on the planet. As Cybertron was still ruled by the Decepticons.

He really was in the past.

xxxxxxx

Earth, in the year 1986

Rodimus had now been driving on the road for some time.

He was definitely on Earth. On his driver´s seat was something, he slowly started to wish he had never seen, the small pyramid device they had found inside the large construct.

He had found the small pyramid, they one they had found lying in the grass, around hundred meters away from him. Whereever he was, this thing had obviously been send here with him.

Was Magnus also here?

He thought he saw Ultra Magnus had been pulled into that strange sphere as well. But he wasn´t sure.

But if he was, where was Magnus now? And where was he himself anyway?

After nearly a hour of driving Rodimus was finally coming to a small town.

What he saw there however really disturbed him. The technology in this place, especially the cars, were looking more than antiquated. He didn´t saw any modern technology. The entire town looked like something from over 20 years ago.

Am I in the past? He thought to himself. This idea was of course nothing new by their standards. Alone in the last decades they had a whole lot of time-travellers.

In this moment he suddenly heard the sound of jet turbines. A silver F15 came diving down from the sky. It was Starscream.

Rodimus saw the Decepticon taking aim at him and firing. He evaded the first shots without problems and shot back.

It was a bad situation. They were too close to the town. Civilians got into danger because of their fight.

There was supposed to be a truce. Earth should have been peaceful. Otherwise he would have been more careful as he approached the town.

But if he was really in the past, this all hadn´t even happened yet. Not that Starscream had ever been following the rules in the first place. And even if, he and even his ghost had disappeared without trace a few years back.

So yes - this was obviously the past.

Right now however this Decepticon was firing on him. He had to fight back.

Fighting Starscream wasn´t a real problem. He was one of the most powerful warriors the Autobots ever had.

Starscream was the best air warrior of his generation. But he was no match for him. After avoiding a few shots himself, Rodimus was able to land a hit on the Decepticon jet´s side.

Starscream had to admit that Autobot was good, very good.

Originally he had simply been on a flight by himself. He hadn´t thought he would run into a lone Autobot and clearly not one he had never seen before. But as he had seen this one, he had gone for the chance to take him out. He had thought that he would get some easy prey and bring the dead Autobot as a trophy to the Decepticon base. A proof of his victory and a reminder to the other Decepticons not to underestimate him.

Instead he was the one who was getting shot.

"Not bad Autobot," he shouted, "but I will win. You forget, I have one clear advantage over you."

With this, he was firing one of his missiles, but not at him. It flew right into the town and hitting a super market. The building completely blew up.

Damn, Rodimus thought. He was attacking the city to get him.

Starscream was firing another missile. Rodimus took aim to shoot the projectile down.

He knew exactly where this would lead to. But he had no choice. He knew Starscream would shoot him as soon as he turned his back to him but if he didn´t stop the missile many humans would die.

Several, who knows how many, had already been killed by Starscream´s first shot. But the Decepticon shouldn´t think that he would go down so easily.

Rodimus pulled the trigger and fired. The missile exploded before it reached the city. In the same moment Starscream´s lasers hit him in the back.

As Rodimus was lying in the ground the Decepticon transformed. He stood over the Autobot and aimed his null rays at him.

Starscream smirked. "I win. Goodbye Autobot."

"Think again Starscream." With one swift move, Rodimus leaped back up, seemingly without greater damage and knocked Starscream´s guns aside.

"Impossible - who are you?" the Decepticon shouted.

xxxxxxx

The year 2005, somewhere in space

"How it pains me to do this," the Air Commander of the Decepticons said to his wounded leader.

"Wait. I still function," Megatron replied weakly.

Starscream only smirked.

"Wanna bet?" With that words he let Megatron fall into the void.

xxx

Skywarp didn´t have a good day. He and four others, including his friend Thundercracker, were floating alongside Megatron in space.

They were on their way back from the battle in Autobot city, where he was wounded, as Starscream and Astrotrain came up with that story that they didn´t have enough fuel to made it safely back to Cybertron.

If that was so, why had they not mentioned that right after the start? Astrotrain should have known how much it took to start from Earth to landing safely on Cybertron after all.

Hey - was this just another take-over attempt?

If Skywarp had ever questioned one of Megatron´s decisions, then it was to keep Starscream around. This wasn´t the first time the Air Commander tried something like that, by far not.

It wasn´t even the first time he and Thundercracker were caught in the crossfire.

He remembered Starscream´s idiotic attempt to blow up the planet Earth, with them standing on it.

And other times like that.

After they had been floating for some time Skywarp started suppressing the urge to scream out to Megatron and everybody else:

"I have told you!"

It had no sense now anyway. Besides, why had he not killed Starscream himself? he asked himself.

Shot him in the back, like he tried to shoot Megatron many times. He had more than enough chances.

Skywarp admired Megatron. He admitted that. He was his leader and in many ways the being he looked up to.

He was the one who had lifted him up when he was completely down a long time ago. Megatron had been the one who had once given his life a meaning when he had nothing.

And now he would die with him. Not in battle like he had thought, but somewhere in space by slowly running out of energy.

Unless a wonder happened, like a few times before.

A part of him was hoping for the "luck" of crashing on some planet like they once did on Earth.

Megatron had decided to keep Starscream around and Skywarp didn´t questioned him, partly out of loyalty, partly of convenience.

Just living your live, making fun of Soundwave´s cassettes and letting others lead was a easy way to live, he thought to himself.

Out here however, he had much time to think about your life.

Great - and now he was getting philosophical.

He had to admit at some level he had respected Starscream, another reason why he had never tried to get rid of him by himself. The Second in Command was the best air-fighter he had ever met, even better then Thundercracker and himself, a genius in the sky.

And that for someone who had been a scientist before the war.

Admiring someone who had tried to murder you multiple times, look where it got him.

He didn´t doubt for a second that Starscream was behind this.

In his half conscious mind Skywarp thought to see something - a planet. Or something similar.

They were suddenly dragged to the thing he saw before them. His still working sensors registered some sort of force field.

This was real, he realized.

The thing was addressing Megatron. It was talking. Was it some kind of giant space-ship... or somehow alive?

It actually introduced itself as the Decepticon leader had asked.

"I am Unicron."

That was it´s name, he thought.

"…have summoned you for a purpose."

Skywarp was able to understand the most of the conversation, even if he had barely any power left.

Optimus Prime was dead but Ultra Magnus was now Autobot leader and carried the Matrix.

"Destroy the Matrix." That was Unicron´s command, "because it is the thing, the only thing that can stand in my way."

Was Unicron just the controller of the object before him or was he really the entire planet? Skywarp wondered.

They were Decepticons - they didn´t follow orders from some creature that has just shown up out of nowhere, no matter how powerful.

Of course Megatron didn´t forget that. He asked Unicron what he whould have from doing this task.

A new body the being answered and new troops. Us? Skywarp thought.

"You belong to me now," Unicron said.

"I belong to nobody." That was Megatron´s reply to it.

After that, a beam of red light from the planet before them hit him... and Megatron seemed to be shaking in pain.

Skywarp tried to see all what happened, but even the slightest move was difficult.

It looked like it was tearing on Megatron´s outer structure and in the same time threatening to drag him back into space. In the end the Decepticon leader saw no way but to give in.

"No. I accept your terms. I accept."

Accepting? What kind of choice was that?

"Excellent," was Unicrons only answer.

Skywarp saw how the beam surrounding Megatron changed.

It became a green color that somehow seemed to shine trough his body. The outer layers of Megatron´s metal skin seemed to be torn off by the beam.

Some sort of energy field was forming around him now.

Then Megatron´s internal mechanisms somehow became first liquid, than energy, reduced to the protoform and beyond that. Then reformed in a new shape, reconstructed on a molecular level. It was unbelievable

Then the process was finished, the robot known as Megatron was gone.

In his place stood a purple Transformer from similar stature, with a orange gun on his right forearm and a helmet in form of a three piked crown.

"Behold Galvatron," Unicron said.

This was his new, old leader, Skywarp recognized.

In the next moment he saw how the beam switched to scourge and the Insecticons.

New troops, of course.

They were turned into identical looking, winged and bearded Decepticons.

"Scourge the tracker and his huntsmen, the Sweeps."

Next came Skywarp himself. He could feel his body starting to disintegrate. How his outer armor simply ceased to exist, how his interior became liquified and reforming itself.

Then his senses exploded. It was as if his spark was disconnected from his body and knowing what happened with him right now, this was actually a possibility.

He saw pictures, memories, parts of his life. His youth, the war, the near past.

xxx

He saw himself and Thundercracker living in the outlands of the old Cybertron. They were scavenging the corps of a dead empty for energon.

xxx

He saw them both standing before Megatron, when they first joined him before the war over 9.000.000 years ago.

"Skywarp and Thundercracker. Welcome to the Decepticons," he told them.

xxx

He saw himself during the war.

He saw himself fighting in jet-form over Autobot-city.

Skywarp avoided shots by the city-guns and the warriors in the ground. One Autobot - Huffer - he recognized him, was taking aim on him from the ground.

But He teleported away. He reappeared on the ground, right next to his opponent, transformed and shot him twice on short distance through the spark-chamber.

His opponent was instantly dead.

Skywarp transformed back and lifted of but in that moment Ultra Magnus appeared. The Autobot second shot him three times. Then he he lost control and crashed.

xxx

He saw himself, for a short moment connected with another mind. He saw a planet much like Cybertron, only smaller, inhabited by robots... doomed.

He saw how the planet was ripped to pieces and swallowed.

He saw glimpses of other worlds that ended in the same way. And he saw creatures who were reformed, just like them, who became pawns.

xxx

That was the past.

Then he awakened.

He saw through new eyes that were not his old ones and he heard Unicron´s voice.

"Cyclonus the Warrior." His new name was spoken.

He checked his systems and was stunned. He possessed strength and firepower rivalling Megatron´s, both in robot and jet form and speed that surpassed even Starscream´s.

And he looked at the others. Warriors - slaves.

If their leader, the one they had sworn loyalty, was Unicron´s personal property, what were then them?

Gun-fodder, pawns.

"I will rip open Ultra Magnus and any other Autobot until the Matrix is been destroyed," Galvatron declared. Then he gave the order,

"To Cybertron."

"Destroy the Matrix." That was the last they heard from Unicron.

xxxxxxx

Cybertron 2005

Starscream´s moment had finally come. He was leader of the Decepticons.

Astrotrain was about to place a crown on his head.

He was at his destination. After all this years he was now finally taking Megatron´s place.

All the power, all the glory - it would now finally be his.

All that for a simple reason. He had killed Megatron.

He had taken what he wanted, like his predecessor had always told him. In a ironic sense he was still following his example.

Of cause Megatron would have never just thrown his former leader into space. He would have given him a shot in the spark, a end with dignity and a safe way to make sure he was dead.

But in this case that would have been an too obvious take-over attempt.

In this way Starscream didn´t have his life energon on his hands and he has still won.

Why? because he is willing to go further then Megatron himself ever did.

Starscream was the one who followed Megatron´s own philosophy to it´s ultimate end.

Had he been here, would be be proud of his success? Or would he be angry of his, in his eyes, dishonorable acts? That was something Starscream had been asking himself silently a short time back.

The truth was however it didn´t matter. Because now everything was his. He was the winner. He was now the one deciding what was right and wrong.

Astrotrain had finally placed the crown on his had and he started his victory speech.

"Fellow Decepticons, as your new leader I will…"

But he was interrupted.

In that moment a large, purple space-jet was descending from the sky and out came a purple Decepticon who was completely unknown to him.

The jet itself transformed into a second robot who took the place right beside the first one.

"Who disturbs my coronation?" Starscream asked, at the same time surprised, shocked and annoyed.

"Coronation Starscream? This is bad comedy," the robot commented.

Suddenly he thought he knew who it was. But that was impossible.

"Megatron. Is that you?" That was all he managed to ask.

"Here´s a hint." That was all the answer he ever got.

Galvatron transformed into a artillery gun and fired a single shot.

That was more than enough to burn Starscream from the inside out... and turn him to ash. The form of the Decepticon Air Commander crumbled into black dust in a matter of moments.

Then Galvatron took control of the situation and of the troops. He crashed the crown and asked for any other challengers.

None came.

They all hailed him as the leader of the Decepticons instead.

From somewhere inside Cyclonus quite exterior, the robot who was once Skywarp thought: `Goodbye screamer, sometimes it was nearly actually nice to have known you.´

xxxxxxx

Earth, in the year 1986

Rodimus had just, as it looked, gotten the upper hand in their fight.

The main reason the fight had even taken so long anyway was that Starscream had intentionally been putting humans at danger.

But before he could make another move, Rodimus was suddenly hit in the back by another blast from someone else, a far more powerful one.

He had already not been in the best state before. So the blast was more than enough to instantly knock him down and loose consciousness.

Floating in the air above them was Megatron, with his pointed Fusion Cannon... and flanked by Soundwave, Skywarp and Thundercracker.

xxx

A minute earlier

"Megatron, we have finally found Starscream," Skywarp informed his leader, "and as it looks he is fighting with an Autobot."

"Very good. I am coming to you," Megatron told him.

xxx

"Now - what are you doing here Starscream? Working again on your own agenda? And getting into a fight with this Autobot doing it?"

"Megatron." The Air Commander turned around. "No - you see, I have just done a little patrol-fight on my own and run into this Autobot during it. I was just showing some initiative."

"Strange that you were not scheduled for any patrol... and you had not reported back either," Megatron commented. "Maybe you should show less `initiative´ and more professional behavior."

"A mere oversight on my part," Starscream assured.

"Of course," Megatron replied, not believing a word.

"Megatron," Soundwave, who had just been searching Rodimus, addressed him, "I have found something interesting."

He was holding the pyramid device in his hand.

"This is no cybertronian technology we know of," Soundwave stated.

"Interesting indeed," Megatron replied.