"Optimus Prime?!" Starscream yelled. "Please! I mean no harm!" Orion begged. "No?! Then what are you doing here?!" Starscream questioned. "Research. For Lord Megatron." Orion said. "Is this some kind of joke?" Starscream asked.
"I do not understand." Orion said. Starscream cautiously lowered his missiles. "And why did you call me Optimus Prime?" Orion asked. "Uh, why wouldn't I?" Starscream asked. "Because my name is Orion Pax. I am far from being a Prime." Orion said. Starscream noticed the Decepticon insignias on Orion's shoulders.
"You reminded me of someone I once knew. That's all." Starscream said. "You are Starscream." Orion assumed. "Yes." Starscream said cautiously. "Lord Megatron told me you had been... terminated." Orion said. "Lord Megatron says many things. Only some of which are true." Starscream said.
"You... do not suggest that our leader would speak falsehoods?" Orion asked. Starscream laughed. "You truly are being kept in the dark, aren't you?" He asked.
Intro plays: Optimus, Bulkhead, Cyclonus, Arcee, Jetfire, Chromia, Ratchet, and Bumblebee drive down the highway and transform to find any Decepticons. Megatron shoots his cannon as Starscream transformed and fired a cluster of rockets at the Prime. Optimus and Megatron shoot at each other and clash their weapons together.
Frozen in Prime.
Written by Lord Salazar's Revenge.
Frozen is owned by Disney.
Transformers is owned by Hasbro.
"You speak in many riddles, Starscream. Please, tell me what it is that you know." Orion begged. "And in return." Starscream started. The door opened, and a few Vehicons readied their guns. "Starscream, surrender!" They ordered.
Starscream yelped and hid behind Orion. "Hold your fire!" Orion said. He ducked down, and Starscream transformed and flew away. "Remain in the lab." A Vehicon ordered. "But I -" Orion started. "Lord Megatron's orders." The Vehicon transformed and chased Starscream.
Starscream killed another group of Vehicons as the one Vehicon pursued him. He transformed, causing him to fall back and land on the Vehicon. He shot the drone down, transformed, and left the Vehicon to explode against the wall. Starscream fired a missile and blew the wall up, allowing him to escape the Nemesis. But the gun turrets activated, and one hit him in the thruster, causing him to fall.
In Autobot base, Ratchet asked, "Rafael, is the test subject ready?" Raf put down a toy car. "Check. Long range GPS activated." He said. "I have doubts whether my recalibrations have successfully extended Ground-Bridge range, but there is only one way to find out." Ratchet said.
He activated the Ground-Bridge, and Raf drove the toy car into it. "Come on, come on." Ratchet muttered. The car entered, only to explode. Ratchet groaned. "It was just the first try." Raf said. "No, Rafael, it was pure folly. A misguided act of desperation. It takes eons to master Space-Bridge engineering. And no one is more accomplished than the Decepticons." Ratchet said.
"You know, there's this thing in Gym class where you have to climb a rope all the way to the ceiling. It's really hard, and I've never been able to do it. But when I told Bee about it, he believed in me, which made me practice a ton. Finally, just a couple of weeks ago, I did it. I made it to the top." Raf said.
"What does any of this have to do with gym class?" Ratchet retorted. "I-I was just." Raf stammered. Ratchet returned to work. "I'll give you some alone time." Raf said. "Optimus, I am so sorry." Ratchet whispered.
Megatron entered Orion's area. "Orion, I'm so sorry for the recent commotion. You weren't in any way harmed, were you?" He asked. "No, Lord Megatron. But why did you tell me Starscream was dead?" Orion asked.
"Because he is dead to our cause. Starscream was my most trusted lieutenant until he turned traitor and joined the Autobots. Never have I witnessed a more profound act of deceit. He did not do or say anything troubling to you?" Megatron asked. "No." Orion said.
"Good. Perhaps it's best to forget the entire incident and return to your project." Megatron said. "As you wish, my lord." Orion said, and the door closed. Megatron scowled. "Orion was never very adept at the art of deception. I made a mistake not terminating Starscream when I had the opportunity. This is a mistake I do not intend to make again." He said to Soundwave.
Bulkhead, Jetfire, Chromia, and Cyclonus came through the Ground-Bridge. "No sign of Energon spikes. Arcee or Bee, find the Space-Bridge?" Bulkhead asked. "They haven't yet reported back." Ratchet said. "Ratchet, are you okay?" Cyclonus asked.
"Hmm? Yes. Yes. Let's just get you guys to the next quadrant." Ratchet said. The monitor beeped with a signal. "What is it?" Jetfire asked. "A high frequency signal, with an embedded message. For me." Ratchet said. "Optimus?" Chromia asked. "Starscream. 'I have obtained information regarding your leader. Bring medical kit. Come alone'." He read the message.
In the nearby forest, Starscream grasped the injury from the Nemesis, and a Ground-Bridge opened, and Ratchet emerged with Bulkhead. "I told you to come alone!" Starscream yelled. "And since when do we listen to you?" Bulkhead asked and turned his servo into a mace.
"Where is Optimus?" Ratchet asked. "Patch me up, and perhaps I'll tell you." Starscream said. Ratchet and Bulkhead shared a look. Starscream growled. "Have sympathy. I'm leaking here." He said. "Then I suggest that you speak quickly. Has Optimus been harmed in any way?" Ratchet asked. "He's fine. Fine. Can't you see I'm the one who's been harmed?" Starscream asked.
"Where is he?!" Bulkhead demanded. "Where do you think?! He's on Megatron's warship." Starscream said. "Which is located where?" Ratchet asked. "Now? Who knows. It's a ship. It moves. It took me months to track only to get fired upon." Starscream said.
"You wouldn't go to the trouble of calling me here unless you had information to trade. Real information." Ratchet said. "Very well. Your beloved leader may have lost his senses. He goes by the name Orion Pax now. And it seems Megatron has led him to believe he's a Decepticon." Starscream said.
"Tell us something we don't know." Bulkhead said, leaving Starscream baffled. "What?! How could you possibly know that!?" He asked angrily. "We're wasting our time." Ratchet said, and they walked back to the portal. "Wait! That's all I have! Really! You can't just leave me like this!" Starscream yelled.
"Unless you know where Megatron's hiding his Space-Bridge, you can stay here and rust." Bulkhead said. "Space-Bridge? Do you mean to tell me that they actually finished building it without my supervision?!" Starscream roared. But then he snickered. "It hurts most right here, doctor." Starscream motioned to his injury.
With the new information, the Autobots had the location of the Space-Bridge. "The Decepticon Space-Bridge is located right here, deep within an Energon mine." Ratchet said. "Adjacent to a raw fuel supply. Clever." Said Arcee. "What's our intel?" Chromia asked.
"A... reliable source." Ratchet said, keeping Starscream a secret. "So, do we have a consensus?" He asked. "Do we know if people can even breathe your atmosphere?" June questioned. "I'll hook Jack and Elsa up." Agent Fowler offered. June stared at him. "Completely state-of-the-art. I still have connections at NASA." Agent Fowler said.
"It's too dangerous." June said. "Mom, I know that this is hard, but Optimus risked his life to save our planet, and he's not even human. We owe it to him." Jack said. "Jack and Elsa may be the only one's who can do this, June. But I don't want you to think for one moment that I'll allow them to travel unchaperoned." Arcee said.
"Not everyone is destined for a normal life, Optimus Prime was once Orion Pax after all." Ratchet said. "Jack, when you were little you always wanted to be an astronaut." June said.
"Okay. Optimus Prime." Orion said to himself and typed the name into the terminal. "Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot invaders. I reminded Starscream of him, and Lord Megatron said Ratchet was the Autobot leader. Someone is not telling the truth." He said.
"We will Ground-Bridge directly into the Energon mine and make our way to the Space-Bridge chamber, neutralizing any Decepticon forces we encounter. Once we secure the Space-Bridge, we'll send for Elsa and Jack." Ratchet explained.
June put a reassuring hand on her children. "Stealth must be an absolute priority." Jetfire said. "We will most certainly be outnumbered, and if any Decepticons should transmit an alert to their warship," Ratchet started. "The odds become 400 to 1." Bulkhead finished.
"Scrambling communications upon entry will certainly provide an edge in this regard." Ratchet said and held up a communications scrambler. "Taking the bridge is the easy part. You guys need to hold it long enough for Jack, Elsa, and me to get to Cybertron and back." Arcee said. "Rafael climbed to the top of the rope in Gym class. We can do this." Ratchet said.
"What does Gym class have to do with anything?" Miko asked. "And if Ratchet gets to go in a commando raid, I'm going too." She said. "Miko, you will help Rafael operate our Ground-Bridge and manage the communications hub." Ratchet said. "Awe! Can't go to Cybertron! Can't storm the Decepticon Space-Bridge!" Miko huffed and marched away.
"And nurse Darby will stand by in case of emergency." Ratchet said. "Kids, it's time to suit up?" Agent Fowler said. The Ground-Bridge powered on, and Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, Jetfire, Chromia, and Cyclonus came through.
"Clear." Cyclonus said. They ran through the tunnel. Standing next to a mine drill were two Vehicons. Arcee climbed to the top of the drill, jumoed up, landed in front of the Vehicons, and kicked one. The other pointed its cannon but was beheaded by Jetfire.
"Command, this is Space-Bridge control. We are under attack!" A third Vehicon tried to call the Nemesis, but was met with static. "Command, do you -" The Vehicon was bashed by Bulkhead's mace. Ratchet made a 'shh' sound, and the Autobots ran into an elevator, which took them down.
"Going down." Bulkhead said and bashed a Vehicon's helm with his maces. They ran furthur into the mine and hid behind a few rocks. "By the Allspark." Ratchet muttered. They found the new Space-Bridge. "Thank you, Starscream." Arcee said, and Bulkhead looked at her in confusion. "Who else would it be?" Arcee asked.
Two Vehicons heard something and pointed their weapons. A large Energon mining drill fell right on top of them, and the Autobots fired. Arcee jumped and shot the last Vehicon. "A masterpiece of engineering." Ratchet observed.
"Operational?" Arcee asked. Ratchet touched the screen, and it worked. "Fully." He said. "Perimeter secured." Cyclonus said. "Now the scary part." Arcee said. "I'm shutting down the scrambler in order to contact base and maintain communication through the remainder of the mission." Ratchet said.
The monitor beeped. "Strike team to base: Objective secured." Ratchet said. "That's your que." Agent Fowler said. Jack wore a grey and black suit, and Elsa wore a dark blue suit. They climbed down the ladder as the Ground-Bridge activated, and they put their helmets on.
Raf and Anna climbed down the ladder. "Bring me back a souvenir." Raf said. "Me too!" Anna added. "So what happens when you guys have to go to the bathroom?" Miko asked. "Safe journey, kids." Agent Fowler said. "Just go already. Optimus needs you both." June said. Elsa gave her a goodbye hug, and Jack saluted them, and Agent Fowler returned the salute. June blew them a goodbye kiss, and they entered the Ground-Bridge and emerged into the Space-Bridge chamber.
"Locking onto Cybertron." Ratchet said. "You guys ready?" Arcee asked. "As we'll ever be." Elsa said. "Let's do this." Jack said, and they held their key cards. "I'll leave the Space-Bridge portal open in order to eliminate any communication lag over the great distance and make it easier for you to locate when you're ready to return." Ratchet said.
"Easier to locate? You're not bridging us straight to the Big V?" Jack asked. "Vector Sigma's true location is shrouded in myth and rumor, Jack. It is said the path of the Primes leads there. We must be confident that Optimus will guide you both." Ratchet said.
"Don't worry. Space-Bridging is just like Ground-Bridging." Arcee said. Ratchet pressed a few buttons, and the Space-Bridge roared to life. "Just a little more intense!" Arcee yelled over the roar. The trio then walked into the Space-Bridge and emerged on the desolate ruins of Cybertron.
"I-I can't believe it. I'm actually on another planet!" Jack said. "This is amazing!" Elsa shouted. "Arcee, this is incredible!" Jack said, but Arcee was silent. "Arcee?" Elsa asked. "This isn't how I wanted you guys to see my home." Arcee said with a hint of sadness as she layed optics on the ruined futuristic cities.
"We're sorry." Elsa apologized. "In the fog of war, it's hard to see beyond the next leg of the mission or the next punch in the fight. We did everything to save Cybertron, but when the fog finally lifted, there wasn't much left to save." Arcee said.
"Arcee, Jack, Elsa, do you copy?" Ratchet asked. "Roger. We're on Cybertron." Jack said. Everybody cheered. "Just keep the sightseeing to a minimum, huh?" Bulkhead asked. "Indeed. We don't know if your journey ahead is 5 clicks or 5,000." Ratchet said. "Understood. We're out." Arcee said.
"Okay. Ratchet said the cards would guide us, but I don't see how or what we're supposed -" Jack's card started glowing, as did Elsa's. They waved their cards around until the glowing got brighter in one direction. "Huh." Elsa said. "There you go." Arcee transformed. The kids climbed on and drove for wherever Vector Sigma lies.
"This could be a while." Bulkhead said, then Breakdown's voice boomed through the monitor. "Space-Bridge control, do you read me? Space-Bridge control, this is Breakdown. Your status report is overdue." Breakdown said.
"Scrap." Bulkhead muttered and then cleared his metal throat. "Bulkhead, no. He'll recognize your voice." Ratchet said. "I can make it lower. Higher?" Bulkhead asked while changing the pitch of his voice. "He would recognize mine as well." Ratchet said. "Come in, Space-Bridge control. Don't make me come down there and dent some engine blocks." Breakdown threatened.
"Somebody say something, pronto." Agent Fowler said. "Rafael, patch in Agent Fowler." Ratchet said. All humans looked to Fowler. "You have one nano cycle to respond, or -" Breakdown started until Agent Fowler poorly mimicking a Vehicon talked. "This is Space-Bridge control, situation normal." He said.
"Normal? You sure about that?" Breakdown asked. "We were just... calibrating the subsystems and we had a surge. But it's fine now. How are you?" Agent Fowler asked, and everybody got nervous. "Uh. Never better. I know it's thankless down there. Keep up the good work." Breakdown said.
"Will do. Control out." Agent Fowler hung up.
Orion was trying to decrypt the Decepticon files. "Why would the Decepticon archives be so heavily encrypted?" He asked himself. But he kept decrypting. A large image was shown. Orion continued typing, and the image was scrambled and reformed into, "How could I possibly be Optimus Prime?" Orion asked and stared at the image of Optimus.
Soundwave showed the image to Megatron. "Even our encryptions couldn't keep him from the truth. Orion has much to accomplish and he will stay the course! Even if I must inflict great pain to ensure the completion of Project Iacon." Megatron said.
Arcee, Elsa, and Jack continued riding throughout Cybertron, with both keys glowing. "That way." Jack said. "Toward Kaon?" Arcee asked. "The Decepticon Capital? Swell." Jack said sarcastically.
They drove towards a ridge, and Arcee came to a stop. "We're on foot from here." She said. Jack and Elsa climbed off, allowing the Two-wheeler to transform. "Don't want engine noise to attract the wrong kind of attention." Arcee said.
"Decepticons?" Elsa asked. "Vermin." Arcee said. "This way." Jack said. They followed the key cards into Kaon. On the underside of the bridge a Stasis pod opened, and a Cybertronian emerged. The creature started stalking them.
To be continued...
Author's note: That puts an end to the rewritten chapters. Now back to normal.