Cybertron's two moons cast enough light to light the way. The keys glowed brighter than normal. "We must be close." Jack said. They walked into a large arena with a huge statue of Megatron above the entrance. Elsa noticed it. "Megatron." She whispered.
They were now in one of the gladiatorial pits of Kaon. Then, a Cyber-quake started rocking the area. Cracks spread across the ground, and the key cards glowed even brighter. A column fell down from the wall, and a huge door emerged from the ground.
"Vector Sigma's down here?" Elsa asked. "Kaon didn't always belong to the Decepticons. Megatron took it as their capital, apparently without ever realizing what lay beneath their feet." Arcee said.
Pebbles fell onto them. They looked up and saw the creature that was stalking them, a bug-like creature.
The creature jumped down and tried to pummel Arcee, but she dodged in time and shot the creature, but it was like being hit with pebbles compared to the shots. The creature noticed the Autobot symbol on Arcee's back. It growled and smashed into her and sent her into one of the columns.
"Arcee!" Jack shouted. The creature looked at them and saw the key cards. The thing ran at them, but Arcee got in front of them and shot the thing back. With the creature distracted, Jack contacted Ratchet. "We're being attacked by some kind of giant bot beetle!" He said.
"An Insecticon!" Ratchet identified. "A what?" June asked. "What are Decepticons doing on Cybertron?" Raf questioned. "A few remained in Stasis. Sentries should the... enemy return." Ratchet explained.
Arcee jumped on the columns, shot the Insecticon, transformed, and drove forward. The Insecticon quickly caught up, but Arcee transformed, and the Insecticon flew over her.
"Jack, Elsa, go!" Arcee ordered. "Seriously?" Jack asked. "Without Arcee? She's their guide!" June protested. "No, nurse Darby, Arcee is their backup. The key cards are their guide." Ratchet said.
"Do it!" Arcee yelled as she continued shooting the Insecticon. "Listen to her, kids. You both made it this far. Optimus is counting on you." June said. "Roger that, mom." Jack said. He took Elsa's arm and brought her through the door as it closed.
"Orion, have you made progress with Project Iacon?" Megatron asked. "It seems I am a bit rustier than I thought." Orion lied. "Might that have anything to do with the nature of your after-hours research? Did I fail to mention that we would be tracking your activities?" Megatron pressed a button, and the image of Optimus Prime appeared.
"Why does history portray me siding with the Autobot aggressors? And why did Starscream call me a Prime? I must know. Who am I?" Orion asked. "You are my clerk. Now get back to work and decode that database." Megatron ordered.
"No. I would rather erase my findings than make them available for your questionable use." Orion said. He pressed a button, and the Iacon coordinates were erased, and the Decepticon insignia filled the screen. Orion glared at Megatron and turned to leave until the warlord laughed. He pressed another button, and the coordinates came back. "Did you really think that we wouldn't be tracking and documenting every iota of your invaluable research?" Megatron asked.
Soundwave came in, an image of Cybertron on his visor. "One of our sentries was activated... on Cybertron?" Megatron questioned. "You told me our planet was dead." Orion said. "That is beside the point. Guards! You will finish Project Iacon by the time I return, or I will carve out your Spark before your very eyes!" Megatron threatened and held an icy Dark Energon dagger at Orion.
Arcee continued shooting at the Insecticon. She kicked it and dodged its insect legs. She then climbed to the top of a column and shot the Insecticon. It then transformed into a giant beetle and ramed her into the wall. Arcee fell to the ground, and the Insecticon transformed and landed in front of the doorway to Vector Sigma. It ripped a large chunk of door off and ran inside. Arcee didn't move.
Jack and Elsa continued walking through a large, dark hallway and then heard a clatter. "What was that?" Elsa asked. There was nothing behind them. "Probably just something falling." Jack said. "What's this?" Elsa grabbed a nearby object and pulled it. It was just a rod. "Never mind." Elsa said. Behind them were a couple dozen Scraplets.
"The activity log indicates my Space-Bridge was set for Cybertron and remains open. The only possible reason the Autobots would take such a risk would be to restore their precious Optimus Prime." Megatron said.
The key cards grew much brighter, and Jack and Elsa came across another large door which automatically opened up, revealing a huge room where Vector Sigma was. "Hey, everyone, we're in." Jack said. "Sweet!" Miko said. June was very proud of her kids.
"So, how does this work?" Elsa asked as they crossed the bridge onto the platform. "I think the keys go here." Jack pointed to two ports in the center of the platform. They placed the keys into the ports, and they grew larger. The area started moving, knocked them off their feet.
The platform arose from the floor, and a huge ball of energy with orbiting rings emerged from the center, and Vector Sigma began to supercharge the keys.
"This is... wow." Jack whispered. "Commencing download. I think." He said. "Soon, Optimus." Ratchet said.
"No one told you to stop, Pax." A Vehicon guard said, and they pointed their guns. "I believe Megatron intends to use whatever he finds in Project Iacon to harm the Autobots. Please. We can warn them." Orion said. A Vehicon punched and kicked him, and they aimed their triangle shaped cannons again.
"This is taking a while." Jack said. "Of course it is. We are talking about the collective wisdom of the Primes." Ratchet said. Above them, the dozens of Scraplets that were dining on the wall noticed Vector Sigma. They opened their mouths and flew towards the console. Jack and Elsa yelped and tried to attack them, but they got past and attacked Vector Sigma.
"What is it, kids?" Ratchet asked. "Scraplets!" Jack yelled. "What's a Scraplet?" June asked. "Why did it have to be Scraplets?" Bulkhead groaned. "If they chew through Vector Sigma before the Matrix fully reloads -" Ratchet started, then a Ground-Bridge opened. "So, Vector Sigma is more than legend." Megatron said.
"You Autobots have gone to impressive lengths to recover your leader. Be assured, I shall never underestimate you again. Now, I assume the one called Arcee will be stepping through that portal with a reloaded Matrix of Leadership in hand." He continued.
"We hold the Space-Bridge at all costs." Ratchet said. "Remember about his magic." Cyclonus warned. The Autobots shot at Megatron, and the warlord charged at Bulkhead and sent him flying near the Space-Bridge.
He grabbed Ratchet by the helm and tossed him away. He did the same with Bee. Then purple magic conjured around his servos, and he readied to freeze the Space-Bridge beyond repair until Bulkhead and Ratchet rammed into him again. He threw Ratchet into a wall. "You're going down, buckethead!" Bulkhead yelled and smashed into Megatron, sending them both falling below the Space-Bridge.
Arcee finally came to. She heard chewing and saw a Scraplet devouring her knee, and she shot it. "Jack? Elsa?" Arcee called, then noticed a hole in the door. She quickly transformed and drove in.
The Scraplets continued devouring Vector Sigma as Jand Elsa hit them with objects, but there was no stopping them. Vector Sigma began to slow down. "Oh, no, no, no, no, don't quit now!" Jack said. They heard a growing noise. "Arcee!" Elsa said happily, but a giant Cybertronian beetle flew into the room and transformed. It was the Insecticon.
"Not you again!" Elsa said. The Insecticon advanced towards them but stopped when it saw the Scraplets. Elsa got an idea. The 8-year-old grabbed a Scraplet. "You things like metal so much? Go get it!" She said and threw the Scraplet at the Insecticon, which ran away but was attacked. The other Scraplets noticed the Insecticon and flew off Vector Sigma to eat it.
The Insecticon roared in pain as its arms were chewed off, and it fell off the bridge, taking all Scraplets with it. "Is it wrong to feel sorry for it?" Elsa asked. "I don't know." Jack said. Vector Sigma finally finished loading the keys, and the giant orb sank back into the floor as it closed, and the panel went to the ground as well.
The kids retrieved the keys and ran for the exit. They heard a growing motor sound, and Arcee found them. "We have the Matrix." Jack said.
Now fed up with the resistance, Megatron stomped his pede, covering the ground in a thick sheet of purple ice, immobilizing the Autobots. Cyclonus tried to stand up but slipped and fell. Megatron grinned and stepped towards the Space-Bridge.
The Vehicons kicked Orion. "You have to admit, it's a privilege to stomp the former leader of the Autobots." One of them said. Orion looked at the image of Optimus, then the Vehicons, who continued kicking and punching him. "No! Please stop!" Orion begged.
They didn't stop. "Enough!" Orion proclaimed, and his servos turned into cannons. "I'm... armed?" Orion asked. The Vehicons shot at him, and Orion shot back while looking away. He hesitantly looked back and saw the Vehicons were dead.
Arcee, Jack, and Elsa were getting closer to the portal. "We're almost there." Jack said. "Ratchet, we have the Matrix. We're coming through." Arcee said. She came to a stop, and the kids got off so she could transform. "Ratchet?" She asked again. "Something's wrong." Arcee said.
On the other side of the Space-Bridge, Megatron unsheethed his wrist blade. "We can't not go through. Can we?" Jack asked.
"Come, Arcee, so that I might end the lineage of the Primes for all time." Megatron said, then a Ground-Bridge opened behind him. "I can not allow that to happen, Megatron!" Orion said. "And why should you care, Orion Pax? You are no Prime." Megatron said. "That may be true, or yet another deception. But this much I do know: My sympathies lie with the Autobots, and you are not one of us." Orion said and unsheethed his own wrist blades.
Orion yelled and charged at Megatron, his blades high and ready to strike down, but Megatron blocked it with his cannon, and he punched Orion in the gut. "Your Spark may be in the right place, Orion." Megatron punches his down again. "But you have much to learn before you can hope to ever again stand your ground against me. A moment, sadly, which shall never come." Before Megatron could stab him, Arcee came through the Space-Bridge, transformed, and kicked Megatron away.
Orion got up as Jack and Elsa came through with the key cards that they held up. "Are you both... certain I am worthy?" Orion asked. "You have no idea." Jack said. Their keys lit up, and each one released a beam of energy into Orion's chassis, which opened up, revealing the empty Matrix of Leadership.
Arcee kept shooting at Megatron, only for him to grab her and pin her against the wall. "How nice of you to join our little reunion. Now, if you please, the Matrix!" Megatron ordered but heard a high-pitched sound. He turned and saw the kids refueling the Matrix. He angrily dropped Arcee and ran at them.
Ratchet saw Megatron, crawled off the ice sheet, and ran at him, but the warlord swiped him aside. As soon as the energy transfer was done, both keys left Jack and Elsa's hands and hovered in the air before landing in Orion's servos, and his chassis closed.
"NO!" Megatron cried as he readied his wrist blade, but Optimus caught it in midair. "Megatron." His battle mask covered his face, and Megatron's optics widened in fear. "Begone." Optimus began to punch him multiple times and delivered an uppercut, which sent Megatron flying into the wall.
The other Autobots came to and joined their leader. "Ratchet, how did we arrive here?" Optimus asked. "Long story, old friend." Ratchet said. "Base to Arcee, we're reading 8 Autobot life signals down there. Is Prime with you?" Agent Fowler asked. "And Jack, and Elsa." Arcee said. "Yay!" Anna cheered. June sighed happily.
Megatron weakly climbed up from the ledge as the Autobots shot at him, and a Ground-Bridge opened. "It's ours!" Chromia shouted. "Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered. Megatron ran at them again. Arcee picked up Jack and Elsa and entered the Ground-Bridge. "This time, he's coming with us." Bulkhead proclaimed.
They all entered the portal with Optimus as last. He and Megatron kept shooting and dodging, and then the Prime leaped into his portal as it closed. Megatron roared in fury.
The Ground-Bridge powered on as the humans ran to it. First came Arcee, Jack, and Elsa. The kids removed their helmets. "Jackie! Elsa!" Anna squealed. "Kids!" June said, and they ran to hug them as the other Autobots came through, and last but not least, Optimus Prime came through in all his glory.
"Optimus?" Raf asked. "Hello, Rafael." Optimus said. "Whoa." Raf said. "Big guy remembers us!" Miko exclaimed. "Although it seems there is much I do not remember." Optimus said as he eyed one of his Decepticon badges. "Optimus, it has truly been our darkest hour. But know this: From every indication your Spark never ceased being that of an Autobot." Ratchet said.
All Autobots and humans surrounded their newly returned leader.