The beast roared. "A Predacon? They've been exctint since the beginning of Cybertronian history." Starscream said. "Indeed. But the specimen you see before you was bred in the laboratory. Cloned from fossilized remains, which I discovered on Cybertron." Shockwave said and put a servo on the Predacon's helm.
"Shockwave, it does my Spark good to see you once again tampering with creation." Megatron said. "Master, please keep your distance." Starscream advised. "No need for alarm. The beast is completely under my control." Shockwave assured.
"Such primal magnificence." Megatron marveled. "A sample of Energon from Wheeljack, spilled during the Autobot's failed interrogation." Shockwave said and held a vial of Energon. He held it up to the Predacon, which scanned it with its optic. "Let the hunt begin." Megatron said. The Predacon spread its wings and took off from Darkmount.
"Guys, you know I'm all for blowing the scrap out of stuff, but what does flattening a Decepticon mine have to do with getting the band back together and taking down Megatron when he can also turn summer into winter?" Miko asked. "Simple. When we light up this place, the blast will be big and unmistakable." Wheeljack said.
"Any Autobot within 500 clicks will see the sky glowing with Energon and come running." Bulkhead finished. "Then bring the rain." Miko said.
"Mainframe's up and running, but I'll need help hacking the operating codes." Raf said. "Even if the Ground-Bridge proves functional, it will be next to worthless without a means of pinpointing the current locations of our compatriots." Ratchet said.
Bee buzzed. "Use your head, Bumblebee. If the Decepticons had the ability to track Autobot signals, we'd all have been at Megatron's mercy here on Earth a long time ago." Ratchet said. "Back where we started." Raf sighed. "But not if I can reconfigure these Decepticons frequencies. At the very least, we may be able to access their comm link." Ratchet said and set to work.
"No one's seen or heard from you since Cybertron went dark. How did you find your way to Earth?" Arcee asked. "Soldier, we may not be on Cybertron, but military protocol remains." Ultra Magnus said. "My apologies, sir." Arcee said. "Sir?" Jack pondered. "Why?" Elsa asked. "Why can't we just call you by your name?" Anna asked.
"Advise the native lifeforms to watch their tones as well." Ultra Magnus said. "What?" Jack asked. "Who is he?" Elsa asked. "Ultra Magnus was Optimus' key lieutenant during the war back on Cybertron. Very by the book. Just go with it." Arcee explained.
"As for your broader question: My story is that of all Autobots since the exodus. I wandered the spaceways in search of others. Reuniting with some often, only to see them fall at the hands of the Decepticons." Ultra Magnus told. "Until you detected the Omega beam and followed it here." Arcee said. "If you're referring to the massive energy burst originating from Cybertron, that would be affirmative. Upon my arrival, it became evident that this planet had been invaded. My scanners also detected Autobot life-signals. Yours being in closest proximity to my position." Ultra Magnus said.
"Signals? As in plural?" Jack asked hopefully. Ultra Magnus narrowed his blue optics. "Sir." Elsa said for Jack. "8 total." Ultra Magnus said. "Out of 10." Jack said. "Jack, that doesn't necessarily mean what you're thinking. Autobot signals can't be detected when they're shielded." Arcee explained.
Smokescreen phased out of the ground. "Cozy little place you built for yourself, Megatron. Finding the Forge in there may take a while. Then again, maybe you still keep your valuables in the usual place." Smokescreen said and looked at the Nemesis docked next to Darkmount.
He phased through a wall but paused when a Vehicon patrol passed. Smokescreen phased out of the wall and into another and ended up on a platform in the open next to Darkmount and phased into the Nemesis.
"I won't let you down, Optimus." Smokescreen said as he phased through the walls of the warship. "I'm sorry, overreacting? Easy for you to say, Knockout." Starscream said. Smokescreen phased into the vault before the Decepticons appeared. "Nobody here wants your post. I, on the other hand, hold the most coveted position within the Decepticon ranks, and no matter what he may claim, I know that Shockwave is planning to usurp me." Starscream said.
Smokescreen listened to him through the wall until his voice faded to nothing. Smokescreen backed up and phased into something. He turned around and yelped when he saw Airachnid's face and fell out. He realized that Airachnid was still in Stasis. "You don't scare me, ugly." Smokescreen said.
He noticed the Forge of Solus Prime in another holder. "Hello, beautiful." Smokescreen said.
Wheeljack planted the last bomb and activated it. He and Bulkhead ran out of the cave entrance and joined Miko. "Munitions planted." Bulkhead said. "Let's get this party started." Wheeljack held his detonator. "Company." Miko said. They saw something coming at them. "Megatron?" Wheeljack asked. "Nah. Bigger." Bulkhead said.
The Predacon spun around in the moonlight. "I don't remember seeing that move in Buckethead's repertoire." Bulkhead said. The Predacon spread its wings as its neck glowed, and it blew a stream of fire at them. Bulkhead grabbed Miko, and he and Wheeljack jumped away before they could be fried.
"A dragon?! Where'd the 'Cons get a dragon?" Miko asked. "What's a dragon?" Wheeljack and Bulkhead asked at the same time. "Giant, flying, fire-breathing lizard." Miko said. The Predacon released another stream of fire, but the Wreckers dove away, and Bulkhead transformed to protect Miko.
Wheeljack yelled and shot the Predacon, but his attacks did nothing. The Predacon used its tail to whack Wheeljack into a rock. Before it could eat him, Bulkhead transformed and bashed his mace into the Predacon's helm.
The Predacon breathed fire as the green Wrecker ran away and knocked him away. "Bulkhead!" Miko gasped from behind a rock.
"You okay?" She asked and ran to him as he put out the fire on his arm. "Easy. I may be hot to the touch." He warned. The Predacon hissed. "Why isn't it coming after us?" Miko asked. "You lookin' for me, beast? I'm right here." Wheeljack said. A grenade underneath the Predacon exploded, but the Predacon was unharmed.
"We're gonna need more firepower!" Bulkhead yelled. "Goid thing I know just where to find some." Wheeljack bolted for the Energon mine.
Vehicons were deeper into the mine, mining Energon crystals when Wheeljack ran through. "Incoming!" He warned. "Autobots!" A Vehicon yelled, and they aimed their cannons, then thr mine shook. The Vehicons turned around and saw the Predacon clawing its way through the tunnel. The Vehicons yelled and followed Wheeljack, who transformed and drove underneath the Predacon to get out of the mine.
Bulkhead and Miko waited as Wheeljack came out and transformed. "And the walls came tumbling down." The white Wrecker held his detonator and pressed the button. The entire mine was consumed in yellow and blue fire. "Yes! Snuff the tragic dragon!" Miko said.
Bulkhead looked at her, and then they heard rumbling as the Predacon came out of the collapsed mine unharmed. "We're toast." Miko said. The Predacon flew at them. Wheeljack shot the Predacon, but Ultra Magnus' ship blasted it away. "One of ours?" Bulkhead asked. "Does it matter?" Wheeljack asked.
They ran as the Predacon recovered. It roared and flew at them. The ship descended, and the elevator hatch lowered. Wheeljack and Bulkhead, holding Miko, jumped on as the Predacon launched fireballs at them. Wheeljack returned fire before the hatch closed.
Wheeljack deactivated his cannon. "Hey!" Jack said. "Jack, Elsa, Anna!" Miko said as Bulkhead put her down, and he hugged Arcee. Miko hugged Anna, then squeeze-hugged Elsa and Jack. "Miko, we can't... breathe!" Elsa wheezed. Miko let go and gently punched Elsa in the shoulder. "What was that for?" She asked. "Weakling." Miko said.
Bulkhead set Arcee down. "Thanks for the save." Wheeljack thanked. "Thank the commander." Arcee said. "Soldiers." Ultra Magnus said in the pilot seat. "You." Wheeljack said, disappointed. "Ultra Magnus? It's an honor." Bulkhead said. "It's an honor, 'sir'." Ultra Magnus corrected. "Guess blowing that mine made us pretty easy to spot." Wheeljack said.
"Ultra Magnus already had a bead on your signals and ours. Care to tell us what exactly is nipping at our tailpipes?" Arcee asked. "We think it's a robot dragon." Miko said. "Or a Cybertronian reptile." Jack said. "Or a magical monster from me and Anna's stories." Elsa said.
The Predacon hissed. The Ultra Magnus noticed the beast on his monitor. "Brace yourselves." He said as the Predacon released fireballs. Bulkhead and Wheeljack held the children. Ultra Magnus and the Predacon flew above the clouds, and the Predacon blew streams of fire at the ship.
Ultra Magnus flipped the ship around, and they were now behind the Predacon. Ultra Magnus started shooting, and one blast hit the Predacon. Ultra Magnus lept firing, and the Predacon disappeared into the clouds.
Ultra Magnus looked around, and then the Predacon appeared out of nowhere. It released another wave of fire, and Ultra Magnus moved the ship aside, but a thruster was hit by the blast. The Predacon gave chase and kept firing.
Then the ship jolted. "It's right on top of us." Jack said. The Predacon appeared on the windshield and roared. Everyone yelled.
Ultra Magnus steered the ship into a canyon and bashed it against rocks, but the Predacon held tight. Jack held tight while Elsa resisted the growing urge to puke. Ultra Magnus turned a corner and up a dead-end. He flipped the ship around, and the Predacon roared before getting smacked off by a rock. The ship escaped.
The Predacon burst out of a cluster of rocks and roared furiously.
Agent Fowler pressed a button on his phone. "What is it now, 'Lord' Megatron?" He asked. "Agent Fowler, it's Ratchet." Ratchet said. "Ratchet?! Where are Jack, Elsa, and Anna? Are they with you?" June asked. "No, they are not. Listen, we don't have much time. I have taken a tremendous yet calculated risk in contacting you. Hopefully, the Decepticon are not monitoring their own frequencies as closely as they no doubt are those of the humans. I am transmitting our current coordinates." Ratchet said.
"Ratchet, something's coming!" Chromia said and entered. "What?" Ratchet asked. "Ratchet, have you heard from anyone else? What about Prime?" Agent Fowler asked. Ratchet hung up. The 5 Autobots and Raf ran out of the Harbinger. Bee raised a servo and buzzed warningly at Raf. "It's one of ours." Ratchet said as the mysterious ship descended next to the Harbinger.
The elevator hatch lowered, revealing Jack, Miko, Elsa, and Anna. "Raf!" Miko yelled as she, Elsa, and Anna ran and hugged the boy. "Girl's got a grip, doesn't she?" Jack asked. He hugged Raf as well. "You're alive." Jetfire marveled as Arcee, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack stepped off the hatch. Ultra Magnus was last. "Ultra Magnus?" Ratchet asked. "Doctor." Ultra Magnus said.
"What a grave disappointment this must be for you, Master. And to make matters worse, because it can not speak, we have no way of knowing why the Predacon failed so miserably. Poor, mute, mindless creature." Starscream said. The Predacon growled at the Seeker.
Bee buzzed. "New paint job looks good, Bee." Bulkhead said. "At least you had something to work with. If I reversed my colors, I'd be pink." Arcee said. "The communications link needs further calibration to be compatible with Autobot frequencies. The Ground-Bridge, however, is fully operational." Ratchet said to Ultra Magnus.
"That would have come in handy when Robo-Dragon was trying to eat us for breakfast." Miko said. "The indigenous population of this planet, do they all display the same disregard for authority?" Ultra Magnus asked. "No. Mostly just Miko." Ratchet said.
They noticed a jet coming. Ultra Magnus readied his cannons. "No, don't shoot." Chromia said. "It's Fowler. He's with us." Jetfire said. The jet landed. June climbed out first. "Mama!" Anna yelled. June, Anna, Jack, and Elsa hugged each other. "It's okay, Mom. We're fine." Jack said.
Miko and Raf hugged June next. "Your families are safe. Agent Fowler saw to it that Jasper was evacuated in time." June assured. "The only signals Ultra Magnus was able to isolate are standing right here." Arcee said. "Maybe his scanner's faulty." Wheeljack said.
"So the kid's unaccounted for." Cyclonus said. "Smokescreen bridged out with you 3. Then he disappeared only Optimus knows where now, and Optimus remained behind to destroy the Ground-Bridge to ensure that everyone else made it to safety." Ratchet said.
"I watched the base go down. No one or thing walked out of there." Agent Fowler said. "Not that we could see." June said. "Even if Prime survived, I'm not sure we can afford to wait for him to show up, not with Megatron holding our planet hostage from his high and mighty perch at Darkmount." Agent Fowler said.
"I would be inclined to agree with the native lifeform. We must stop Megatron with or without Optimus Prime." Ultra Magnus agreed.
Smokescreen dragged the Forge into the cave with Optimus. "Optimus, I have the Forge. You can use it to repair yourself." He said. "That... is not the reason... I had you retrieve the relic." Optimus wheezed. "What? I don't understand." Smokescreen said. "The power of the Forge... is not unlimited. Its energy has already begun... to ebb." Optimus weakly explained.
"So it's running low. Who cares? All we need is enough juice to get you back into fighting shape." Smokescreen said. "Whatever power remains... must be used... to rebuild the Omega Lock to restore Cybertron." Optimus said weakly. "But that would mean.." Smokescreen started. "The fate of all our kind... is more vital... than that of any one of us. Including me." Optimus groaned.
"We must do everything in our power to ensure Megatron's downfall. But if he has magic like you said, it will be more dangerous. But we will need to be smart about it." Ultra Magnus said. "Whoa. Who put Shoulder Pads in command?" Wheeljack asked.
"Temporary command." Elsa said. "Ultra Magnus is the only logical choice. He was trained by Optimus and served as his commanding officer throughout the war for Cybertron." Ratchet said.
"Now, unless there is any further objection, soldier, please follow me." Ultra Magnus said. "Aye, aye, captain." Wheeljack said glumly. They all entered the ship, and Ultra Magnus opened a weapons closet. "Autobots, take your pick." He said.
"Now you're speaking my language, sir." Wheeljack said.
"Optimus, the Forge is a relic of the Primes. We can't use it to restore Cybertron. Not without a Prime. Not without you." Smokescreen said. "There will be... a new Prime." Optimus wheezed. "You can worry about that after we get you patched up and we take down Megatron." Smokescreen said.
Optimus put a servo on his arm. "The time for a new leader... is upon us. In my Spark, I believe... that leader stands before me right now." He groaned. Smokescreen gaped at him.