"Overlord?"

Thad, Doll, and Lizzy all turned to Uzi as she mentioned the name, expecting her to suddenly ramble a flood trivia about whoever it belonged to. But she could only give them a shrug, as even running the name through her memory banks, nothing still comes up. "Who the hell is—"

Before Uzi could finish her question, Brawl placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "No time for questions, lass," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument as he began to push her forward toward the entrance. "We are to be getting a move on!"

The others exchanged uneasy glances before following, their steps hurried and uncertain. Ahead, Onslaught barked orders to the rest of the Combaticons. "Blast Off, I already called for a Decepticon dropship. It's stationed three kliks from here at launchpad 7-B. I need you to map the best route."

"On it, boss." Blast Off's response was swift as a holographic projection sprung from his arm, casting a glowing map of Kaon into the air. The city's sprawling streets and towering structures formed a labyrinth, with several potential routes branching toward their destination.

"I've already outlined multiple paths," Blast Off continued, his fingers deftly adjusting the map with rapid, precise motions. "But considering our, uh, present company, I'll need to make adjustments for stealth."

"I don't care how you do it. Just get it done." Onslaught turned his attention to his daughter. "Vortex, you and Brawl are in charge of the brats. Keep them in line, and make sure they do as they're told while we are on the move."

Vortex's optics flickered with annoyance, and her posture stiffened. With a frustrated growl, she threw her arm down, prompting two of the helicopter blades on her back to extend forward, curving menacingly around her wrists like claws. "What the hell, Dad? You're sticking me on babysitting duty? I should be on the frontlines if we're up against that freak-bot! You know I'm the best fighter here—"

"Don't let one lucky win over Arcee go to your head," Onslaught snapped, the crimson glow of his optics blazed so fiercely behind his visor that they pierced through the yellow lens of his helmet. "Especially since she wiped the floor with you right after. Besides," he added with a cold edge, "all you'd do is excite him. Swindle and I will take the front."

"You know," Swindle grumbled, rolling down a heavy steel gate over the bar's windows, "it'd be nice if just once you'd ask before volunteering me to be in the most dangerous spots." His eyes narrowed as he secured the gate in place. "Bad enough I'm about to lose a week of business 'cause no one wants to be out with that maniac roaming around—"

"Pipe down." Onslaught shot down the complaint immediately. He gestured toward Uzi and the others. "Arm them with whatever you've got."

Swindle froze, he looked horrified by the very idea. "You're just having me give them weapons for free? Onslaught, do I look like a charity?!" His protests fell on deaf audio receptors as the commander fixed him with a cold glare. With a defeated groan, Swindle relented, his chest compartment sliding open to reveal an array of blasters and other kinds of weaponry. Begrudgingly, he began handing them out to the colony drones. "Fine, fine, I'll just give you kids what I got on hand, but no complaining it isn't anything too fancy! I am put on quite a spot."

Thad accepted a blaster hesitantly, gripping it tightly in both hands. His optics flickered with unease, and one even twitched slightly as his processor flashed back to Kalis, and the theater. It felt as if it was too soon to hold a weapon again, as he could still recall the faces of the Autobots he and the others had…murdered together.

A light touch on his shoulder pulled him from the memory. He turned to see Lizzy standing beside him, her own blaster resting comfortably over her shoulder. "We'll just have to deal with it, for now," she said softly, her tone steady, though the tension in her stance betrayed her nerves.

Thad gave a shaky chuckle, though the sound lacked humor. "Yeah, sure. It's not like everyone here has weapons built into their bodies or anything," he muttered, trying to mask his unease with sarcasm. "We kind of need them, right?"

Uzi and Doll, however, refused when Swindle presented them his wares.

"I've already got everything I need," Uzi said, firmly. She held up her right arm, which began to shift and reconfigure. From her wrist to her forearm, it transformed with smooth mechanical precision into a sleek, cannon-like weapon.

Doll simply crossed her arms and gestured over her shoulder at the helicopter blades mounted on her back. "I'll stick with what I know," she muttered.

Though they'd turned him down, Swindle was if anything—insistent. "Look, boss says I need to arm you, so I gotta give you something." He rummaged through his chest compartment and pulled out a strange purple hilt with an open port at one end. "This little gem? Got it from a galaxy far, far away. Even matches your hair color! Just, uh… be careful which direction you flick it on."

Uzi eyed the odd device with skepticism but ultimately shrugged and stuffed it into the pocket of her hoodie. "Sure, why not," she muttered.

Swindle then turned his attention to Doll and was about to take something out for her as well. "And for you, young Russian-speaking lady, how about a—" "I won some money in my drinking game," Doll dryly interrupted him, her eyes narrowed. "How much do I need to pay you to log off?" Swindle tilted his head, considering the question for a moment. "...How much you got?"

Uzi rolled her eyes and walked off, leaving her cousin to deal with the overly persistent salesman. She approached Onslaught, who was in the middle of a hushed conversation with Brawl. With her already nonexistent patience running thin, she called out to the Combaticon leader while using her non-cannon hand to gesture her outrage. "Okay, seriously, can someone just tell me what the hell is going on? Who's Overlord, and why is everyone acting like they're about to short-circuit? I mean, come on—we're in a city full of Decepticons. You said it yourself—this place is a military zone. What's the big deal? Does he have an army or something? Is he a giant?"

Brawl snorted and muttered under his breath, "He do be a tall son of a glitch—"

"Enough," Onslaught interrupted, silencing his ally with a gesture before turning to face Uzi. "Your people were in stasis, right?" He didn't wait for her to confirm. "And your colony logs, like most, stopped recording when the planet died. That means not only are you missing over four million years of history—" He paused, letting the gravity of such information sink in as Uzi's eyes widened. "—but also, a lot of things were never officially recorded. After all, you don't know who Shockwave is, right?"

Uzi hesitated, an unsure expression on her face. "Uh… other than the fact his name is super phallic?" Her arm shifted back to normal as her confidence wavered.

"To be fair for the little one," Brawl chimed in, taking a swig from a flask on his belt, "shock didn't mean what it does now before the war."

"Focus," Onslaught snapped before addressing Uzi again. "The point is, kid, Overlord's reputation isn't something you can read about in a data file. He's a Decepticon in name only because he's bad news, plain and simple. If he's loose, we've got more trouble on our hands than even you can comprehend."

Brawl nodded grimly. "Aye. When we say he's bad news, we mean the kind that most bots don't survive to hear twice from, you get what we are saying, lass?"

Uzi began to look genuinely concerned, wondering just what kind of drone this Overlord was to make even seasoned Decepticons so worried. Her mind, however, was soon distracted as the others gathered at her side.

"So, does that mean we're gonna fight him?" she asked, glancing at her companions. Each had their own reaction to the idea. Thad looked the most worried with his optics darting nervously, while Lizzy and Doll simply shrugged, looking as nonchalant as ever. Strangely, the latter two's collective indifference gave Uzi a small measure of confidence. "Maybe we can—" A loud slam cut her off, as Onslaught's fist collided with the bar's front door. The force reverberated through the room, making Uzi, the others, and what few bar patrons that were left flinch.

"There is no 'maybe.' Got it?" Onslaught growled, as he leaned down to glare directly into Uzi's visor, straight to her optics. "You need to understand," he made sure to stress his wording as much as possible so that they were seething with urgency. "He. Will. Kill. You. There's no reasoning with him, no chance of survival. The second he gets his hands on you, you're already dead. But he won't make it quick. He'll make sure you're the last one he kills. Your friends?" Onslaught motioned towards the other teens around Uzi with a grim nod. "He'll make you watch as he tears them apart first, piece by piece, just to make you suffer. Just because he finds that kind of stuff fun!"

The teens stared at him in stunned silence, their eyes hollow as the weight of his words sank in. They can tell that there is no exaggeration in his words, just pure stating of fact. Especially as Onslaught's optics, dimly visible through his helmet visor, flicked toward each of them, as if daring to try and argue any further. "Which is why we're getting you out of the city. Now. "

"...What?" Uzi shouted, her optic flaring brightly as frustration boiled over. She threw her hands in the air, her voice rising with indignation. "We can't leave! We just got here! We haven't even met this Wave guy yet, or gotten an Energon chip for our—"

"Swindle!"

The yellow-armored drone grumbled under his breath but complied as he reached into his chest compartment. After a moment of rummaging, he pulled out a red, star-shaped object. It pulsed faintly, glowing with an inner light that radiated sheer power. Without ceremony, he tossed it toward the group.

Thad caught it purely on reflex, though his eyes did widen as he recognized what it was. An energon chip.

"There," Onslaught said, as he dismissively waved his hand toward the boy. "That's what you need for your colony. Take it back, hand it over, and let your people pledge their undying allegiance to the Decepticon or whatever. I really do not care." He then glared at Uzi. "But right now, your survival is the priority. You're leaving. End of story."

Onslaught turned, hand poised to push open the door of the bar, but froze as Doll called out to him. "You're making it sound as if we're the ones being targeted, specifically." Her narrowed optics bore into the Decepticon commander, who visibly tensed at her words. "What reason would he have to come after us?" Doll continued, as her expression darkened. "This city is over 190 kilometers wide. It should be impossible for a single dangerous drone to just 'happen' to find us... unless he was looking for us."

Onslaught's only response was a deep, frustrated sigh as he leaned his head against the door.

"Oh shock," Lizzy muttered, gripping her blaster tighter, her optics darting between the others. "So this Overlord is after us? What did we even do? We literally just got here—wait..." She turned to Uzi, her expression hardening. "Is this somehow the loser's fault?"

"I am gonna shoot you in the Primus-damn face, I swear to—"

"Uzi." Brawl's low, gravelly voice sliced through her angry retort, silencing her. Uzi's hollow eyes narrowed, defiance simmering beneath her tense posture, even as the hulking Combaticon stepped forward and loomed over her small frame. "Remember when I told you some of us have scores to settle? And how we don't like those scores being settled without our say?"

Uzi nodded. "Yeah, but who could I have—" Her words caught in her throat, the realization dawning upon her as quickly as a bolt of plasma leaving a blaster. "Right. I killed Impactor."

"Aye," Brawl continued, his tone growing more heavy. "Overlord had a big score to settle with that one. He made sure everyone knew Impactor was his. Said if anyone dared take what was his, they'd make the top of his own little list of playmates ." The shadows that fell across Brawl's helmeted face only added to the weight of his words. "Our spy network in Iacon told us plenty. Word's already spreading about Impactor's death. It's not widely known who did it yet… but Overlord is smart enough to be two and two together if new Decepticons show up right after the death of an Autobot hero. There might be a connection, and when he does find you…" Instead of finishing his sentence, he simply shook his head, the silent motion conveying more dread than words ever could. "I need you to understand, little lass. You're all in danger."

"I don't even know the guy!" Uzi yelled out, though the slight tremor in her words betrayed her growing unease. "Come on, aren't we all Decepticons? Shouldn't that matter?"

"It doesn't," Brawl said flatly, his tone devoid of comfort. "Not to him. It never does with him. He doesn't care about reason or logic. He cares about making an example. And you? You're just some little punk who got in the way of something he wanted. That's all you are to him. That's all you'll ever be to him."

Uzi's defiance finally began to crumble. She looked down, her optics falling to the scuffed and dirty flooring of the bar as a shiver rippled through her frame. Her mind betrayed her, conjuring images of what kind of monster Overlord might be. Her imagination spun dark, terrifying possibilities that clung to her thoughts no matter how much she tried to push them away.

"Primus, shocking damn it, Uzi," Uzi felt the reassuring weight of a hand on her shoulder. Lizzy's tone softened, a mix of annoyance and concern. "Of all the useless talents you have, why is one of them throwing us into the worst possible trouble? "

Despite the dread clawing at her spark, Uzi managed a weak, almost reflexive smile. Leave it to Lizzy to find just the right sarcastic jab to keep her grounded. "Oh, bite me."

"Hey, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything," Thad began hesitantly, sliding the energon chip into his vest. "But why are you guys helping us? I mean, it kind of seems like a 'our problem' kind of thing, without you needed to—" He stopped mid-sentence as every Combaticon turned to look at him, their stares heavy with unspoken judgment. "Kid," Onslaught sounded downright offended as he asked. "Just who the hell do you think we are?"

"Yeah, like we're gonna sit in this bar, down some energon, and ignore the fact that a bunch of kids are in trouble?" Vortex scoffed. She punctuated her words with a firm smack to the back of Thad's head, almost knocking his backwards cap off. "Damn kid, we can be mean, sure."

"A little cowardly," Blast Off added dryly, crossing his arms.

"A bit of a cheater," Swindle muttered, looking away with feigned indifference.

"A proud drunk," Brawl admitted unabashedly, raising his flask in salute.

"But we're Decepticons, not evil," Onslaught finished, carrying the strength of conviction. "We joined this war because we wanted to fight for something better. To help those in need. And damn it, that's what we're gonna do."

Uzi couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. As she looked at the mismatched group of soldiers, she thought back to her childhood imaginings of Decepticons—fearsome, brave, and larger than life. Somehow, against all odds, these five seemed to fit that mold perfectly.

Cautiously, the group exited the bar together in a phalanx position. The colony drones stayed huddled together, while the Combaticons formed a protective perimeter around them. Onslaught's orders were followed without hesitation. He and Swindle led the group, with Brawl and Vortex flanking either side of the smaller cluster. Blast Off brought up the rear, his attention split between their surroundings and the holographic projection flickering on his arm.

"I've mapped out a route to the dropship," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the outside howling wind. "But we'll have to go on foot. It's our best option. If any of us move in vehicle mode, we'll attract too much attention. Especially with…" He let the sentence trail off, the unfinished thought hanging heavy in the air as everyone took in the desolate surroundings.

The streets of Kaon, once teeming with life earlier that day, were now unnervingly still. The vibrant energy that had made the city feel alive was gone, replaced by an oppressive quiet broken only by the low howling of the wind. Snow drifted lazily through the air, blanketing the jagged, rusted architecture.

Everything seemed abandoned.

"What… happened?" Lizzy whispered, clutching her blaster tightly in one hand while gripping Thad's arm with the other. The boy's green optics darted nervously around, his own weapon held in both hands, his unease clear in his posture. The only thing keeping him somewhat calm was Lizzy's touch. Uzi and Doll exchanged a glance, wordlessly preparing themselves. Uzi's arm shifted into its cannon form, the faint hum of her weapon adding to the tension. Doll silently armed herself, gripping two of her helicopter blades, one in each hand.

"Kaon doesn't clear out like this without a reason," Vortex muttered, her optics scanning the empty streets with practiced precision. Her claws clicked into place, extending from her wrists as her stance grew more alert. "Everyone's hiding. That's what they do when he's on the loose. Off on one of his… walks ."

Onslaught turned to address the group. He raised a finger to the front of his mouthplate, the universal signal for silence. "Blast Off is right. If we transform, we'll make too much noise and turn ourselves into bigger targets. We walk, and we do it quietly. Got it?"

No one voiced any objections.

"Then let's move."

The group proceeded in tense formation. Each step muffled by the snow-covered metal beneath their feet, the sound barely audible but still unnerving in the suffocating quiet. No one spoke, their silence allowing them to focus on their surroundings as their audio receptors strained to catch the faintest sound of danger.

Each street they passed felt more foreboding than the last, and the oppressive stillness weighed heavily on them all. The occasional gust of wind sent loose scraps of metal skittering across the ground, each noise making the young drones flinch. Snowflakes swirled in the air, but the chill they felt wasn't from the cold alone—it was the unmistakable sense that something was watching them. Be it the peeking glances of those hiding within the buildings, or…worse.

The Combaticons moved with precision born of countless battles. Without a single word exchanged, they executed every maneuver with expertise to ensure the group's safety. Corners were meticulously checked. Silent hand signals directed the teens when to stop, move, or take cover. Routes were quietly recalculated, shifting them through dim alleyways and between abandoned buildings, avoiding the more open streets. Every adjustment was a deliberate effort to minimize their visibility, but despite such caution, the oppressive weight of unseen eyes never lifted. It always felt like they were just one wrong move away from disaster. One ill-fated step from being found.

Uzi's nerves were frayed to their limits. Her arm-cannon twitched, nearly firing when she felt an elbow nudge against her. She turned, readying her literal fire-arm, only to see Doll at her side. Uzi's glare softened when she noticed Doll's visor behaving… oddly. Instead of its usual optic glow, a string of text scrolled across the screen as though someone were hurriedly typing. [If it comes to it, I can transform and fly us out of here and back to the colony. My vehicle form isn't big, but if you and Lizzy switch to an alt. mode, and Thad carries you both, then we can make it out together.]

Uzi blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Doll's improvised communication. Her own visor flickered, switching to a similar text display. [Hold on,] she replied, the words appearing in Cybertronian, rather than Doll's Russian. [We're still not officially Decepticons. A city like this is bound to have anti-air defenses. If an unregistered vehicle takes to the sky, we're bound to get blown to scrap.]

[Then we'll fly low,] Doll countered, the text appearing more rapidly now. [At least until we reach the walls. From there, we can—]

The words abruptly stopped scrolling across her visor.

Both of them froze, as did the rest of the group.

It began faintly, almost too soft to notice at first. A sound carried on the smoggy breeze: a whistle. The hauntingly melodic tone drifted around them, its playful lilt masking something far more sinister. It twisted and turned in the air, as if it were searching, taunting. And then they felt it. The ground trembled beneath their feet. Faint at first but growing stronger, the vibrations followed a steady rhythm— thud… thud… thud. Heavy. Deliberate.

Footsteps.

Vortex was the first to whisper, her voice tight with tension. "...It's him."

Onslaught turned and raised a hand to signal everyone to stop all movement. His usual commanding presence was now laced with urgency. The Combaticons exchanged knowing looks, their calm and calculated demeanor beginning to crack under the weight of the moment as each of them quickly rechecked their weapons. Thad and Lizzy do the same, mimicking the older drones. Safeties were switched off, and fingers were placed upon triggers.

All the while, the whistling grew louder, its tone warping into something darker as the footsteps closed in. Each impact sent another shiver through the ground, as if the very city of Kaon was recoiling in fear.

Uzi's free hand clenched into a tight fist, her metal fingers trembling. The fear felt wrong. This was Kaon—the heart of the Decepticon movement, the city Megatron had torn free from tyranny. This was the city that symbolized resistance, strength, and freedom from oppression. Why then did it cower in the presence of one drone? Why did the streets feel haunted and abandoned? Why were they made to feel like prey fleeing a predator they knew couldn't be outrun?

She wanted to demand answers, to challenge the Combaticons for their fear, but the weight of her own dread kept her silent. She promised that she'll wait for the perfect moment, and when she has it, she'll—

"Wait… What's that up ahead?" It was Lizzy who spotted it first. At the far end of the alley, something protruded from the wall. They all moved closer towards it, Uzi's steps slowed, her processors struggling to reconcile what she was seeing as embedded within the metal was the upper half of a Vechicon.

The sight was horrifying. The drone's torso jutted out at an unnatural angle, its arms twisted grotesquely and frozen in a desperate, futile attempt to protect itself. Sparks flickered weakly from exposed wiring, and the once-vibrant purple armor was stained dark with congealed energon. Uzi's optics trailed downward to where the drone's lower half should have been. There was nothing. Torn cables and jagged metal marked the spot where its body had been violently ripped apart.

"Was," she stammered, and closed her optics for a moment as if it could shield her from the scene. "Was… this done by—"

"Yeah," Onslaught growled, his tone grim. He moved beside the embedded corpse, his optics scanning the damage. "This is Overlord's work…" He trailed off, his fist tightening around his weapon.

"Why?" Uzi asked, her voice quiet but trembling with anger as she opened her optics and glared at Onslaught. "Why would anyone do this? What's the point of… of this ? You said he was a Decepitcon, even if it is in 'name only', whatever the hell that means, so why—" Uzi's words were cut off as Doll bumped her shoulder against hers. "We don't have time for this," Doll said firmly, one of her eyes glitching for a nano-second as she gazed at the mutilated Vehicon. The whistling and the sound of heavy steps still echoed ominously with it still getting closer. "We need to keep moving."

"The girl's right. Come on, everyone move," Onslaught gave the order and everyone began following him again. This time they quickened their pace, their movements becoming more erratic as they darted down narrow alleyways and crossed empty intersections. The abandoned city loomed around them, a hollowed-out shell of its former self. Stalls that had once buzzed with life now stood deserted, their merchandise scattered and forgotten in the panicked exodus of Kaon's residents.

More Vehicon bodies littered the ground, most crumpled into grotesque shapes or torn apart, their shattered remains left to scatter the streets. The sight stirred something in Uzi—a grim, unwanted reminder of the Spire back in Kalis.

They counted over a dozen mangled bodies as they ran, and yet, the whistling pursued them, its carefree melody dripping with menace. The steady rhythm of footsteps followed close behind, each loud step mocking their frantic attempts to escape. Uzi's spark raced as her audio receptors honed in on the approaching sound. The whistling was louder now, weaving through the cold air, its cheery tune almost too sweet for the tension it carried. It was close—closer than it had any right to be.

She could hear Thad whispering behind her. "We should just gun it," he said, as his T-cog began to hum faintly, readying him for transformation. "All of you can jump on me and–"

The grip on his arm from Brawl froze him in place. The Combaticon's narrow visor locked onto him, his voice barely audible as he muttered, "Don't. That's what he wants. He… loves it, when he can scare someone just enough to make them run. Runners are the first one he picks off."

Thad swallowed hard, his already broken courage wavering further. "And what about the rest? What does he do to them?" Brawl didn't answer. His silence said enough.

Lizzy's grip tightened on her blaster as she glanced between the Decepticons and the others. "Primus's sake, so, we're just supposed to keep walking?" she hissed under her breath. "What's the point of giving us guns if we can't even use them? What, do we shoot ourselves before he gets his hands on us?" Brawl continued to hold his silence.

Lizzy's eyes turned hollow, "Oh my Primus," her words faltered for half a second. "That's why you gave us guns, isn't it?" When met with even more silence, she slaps a hand against her visor, groaning as if sheer annoyance could stave off the impending doom. "We're all gonna die."

Onslaught silenced her and the others with a quick gesture, his hand raised through the air. "We're close. Just across this street, and the launchpad should be—"

A cheerful, drawling voice cut through the air like a guillotine. "Howdy."

Everyone froze as one, their systems seizing in unison. The word was spoken with casual ease, yet it carried with it a weight that pressed down on them like a physical force. They were caught in the worst spot imaginable—right in the middle of the street, with no cover in sight. The open expanse stretched endlessly in both directions, leaving them fully exposed. The silence of the city loomed over them like a shroud, broken only by the faint hum of distant machinery.

From the shadows of a nearby alleyway, a figure stepped into the moonlight. He was towering, standing head and shoulders above even the Combaticons, and more than twice Uzi's height. With his broad shoulders and massive frame the drone was simply a juggernaut of metal. He was radiating with such raw power that the ground seemed to tremble beneath him with every step, each one deliberate and unhurried.

"Y'all seem to be in a mighty rush for some reason," he tilted his head as though curious. His voice was deep and yet somehow smooth. It echoed through the empty streets. The tone was conversational, but there was an unmistakable edge to it, a dangerous underbelly hidden beneath his unsettling calm.

There was an accent that was strange—a slow, drawn-out cadence with long vowels that sounded distinctly human. It was wrong, deeply wrong, coming from him. And then there was his smile. Primus, his smile. It wasn't warm or inviting—it was the smile of a predator savoring the beginning of the hunt. A smile that he was directing to all of them.

Uzi tried to meet the giant drone's gaze but found her attention faltering. Her optics darted downward, tracing the broad expanse of his blue and white armor. It was marred with dark stains of inner energon—the unmistakable residue of life essence spilled in violence. Multiple handprints, splashes, and smears painted his frame like a horrid portrait, a grotesque testament to the carnage he had left in his wake.

He was still dripping from his 'blood-bath'.

She thought back to the bodies they found…

"Oh, I do apologize," the giant said, his words dripping with mock courtesy, as if catching her staring. "I done made a mess of myself. But I assure you, this was all done in self-defense." He gestured lazily to his energon covered armor, while giving a chuckle. "I warned 'em to get outta my way, but Vehicons can be stubborn little drones. Kill a couple of their friends, and suddenly, they take it all personal-like—"

He paused, raising a massive hand to tap playfully at the side of his own head, as if struck by sudden realization. "Where do be my manners?" He looked toward the teens, his piercing red eyes scanning each of them in turn. His grin widened as he realized how young they were. "I see some new faces and I don't even have the common courtesy to introduce myself. Mama would be so ashamed of me. I know Onslaught's little crew. We go way back, but you four... Y'all are new."

The giant took a step forward, the ground once more trembling under his massive frame as he extended his hand out toward the young drones. "The name is Overlord, hi-ya kids."

"...Sup, dude." Slowly the rest of the colony drones turned their heads to look at Thad, as he nervously waved a hand up at the giant murderous drone. "What?"

"Sup. Dude." Came Lizzy's only reply, breaking the tension as she repeated with utter bafflement at Thad's own wording. "A nine foot tall giant comes out of the shadows covered with energon-blood, and that is what you say to him?"

"Well I gotta say something, he's like…being polite." Thad spoke up, almost defensively as he saw three pairs of eyes glaring at him.

Yet Overlord seemed to revel in the absurdity he inspired, as he burst into a laugh that grated like shattered glass against metal. It was a grotesque sound—unnervingly high-pitched for a drone of his massive size. He retracted his offered hand with a theatrical flair and loomed over Onslaught, who stood firm in front of the group. "You've gathered quite a gaggle this time, Onslaught," Overlord sneered, his red optics gleaming with a sinister light. Then, with a sudden lurch forward, he barked out, "Boo!"

The group recoiled instinctively, their systems seizing for a moment of pure, primal terror. Everyone except Onslaught. But if Overlord noticed the Combaticon leader's lack of reaction, he didn't care—in fact, the lack of fear seemed to amuse him even more. His laughter rose again, sharp and grating, and his smile stretched unnervingly wide, like the maw of a predator baring its teeth "Oh, I love meeting new bots," Overlord said, his voice mockingly sweet, he seemed to savor the flickers of terror he enacted on the others. The subtle tremble of their bodies brought him joy.

But Uzi wasn't trembling from fear anymore. It was from something far more primal. The same rage that she felt back when she confronted Impactor had returned. It boiled up inside her spark and surging through every joint and servo in her frame. The sight of Overlord's delight in their terror of others twisted something deep within her. Her hand clenched into a trembling fist at her side, and her optics burned as they locked onto the hulking drone with unbridled hatred. The telltale hum of her arm-cannon warming up filled the air, a rising, threatening whine that didn't go unnoticed.

Doll noticed the tremors first, and then the cannon's glow. "Uzi," she whispered hastily, trying to offer comfort as she moved in front of her cousin, holding an arm out protectively, while clutching her weapons in both hands. "Just stay behind me—"

The words only stoked the fire in Uzi's spark. She slapped at Doll's forearm with her free hand, knocking one of the blades slightly askew. Doll's optics widened in surprise as she glanced back, only to meet Uzi's fierce glare.

"Back off," Uzi snapped, trembling with restrained emotion. The cannon on her arm glowed brighter for a brief moment before dimming again. Doll blinked, momentarily stunned, before refocusing on Overlord. If she had a response, she kept it to herself, her blades shifting slightly as her grip tightened.

Overlord's optics caught the small exchange and gave a light chuckle, his obvious delight only growing further as he muttered, "Now ain't that dramatic."

"Why are you here, Overlord?" Onslaught asked, "Last I checked, you're supposed to be in the prison, warden." He was professional and measured, as he holstered the blaster in his hands and glared up at the taller drone. "I say you should get back to doing your job."

Overlord's attention was finally taken from the teens as placed a hand over his chest, his fake shock mockingly theatrical. "What? I'm not allowed breaks? That's a toxic work environment, don't you think?" He shook his head softly, as if disappointed by the accusation. "I don't recall needing anyone's permission to take a nice stroll through my city after a hard day's work. Do you?"

Then, as if remembering something crucial, he snapped his fingers. "But I did have a reason to come on out. See, a little something came to me about a funeral at Iacon. I thought it was the usual stuff—I tell my prisoners which of their friends bite it, it lowers their morale or has them act up, the norm…but then…"

Everyone becomes more tense, as Overlord takes another step forward. His massive frame dwarfed everyone as he leaned towards him. "Someone took what was mine to kill. Now," he mused all while gaze landed on the teens once more. "Y'all aren't natives of Kaon. I can tell, you are outsiders, hmm… from where, I wonder? Did any of you happen to be near Kal—"

Fear is the enemy of progress, of power, and of destiny,

Those who cower before it are slaves to their own weaknesses. To conquer fear is to conquer yourself. It is only when you stare into the abyss without hesitation, when you fear nothing will you be truly free.

Now rise and face your fear.

With the writings of Megatron echoing in her mind and fueling her resolve, Uzi interrupted Overlord mid-sentence. "I'm the one you're looking for," she said, brimming with sudden confidence. Then in a single, decisive motion, she strode ahead, ducking under Brawl's outstretched arm before he could stop her. Pushing past both Onslaught and Swindle, she positioned herself in front of everyone, giving herself a clear shot.

There was an audible click, followed by a surge of green sparks crackling across her frame as she deactivated her safety. Her arm cannon whirred to life, and she leveled it directly at Overlord's face. "And by the way," she added, her voice steady despite the adrenaline program coursing through her systems, "this is Megatron's city."

Uzi fired.

A blast of plasma roared out of her cannon, the force of it so intense that it sent her stumbling backward into Onslaught's steady arms. The shot streaked through the air, slamming into Overlord's face with a deafening explosion. A brilliant flash of green light engulfed the area, followed by a cloud of thick smoke and erratic sparks that obscured the towering figure.

She can hear the others react to her choice.

"Uzi!"

"What the shock!"

"Honesty, we should have seen this coming."

For a fleeting moment, Uzi felt triumphant. She thought she had stood against a monster—not just for herself but for the others and avenged the deaths of so many Vehicons. She felt invincible, powerful— divine. The surge of power coursing through her frame made her feel unstoppable, as though she had finally ascended to something more than just a mere drone. At this exact moment, she thought herself as unstoppable, as a bringer of justice, as a god.

Such thoughts screeched to a halt as reality caught up with her. Overlord's massive frame didn't fall. It didn't even sway. Her optics locked on the swirling smoke, desperate to believe she had made an impact—that she had to have killed him.

She hadn't.

As the smoke began to clear, Uzi's spark chamber quaked. Overlord stood there, unmoved, untouched. His twisted smirk was still plastered across his face, as though mocking her efforts.

The shot had been powerful—enough to obliterate most lesser drones for sure. But Overlord? He barely seemed to notice. The gleam in his crimson optics only grew more intense as he stared down right at Uzi in an almost playful manner. "Well now," Overlord chuckled, his tone low and mocking, but there was something else there—an opening in his bravado that made his smirk falter, if only for a moment. "Ain't you just—"

Creaaak!

The sound cut through the tension like a needle dropping in a silent room. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but unmistakable. A thin, jagged crack had formed across Overlord's visor.

Uzi's optics widened as she registered the imperfection. A slow, shaky grin crept onto her face. Her cannon whirred faintly as her free hand shot up to point at the giant, shaking with exhilaration. "Ha! " she shouted, the word bursting out of her with equal parts disbelief and triumph.

The giant drone paused, his smirk dropped. Slowly, he raised one hand and brushed his massive fingers across his visor. His eyes drifted to the faint crack, inspecting it with an air of detached curiosity.

"Oh," he murmured. His attitude shifting to become oddly calm and contemplative, as though he were assessing a mildly interesting inconvenience. "Well, Onslaught," he continued, the smirk creeping back, this time sharper and more dangerous. "Might you be so kind as to hand her over for a quick spell?"

His words carried a quiet menace that froze the air around them. Overlord's towering frame loomed closer once more, and Uzi's brief flicker of godlike confidence started to waver. Before she could react, she felt herself yanked upright by Onslaught, only to be shoved behind him in one swift motion. "She and her friends are new recruits in this war, Overlord," Onslaught said firmly, as he stood his ground. "I can't have you killing any of them."

Following his leader's words, Swindle leveled his blaster toward the towering drone. The other Combaticons do the same as they direct the teens back, and put themselves forward toward the giant as they stood with their commander.

Overlord just continued to smile at them all, not the least bit intimidated by their weapons. "What's the matter, old friend?" he drawled. "Scared to lose another little girl in your life?"

Uzi could almost hear the tension in Onslaught's frame—the twisting of gears and the low hum of his systems running hotter—but he held his ground. His stance remained calm, steady…even as Overlord lurched forward, arms raised for an attack.

The Combaticons were ready to defend their leader.

In an instant, Vortex was in motion. With the speed and precision of a seasoned fighter, she leaped onto Onslaught's shoulder and launched herself into the air. With a sharp twist of her body, she unleashed a sonic wave from her wrist-mounted blades, the sound reverberating like a thunderclap. It was deafening and heavily distorting the air itself. The very walls of the buildings around them trembled, and nearly every speck of snow was blasted away by the force.

Yet Overlord merely closed his optics against the attack, enduring it with little more than a flicker of annoyance. To him, it was a distraction—nothing more.

But such a distraction was all Brawl needed as he threw his body down. His T-cog whirred, and in the blink of an optic, his hulking form transformed into an even larger imposing artillery tank. Twin barrels locked onto Overlord's chest and fired, sending a thunderous deafening barrage of explosive rounds point blank straight into the giant's frame. The force of the blast was enough to send shockwaves through the air, and for a split second, it seemed as though the towering drone might actually be blown away.

Instead, his feet slid across the cracked ground, dragging him backward with surprising force. The giant was unmoved, but the ground beneath his heavy frame buckled under the sheer power of the shot. His enormous boots ground into the earth, carving grooves in the rubble as he slid for tens of meters. Minimal damage was actually done…

It was still an opening, one that was immediately exploited. Before the smoke of Brawl's attack could even clear, Swindle sprang into action. From a compartment in his arm, he fired a high-tensile grapple launcher, the line whizzing through the air to wrap tightly around Overlord's massive leg. "Come on, you big palooka—down you go!" Swindle shouted as he engaged the winch, pulling the line taut with all the power he could muster.

With the added leverage from Brawl's earlier strike, Overlord's knee buckled. The drone was forced down with a loud metallic groan as his immense frame struck the now snowless ground. The sound reverberated like a gong, shaking dust and dislodging icicles from nearby storefronts.

"Holy—"

Before Uzi could even comment there was a red flash and suddenly she felt herself pulled by her backpack and slammed into the ground, with Thad and Lizzy, who were just crouching down—unlike herself. "Uziel Doorman." Doll spoke the name with a low hiss, as her visor flared, the blades on her back twitched as if echoing her frustration and worry as she put herself in the front of the group, they all were behind Onslaught, watching the attack just like him. "You couldn't just not antagonize the walking nightmare bot, could you, Cousin?"

"Hey, I thought it was enough to kill him!" Uzi tried to argue, but Doll wasn't having it as she looked close to hitting her cousin with the butt-end of one of her blades. "Well it wasn't. We might need to make a run for it, before—" She is cut off by a shout over their heads.

"Swindle, break the line!" Blast Off seizes the opening made by Swindle. Leaping into the air, he transformed mid-flight into his shuttle mode with a loud mechanical whirr. Vortex joined in tandem, her sleek form shifting into an attack helicopter. Both aligned their noses downward, unleashing a relentless stream of machine gun fire. Hundreds of rounds rained down, the relentless barrage sending sparks flying as the bullets peppered Overlord's armor.

The giant drone barely flinched.

Instead, Overlord began to snicker—a low, mocking laugh that rose steadily until it echoed across the battlefield like a twisted melody. Even as the combined firepower of the Combaticons pressed against him, his amusement only grew. Even as Swindle opened fire with his blaster, and Brawl unleashed another torrent of explosives. The streets of Kaon were filled with the sound of laughter and sheer warfare.

"Cute," Overlord drawled, his voice laced with more venomous mockery. Casually, he rose to his full height once more, undeterred by such intense firepower. "Is this really all you've got, Onslaught?" His eyes narrowed behind his cracked visor, locking onto the Combaticon leader. "Because if this is the best you can manage, I'm already bored." He tilted his head, his grin widening. "Maybe Bruticus can come out and play? At least then I might get a decent warm-up before the real fun begins with that little purple bot you've got behind your back."

Onslaught's fist clenched, the glow behind his visor flaring like a suppressed explosion. Overlord's taunts lingered in the air, but Onslaught didn't take the bait. Instead, he raised a hand, a silent command for the Combaticons to halt their attacks. The gunfire ceased instantly, the battlefield falling into an almost oppressive silence.

It was broken moments later by a low, ominous buzzing. "Can you hear that, Overlord?" Through the stillness—the sound grew louder, a droning cacophony that reverberated through the city around them.

Overlord tilted his head slightly, his grin fading as his eyes turned upward. "Damn bugs," he muttered, with full irritation. The buzzing intensified, shifting from an unsettling noise to an outright roar that filled the skies. Overlord threw his arm upward just as the shadows descended.

The first strike came like a thunderbolt. A massive shape collided with Overlord, slamming into him with enough force to send his towering frame crashing into a nearby building. The metal wall rips apart under the impact, dust and debris exploding outward as Overlord disappeared into the wreckage.

"Ah, not you agai—!" Overlord's shout was cut off as another shape, swift and insectoid, landed atop him. Emerging from the dust were two enormous mechanical insects. One resembled a gleaming purple-and-gold stag beetle, its mandibles clamping down on Overlord's arm, denting even his nigh-indestructible plating. The other, a sharp-edged grasshopper-like creature, drove its serrated legs into Overlord's shoulder, its jaws snapping furiously as it sought purchase.

The giant drone's roars of rage echoed through the streets as he was dragged away from the Combaticons and the others. "Get—off me!" Overlord bellowed, thrashing against his attackers. His servos whined under the strain as he swung a massive fist, sending the stag beetle reeling back for a moment. But even when it is sent flying, the insect twisted mid-air and landed nimbly, its mandibles clicking menacingly as the large dent in its body began to reformat itself almost instantly.

Overlord's movements grew more frenzied as he tried to dislodge the grasshopper clinging stubbornly to his shoulder, its jaws digging deeper into his armor. "You think this will stop me!" he snarled, his voice straining with fury. With a sudden surge of strength, he tore the creature free and hurled it into the surrounding wreckage.

Before he could follow up with another attack, the stag beetle leaped onto his back, its mandibles locking tightly around his neck. Sparks flew as its jaws began shearing through layers of his armor. Overlord's visor creaked further, the fracture from earlier spreading like a spiderweb across a pane of glass.

The Combaticons and the colony drones looked on from the sidelines. "Yeah, that's what you shocking get, you Primus-damn psychopath!" Vortex shouted as she, Blast Off, and Brawl transformed back into their robot modes, watching the fight unfold with grim satisfaction.

"Dare I even ask…" Doll muttered, casting a sidelong glance at Uzi. Who could only offer a helpless shrug, clearly as clueless as the rest about these mechanical monstrosities.

"Protectors of Kaon. We call them Insecticons," Onslaught explained, his voice low as he watched the chaotic assault. There was a mixture of disgust and satisfaction in his words. "Shockwave's pets…and they don't take kindly to troublemakers."

As if to punctuate his words, a third massive figure—a rhinoceros beetle—landed heavily in front of them. Immediately, its large form began to shift, shrinking and reshaping with the purr of a T-cog. In seconds, a skinny drone stood in its place. Taller than the colony drones yet shorter than the Combaticons, the figure still exuded an imposing presence. The lower half of its face, below its visor, was covered by what resembled a knight's grille, giving it an air of martial formality.

"Heya, Onslaught!" The newcomer greeted in a chipper tone, utterly unfazed by the battle raging mere meters away.

"Bombshell," Onslaught replied. "Thanks for responding to the distress signal, though I wish you'd arrived sooner."

"Sorry about that," the Insecticon chuckled, raising a hand to scratch at the side of his face. A faint trickle of inner energon leaked from his grille, it was left unnoticed—or ignored—by him. "We were in the middle of eating, and—oh!" His optics lit up as he glanced at Uzi and her group. "Are these the new recruits? Shouldn't they be meeting with Dad?"

Uzi and the others stared, bewildered by the odd drone's demeanor. Despite the Decepticon insignia on his chest, Bombshell's overly friendly manner seemed almost out of place amid the chaos.

"Later," Onslaught replied curtly, gesturing toward the raging battle with Overlord. "Right now, I need you and your sisters to do what you do best. Take that bastard down."

Overlord roared as he activated the hidden cannons on his torso, unleashing explosive volleys at the grasshopper-like Insecticon clinging to him. The explosions blasted the mechanical bug apart, its pieces scattering across the battlefield. But no sooner had it been destroyed than the pieces began to reassemble, the Insecticon regenerating and hurling itself back into the fray. The stag beetle followed suit as it lunged at Overlord once more.

But even as his frame showed signs of wear—scorched plating, leaking energon, and visible dents—Overlord refused to yield. His laughter echoed across the battlefield, cruel and jagged. "Is this all my city has to offer?" he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "You think this will stop me? This is nothing, you damn bugs!"

"Take on a nearly unstoppable and unkillable monster?" Bombshell asks cheerfully, turning back to Onslaught. "Sure thing, I love doing anything," Without waiting for acknowledgement, Bombshell transformed back into his rhinoceros beetle form and, with a burst of energy, launched himself into the fray, crashing into Overlord at full throttle.

The impact of Bombshell's charge sent a thunderous shockwave rippling through the battlefield, forcing Overlord to stagger, if only for a moment. The Insecticons swarmed him together, their combined ferocity turning the fight into a maelstrom of chittering fury, clanging metal, and explosive bursts of energy.

Lizzy watched the chaos unfold, her optics dim with disbelief as she turned toward the Combaticons. "Why do you have mini-con bugs the size of normal drones?" she asks, unable to hold the disgust in her voice

Onslaught glanced over his shoulder toward her and the others. "Long story. Look, the Insecticons can keep Overlord busy, for now—you got a chance to run, I say it is time you use it."

"Wait, we can't leave! He killed those Vehicons!" Uzi shouted, readying her cannon arm as green sparks surged across her body once more. "We can all just lay more firepower on him and just kill him while we have an advantage!"

Brawl sighed, turning toward her with a weariness that cut through the tension. He placed a firm hand along Uzi's cannon, gently pushing it downward. "We would if we could, lass," he said, his voice low and serious. "But the only reason the insecticons are lasting so long is because they are—weirdly durable things, like those damn Autobot angels. If we all ran in or tried to help at this point, it'll end badly for all of us."

Uzi pulled her arm free of Brawl's grip, she was scowling as she practically shouted her words. "What are you even talking about? He's outnumbered—if we keep shooting, he can't—" She paused as she looked around. The rest of the Combaticons were giving her the same look, a shared expression of grim understanding. Each one, from Blast Off's quiet intensity to Swindle's visible unease, was telling her the same thing: Stand down.

"...what am I missing?"

Brawl continued, his tone softening slightly, though it didn't lose its edge. "Overlord's not just some big bot you can blast and call it a day. He's built differently than any of us—stronger, meaner, tougher. Do you know what a Point One Percenter is?" Uzi's optics widened slightly, her confidence wavering at the weight of those words. "If we could kill him, we'd have done it already," Brawl added grimly. "But his kind are near unstoppable." There was no hiding the disgust in his voice as he said those words. "Your people need that new chip, remember? You'll go get it for them while we deal with this mess."

"Wait—what?" Thad stepped forward, his optics wide with a mix of confusion and alarm. "You guys keep telling us how dangerous he is, and now you want us to just run while you deal with him?"

"Yeah, kid," Vortex chimed in, dismissively waving a hand. "We've been doing this for a long time. This is just another day here."

Lizzy made a sound halfway between a scoff and a nervous laugh. "You're seriously okay with that?"

Swindle shrugged, his usual confidence unfaltering. "Okay with it? Not really. But we don't exactly have a lot of options here."

Brawl slapped the yellow-armored drone on the shoulder. "We'll survive. We've done it before. And if all else fails, we still have Bruticus."

Doll raised a brow towards the veteran Decepticons. "And Bruticus is…"

"Again, long story," Onslaught said, his tone devoid of humor. He turned his visor toward the ongoing battle, where Overlord was still thrashing against the Insecticons. Their relentless attacks barely seemed to slow him down. "The dropship is down this road. You'll find other Decepticons there to help you out while we handle this. If we're lucky, maybe we can call Sixshot and he can help us."

"...Let me guess, long story?" Doll asked dryly.

"Now you're catching on."

Uzi clenched her fists, the green sparks around her dimming slightly as the weight of their words settled over her. She looked at Overlord, still standing tall amidst the chaos, his laughter cutting through the sounds of clashing metal. He was relentless, unstoppable—and because of that, doubt began to creep into her determined glare.

"Personally, I would have just let the big creepy bugs handle it," Lizzy muttered, her sarcasm barely masking her unease. She glanced back at Uzi, lowering her voice. "I don't even know what's more insane—the giant murder bot or the people who think fighting him is the best plan. But we do have to get back home… and I'm sure our dads would like it if both of us came back."

Uzi didn't reply immediately, but she did finally lowered her cannon arm, transforming it back into her normal hand with an audible click. The green sparks around her dimmed and vanished, her safety locking into place. But her scowl remained. "Fine," she muttered. "Let's just get out of here before I change my mind."

"Alright, everyone hop in." With the loud purr of his T-cog, Thad's tires screeched against the cracked pavement as he shifted into his vehicle mode. The truck bed rattled slightly as Lizzy and Doll climbed in immediately, but Uzi hesitated. She watched as Blast Off jogged alongside the vehicle, gesturing as he gave Thad directions toward the dropship.

Behind them, Vortex transformed once more into her attack helicopter mode, letting out a crackling battle cry as she banked toward the fight, with Brawl and Swindle following on foot.

Onslaught was about to join them. He had withdrew his blaster from its holster, and turned his focus toward Overlord's position. But Uzi called out to him, "Wait!"

The Combaticon leader froze mid-stride, turning to face her once more. "Make it quick." Is all he replied back with.

"You gotta tell me the deal with Overlord?" she demanded, her voice barely heard as overhead Blast Off flew toward the fray in his vehicle mood. "Why the hell would the Decepticons ever let a monster like him into their city? Please, I've got to know. You guys are heroes, so why… why is that thing here?"

Onslaught regarded her silently for a moment, before he spoke. "Overlord is a weapon. A tool. He was built for one purpose: to destroy Autobots and end the war. Back then, he was… manageable. Controlled. But that was a long time ago."

Uzi rolled her optics and groaned. "No duh. So what happened? How did he go from 'manageable' to this?" She gestured toward Overlord just in time to see him violently rip one of the Insecticons in half with his bare hands, another crushed beneath his boot with a sickening crunch. They were healing from such injuries, but it was notably getting slower now.

Onslaught followed her gaze to the gruesome scene, his expression grim. "One bot who kept him in check—the only one Overlord was afraid of—disappeared. Without that leash, Overlord became what he is."

"And who's this bot?" Uzi pressed, her voice laced with frustration. "Because I am seriously going to kick his tailpipe for not being here to deal with him!"

For a moment, Onslaught didn't answer. His visor remained fixed on her, his silence heavy with meaning. Finally, he reached out and tapped the Decepticon insignia on her shoulder.

"Every one of us knows his name," Onslaught said quietly, his tone weighted with reverence and regret. "...All hail Megatron." The name lingered in the air like a thunderclap—heavy, undeniable. Uzi stared at him, her anger dimming into quiet disbelief.

Before she could say more, Onslaught straightened, his blaster humming to life. "Get moving, kid. Your job's to get that chip to your people. Ours is to make sure you have the time to do it, after that…you can come back, by then Shockwave will be able to protect you for sure." With that, he rushed to join the rest of his team.

Uzi climbed back into Thad's truck bed, her expression unreadable. Thad's engine growled as he began to move, following the directions Blast Off had given him. Lizzy and Doll exchanged uneasy glances as the truck bounced over the uneven terrain.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Lizzy muttered, clutching the side of the truck bed for stability.

Uzi kept her gaze fixed on the battle behind them. Through the rising smoke and dust, she could see Overlord towering above the combined forces of the Combaticons and Insecticons. The eight of them surrounded him, their attacks coordinated and relentless, yet Overlord fought like a force of nature. His laughter, cruel and jagged, carried over the battlefield even as even more dents marred his armor and more energon dripped from his wounds.

It barely looked like an even fight.