Darkness Rising – Part 2
The Nemesis did not take long to rendezvous with the fleet after it emerged from the space bridge, coming together in Earth's upper atmosphere above the U.S as a massive flotilla. Kronicon, the supreme commander and self-appointed Queen of the decepticons strolled through the halls of her mighty flagship, remembering each one like the back of her hand despite the years she had been away.
Soon she reached the doors of the bridge, which opened upon her approach, and upon entering she saw rows after rows of soldiers all along the walls, all of which bowing as she stepped forward. "In conflict, there are two ways a fool is made" She stated ominously as she slowly made her way to the viewport "One way, is when you believe in something that isn't true. The other, refusing to believe what is..." she said as she reached her destination, seeing a large projection of the decepticon symbol on the screen.
She gave a dark smirk at the sound of peds hitting the floor, turning around to see Shadowstorm, Barricade and Brawl approaching her, all three of which kneeling as she faced them "The war for Cybertron" she said, as she stalked towards them like a predator "It began eons ago, during a time when I was member of the knights of Remnicon, a sacred order of warriors and protectors whose soul duty was defending our planet from the forces of evil, after the imprisonment of the traitor, Sentinel. Through dedication and honor, I rose swiftly through the ranks, to the point that I was titled as leader of the order." It was at that point that she was only a foot or so away from her lead followers, as her right hand transformed from clawed digits into a single, dastardly curved blade. "Ever since his betrayal, I vowed to protect our world, to eliminate corruption, and expand our race, by any means necessary, no matter what line I must cross to achieve this end... but I, was betrayed, and ousted from the order, by those I considered kin" She suddenly snarled lowly, resting the tip of her weapon under Shadowstroms chin, lifting it so that their optics would meet "One of which I would oh so happily destroy, here and now" she hissed demonically.
Shadowstorm, despite her situation, showed not even the faintest sign of fear in her emotionless gaze, looking at Kronicon right in the eye.
All the while, Barricade and Brawl, still bowing submissively traded nervous looks.
Kronicon then gave an evil smile "If I had the opportunity" she said, stowing her weapon and transformed it back into a hand, as she turned to the view screen seeing the insignia "This is why I formed the Decepticon imperium. I had founded a coalition of like-minded cybertronians, who had no qualms of crossing all lines for the betterment of our race..." She paused as she closed her eyes, as if relishing in an old dream "During that time, to my sparks delight, I killed Sentinel. And the Knights of Remnicon, soon followed "Her tone began to change once again "But their deaths, gave rise to a new enemy, a stronger enemy... a personal, enemy. Optimus Prime... and the Autobots" Her voiced raised in hatred "How I would give everything to rip out his spark" she swore, clenching a hand in a fist, before she relaxed once more and calmed herself "But all that is important for now, is that our alliance remains strong, and our enemy is scattered and alone." She turned to face her sister once more and beckoned her to rise "Shadowstorm. My older sister. I know leading during my absence has had its difficulties" She brought the other femme into an embrace, one that Shadowstorm returned before they parted "But you have done well. And I trust that you have already established our presence on this world, discreetly of course?" She asked
The right hand gave a nod "Soundwave" She summoned, the silent surveillance expert walking over to them as his visor brought up a display of the earth
(Line break)
Soon the Nemesis lowered to its destination as the fleet circled above in a perimeter, an open mountain peak in the Rockies in Utah. From there, the belly of the flagship opened, and from it a yellow tube lowered into the caverns below. Inside said mountain, a large mining operation could be seen, with personal using equipment from large drilling machines, to laser cutters, chipping tools and more. Among the mining crews, were various guards as a security detail, from vehicon troopers, to brutes, even a pair of leapers "Of all the energon deposits we had located during your time away, Queen Kronicon. This one, is by far the most significant" Starscream reported with pride "The drones have been working without pause, your majesty, and have amassed quite a stockpile. You there, fetch me a sample!" He suddenly called down to a passing minor.
"Starscream" And then froze as the leading lady herself stepped out of the shadows and into the light, Shadowstorm right by her side "Now that I have returned and Shadowstorm and I are together again; I will issue the commands, with my sisters orders falling in behind mine" Kronicon stated as the pair walked forward
"I, understand, your majesty" Starscream replied submissively as he stepped aside "Then as your second in command, shall I ready the space bridge to bring forth the rest of the decepticon army you have no doubt gathered during your three years in space? Especially considering the forces you have brought with you already" He inquired humbly
"I agree with Starscreams suggestion, my sister" Shadowstorm spoke up respectively "While the reinforcements and supplies you have brought with you is indeed a great boon to us, my research of the planets inhabitants has uncovered some that could be detrimental to us if not handled appropriately, and swiftly" she said honestly.
Kronicon showed no interest in her sisters concerns as she spoke next "My army's full strength will come. But my time away a unveiled a far more, intriguing means of materializing them" It was then she held up an ominously glowing purple crystal shard in her hands, that gave off an evil aura around it as it pulsed "The solidified form of what the ancient texts referred to, as the blood of Unicron" she said
Both Shadowstorm and Starscream stepped over to have a closer look "Unicron, the chaos bringer. The very one that the primes of old defeated eons ago" the former said lowly "It is stated that his very life force, is the anti-spark itself." She continued with caution in her voice
"Plucked from the cosmic shores of the galaxy, gaze upon... dark energon..." Kronicon introduced, looking down at the object in her hand.
"Legends tell it has the power to... revive, the dead" Starscream spoke up, having heard of this mystic rumor.
Kronicon gave an evil smirk "We only need a cadaver to be sure. Are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, Starscream?" She asked with a dark manic look in her eyes.
The seeker gave the nervous laugh as he shrunk back a bit, the thought of dying and then coming back as... whatever, making him nauseously squeamish "That, may not be necessary" he said, suddenly having a brainwave "If I may, Queen Kronicon" he said as he gestured to something in front of them.
They watched as four vehicon troopers came forward with a flat bed, one that held the broken, and deceased form of Cliffjumper strapped down.
"Consider it, a welcome home present" Starscream said to his queen.
Kronicon gave a satisfied evil smile.
(Line break)
Meanwhile at the autobot base, the new visitors have just been explained everything "And since you four now know of the bots existence, I got a hunch that the cons will now know of yours too" Nathen told them truthfully.
"Got it, we spot any strange vehicles, call 911" Jack replied, "Can we, go now?" he asked, almost desperately.
That was when an astonished Miko whirled to face him "Are you serious dude!?" She ranted "I am living a dream here in bots-wana. And I will not allow you, Sierra or anyone else to shatter it!" she exclaimed firmly.
"It is best that you four remain under our watch and Nathen supervision for the moment" Optimus said to them, much to Jacks dread and Mikos delight "At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions"
"Optimus" Rachet spoke up to the prime earnestly "With all due respect, the children are in as much danger here, as anywhere"
"Children!?" Jack exclaimed indigently
"Relax, you guys are still kids, and I'm not really that much older from you myself" Nathen told him, much to the teens chagrin
"They have no protective shell. If any of them get underfoot they will go..." Ratchet tried to find an appropriate word "Squish!"
The medic stomped a ped forward a bit, making the four newcomers flinch a bit
Bumblebee sent Rachet a glare while Elita gave an exasperated roll of her eyes "Then as we have been doing since welcoming Nathen, Rachet, we must watch where we step" Optimus said.
"Ratchet" The two mechs turned to the pink femme as she spoke next, a humored smile on her face plate "If what we heard from the human news reports is to be believed in, the peoples of Japan live alongside large, reptilian life forms that match us in size, some of which hugely surpassing even Optimus" She said "And if all those thousands of humans can manage that without getting stepped on, I'm more than sure we can manage these five just fine"
"She's not wrong, Ratchet" V-talla pitched in optimistically "You gotta relax a bit"
The medic gave a scoff "Well, in case you two haven't realized yet, the humans of this continent don't have the availability of those scaly, element-powered creatures to protect themselves in the event of an attack"
"Nor do they have those flying, fire breathing ones that live in the North halfway around the globe. Or those, freakishly potently powerful humans" Breakaway added in, shuddering a bit at the end
"Elita's point still stands" The younger aerielbot retorted
Everything the bots had said to this point however, caught the four visitors rather off guard, all of their eyes widening in surprise "You guys know about the Northern Alliance and the Dinosaur kingdom?" Sierra asked for all of them.
"Are you kidding?" Elita replied with a raised eyebrow "They've accomplished things that would make even our own feats look like child's play. And if we're talking terms of power, I'd most certainly wouldn't wanna go picking a fight with them." she continued with a smile.
Even Optimus had something to say "While their combined might against the Decepticons is questionable at best, and a test I have no wish of conducting; It is my belief that in a unified front that they would be dangerous towards our kind... very dangerous"
Just then, an alarm started going off as a green light flashed the entire room, with Rachet already manning his console "What's that?" Jack asked worriedly
Bumblebee turned to them to explain *Proximity sensor, means we got visitors on the roof* he told them
"Proximity sensor" Raf translated to the other humans (Much to Nathens shock) "Someone's up top" he pointed a finger upwards
Rachet brought up the monitoring screen "Colonel Beige, Agent Fowler, and Charlie" He identified out loud
The newcomers again were surprised "Is there literally anyone who doesn't know about you? I thought your existence was supposed to be a secret" Jack said to the bots, quite sarcastically towards the end.
Something the resident human didn't like "It is" he said firmly to the younger male "These folks are the reason why the bots have this base in the first place"
Sierra got in between the two before a fight could break out "Okay, okay, well what should we know about these people?" the girl asked, looking up at Optimus
"Special agent Charlie Watson became a close and steadfast friend of Bumblebee when he first came to Earth, in circumstances not too dissimilar to your own" The prime began "And when Breakaway and V-talla followed shortly after, Colonel Alison Beige gave them sanctuary at the Nevada airbase when Nathen was only a toddler. They and Special agent William Fowler are our designated liaisons to the outside world. However, while Charlie and the Colonel would be more understanding of your situation, agent Fowler may not be as open minded, as he tends to visit only when there are issues. It may be best that you do not meet them at this time."
Taking his words seriously, Jack and Sierra quickly moved Miko and Raf to a hiding spot, Bumblebee and Elita moving over to shield them from view as Nathen moved onto the catwalk.
Soon the elevator in the back spot of the command centers upper walkways opened, and out from it came a trio that were no doubt government officials. The first was a black man with greying black hair, most likely in his late forties to early fifties in terms of age, wearing a grey smart suit with a tie over a white smart shirt. On his left however was a woman that was in her mid-thirties-though looked young enough to be in her late twenties-in a tight-fitting grey leather jacket, black combat trousers and boots, with chocolate brown hair with eyes of the same color.
Finally, the third of the trio was a raven haired strict looking individual in her mid-forties at most, with rather fiery blue eyes, wearing a military combat hat with a navy-blue outfit that consisted of an open jacket over a white shirt underneath, padded fingerless gloves, bluish black trousers and black combat boots, even a sidearm on her right hip. Upon stepping out, this womans attention went straight to Nathen as he approached, each greeting the other with a crisp salute "Colonel Beige, ma'am" the young man greeted formally
"At ease, private Marr" Alison replied as the salute broke, before a small motherly smile graced her features as she laid a hand on his shoulders "How are you holding up kid?" she asked kindly
A grin broke Nathens firm demeanor as he gave a nod "Eh, as much I miss training, it's nice to have a break. Thanks for that mum" he told her
From their hiding spot, Jack, Sierra, Raf and Miko all shared shocked looks at this information
Alison gave a pleased nod, before her smile turned into a frown "Sadly I think you know why we're here. Agent Fowler"
At her beckoning, the man strolled towards the railing with a stern expression "Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders, a three-hour traffic jam" He listed off as Optimus came up to the railing himself "And on a particular note; numerous reports of a speeding Ducati 1299 Superlegerra, with a pink Alfa Romeo 4C, and topped off by a black and yellow Chevy Camaro muscle car!"
Jack took a slight peak at the Exhange.
"So, anything you wanna get off your tin chest, Prime?" Fowler asked with a raised brow
"We have the situation under control, agent Fowler" Optimus assured him
That was when the second, younger woman stepped forward with a concerned gaze "They're back, aren't they... the Decepticons" She said knowingly
"Unfortunately, Charlie, I doubt that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable" The prime replied to her in honesty.
"In that case, I urge that we make contact with the best fighting force that Earth has" Alison spoke up with a determined tone, as she too stepped up to the railing "They were able to save our world in past when no one else could, I don't see any reason they can't do it again"
Fowler turned to her at this "Colonel Beige, with all due respect, doing that would only cause more harm than good, with the bots being discovered, among other problems. Besides, The U.S is not exactly their favorite country right now, not after what a sect of our own government tried to do to one of their core member states, and the ass kicking they got afterwards. Damn near cost our spot in NATO itself after that" he told her, making her frown at the unfortunate, and rather shameful reminder "So I'm of the opinion, that it's time to wake up the Pentagon" He said to Optimus.
Optimus bent down towards them at this "Hear me, Agent Fowler and Colonel Beige. While the power of the Dinosaur Kingdom and the Northern Alliance is undeniable, we are best and most experienced defense against the decepticon threat."
"Says you, Prime." Fowler bit back with a condescending leer "You seem to forget that you or they soon won't be the only assets at our disposal" he continued
"And you, Agent Fowler, seem to have forgotten our orders" The man sharply turned to the colonel at her suddenly crisp and strict tone, "Part of our agreement of becoming the liaisons between the bots and the higher ups is that they will not tolerate any and all classified information being passed along to them" She reminded him sternly
Fowler like he wanted to say something to defend himself at first but then deflated as he gave a defeated sigh "You're right, Colonel, I apologize." he said in reply, "It would just make me feel better if we had the means to repel the cons ourselves" he continued
"Hey fleshy!" The three suddenly turned to Bulkhead as he called over to them "Did anyone get splattered on that freeway?" He rhetorically asked, before ripping a tool off Ratchets workspace "Team Prime knows when to use Force. And how much to use" He told them as he then squeezed the equipment piece in his hand and crushed it by accident!
"Oops" V-talla commented humorously
"Bulkhead, I needed that!" Rachet raved at the now sheepish wrecker
"Enough!" Optimus spoke up, making all three-hush up before he turned back to the humans "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties agent Fowler and Colonel Beige, I however, cannot"
Charlie, having not said much during this entire exchange, then turned to her fellow liaisons "Bill, Alison, you can trust them on this one. I know deep down, and from personal experience that the autobots will do everything in their power to stop the cons, without bringing harm to civilians, or getting the attention of every other nation in the world. Including the Northern Alliance and Dinosaur Kingdom" she said to them resolutely.
There's a silence for a few seconds, before either of the older human officials say anything.
"That's... the best we can hope for right now, agent Watson" the Colonel said with a sigh, conceding to Charlie's reasoning.
Fowler had something more to say "Just do us all a favor and handle this prime. Under, the radar" he stressed, before turning back to the elevator "Or we will" was his final word before leaving.
Watson and the Colonel watched before the former turned back to the bots "It was nice seeing you all again, despite the circumstances" She said to them.
Bumblebee gave a little wave at the human woman, which Charlie returned with a smile before turning to leave herself.
Alison exchanged one last word with her son "Be at the base early tomorrow for a training session, 0630, not a minute later"
Nathan gave a nod "Understood ma'am" he replied before the colonel went into the elevator herself, the door closing as she approached her compatriots.
Bulkhead gave a slight scoff "Fowler and Beige have got some pretty big bearings, for humans"
"At least Charlie isn't so bad." Ironhide backed up "That Fowler gives my processor a headache."
"Alison, Charlie and Fowler are only concerned for their world, you two. As they should be" Optimus spoke to them
(Line break)
With the flat bed of Cliffjumpers body in front of her, Kronicon readied herself "Let us see if power of darkness... can reignite the spark" She said, before swiftly plunging the crystal into the autobots chest, right into his spark, all watching the object melted into his chest and spread through his veins as his body gave a few eerily twitches.
Just then, his eyes opened. But they were not the charming blue the autobot was famous for. Instead, they were a sickly purple, as his voice gave out a rasp of breath, before he began to give a demon's wail as he struggled and broke out of his cuffs, making the nearby guards – a brute included – tense up and prime their weapons. They watch the thing that was Cliffjumper pounced like an animal, downing the first and pining him as he tried to defend himself with several desperate shots from his blaster arm, only for the autobot to bite into it and tear it off with a savage yank, tossing it away with another wail before grabbing his head and crushing it in his grip.
Starscream gave a petrified look, Shadowstorms eyes showed a rare case of shock, and Kronicons gaze showed that of great interest, with no small amount of giddiness at the show before them
Seeing the carnage, the decepticon brute sprang into action, rushing down the undead creature and landed a mighty swing of its hammer, bashing it off what was left of the other guard and sent it a few yards towards the edge, only for it to roar and charge in retaliation, wildly swinging at the brutes shield as he readied his hammer for another hit, only for Cliff to grab it as it swung in his direction, sending the con flying into the darkness with a hit of his own weapon, losing his shield on top.
All three higher ups watched as the autobot wailed on the soldier in the shadows "Your majesty! This is your plan?" Starscream practically yelled in fright at Kronicon "Bring autobots back from the dead to attack us!?"
Even Shadowstorm gave a dumbfounded look at her sibling.
"That, is no longer an autobot." The evil queen stated watching as the thing stumbled out of the dark, hammer in hand "Just a mindless beast. It's only instinct now is to destroy everything in its path"
The beast gave a roar as it charged at the trio, with Starscream leaping out of harms way as Shadowstorm primed and aimed her fusion canon with a scowl.
Kronicon however sharped her fingers into a sickle and gave dastardly swipe once her target was in range. The husk of an autobot, suddenly found itself cleaved in half diagonally, with only his right arm, head and most of his torso relatively intact as the rest of his body fell away off the ledge. "There you have it, my friends" She said as she transformed her weapon away, watching as her monster tried to climb back atop the ledge with its one arm as she strolled up to it "Rise the indestructible seed of my army. The ultimate weapon" she stated.
Cliffjumper gave a snarl as she promptly kicked him off, sending him crashing far below.
"Once I learn how to control it"
All three looked down at where the autobot landed.
(Line break)
Meanwhile, back at the autobot base, Nathan had been giving the newcomers a tour of the command centre, and now had just reached his destination on the catwalks "Voila. This is where I spend my time while I'm here" He showed off to the four.
What laid before them was in essence a living room, mixed with a games room and gym, with exercise equipment in the form of a treadmill, rowing machine, weight bars both big and small, mats and a pull up bar. Along with that was a billiards table, a large flatscreen TV with accompanying games consoles, a small fridge in the corner by some cabinets, a large sofa with a lounge chair on either side, a small table in front of that, and a punching bag stand.
Needless to say, the four were very impressed "Woah!/Nice setup dude!" Was jack and Mikos response
"Look at all of this!" Was Sierras amazed words.
"Can we use all this stuff?" Raf asked their guide
"Sure, why not?" Nathan replied "If you're going to stay here for now, might as well entertain yourselves"
"No way!" Miko called out to him with an excited voice "You got a Wii U and an Xbox series X!?"
"How many games have you got?" Jack asked him
"Enough" he bluntly replied with a chilled look.
Just then, an alarm went off again, making the five humans look to the monitors at Rachets station "Blasted Earth tech." Rachet muttered at the signal he was receiving before turning to the other bots "Cliffjumpers signal is back online"
"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asked, not noticing the wide-eyed look on Nathans face.
A look that was shared with everyone else "How is this possible?" Optimus asked is disbelief, walking forward a bit.
"It isn't." He replied as he turned back to the screens "Another bug. The system is chalk-full of 'em"
Breakaway stepped forward just then, Arcee and Elita beside him "Ratchet, bug or no bug, an autobot signal wouldn't appear for no reason" he reasoned "Maybe the Nemesis was just hiding his signal earlier and we couldn't pick it up"
"If there's any chance that Cliff's alive..." Arcee dared to hope
"We'll find him, sister" Elita reassures her, laying a hand on her shoulder
Optimus looked to the team medic "Ratchet, prepare sickbay. We may need it" He said, sliding his battle mask on.
"Hey!" Miko suddenly shouted to the prime "What can we do?" she asked
Optimus paused as he looked at her "Remain with Rachet and Nathen" He told her
"Aww!" Miko protested with slumped shoulders
"Aww..." Rachet grumbled
Elita gave an amused shake of her head, finding it ironic that Rachet and the young girl are so different and yet so much the same in how they behave.
Just then and there, the swirling green portal of the groundbridge came to life "Autobots, roll out!" Optimus called out, the eight bots transforming into their respective vehicle forms and driving/flying through the portal, vanishing soon after.
"What the?" Sierra, bless the girl, was absolutely confused, just as Jack, Miko and Raf "What just happened?"
Nathen stepped up to alleviate them "Ratchet just transported them to the designated location, with help from the groundbridge"
"What's a groundbridge?" Asked Rafael
Nathen crossed his arms "In short, and every sense, a teleportation device. Right gramps?" he said as he sent Ratchet a teasing look
The old medic clenched and unclenched his servos as he gave a sigh, far too old for Nate's shenanigans "And the long version would be, a downscaled version of space bridge technology" He said in a more proper manner "Since we do not possess the energon, or infrastructure required for intergalactic travel"
"You're stuck here... on Earth" Jack finished in realization, now feeling sorry for their other worldly hosts.
"With the likes of you, yes" Rachet added on at the end, giving him a look. He then turned back to the energy tunnel in question "But I, with a little bit of assistance from your supervisor" he directed that part towards Nathen" Constructed the groundbridge to allow travel from here, to anywhere on your planet" He proclaimed proudly
"Woah...!" Raf gasped in awe, before turning to Nathen "Does it work on humans?" he asked eagerly
"Indeed it does, I've had permission to use it myself during my commutes to the airbase that I train at" He said with a slight grin, before tugging up the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a wrist mounted device that looks like a digital watch that had a small screen, and two little buttons on either side of it "Breakaway even made a little bracer that lets me activate it whenever I need it"
All four looked to the small device in wonderment, before Miko turned to Ratchet "You guys saying I could just, shoot on out and visit my parents in Tokyo?" She had to ask
"Within moments." He stated, before leaning down towards here "In fact allow me to send you there right now, all five of you" He eagerly went on, possibly praying to Primus they'd say yes.
Miko just put a hand on her hips "Watch it, Ratchet"
Nathen gave a loud snicker and snort at her words
(Line break)
All was silent in a cave of energon before the ground bridge portal opened up, allowing the whole team to transform into robot mode, each one bringing out their weapons and assuming stances, expecting a battle upon entry.
Luckily for them, there was no one else around for the moment "Energon mine. Enough here to power a whole army" V-talla identified with a sense of awe
"Judging by its scale, the decepticons have been tunneling in here for quite some time" Optimus observed, Ironhide nodding in agreement
"Definitely a lot larger than most deposits we've bumped into" the old weapons expert commented.
Elita took a look around herself, an opinion forming as she turned to her spark mate "It won't be a bad idea to mine for some of this ourselves. Right now, any piece of energon is better than nothing, what with our limited supply of the stuff"
"First we find Cliffjumper, then we can set about collecting what we need from here should an opportunity arise" Optimus agreed with her.
The whole team moved forward slowly and silently, cautious about alerting the cons to their presence. They soon entered a larger section of the tunnel they arrived in, and ducked behind some rocks at the sight of an entire drill team ahead of them armed with laser cutters and hand drills, some of which even employing large drilling machines. Among them were a few pairs of hammer wielding brutes, an obvious security detail, though luckily, no leapers.
As for the amounts of energon that seemed to stretch its way along the sides of the cave "I was wrong, there's enough energon down here for five armies" V-talla stated.
Breakaway and Arcee gave the young flier a look "You've been watching too many Tolkien movies with Nathen, you know that?" Said the former.
"What? They're good movies" She tried to defend herself with a shrug
"Shh, shut up" Ironhide told them, whilst Elita and Bulkhead gave a snicker.
A minute or so passed before Optimus made a decision "Let's find Cliffjumper" he proclaimed before stepping out, the rest of the team right behind him and his peds boomed as he stepped forward, finally alerting the decepticons to their presence. Each side at that point pulled out their weapons, and the cons began the exchange of laser fire, while the brutes among them pulled out their hammers and shields.
Even one of the minors pulled out his drilling machine and charged, intending to use it against them, only for Bulkhead to bash aside with a swing of his mace, as the other autobots open fired and pressed forward. Arcee took point to start off, rushing down a vehicon leaping high and blasting it before landing on it as it fell, and as a second one tried its luck, she lept up on its shoulders, and beheaded it with a twist of her legs.
One of the brutes charged forward with its hammer up high, fully intent to smash her with it. That was when V-tall jumped in to play, her shoulder mounted missile pods opening fire at its exposed back, blowing it to pieces. She then turned to see three vehicons blasting away at her, to which her reply was to bring out her wrist mounted rotors, and have them combine into a sword staff, twirling it expertly in her hands before making a sweeping motion that sliced them all in half.
Not far away from that, Bumblebee had just gunned down another trooper, before dodging out of the path of another driller, its exposed driver being sniped off by a shot from Breakaways rifle, before Optimus picked up the driller itself and blasted it away. Ironhide then came in, arm cannons spinning up and blasting a brute right in its chest faster than it can bring up its shield
(Line break)
Back at base, Miko, having by now had the full tour of Nathans stuff, found herself curious by a piece of equipment attached to the concrete wall "What is this anyway?" She asked
"Broken. Don't touch it" Ratchet told her, walking over to the terminal
The girl reached out again
"Don't touch that either!"
"Is there anything in here we can touch?" Jack said sarcastically
Sierra, Nathan, Raf and Miko all gave him a look with raised eyebrows
Jack facepalmed himself "I wasn't thinking there, was I" he muttered to himself.
Just then, one of the terminals main screens showed an error message. A very human looking error message "Huh, I didn't know robots from outer space get the same problems that we do with our stuff" Sierra spoke up as she, Jack and Raf walked over to investigate
"That's because it is our stuff" Nathen revealed, hiding no small amount of exasperation at this increasingly growing annoyance.
"You mean you're using human computers in here? How come?" Raf asked him and Ratchet
"It certainly isn't by choice" the autobot revealed "It was passed down to us by the previous tenants when we inherited this former missile silo. I make modifications as I see fit" He explained.
Just then, like the gods were cursing him, the whole bunch of error messages popped up on all of the screens, making Ratchet give a frustrated groan as Nathen gave a tired sigh "I'll call the technicians..." he droned.
"I think I can fix that" Raf suddenly spoke up.
Both Rachet and Nathen looked over to see the young boy sit himself down and pull out a laptop, plugging it into the terminal via a USB cable "Really" skeptically said the former "You do know this is complex technology here, don't you? I mean it isn't a child's toy!"
"Sorry kid, but I do have to agree with Ratchet here. Even I struggle with this stuff, and I helped tinker with the groundbridge when the bots built it" Nathen added on doubtfully.
The boy however took no notice of their words, typing away for a few moments before turning to the pair "Now try"
With two other doubtful looks, they turned back to the monitors and the medic bot inserted a command. Just then all the red error messages displayed green boxes with checkmarks, before they went away and displayed the normal schematics again.
They both turned to the kid again with wide astonished eyes "How did...?" Nathen couldn't even finish his question. Was this youngster a tech wizard or some shit?
(Line break)
The last of the con drillers was swiftly taken care off as Bulkhead slammed his mace down upon it, its driver sent flying and then shot down by Elita. The team stowed away their weapons and strode forward determinedly, not faltering when they saw the two remaining brutes and about a dozen more vehicons approaching, backed up by even more drills.
Optimus charged with a run, followed by the rest of the team "Maximum overdrive!" He called out fearlessly, the whole team following his lead as he transformed into vehicle mode as the cons opened fire.
Optimus, Bulkhead and Ironhide took the lead ahead of the ground team, smashing through the cons by the legs, the prime even launching a driller into the air, which got blasted down by a missile sent by Breakaway as he flew by, V-talla right behind him as she blasted the brutes with a volley from her vehicle modes rocket pods and chipped away at the other decepticons with her chin mounted machine gun. Meanwhile, Elita and Bumblebee kept back, occasion ramming through dead con remnants, while Arcee, being the smallest, had to dodge everything.
Soon the whole team exited the tunnel an into a massive chamber, the heart of the mine, transforming at ducking down behind some large crates. They saw dozens more minors at work, toiling away at even more energon, with, to their concerns, a pair of decepticon leapers
Bulkhead gave a whistle "Quite an operation"
Much to the bots luck, the enemy heard him and started blasting at them, resulting in the whole scene becoming chaotic as the team returned fire.
"Now you've done it, wrecker!" Ironhide snaps, firing a missile
"Come on Ironhide!" Bulk throws back with a grin "I thought you liked a good fight"
"Don't make me send you to the pit early" he replied bitterly
"Will you two knock it off!?" Elita tells them. Normally she likes to take part in a bit of banter, but right now was the time to focus.
(Line Break)
Up above the mine, unaware of the battle taking place under the Nemesis, Kronicon could be seen in a large chamber within the flagship, standing before a large tube that contained a huge crystal collection of dark energon, staring hungrily at it with a dark lust for its power.
"Holy blood of Unicron..." She crooned at it softy as she approached it "How do I begin to fathom the depths of your mystery and mystical properties... begin to become worthy of wielding, let alone controlling your astonishing power...?" She asked it as if she was talking to an omnipotent being.
Just then, the nearby communicator was brought to life, the faces of Shadowstorm and Starscream coming live on the feed "Sister, we have just been informed that the Autobots are attacking the mine shafts" The former reported
Autobots? That could only mean... "Optimus?" Kronicon asked, just to be sure
"Indeed, my queen" Starscream replied
Now truly knowing for sure, she turned to face them "I need more time to organize the appropriate reception for my old friend..." she said, before issuing an order "Ready the Nemesis to depart and signal the fleet to retreat"
Whilst the decepticon right hand gave a nod at the order, the first lieutenant had his concerns "But-but, but the energon we've mined! The autobots will seize it!"
Kronicons reply to this childish worry "Then blow the mines!" She nearly roared, clenching her servos.
(Line break)
Back in the mine battle, the two sides were pretty much at a stalemate despite the vehicons that were still dropping to the autobots.
Arcee had just sniped a couple more troopers with some help from breakaway, when she looked up and saw something on one of the upper levels of the mine. "It's Cliff!" She exclaimed to the other bots "I have a visual!"
"We'll cover you! Go!" Optimus gave the order.
"Right behind you, Arcee!" Elita added in support.
Together the two femmes dashed out of cover, transforming and racing up the ramp past the still firing vehicons. Due to their speed, they were able to lift off from the ramp and launch into the air, high enough for them to transform and grab onto the nearby platform via metal bar, hoisting themselves up. Tother they leap up from platform to platform using the same method for the first one, until their target location with one last climb.
They couldn't help the gasps of horror and shock at the state Cliffjumper was in once they saw him, his body chopped in half with only one arm, and leaking purple energon. "What the frag happened to him...?" Elita's voice was barely a whisper.
Just then, energon blasts started raining down on their position, the remainders of the troopers firing to kill.
And as the rest of the Autobots below concentrated their fire, a pair of large dagger-like arms barged the vehicons aside, its thruster pack lifting it into the air and preparing for a dive bomb attack "Leaper soldier!" V-talla shouted
"Oh no you don't!" Breakaway defied, swiftly transforming and jetting with full afterburners right into the airborne target before it could crush Arcee and Elita, stopping himself just before he hit the far wall, the impact causing the soldier to fall and be buried in rocks.
Just as the bots thought they were in the clear, the ground team suddenly looked straight up to see a second leaper falling right on top of them "Lookout!" Bulkhead yelled, the whole team scattering as it crashed down, kicking up dust and debris from the impact.
Just as it set its sights on them, It found itself be pummeled by laser fire as the bots opened up, its frontal armor soaking up a good portion of the damage thrown his way "I'm too old for this!" Ironhide huffed gruffly, stowing away his cannons and forming a set of spiked knuckle bracers on his hands, before both armored bots tackled each other, matching in strength as they entered a shoving contest. This was only for a minute or less before the old autobot managed to bring one of his arms back, and sent a mean right hook into the cons one-eyed face, caving it in from the power behind his punch as the body fell, lifeless.
Back up with the femmes, due to the plasma fire from the cons, the slab of platform Cliffjumper rested on caved and broke away "Cliff, no!" Arcee cried, rushing forward and managing to grab his arm before he could fall, Elita and Breakaway helping her lift him.
She gave a thankful nod to her sister and the arielbot, which they returned with a smile or smirk, before turning to their comrade "Lets get you home partner!" Arcee exclaimed, her chances of telling him how she felt filling her with hope.
Just then, she saw him look up at her. And instead of a grinning, carefree, non-stop talking autobot, she was met with a ravenous scowl and howl from something that wasn't her partner. She and her sister let out frightened gasps as break backed up in shock as the beast thrashed about in her grip, Elita yanking her away in a moment of panic, leaving the three to watch helplessly as he fell.
Optimus rushed forward with an arm raised at the sight before him, knowing deep down that it was futile. Cliff clanged against a lower balcony, before finally crashing the cave floor as the remainder of his body shattered and exploded, ensuring his death this time.
As they all took this moment to let this horridness settle in, a mocking laugh soon sounded above, the autobots all looking to see Starscream leering down at them "Prime!" he sneered
They all tensed up, V and Ironhide in particular ready to throwdown
"I'd stick around, but I'm squeamish" he said, raising something in his hand before dropping it. He leaps and transforms into his jet mode – an F-16 Falcon – before blasting up the tube and disappearing from view.
The device he carried landed on the piles of energon that were not yet mined, an ominous beeping now revealing what it was "Bomb!" V-talla shouted worriedly
"The joint's gonna blow!" Bulkhead added on
"Time to go!" Break went on, grabbing the femmes and leaping off the platform to the ground below
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus ordered, the whole team shifting into vehicle mode and racing off, the prime doing the same once he saw everyone ahead of him as they raced back through the tunnel they came. The bomb detonated, causing a chain reaction that made the energon crystals explode with tremendous force, the plume of the explosion reaching up above the mountains as the Decepticon fleet vacated the site.
And of course, the autobots, both land and air, found themselves trying not to be barbequed as the blast front followed them "Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates, Now!" Optimus shouts into the commlink.
Not a second later, the groundbridge portal opened up, with all the bots driving or flying into it, soon meeting the familiar scenery of their base with the medic at the controls as the blast wave follows them through. Everyone transformed into bot mode, skidding to a stop as the bridge closed behind them, curtesy of Ratchet.
"Woah..." were the breathless reactions of Raf, Jack, Miko and Sierra, whilst Nathen watched with an impressed nod.
Elita allowed a small smile to cross her lips, knowing that they haven't seen anything yet.
"Cutting it a bit close." Ratchet comments "How about Cliffjumper?" he asked
Just like that, the whole team looks down mournfully "Oh..." Nathen says knowingly, joining them in their actions.
"Was that an explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with next time!?" Miko asks excitedly, ignoring their mournful looks.
Some of the gathered bots, and the visitors guide gave the Japanese girl an irritated look, miffed by her insensitivity, though Elita stepped forward in alarm as she saw Arcee make an approach towards her with a seething glare "Look!" She starts furiously
"Arcee..." The older femme intervenes, hoping to calm her down
"He-hey Miko" Jack suddenly pipes up, coming in behind the girl "Lets go see what the bots keep in their sock drawers" he said, pulling her away with a hand on her shoulder
"Seriously?" she asks dryly
"Arcee, Elita. What did you too see?" Optimus asks the two.
"Not Cliff" The former said brokenly, wrapping her arms around her as she seemed to shrink in on herself, as her sister looks at her sympathetically "At least, not anymore. He was, mutilated... butchered" she says, her voice wobbling and breaking a bit "Like something from those, con experiments during the war!"
She suddenly collapses with a groan onto a nearby crate, Elita immediately kneeling down to her worriedly
"Arcee!" V-talla fearfully said
*Are you okay?* Bumblebee added on as both youngest made to approach her
"I'm fine!" Arcee states, holding a hand up to keep them at bay "Just... dizzy"
"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko asked
"Robots with emotions" Raf realized
"Robots, who understand pain, and loss" Sierra breathes out
"Robots... who can die" Jack added, with a tone of shock
"Robots who are no different from us humans" Nathen told them as the four turned to him "On the outside, yes. But the inside... we couldn't be any more alike" he went on softly as he looked at the autobots.
As the five conversed on this, Rachet had a scanner from his arms move up and down Arcees frame whilst Elita stood nearby, the light blinking between blue and red as it moves past a particular substance on her hand "What is this?" Rachet breathes out to himself
"How is she, Ratchet?" The pink femme asked him in concern for her
"Not entirely sure..." He replies honestly, before looking back to his patient "Arcee?" he asks her, gesturing to her hand.
On the back of it was a bit of that oozy purple goo laying on top of it, the two-wheeler weakly lifting it up "Don't know. Cliff was covered in it. Leaking it" She replied shakily
Hearing enough, the team medic takes out a surgical knife as swipes the substance to take for himself, gazing at it with analytical gaze "Go take a decontamination bath. Now" He sternly orders.
Elita gently lefts Arcee to her feet and passes her onto Bumblebee to take her to the bath.
"O-Optimus" The majority of the bots turn to Jack at the sound of his voice, the teen boy raising up his cellphone "I hate to bug, but, no bars" he explained
"A security precaution. The silo walls isolate all radio waves" Optimus said
"It's to ensure the decepticons can't find our location" Elita kindly clarifies
"Well, If I don't call my mom, like right now, I'm pretty sure the cops are gonna be looking for me and Sierra" Jack goes on in concern, his girlfriend nodding in support
Optimus suddenly leaned down with a critical gaze at the human couple, causing Elita to cover her mouth to hold back a bubbling laugh "Have you two broken a law?" he asked lowly
Nathen walked up to the railing beside the couple with placating hands "It's called a curfew, Optimus, it's a method that people have used since the end of our second world war. Parents these days use it to help keep track of their kids" He explained to the prime
Jack, grateful for this little rescue from the young adult "R-right. And it's 10 p.m so Sierra and I are breaking both of ours right now" he went on
"I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year" Raf added on uneasily
"Earth customs... I hadn't considered" Optimus said in realization, sharing a look with Elita "But the issue of your safety remains" he makes clear
"Guardianship?" Elita asked her sparkmate
The prime nodded "Bulkhead, accompany Miko home" he said to the wrecker as he came forth
"Awesome!" Miko cheers "My host parents will freak!" she continues giddily
"And maintain covert surveillance, in vehicle mode" Optimus ordered further.
"Curbside duty, got it" Bulkhead replied in understanding.
"Aww" Miko said dejected.
Elita gave a short laugh, knowing that Bulkhead would be either a great guardian for the girl, or a very bad one. Good thing that her Sparkmate was quick to pick up on an individual's personality very quickly.
"Bumblebee" Optimus then summoned "You will watch over Raf"
Bumblebee gave a nod and looked to his new charge, with Raf sending him a friendly smile.
Then the prime turned to the two Arielbots "Breakaway, as you and V-talla have bonded with Nathan during your time at Colonel Beiges airbase, that is how I want you two to stay" He decreed
"Can do, Optimus" Breakaway assured.
"Yeah, we got this big bot" V-talla said with a grin directed at the boy with a fist raised towards him.
Nathan gave a grin as he gave a fist bump.
Elita and the prime gave a smile, before the latter turned to Ratchet "Ratchet-"
"Busy!" The medic promptly cut off Optimus from his station, just as Arcee finished her bath and stepped out
"Arcee" The two wheeler looked to Optimus "You will accompany Jack"
The teen in question gave a nervous rub to the back of his head.
Arcee than tried to play off this task with an excuse "Ooh, still dizzy"
"You're fine, says your physician" Rachet stated
Arcee gave a huff and grumble in disappointment, sending a glare at Elita as she gave a teasing amused grin.
"Ironhide-" Optimus then starts
"Not happening, Prime" the gruff soldier interrupted with a shake of his head "No offence to the human, but I do not want to be around anymore of their settlements"
That was when Elita turned her teasing look to the old mech "Why? Is the gruff, tough war veteran afraid of an organic that doesn't reach halfway up his legs?" She joked
Ironhide turned to her with a glowering look "Don't get any ideas, femme" he growled at her "It's because I don't want rodents lubricating all over my feet"
"What?" Miko and Sierra asked in befuddlement.
Elita, Bulkhead, Bee and V-talla shared a small laugh between them, recalling how ticked off the big mech was that day. Even Arcee had to cover her mouth with her shoulder joints shaking with slight amusement.
They managed to settle down as Optimus turned to his dear sparkmate "Elita, would you be okay with watching over Sierra?" he asked her
"Of course, Optimus" She assures him with a smile, that was soon directed over to her new charge, Sierra giving a shy wave.
(Line break)
A while later, Jack could be seen riding Arcee onto the drive of his house, the two slowly rolling inside the garage. He dismounted and walked to stand in front of her "Arcee, I know you probably don't want to hear it from me... but I just want to say I'm sorry. I know what it's like" He told her earnestly.
Arcee just felt anger rise inside of her. How could he possibly understand? "What could you ever know about loss?" She sneered, completely pushing her sympathy aside.
At this however, she saw Jacks eyes lose their softness and harden like steel at her tone "A lot more than you might think" He bit at her "I may not know what it's like to lose someone you love to war. I do know what it's like when you lose them to cruelty" he carried on with a glare.
Arcee transformed, matching his scathing her with her own "I highly doubt any so-called loss you had to endure is anything compared to mine!" She hissed like a viper
Much to her shock, he marched up to her, even pointing a finger up at her "More than you could possibly know. You honestly think you're the only one who understands the pain? the anguish!?" He raved at her, anger now coming into his voice
Before anymore heated words could be said, lights suddenly lit up the garage, both seeing a white ford crown victoria pull into the drive "Cons!" Arcee exclaimed, pulling out her blasters
Only for jack to rush in front of her frantically "No, mom!"
A fare looking woman stepped out of the car, one with black hair, chocolate brown eyes and a beige top over a cream green shirt and leggings with white shoes "Jack?"
"Mom!" Jack started with a nervous cheer "D-don't freak, I can explain" He said
"Can you?" Said with mother, hands on her hips and an unimpressed look in her eye as she walked by him, up to Arcee in her bike mode "Jackson Darby, we talked about this" She rounded on him
"I know, and-"
"You don't know!" June carried on, cutting him off "I worry about you enough whenever you're not here, now I have to worry about you riding a motorcycle?" She went on
Jack gave an exasperated sigh "I'm sixteen, I can't be riding at ten speed forever" he tried reasoning with her as he walked up to the bike.
June, still not impressed, took a look at the motorbike, noting how it was one of those hyper expensive ones from Ducati "How did you even afford this?" She asked skeptically
"Um..." Jack had to quickly make up a story "It's used, it's uh, abused really, needs a ton of repairs. But the point is" He then walked over to a shelf, seeing a grey motorbike helmet sitting there as he laid a hand on it "I may have been a kid when I bought this, and after... y'know" he paused mournfully and weakly "But, I'm not anymore. And, you're always telling me to make responsible choices and... well, I chose her. And I'll be responsible, I promise" He said, gesturing to Arcee.
June crossed her arms in front of her "Her?" she asked "I didn't know you were seeing girls that aren't Sierra" She went on
"W-What!?" Jack cried at that, frantically waving his arms at her "I-It's not like that mom! I thought you knew me better than that!"
June sent him a look that clearly showed she was just teasing, knowing of course that what Jack had with Sierra was something he would never go back on.
At the look of his mom's face, Jack relaxed, going on with his explanation "I like to think that she chose me" He reasoned.
June, feeling just a little bad for her tease, finally conceded "Well, I am definitely glad you now have a reason to wear helmet - every single time you ride!" She stated clearly and firmly, jabbing a finger at him, before softening her features as she and jack headed for the door into the house "You will take me for spin once in a while, right?" She asked with just a little bit of hope as she walked inside
Jack looked back at his guardian "She's kinda temperamental... and a bit of a jerk" he said, pressing the button that turned off the lights and slid the garage doors closed
'Maybe I deserve that... just a bit' Arcee said in her head, before she powered down.
(Line break)
What's the first sound you like to hear in the morning? Twittering birds? The sound of a gentle breeze?
How about a loud obnoxious motorbike engine that revved like crazy, as Arcee was doing right now to get Jack to come out "Shh! Are you crazy!? You'll wake up my mom!" He whisper shouted at her
His guardian of course, didn't seem to care less "Call it payback for calling me a jerk last night." She told him, a tiny hint of smugness in her tone
"Oh come on, don't you think it was a little bit deserved?" He asked
"Grab your helmet, it's go time" She said, ignoring his come back
"Aww, but it's Saturday" He moaned
"You can watch Power Rangers back and base with Bumblebee" She said to him next
Jack gave a scoff "Huh, Power Rangers, I'm sixteen!" he bit out, heading back inside to get dressed and grab his things, closing the door
"And leave a note for your mom, she worries!" Arcee called to him
(Line break)
Meanwhile, the Nemesis and its fleet cruised high in skies of Earth in a precise, organized formation, keeping well hidden from human eyes and ears thanks to their stealth and cloaking technology.
In the chamber that contained the large crystal of Dark Energon, Kronicon stood just before it in the center of the room, her sister and Starscream standing a short distance behind
"I don't really believe you need worry about further resistance from the Autobots, your majesty. Not with both Prime and Elita, gone" the seeker said assuredly
Kronicon however, was not so convinced, understandably "And what evidence do you possess of this fact, Starscream?" asked the queen
He laid a hand across his chest "I destroyed the mines, as you instructed" he replied to her respectfully
She turned to face them fully "Perhaps..." She said, before turning to her right hand "Tell me, Shadowstrom, my sister... what do you believe?" she asked her
The big brute of a femme spoke up "Optimus Prime and his sparkmate are not so easily defeated, especially so in the case of the former" she spoke in her emotionless tone, kneeling down as she continued "We have millennia worth of conflict behind you two as evidence of that"
The younger of the femmes gave a nod in agreement "Since the day that Optimus thwarted my attempt to end the life of the traitor Sentinal in the hour of his exposure, all the good that could've done for our people in that moment" She said with a bitter tone, before turning back to the dark energon
Starscream, despite his reasons being shot down, didn't change his tone "Maybe you should take this time to rest, my queen. I worry that too much contact with the dark energon might allow its properties to, adversely affect you"
The dark queen though, an evil smile forming on her face, had another thought "Or perhaps, my friends... I have not permitted myself... contact enough!" She snarled as she thrusted a hand forward, and ripping out a small shard of the dark substance to hold in the air.
Shadowstorm, for the first time in eons, had her optics widen in shock "Kronicon... you could never!" She spoke worriedly, a hand raised up in hopes of stopping her.
"My queen, wait! No!" Starcream yelled, realizing the same thing as Shadowstorm as Kronicon raised the shard higher "Not your spark chamber! You don't know it will do!"
The seekers cries were unheard her majesty plunged the shard into her chest. She starts to spasm and growl like a ravenous monster as the blood of Unicron starts to take over her vains, with Shadowstrom and Starscream standing back in shock as her eyes went from blood red to purple as her howls echoed in the halls of her flagship!.
(Line break)
Back at the Autobots base, Rachet could be seen monitoring that very same substance with a microscope, whilst the object itself was held within a thin glass "Hmm. The base elements of this goo are not like anything I've ever encountered" He murmurs to himself "Must be extremely concentrated to have affected Arcee so rapidly"
Moving away from the microscope, he uses a sort of grabbing tool to pick up the glass sheet "Unfortunately, complete results are slow coming without the use of proper diagnostic tools, thank you very much Bulkhead" He frustratedly mumbled.
What the medic didn't realize is that a small drop of his sample dropped from the glass and onto his broken equipment on the floor. The gloop glow ominously as it sinks into the broken device, humming with dark power. The broken equipment then begins to move on its own, claws twitching and grasping hungrily as it turns into a frightening, arachnid like beast.
Now standing on eight legs, it glares around the room with a single purple glowing eye, hissing like a snake. It begins to scuttle all around the room whilst Rachet remains completely unaware.
Yeah this took way, way, way longer that it should have. And I am so sorry for that
The truth is, as I was about to finish this chapter, something glitched in my microsoft account that corrupted all of my work files, so now I have to redo everything from scratch! What fun! Not!
It's all sorted now though, so hopefully something like that doesn't happen in the future.
Not much to say, other than I hope you liked the little easter egg of a reference to other specific transformers media, as well as the little references to my other story
See ya'll real soon, I hope!