Enemy In The Mirror
Frostwing
jogged down the corridor, her mind alert to the newest problem to arise on her
watch. It had been a busy few days with the Decepticons having finally
assaulted their enemies, the legions of clone Transformers known as the
Disciples of Primus.
After
a long hard fought battle, the Disciples had met defeat and Cybertron was once
again under Imperial control. However, the Decepticons were still uncertain of
what the Disciples ultimate goal had been. Their investigation of the Disciples
vessels and remains of their surface structures had turned up no obvious
leadership structure nor had it revealed much in the way of clues. Add to that,
the Disciples had all gone inactive simultaneously so there was no way to
interrogate any of the drones–not that she expected they would’ve had much to
say in any event.
The
Disciples de-activation and the Decepticons ultimate victory had occurred when
they’d targeted a large power source on the surface and taken it out. It had
obviously been some sort of system that controlled their enemy remotely.
Unfortunately, when the complex had been destroyed, it had taken with it any
answers that it may have contained.
She
wondered if they’d ever figure the mystery of the Disciples out–or, if Megatron
already knew the answer, he hadn’t been forthcoming with an answer and she
found that lack of knowledge frustrating. Knowledge was power, after all.
She
rounded a turn in the corridor, arriving at the airlock and her ultimate
destination. She had bigger concerns then the Disciples right now. It was the
return of a smaller, more sinister problem then she’d had to worry about
recently.
Beyond
her, three guards surrounded and grasped a struggling figure.
“Frostwing!”
the figure exclaimed. “There you are! Tell them to release me immediately!”
She
stopped in front of the other.
“Silence,”
she snapped. “You’re lucky I didn’t have you shot on sight, Starscream. Those
are my standing orders, by the way. But I thought Megatron would prefer the
honor himself. After all, you have been so much trouble to him in the
past.”
“Why
the hostility?” Starscream asked, smiling. “I just went out for a bit, that’s
all. Surely, you can’t fault me for that. Its this human inside my head–she
likes to put strange ideas in my mind sometimes.”
“Save
it.” Frostwing met her gaze. “This latest offense is tantamount to desertion.
The proverbial icing on the cake as it were. Megatron will not tolerate your
treachery any longer–you will die before you can put your latest scheme into
play.”
Starscream
smiled slightly at that, her face taking on a sinister tone. “What makes you
think it isn’t already in motion?“ she asked.
“You
won’t be able to do much in the brig.” Frostwing glanced to her warriors.
“Savor your last moments, Starscream. Once Megatron comes to see you I doubt
you’ll have much time left...”
“I
look forward to my last minutes, then...” Starscream smiled that smile again.
Frostwing
gestured at her warriors and they began dragging the rogue Seeker/Headmaster
away. She turned and marched off, not bothering to watch the procession or give
the rogue Decepticon further thought.
* * *
We
had returned from Cybertron two days ago and much jubilation followed in our
wake. We had gone into the proverbial smelting pool and emerged mostly
unscathed. The Disciples had fallen while we were there–a coincidence, to be
sure, but a good omen regardless. That left the Decepticons in control of our
home world but we had been the ones to obtain that item the Disciples had
sought before their defeat. Some sort of energy core that they had attempted to
take from the Last Autobot.
Whatever
it’s ultimate purpose, it was better that we had obtained the object then allow
the Disciples to seize it for their own designs.
There were
still questions as to what exactly the Disciples had been and why we had found
several humanoids among them on Cybertron. It seemed obvious to me that the
humanoids were in control of the drones but we still have no idea what their
ultimate goal was or why they had sought the Last Autobot out.
Questions,
always questions... I‘d hoped our mission to Cybertron would’ve helped us learn
some answers about what we were up against, not raise more questions.
Still,
for the moment, we were victorious and as I had hoped, it had given the Autobots
something to rally behind. A direction they’d needed so desperately to keep
their spirits up and their minds focused.
We would need that fire for the
coming days, months and years ahead if we had any hope of combating the
Decepticons with any success.
But
we would win. I had faith and now so did the others...
I
just wish I could’ve convinced everyone of the merits of my leadership. If only
Hot Rod and his rogues could’ve had the same faith in my leadership that the
others did. But their hearts had grown dark long before I’d assumed command, I
suspect, and they had been compelled to act as they did.
Hot
Rod had been so young and jubilant for so long in all the times since I’d first
gone online in those short years between Karn and the Autobot City massacre. As
Sunfire, I’d admired his passion for life in a very real way. I see now that he
had allowed himself to believe in the prospect of peace again only to have that
trust stamped out by Galvatron’s return.
My
heart goes out to him and all those others that left with him. They’re angry
and more then that, they’re hurt. Hurt by the agony of war and the prospect of
unending conflict. If only there was some way to make them see that I
understand their pain and regain their trust.
After
all, we are family–and I’ve always believed family takes care of its own.
“Sonimus?”
I
look up. “Hmm?”
“You
look as if you drifted off there for a moment,” Grid Iron smiled. It was something
I was unaccustomed to seeing him do. The elder Autobot always seemed to have a
grave expression on his face–I suspect that was from all the pressure he’d been
under the past several months. This new change was a welcome one.
“Sorry,”
I replied. “Just thinking about recent events.”
He
nodded. “There’s a lot to consider,” he agreed. “We’ve gone a long way to
rebuilding Oberon and assembling your forces these past weeks. Now, with your
successful mission to Cybertron behind you, we might just have a new tool in
our arsenal against the Decepticons.”
“You’re
certain the menace of the Disciples has been eliminated?” I quizzed him.
“The
main fleet was stationed at Cybertron–as far as we knew, anyway– and all have
been taken offline by the Decepticon assault,” he responded. “The Earth
contingent was largely impacted by the weapon the humans used on the
Decepticons. What few remained had come back to Cybertron, so...”
“I
concur,” I replied. “I just wish we knew exactly what their ultimate purpose
had been and whom these humans we’d found with them were.” I paused,
disconcerted. “There’s some piece of the puzzle we’re not privy to here and
that concerns me.”
“Do
you think that the Decepticons have any better idea of what’s going on then we
do?” he asked.
I
shrugged. “It’s hard to say without more concrete information. My instinct is
that they’re in the dark as much as we are on the Disciples–but I have nothing
to back that up with.”
He
nodded, seating himself across the desk from me.
“So,
now what?”
“Our
next move?” I considered my words before speaking. There were several options
open to me, of course. It seemed logical to begin engaging the Decepticons
again, at least in some limited capacity. Certainly we couldn’t take on any big
targets, but smaller bases, supply depots–things of that nature were easily
within our capabilities.
Additionally,
we could glean more intelligence on Megatron’s Empire and it’s potential
weaknesses. Our earlier raids had helped some but with our ranks having been
infiltrated by traitors such as Auto Forse we couldn’t be completely certain on
the accuracy of our information. Had he gone all out in his cover and allowed
us access to vital information or had he fed us just what he wanted us to know?
Enough to let us feel we were making in-roads but not enough to actually do any
real damage.
Another
priority was to examine the energy core we’d retrieved on Cybertron and
determine exactly what it was. Was it a new Matrix? The Spark of the Last
Autobot? Something else completely? I had my best scientists examining it even
now, trying to help us learn just what it was we’d taken but so far we knew
nothing for certain.
And
then... there was Hot Rod and his rogues. Sooner or later, something had to be
done about them. I knew they weren’t out there idly sitting the war out... they
were fighting their war and inevitably that could cause the Decepticons to take
notice of us again.
“There’s
several things I can think of,” I told him finally. “But tell me, what’s the
latest word on the rogues?”
“Hot
Rod’s crew?” He sighed. “We’ve been monitoring sporadic reports of their
activities. They’ve been hitting supply depots and space stations up to this
point. It seems they’ve been causing some real damage, leaving no survivors in
their wake.”
“Nothing
big?” I asked.
“Not
so far,” Grid Iron replied. “But I suspect it’s just a matter of time before
they do.” He tapped some commands into the console before him and called up
some data. Satisfied, he turned the screen toward me.
“See
this?”
I
studied the data. “They’re progressing as they go,” I noted. “Taking on bigger
and bigger targets. More fortifications and defenses at each one and they still
manage to get in there somehow and eliminate them.”
I
met Grid Iron’s gaze. “Is it possible to figure out where they’ll strike next?”
I asked.
He
nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem, based off the data we have. Why do you ask?”
“I
want to find them and convince them they’re needed here with us,” I explained.
“Not running around destroying stuff and helping the Decepticons take notice of
us again.”
“Are
you sure that’s wise? They didn’t seem too excited when you were nominated
leader.”
“Hot
Rod’s hurting. They all are...” I explained. “If we can get to them, show them
that we are making a difference then maybe–just maybe–we can convince
them to join up again. We need to come together in this time of need not pull
apart.”
“It’s
worth an attempt,” Grid Iron offered. “That is, if Hot Rod’s willing to
listen.”
“I
have to try sooner or later,” I countered. “Might as well be sooner.” I looked
at the screen. “Now, lets get working on figuring out their next target,”
* * *
I’ve
spent a lot of my life looking to the horizon and the things just beyond my
immediate reach. I was on Cybertron for years before Fortress Maximus lead our
contingent to Nebulos and what we thought at the time was to be a new life free
of the Decepticons tyranny.
There
were so many times when we had beaten them into submission, I had my doubts
when we drove them off Karn. But as time went on and we heard nothing further,
I confess even I started to believe that maybe things were different this time.
Maybe they were gone for good... maybe that elusive peace I had sought all my
life had finally manifest itself. That my desires that always seemed just
beyond my reach had finally come to me, offering themselves up in unconditional
surrender.
I
should’ve known better.
The
realization that my dreams were ruined first hit me when I destroyed Tentakil
in the dam-way in Autobot City. As I slaughtered that piece of Decepticon
garbage, as his fluids mixed with the crystal clear water around us, I knew I
had lost the peace I had always sought. My hands were irreparably bloodied with
the stains of war and there was no true escape from the eternal struggle.
If
I were human, I would have wept. As it was, I was left with an overwhelming
sense of darkness. A feeling that I had lost my innocence forever and it could
never be reclaimed, never taken back from the Decepticons.
Somewhere
in my mind I knew that we could never know peace ever again–not until the
Decepticons were obliterated utterly. Something that they had been trying to do
to our kind for millennia but our kind had always held back on when we had the
upper hand in the situation. Optimus Prime had kept us from basest instincts,
shone light into our souls when there was none left, shown us that we needed to
be beyond the horde of our enemies. That we were a better people and we did not
debase ourselves by sinking to their level.
At
the time, I had wholeheartedly believed him. I really did. There was something
irregular about him–something that made him more then just another Autobot or
Decepticon. A spark of inner power that made him not just a good Transformer
but a great one. A leader among leaders, a warrior among mere soldiers.
But
he perished on Earth during Galvatron’s siege and even when the Gobot had
emerged from our storage facility and rallied the troops with his claim to be
Optimus Prime, I knew better. The words were there, so were the actions. But
the presence of power, of wisdom beyond ages, was gone. I followed along with
the others but I knew he wasn’t truly our leader reborn. He was a copy, at
best.
When
he too perished I allowed myself to admit to the feelings in my core–there was
only one way we could ever win the war. It was a simple solution but one that
had taken me far too long to see and admit to.
We
had to obliterate the Decepticons. Wipe them out of existence completely. There
was no other way.
To
that end, I had rejected Sunfire–or rather, Sonimus Prime, when she had sought
control of the Autobots and struck out on my own, taking several important
backers with me. The Dinobots had been happy to accompany me, as had
Cliffjumper, Mainframe, Roadbuster and many others.
Thus
far we had taken out several Decepticon bases as we went along, each bigger and
better fortified as we grew in resources. None had stood against us long and we
had been sure to leave no survivors in our wake.
We’d
learned from hacking their databases that this new Empire Megatron had
established was enormous–encompassing some fifteen planets as well as several
tertiary bases and outposts–as well as one sizeable battle fleet to protect it
all. It would be a daunting task to take it on, even with the warriors at my
command, but I was determined to make it happen. To that end, we’d become more
crafty and sought out Deplutonide-40–a compound essential to creating quantum
warheads. The most powerful destructive weapon known to our kind...
After
some additional work, we’d come to Tarius. A thriving Decepticon colony,
heavily fortified and highly populated. But there were no helpless slave races
here–everyone down there was a Decepticon through and through.
An
excellent test site for our first functional warheads.
“We’re
absolutely certain this place is clean, right?” Sludge asked me. “Decepticon
life signs only. If there’s even a trace of organic life then–“
”Don’t
worry about it,” I assured him. “Cliffjumper scanned the place thoroughly.
There’s no native life left down there and no trace of any prisoners or slaves.
We’re clear to proceed.”
I
regarded the Dinobot commander. He was a strong warrior and had been one of
Grimlock’s loyal strike force at one time. Despite their reputation, who
would’ve realized that some of them were as concerned as regular Autobots were
about innocent life forms. Grimlock had never given anyone the impression he
cared for the charges Optimus had put in our care time and again. Sludge
apparently wasn’t so cold–or he wasn’t as good at hiding his feelings, at any
rate. Still, I couldn’t very well fault him for having a conscience–it was
every Autobot’s curse, not just mine alone.
“How
long to optimal dispersal range?” I asked.
“Two
breems to target coordinates,” Roadbuster replied from the helm.
I
nodded. “Very good. Keep me up to date.” I started to turn to Sludge again.
“I’m
picking something up on scanners,” Cliffjumper announced nearby. He tapped some
buttons on the keypads before him. “Hot Rod, come over here. You have to see
this for yourself...”
I
rose and moved to his station. “What is it?”
He
pointed to the screen before him. I observed its readout for a moment before
collecting my thoughts.
“Damn
it!” I hissed. “This changes everything!”
* * *
We’d
arrived at a world called Tarius, believing it to be the next target on Hot
Rod’s list. There were two potential targets–this world and a smaller base four
light years away. But the base didn’t fit the profile of the rogues previous
targets and even though Tarius was a fully functional colony it seemed likely
they’d take it on in some reckless attempt to prove that they could indeed do
it.
It
seemed foolhardy to take on an entire colony but the rogues were among some of
the strongest warriors once under Optimus Prime’s command. Additionally, their
brutality and tactics had proven their advantage in their excursions thus far.
With a good plan of attack, it seemed quite likely they would hit Tarius.
The
only hitch in their plans would be me. I had decided we would get there
first...
We
had landed our ship on Tarius’ largest moon and teleported down, infiltrating
their central facility before they even knew what hit them. The element of
surprise combined with our numbers had been our one advantage. Getting in there
had been the easy part, I knew. Getting control and retaining it, however, was
another.
If
Hot Rod and his rogues didn’t show up for whatever reason, we could be in
trouble quickly. We had a sizeable force but even we couldn’t hope to hold off
an entire colony world forever. It was a gamble, but gaining the rogues trust
made it a risk worth taking.
“How
close are we to the control center?” I asked.
“It’s
just around that bend,” Bumblebee replied nearby. He peeked out and fired a
salvo off at our opponents.
“Rock
and roll, amigos.” Jazz tossed a grenade down the corridor and ducked back
behind our cover.
The
explosion hit our enemies’ position squarely. Before the smoke had cleared we
moved into the corridor and took out the remaining four Decepticons blocking
our path.
“Lets
move it!” I ordered.
The
others followed my lead as we approached the control center’s entrance. The two
Dutrillide doors were sealed shut as we approached them.
“Let’s
see what we can do,” Tornado mumbled nearby as he popped the panel off the door
controls and began fiddling with the wiring beneath. I watched him work
silently and in a moment, he had the door’s controls overrode.
The
doors slid aside and we charged inside. Airlift flung her spear and impaled one
of the hapless Decepticon staff while I blasted another and Tornado and
Bumblebee took out the remaining three with their usual precision.
Bumblebee
examined the chamber quickly. “Everything’s secured,” he said. “The place is
ours.”
“Now
we just have ta hold it,” Jazz added. “Easier said then done.” The others
nodded agreement.
“Lets
hope our information about Hot Rod’s rogues coming here was correct,” I said.
“At any rate, configure the base defenses to help assist us in repelling any
Decepticon reinforcements that come this way.”
“We’re
on it,” Tornado replied as he and the other ADF members dropped into the chairs
at the consoles about the chamber.
“Jam
the comm systems so they can’t call the Empire for reinforcements,” I added.
“We’ll have enough to deal with as it is–we don’t need added complications.”
“Uh-oh,”
Airlift said.
I
walked over to her. “What is it?”
“We’d
better get this done fast. The sensors are picking up more Decepticons headed
toward our position.”
“How
many more?” Tornado asked.
She
shrugged helplessly. “More then I can count!”
* * *
That
damned female, was my first thought upon discovering that the Autobots had
come to Tarius in advance of our attack and started their own skirmish. They’d
been fortunate we’d been monitoring broad spectrum communications and
Cliffjumper had picked up the encoded Autobot-specific comm chatter when he
did. Otherwise, we might have just as easily nuked the colony without even
realizing our former comrades were even there. Still, taking on an entire
planet with a small attack force was suicide–what the hell was Sonimus thinking
ordering such an attack?
“Suggestions?”
I asked.
“We’ve
got to do something to help them!” Sludge jumped in first. “We can’t just leave
them down there!”
“He’s
right, Hot Rod,” Cliffjumper chimed in. “We may not agree with Sonimus’
methodology anymore but that’s a far cry from condemning them to death for
following it.”
“I’m
not saying I disagree–but there’s a lot of Decepticons down there and we don’t
exactly have a plan for dealing with them,” Roadbuster interjected. “Remember,
we were coming here to nuke them off the map not engage them.”
I
listened to all of their arguments silently, processing each word as it entered
my audio receptors.
I
wanted to berate Sonimus’ stupidity openly–it was the sort of foolishness that
would result in all of us dying at our enemy’s hands. I wanted to divorce
myself from her actions and order the strike as planned, thus succeeding and
washing my hands of any future Autobot involvement. After all, this was her
mistake not mine. Why should I have to be the one to bail her out?
But
even as those thoughts ran through my head, I knew they were folly. I knew
there was really only one choice left to me. I knew I would act on it–because
at my core it was who I was.
I
glanced up at the others, seeing the expectant expressions on their faces.
“New
plan,” I said. “Prepare for a direct assault.”
* * *
Our
good fortune in gaining control of the Decepticon’s central command complex
didn’t last long. We’d barely gained control of the complex when we were
besieged by dozens of Decepticon reinforcements.
My
Autobots were swift and efficient in getting the complex’s security systems
running. Within minutes, the artillery and shielding systems were doing an
excellent job at resisting the invaders. However, with as many warriors at
their command as they had, it would only be a matter of time before they broke
in somewhere and came for us.
The
complex shook violently.
“What
was that?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Someone’s
dropped some bombs on us,” Tornado answered. “The shields took most of it, though.
But I don’t know how long they’ll last...”
I
nodded dourly. “How’s Bumblebee’s team coming on those outer defenses?”
“Almost
ready,” Jazz replied. “But they won’t buy us more then a few minutes–at the
most–before
we’re overrun by the other team.”
“We’ll
need every minute we can squeeze out of here,” I replied. I tapped my com-link.
“Hubcap, come in.”
“Hubcap
here,” came the disembodied voice. “Go ahead.”
“Do
you still have that lock on us?”
“Affirmative,
although there’s a little bit of minor interference on my screen. Nothing I
can’t compensate for, though.”
“Glad
to hear it,” I replied. “Stand by for our signal. Sonimus out.” I clicked the
comm off.
“Tornado, I want you to–“ I never
finished my sentence as the lights abruptly switched off.
“What–?!”
someone exclaimed.
The
emergency lighting abruptly kicked in, providing the minimum illumination that
would normally be needed for the Decepticon staff to see where they were going
and continue to do their jobs.
“Someone
cut the power!” Tornado exclaimed.
“How?”
I demanded. “I thought the generators for this facility were well shielded!”
“They
are,” he replied. “But if they had a digger among their ranks, maybe he
tunneled down there. Either that, or we missed something somehow.”
“Damn
it!” Without the generators, the shields protecting the complex were useless
and so were any perimeter defenses defending us against our enemies.
Where
the hell was Hot Rod, I wondered. This would’ve been the ideal time for his
rogues to show up and lend us a hand.
An
explosion rocked the room and I knew somewhere that the Decepticon infiltration
into the complex had begun. It would only be a matter of time until they
reached us.
“Tell
the outer perimeter team to do what they can but if they feel they can’t hold
out to fall back here,” I ordered Airlift. “I don’t want to lose anyone if I
can help it.”
She
nodded and rushed out of the room.
“How
long are we going to stay?” Tornado asked. “If we guessed wrong, Hot Rod’s not
coming–and we’re in a heap of trouble, either way...”
“Give
it a few more minutes,” I replied calmly. “If things get critical, I’ll have
Hubcap switch the portal on and get us out of here.”
“I
just hope–“ Tornado was cut off in mid-sentence as another explosion shook the
room. This time, far closer to our location then before.
I
turned and rushed out into the corridor. If our perimeter defenses had been
compromised then we would only have moments before the Decepticons would be
upon us!
Still
another explosion shook the complex and I found my footing giving way beneath
me. I heard a noise and glanced up in-time to see a section of the ceiling
break loose and drop on me.
Then,
darkness...
The
Decepticon command citadel was already overrun by the time we touched down on
the surface. It was only a matter of time before they took out Sonimus’
Autobots–that is, unless we could get to them first.
“Roadbuster,
drop the package,” I ordered into my comm.
“Acknowledged,”
came the reply. “Bomb’s away!”
“I
hope this works,” Cliffjumper said beside me. “If we’re not far enough away
with that thing, it’ll get us as well.”
“I
have faith in his aim,” I replied. “And if we don’t use something as powerful
as a quantum bomb, we won’t get the intended effect.”
From
our cloaked vessel, I watched as half of the Decepticon assault force abruptly
turned and rushed off from their prey, their new destination on the horizon
some distance away.
“See?
That got their attention!”
He
nodded. “And with the devastation those things cause, we can be certain they’ll
be gone for a while before they realize what happened.”
“Giving
us enough time to finish what we started here,” Sludge chimed in, taking the
words right out of my mouth.
“Load
up and move out!” I said instead, leading the charge out of the ship and toward
the complex. In nano-clicks, the others fell into formation behind me and we
moved as one unit.
The
rear guard was small and unsuspecting of a rear assault as we struck them. They
fell in one quick, fatal barrage from our weapons.
“It
only gets harder from here on in,” I muttered as Cliffjumper and Sludge took
point. The others fell in behind us, watching for any sign of attack.
We’d
traveled several more feet before a squad of Decepticons emerged down an
adjacent corridor. They saw us at the same instance we saw them and managed to
squeeze off the first shots before we could drop back behind cover.
Fortunately, none of their shots hit any of us and we were able to recover
swiftly. I jumped out and loosed my photon blasts, striking one of the warriors
squarely in his chest and taking him down. At the same instant, Cliffjumper’s
gatling gun tore apart two more hapless Decepticons that got in its way. Skreem
and Skeer finished the remaining three with ease.
We
assembled at the spot the unit had been and continued forward a few more feet
when three more Decepticons appeared. Wasting no time, Sludge, Cliffjumper and
I blasted them, killing them before they could even fire a shot.
We
went on that way for several more minutes, each time eliminating a small group
of Decepticons here or there. Most were caught by surprise, not expecting our
attack from behind their own lines. Finally, we rounded a bend in the corridor
and took out one more force of our enemy. Even as we engaged them, I thought I
noticed fire coming from their side flank as well, forcing them into what
little cover they could find before we struck them down.
Satisfied
they were taken out, Cliffjumper began moving forward but I stopped him.
“Hang
on,” I said, inching forward toward the former Decepticon berth myself.
I
reached the bend they’d been using, noting the small wall of crates they’d
apparently been using for cover from the adjacent end of the corridor. I peeked
around the corner and pulled back just in time to avoid being hit by strafing
fire from the opposite end.
“Autobots?”
I called out. “Its Hot Rod. Don’t shoot!”
“Hot
Rod?” I heard someone say. It sounded like Bumblebee’s voice. “Is that you?”
I
slowly peeked out again, revealing myself. On the other end of the corridor, I
could see Bumblebee, Jazz, Tornado, Rad, Jackpot, Firestorm, Hosehead and two
others I didn’t recognize immediately.
“Bumblebee!”
I exclaimed. “Is everyone okay?”
He
shook his head. “We lost Scorchstrike and Hauler took some minor damage,” he
replied. “Sonimus got hit by debris but she seems to be okay. Airlift is
checking her out right now.” He motioned at the closed hatch behind them.
I
nodded. The rest of my away team had emerged behind me at that point and we
began making our way over to our former comrades.
“Come
on,” I said. “We’ll give you guys a hand gathering up your stuff. Most of the
Decepticons are distracted for now. But that won’t last forever and we don’t
want to be here when they return.”
It
didn’t take long for us to haul Sonimus and her team out of the Decepticon
complex. While she was distracted, I had Mainframe use his unique skills to
access the Decepticon databases and do a data dump–in the hope we might find
something worthwhile for all our effort on this extraneous mission.
Bumblebee
explained they’d been sent down by portal via cloaked ship on Tarius’ largest
moon. I decided to bring Sonimus’ team aboard our vessel and transport them
off-world. From there, they could transport aboard their ship and leave. I
neglected to mention our plan to destroy Tarius completely–I knew Sonimus
wouldn’t approve of our actions and I didn’t intend to give her the option of
trying to stop us until it was too late.
I
hadn’t directly approached the subject before we left–I’d had bigger concerns
on my mind–but once we were safely in orbit, I approached Sonimus Prime and
asked her directly why she’d lead her Autobots into such a dangerous situation
on Tarius. The answer wasn’t what I was expecting.
“We
came looking for your group,” she explained.
“W–why?”
I managed to stutter out in response.
“Because
things have changed and we need your help,” she continued. “I’m guessing you
don’t know that the Disciples of Primus are no more–we were on Cybertron when
the Decepticons finished them off. I’m still a bit hazy on the details but
they’re no longer a threat and that means the Decepticons are in control of our
homeworld once more–and more dangerous then ever.”
I
absorbed this new information. We’d known little about the Disciples and their
ultimate purpose. But my angry mandate had been more about taking on the
Decepticons directly rather then this new curiosity that had emerged in the
wake of our war for control of Earth and Cybertron. As far as I was concerned,
now that the Disciples were no longer a threat they were one less problem to
worry about in the grand scheme of things.
“I
don’t see how that changes anything,” I retorted. “It’s still ultimately us
against them. Frankly, I don’t see you doing much to stop them.”
A
look of discouragement and sorrow crossed her face. I wasn’t seeing the
brilliance of her peace offering. It must have seemed so obvious to combine
forces to her. To me, it seemed like inviting futility.
“We
are doing something,” she said after a moment. “We were there on
Cybertron when the Disciples went down and we’ve discovered there’s more to
them then we thought. There were some sort of humans there as well–beings with
immense power that wanted the Last Autobot’s power for their own ends. They
failed but I’m certain there’s more to this then we realize.”
“Yeah,
yeah. Humans...” I dismissed her comments. After all, what difference did
humans make in the grand scheme of things, anyway? Against a determined Transformer,
my credits were on the robot any day of the week.
I
turned and told Cliffjumper to give the signal. Sonimus wondered what I meant
but didn’t question my cryptic command, likely figuring it was something
unimportant. She was about to realize how wrong she was...
“We’re
doing just fine, Sonimus,” I told her. “We don’t want to do things your way any
more. Your way is futile–our way is getting results.”
I
gazed at the viewscreen and Tarius beyond. “Watch!”
In
moments, several large explosions littered the surface from my other units as
they bombarded specified target points, each one unleashing one lethal quantum
warhead after the other. Wiping the Decepticon infestation from existence on
this lone celestial body.
“You–you’ve
wiped them out!” she exclaimed beside me. “It’s murder! Genocide!”
“It’s
war!” I snapped. “Something that for all your vaunted wisdom, you don’t seem to
understand. The Decepticons won’t be happy until we are exterminated
completely–and if we don’t get with the bigger picture, we’ll meet our end
sooner then later.”
“This
is madness, Hot Rod,” Sonimus told me. “You’re no better then them if you start
this.”
“I’m
not interested in semantics anymore,” I hissed. “Once the Decepticons are
eliminated we can have true peace. As long as even one survives, all we’ll have
is eternal war and strife. I’m ending this once and for all!”
She
shook her head module slowly, sadly.
“Don’t
do that,” I growled. “Our way is getting results–our way is what saved your
hides on Tarius! We’re taking this fight right to them and we’re doing
everything we can to end it. Not hiding out in Oberon’s ruins and praying good
will and enlightenment will make any difference.”
“So
be it,” Sonimus turned and went to join her group in the hold below. She stopped
a few feet later and turned. “Is it worth everything?” she asked. “Even your
soul?”
I
bit back some primal curse I was going to utter and calmed my temper. “We’re
nearly to Tarius’ moon,” I said instead. “Go, and don’t get in my way again...”
* * *
The
trip back was uneventful and we arrived at Oberon with no further delay.
Bumblebee and I met with Grid Iron after we disembarked and informed him of our
progress–or lack thereof–in pursuing Hot Rod and his rogues.
“So,
after all of that, you failed to convince him to come back?” Grid Iron was
saying. “It’s disappointing but I can’t say that I’m really surprised either.
We knew this was a long shot going in.”
“I
know,” I replied. “But I had my hopes–however realistic they were–that we might
be able to convince him otherwise.”
“Maybe
some things weren’t meant to be,” Bumblebee offered.
“Our
whole situation didn’t help either. In that scenario, we came across as weak
and helpless with his rogues riding to our rescue. We failed to show them that
in the right circumstances we can be strong too.” I sighed.
“Perhaps
in the future,” Grid Iron said. “I know what he said but there might come a
time when things change and they see they need us as much as we need them.”
“One
can hope,” I replied. “Because the way things are going, sooner or later,
they’re going to cross the line. They can’t possibly do what they’re doing and
remain Autobots.”
“They
already nuked a world full of Decepticons–you don’t call that crossing the
line?” Grid Iron demanded.
“I
don’t approve but they still think they’re doing the right thing,” I replied.
“As far as anyone knew, Tarius had no native life forms on it. It was purely
Decepticon–but how long until they end up finding somewhere with both
Decepticons and organics? Will they still show restraint?”
Or
would Hot Rod’s holy mission preclude such things as compassion for lesser
beings and innocents in this war, I wondered. After all, he couldn’t hope to
wipe out every last Decepticon without also assaulting worlds where they had
taken slaves.
“What
are you saying, Sonimus?” Bumblebee met my gaze. “That its inevitable that
we’ll become enemies?”
“If
they cross the line, become like the Decepticons... I’m sorry, but I don’t see
any other choice–we’ll have to fight them.”
“Cliffjumper’s
with them...” he said aloud, his gaze one of grave concern for family.
“Hopefully
it won’t come to that.” Grid Iron looked to me for support.
“We’ll
try everything we can to ensure it doesn’t,” I responded, taking my cue.
But
even as I said it, I knew it was only a matter of time before our divergent
paths would collide. And when that happened, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
There were going to be some difficult choices to be made that day–and the
responsibility would fall squarely on my shoulders.
* * *
We
were safely secluded in an asteroid field, our ships hidden near a moon-sized
rock. Any passing vessels would take us as a sensory echo and nothing more.
“I
can’t believe she just thought we’d roll over and offer to join up with her
again,” I snapped. “Doesn’t she get it? This is a fight for our very lives not
some game!”
“She
respected Optimus deeply,” Cliffjumper offered. “Looked up to him as a hero. As
far as she’s concerned, he was everything an Autobot should be. She just wants
to try and live up to the ideal he set.”
“He
was a great warrior,” I agreed. “The best of us, even. But–blast it–he’s dead
and gone now. And she’s no Optimus–none of us are. We can only carry this war
on the best way we know how.”
“She’s
right about one thing–this war will cost us everything we hold dear if we let
it,” Sludge said. “How long can we keep this up before we cross the line and
become everything we despise about the Empire?”
“It’s
a concern,” I admitted. I slumped back in my chair and breathed a sigh. “It is.
But we really are getting results going how we are. I don’t know about you, but
I have to see try and see this thing through to the end.”
“I’m
with you,” Cliffjumper replied. “But we wouldn’t be the people we are if we
didn’t stop to make sure we have our bearings every so often.”
I
nodded and smiled. I leaned back in my chair and was quiet a moment when I
realized Sludge hadn’t spoken.
“What
about you?” I asked. “Are you still with us or do you want to go back?”
“I’m
with you–but I won’t harm any innocents or allow myself to be put in any
situations where they’ll be hurt,” Sludge said. “I’m willing to die for my
cause, if I must. But I won’t ask that of anyone else–not even peripherally.”
“I
promise you, with my spark’s last flame, I will not allow an innocent to
come to harm,” I told him. “We will do what’s necessary but we will not become
like the Decepticons.”
He
nodded once, his resolve satisfied. I just hoped I wouldn’t fail in my
promise... I didn’t want to become like the Decepticons–but I also didn’t want
to let them survive to fight on. If it came down to it, would I have to chose
between taking innocent lives in order to stop them permanently?
The
door slid open and Mainframe entered, interrupting my thoughts.
“Autobot:
Hot Rod, I have examined the data recovered from Tarius as commanded,” he said.
“I have the results of my research.” He handed me a data pad.
I
took it and nodded my appreciation. Mainframe had seemed like an odd choice to
join our crusade against the Decepticons–yet when we’d asked, he’d explained
that our mission seemed the most logical one to succeed due to our agenda.
I
examined the contents of the data pad before me. After a moment of scrolling
through it, I smiled.
“What
is it?” Cliffjumper asked.
“This
has the location of the main Decepticon shipyards, a place called Sky’arx,” I
explained. “Better yet, look at this...” I handed him the pad.
He
examined the data and smiled, handing it over to Sludge.
“This
changes everything,” I exclaimed.
Our
battle was about to begin in earnest...
* * *
Megatron entered the detention area
of the Dark Glory and gazed at the lone Transformer in the cell at the
end of the corridor. The prisoner was seated, looking uneasily at the deck as
she awaited her fate.
“Greetings,
Starscream.” He moved a bit closer. “So the prodigal son–or should I say,
daughter, in your case–returns to the nest.”
“Megatron!”
Starscream exclaimed, in her shrill high-pitched voice. “Come to gloat over my
easy capture?”
Megatron
regarded the Seeker.
“No,”
he replied. “There is no need for such frivolities, Starscream. You are
condemned, old friend, sentenced to join your former comrades, Galvatron and
Shockwave, in the Allspark. I have come to see you one last time, to consider
your life...”
He
paused. “Where did it all go wrong? You started out with such potential... the
best of my aerial warriors, loyal and cunning. An excellent warrior and
Decepticon–you could’ve gone so far, almost did. Why did you get greedy? In
time, you may have rose to Commander on your own merits–there was no need for
your treachery time and again.”
You
delude yourself, Commander,” she sneered. “You would have never surrendered
command of the Decepticons to me–and you’re too stubborn to go to the abyss
when its beckoned you!” She shook her heard. “If I had waited for my reward
loyally, I would still be waiting to this day!”
“Perhaps
you are correct,” Megatron replied. “At any rate, all you have earned now is
death. Will you tell me where you’ve been these past days? Scheming my demise,
no doubt. Were you efforts in vain?”
“Why
bother telling you?” she asked. “It won’t make any difference...”
He
nodded. “True. You merely forestall the inevitable, Starscream. You cannot
stand against my might–you never could.”
“I
do want to do one thing before I die, though.” She smiled wickedly.
“And
what is that, old friend?”
“Thank
you. For designing a ship where the brig is close enough to the rear drive
section to cause serious damage.”
An
alarm rose in Megatron’s mind. “What–?” he began.
“Goodbye,
old friend.” She grinned.
The
next thing he knew, the world had gone white in one instant and then there was
nothing...
“Status!”
Skyquake snapped.
Leadfoot
glanced at his console. “We’ve sustained major damage near the starboard side
of the ship! The hyperdrive and main drive is non-responsive!”
“Main
power at thirty two percent,” another officer chimed in nearby.
“Weapons?”
he demanded.
“Off-line,”
Nightracer replied. “It will take several minutes to re-route.”
“High
radiation levels,“ Leadfoot said. He glanced at Skyquake. “Damage is consistent
with a strike by a quantum warhead. Source unknown.”
Skyquake
considered his options. “Contact Terrorwing!” he ordered Soundwave. “See if he
can–”
“A
vessel has just jumped in,” Stalker exclaimed. “It’s big!”
“Incoming
transmission,” Soundwave announced.
He
bit out a breath. “Let us hear it,” Skyquake replied.
“This
is Commander Starscream of the battleship Conquest,” a large Transformer
said onscreen. “You are hereby ordered to stand down and prepare to be
boarded.”
“What
if we refuse?” Skyquake thundered.
“Then
you will die!” Starscream hissed. “You have one minute to make your decision!”