Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XI, Chapter Ten & Epilogue

CHAPTER TEN

    Optimus Prime awoke to find himself floating in a void. All around was darkness; nothing to be seen or heard... that is, until a dark copy of himself began to float towards him, red eyes sparking with ire.

    "Wonderful," Scourge said sardonically. "Apparently, even with myself rightfully in control, we are still weak and easily defeated."

    "You say that as if we shared command of this body," Optimus said coldly. "But so far, it's all been under your control."

    "As it should be," Scourge said. "I am you perfected, Optimus. I am what your brother expected you to be."

    "That means nothing to me," Optimus said sternly. "I am who I choose to be, not what the leader of the Decepticons wants me to be."

    Scourge narrowed his eyes. "He is your brother."

    "Was." Optimus sighed. "Optronix died when he vanished at Straxus' domain. When he returned... he was someone else entirely."

    His dark copy was silent for a while, devoid of expression. Finally, he said, "To be honest, I am no fan of Megatron either. But can't you see that we are meant to be one entity?"

    "Yes, we are," Optimus murmured. "But with me in control. You are an anomaly... a virus."

    "I am perfection," Scourge growled.

    "No," Optimus said, offering his doppelganger his hand. "But together we can be. What do you say?"

    Scourge was silent for a long time.

*  *  *

    "What can you see, Bumblebee?"

    Standing on Ironhide's shoulders, the yellow Autobot poked his head through the hole made by the defeated Leviacon. The first things to come to his notice was  an unconscious Optimus Prime and a black a yellow mech, who was awake but too injured to move.

    He was about to report his findings to the others when he caught sight of a massive, bipedal... thing facing off against Megatron and Lugnut.

    When he said as much to the others, it was Starscream who said, "Well, we can't let our... magnificent leader handle things all by himself."

    "All I care about is rescuin' Prime," Ironhide muttered, setting Bumblebee down. "Let the 'Cons handle the scary thing."

    "And if you were in our position?" the Air Commander said snidely. "Would you be expecting us to assist you?"

    Ironhide sneered back. "Heck no. I trust you guys as far as I can throw a Titan."

    "That's enough," Jazz said sharply. "Let's just help our respective leaders and then handle things from there."

    "A sound plan from an Autobot for once," Starscream muttered as he blasted up through the ceiling.

*  *  *

    "Fall!" Megatron bellowed as he fired his fusion cannon at Hydratron. "Why won't you fall?!"

    The freakish gestalt chuckled darkly. "Hydratron is invincible. Hydratron cannot fall."

    "Then you shall be eradicated!" Lugnut lunged at Hydratron and thew his explosive punch at the combiner's waist. The blast was enough the send the combiner's right arm flying off its joint but otherwise left it unscathed.

    Just as Lugnut prepared to throw another punch, Hydratron punted him, using enough force to send him flying down the corridor, out of sight. The gestalt returned its attention to Megatron, grinning savagely. "Yours odds are looking down, 'Lord' Mega--"

    The combiner was cut off when three Cybertron fighters- which Megatron recognized as Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp- began attacking him from behind. As Hydratron began swatting at the Seekers, Megatron took the opportunity to fire his fusion cannon at the gestalt's head, scoring a direct hit on Hydratron's left optic.

    The combiner howled out in agony as it clutched its injury. Taking advantage of this distraction, the Seekers pressed on their assault. Overwhelmed by their attack, Hydratron dropped to its knees and several Sharkticons began to disengage from the gestalt. Soon, the combiner had been reduced to its core component that was the Curator.

    Whose body was now nothing but an empty shell.

    As the three Seekers transformed and landed next to him, Megatron stared at the Curator's lifeless body in incredulity before turning to the trio. "I suppose credit should be given when it is due. I am impressed on how easily you took him out."

    Skywarp blinked, befuddled by the Curator's corpse. "Wait, he's dead? I was just aiming at his joints. I didn't think it would be enough to kill him."

    "No matter," Megatron muttered. "Now then, allow me to finish off Optimus Prime and--"

    "I don't think you'll be doing that anytime soon," Starscream said. "The Autobots have already whisked him away."

    Seeing that the Air Commander was right- that Prime was nowhere to be seen- Megatron felt the urge to lash out at the Seeker boil within him. Before he could, his gaze landed on Tyrannicon, who was still down but not out.

    The Decepticon leader grinned wickedly. "Then I shall be satisfied through other means."

    As he began to approach the Sharkticon admiral, Tyrannicon looked up at him and glowered. "Are you going to slay a warrior while they are down and defenseless? Have you no honor?"

    "'Honor?'" Megatron spat. "That concept has little bearing within the Decepticon Empire. Some are free to practice it, if they so choose, but I despise it. I apologize that you will die disappointed."

    Tyrannicon laughed harshly. "Not entirely. You may leave this planet thinking you have nothing else to fear from us, but my superiors shall soon deliver their vengeance with swift and just retribution."

    Megatron sneered. "Let them try."

    With that, he fired his fusion cannon, blasting the Sharkticon's head off. He then brought his foot down on the admiral's chest, crushing his spark and ensuring his demise.

    "Retrieve Lugnut," Megatron then said to the Seekers, "and signal to Nemesis to pick us up. We are leaving this worthless planet."

EPILOGUE

--The Ark--

    Consciousness returned to Optimus Prime as he awoke to find himself in the Ark's medibay. Standing around him were Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Jazz... just like in the virtual reality he had been trapped in. 

    Dread filled his spark. If the tumult he had just went through was going to repeat....

    "He's coming to!" Bumblebee said excitedly. 

    "About blasted time," Ironhide muttered.

    Optimus groaned. "What... happened?"

    "A lot," Ratchet said as he checked his scanners. "You were out for most of it. Do you remember anything after Junkion?"

    "I was in this... bizarre dream world," Optimus said. 

    "Yeah, the Aquatronians were... using you for equally bizarre purposes," Jazz said. "Anything beyond that?"

    "I was possessed by Scourge," Optimus said bitterly.

    "That would explain your change in color scheme, though it started to change back when we got back to the Ark," Ratchet said.

    "That was because I was able to... tame Scourge and reconcile our differences."

    Ratchet looked at the Autobot leader with his eyebrows raised. "Are you sure he won't try to reemerge?"

    Optimus nodded. "I am sure. But right now, my processor is aching."

    "We'll let you rest," Jazz said as he and the others started to leave. "Though just to let you know, we're still down to two AllSpark shards. The Curator... never got the chance to give us his."

    "It's just as well," Optimus murmured. "I don't think there was anything for us there on that planet."

--The Nemesis--

    "The Autobots have taken off," Soundwave reported. "Shall we take pursuit?"

    Slumped in his command chair on the Nemesis' bridge, Megatron hesitated in his response. Despite his burning determination to eliminate the Autobots, he found himself almost unwilling to continue the chase. Deep down, he knew that something would prevent him from fulfilling his foals; after all, it took precedent.

    He finally made eye-contact with the ever-patient Soundwave... and gave the nod.

    Because regardless of whatever obstacles would intercept his path, he knew that the universe would not conquer itself.

--The Tidal Wave--

    It was too easy.

    That was what Axer had kept telling himself ever since the Star Seekers had left Earth. As if it had been in a blink of an eye, Thundertron was dead and Cannonball was now at the helm of the Tidal Wave. It was too easy.... 

    It was not like he missed Thundertron; in fact, given that the captain was now a Cybertronian himself, the rest of the crew seemed more accepting of Axer (albeit grudgingly). However, he could tell a mutiny was just waiting to happen.

    Perhaps he should have stayed behind with Scorponok. Then again, the rogue Decepticon would probably have just used him for his experiments. 

    As he walked down a corridor, Axer looked out a porthole that looked out into space. He knew that, somewhere out there, was his true destiny, rather than here. But until then, he had no choice but to seek the stars.

--Earth--

    Abraham Dante's heart quickened its pace as he entered the cave that was Scorponok's lair. He could hear and feel the giant's earth-moving steps as it moved about its abode. As the purple and green titan came into view, Scorponok turned to Abraham and he was shocked to see that the machine was missing its head.

    Before Abraham could inquire the machine, Scorponok said, "Ah, good. You're here. Now we can begin the experiment."

    Abraham gulped as he removed his hat from his head, turning it around in his hands. "Experiment, you say? What sort of experiment?"

    "It is called binary bonding," Scorponok said, "and it will require major alterations to your body."

    Abraham repressed a shudder, hoping he didn't look too fearful. "Will it, er, hurt?"

    "Given your frail structure and inferior nerve system..." If Scorponok still had a head, he would most likely smile. "A lot."

    Abraham opened his mouth to protest until a giant, metal claw seized him. 

    "Trust me," the machine said. "You will thank me in the end."

--Unknown--

    This was the meeting Inquirata had been hoping to avoid. As the former leader of Aquatron was escorted into the Grand Courtroom, his heart slammed against his chest with apprehension. He knew that his failure would deserve this sort of punishment, but he had never actually prepared himself for it.

    Entering the main chamber, Inquirata saw that its sole occupants were the prosecutor, a handful of guards, the executioner, the presiding judge, and a poolful of Sharkticons. No jury was present, for none was necessary.

    Once Inquirata had taken his place on a ledge that hung over the pool of Sharkticons, the prosecutor began speaking. "Inquirata, Chief Scientist of Quintessa and self-proclaimed Curator of Aquatron, you are charged with mismanagement and ultimate failure of your duties assigned to you by the Quintesson Pan-Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere. How do you plead?"

    Inquirata lowered his head in shame. "Guilty."

    Smirking ever so slightly, the prosecutor turned to the presiding judge, whose five-faced, egg-shaped body hovered over its dais. "Has a verdict been reached, Your Honor?"

    The judge's five faces began to whirl rapidly, indicating contemplation. It finally ended on a teal-helmeted, grimacing face. "Indeed."

    "Guilty or innocent?"

    The "Bitterness" face was replaced by that of a scowling one, a green helmet surrounding its skull-like visage. It was the face of Death.

    "Innocent."

    Relief filled Inquirata but only for the briefest of seconds. The executioner pulled the lever and he was sent plunging into the pool. The last thing he heard was the unison laughter of all five faces.

END OF BOOK III: THE DARK AGES