CHAPTER FOUR
Find Dai Atlas. Theophany. The Dark Evangelist.
Although it had been one full month since Windblade had encountered the mysterious voice in her head, its words continued to haunt her as she contemplated on whether to find the Circle of Light or not. They were not though highly of ever since they deserted from the war, and many Autobots saw them as cowards.
But who was this Dark Evangelist? The name would suggest someone who preached their beliefs but through darker means. But in this day and time, such people were few and far in between.
Thinking about all of this would have been easier had the people she was planning to meet with hadn't chosen Maccadam's Old Oil House as a meeting place.
Windblade flinched as a discarded can of oil hit her in the back of the head. Behind her, the rowdy patrons were dancing on top of tables, spinning around arm-in-arm, in an over-energized manner while obnoxious music blasted from a music-bot's speakers.
If Wing Saber doesn't show up soon, I swear I'm going to tear out his faulty internal clock and-
"Windblade, you're driving grooves into the counter," said her friend Chromia. "Again."
Windblade looked down to see her metal fingers digging into the counter. She then looked up to see the bartender glaring at her and instantly pulled her hands out, throwing him a weak apologetic smile.
Once the barkeep had returned to his work, Windblade glanced at her blue and silver companion and murmured, "Thanks for pointing that out."
"Don't mention it," Chromia said. A concerned look crossed her face. "What's got you so worked up?"
Windblade sighed. "It's that voice I told you about, with that stuff about Dai Atlas and the Dark Evangelist. What do you suppose it means?"
Chromia shrugged. "Like I told you, I have no idea. And why do you need to speak with Wing Saber about it?"
"Because he and I were both trained by Yoketron, as was Dai Atlas. I know it may seem like a loose connection, but maybe received a similar message. Besides, Devcon is busy with bounty hunting...."
"It's worth a shot, I guess," Chromia replied. "But why do you need me along?"
Before Windblade could respond, a white and gold Autobot suddenly appeared next to her, taking a seat at the counter.
"Probably should have picked a more quieter place," he muttered. "They're usually not this busy these days, especially with the war going on."
"Right," Windblade said. "So, know anything about a Dark Evangelist?"
Wing Saber turned to her and smirked. "You too, huh? How did you know I got the... message?"
"I didn't. I just kinda figured it was connected to anyone Yoketron taught."
Wing Saber shook his head. "I was with Springer when I got it, but he didn't hear anything even though he was also a student. So it must be just you and me."
"Do you suppose we should find Dai Atlas and the Circle of Light?" Windblade asked. "I mean, this Dark Evangelist might be some sort of threat."
"As if we don't have enough of those already," Chromia added bitterly.
"I suppose we might as well," Wing Saber said. "There has to be some sort of reason behind it, and the only way to find out is to do what it says."
"Thank you for that magnificent understatement," Chromia said wryly. "Can we go now? All these thrown cans of oil are going to make us rust sooner or later."
* * *
"What do you mean it's gone?" Crankcase snapped as he wrestled with Ironhide.
"You heard me," Thunderwing snarled, dodging as Orion Pax swung his axe at him. "It's gone- vanished! Our quarry must've gotten away while we weren't looking."
"Ah, frag it!" Crankcase roared. "Of all the dirty jobs-"
The stout Decepticon was cut off as Ironhide slammed his fist into his face. At the same time, Storm Cloud was toppled over by Sideswipe, Bumblebee, and Mirage.
Turning to Orion Pax, who had his axe at the ready, Thunderwing sneered. "What say we call it off? We've lost and there's nothing here for either of us to gain."
Before Orion could answer, the general pressed a panel on his right arm and a ground-bridge portal appeared nearby. Moving swiftly, he seized Crankcase and Storm Cloud and dragged them to the portal. All three of them vanished as it closed.
Ironhide grunted. "Well, that was awkward. And no sign of Beta Maxx either."
"He must've gotten away to safety," Orion said. "No doubt with that 'triangle' thing they were after."
"Great," Bumblebee said. "Now he could be anywhere. Don't suppose Alpha Trion has a way of tracking him, do you?"
"I highly doubt it," Orion said. He then scratched his chin. "But that does give me an idea."
* * *
"Where are you taking me?" Beta Maxx demanded as the mysterious silver Mini-Con dragged him through an underground passage. When she did not answer, he wrenched his arm free from her grasp.
"Seriously, answer me," he said. "I hardly know you and you just pop out of nowhere... how can I even trust you?"
The stranger turned to look at him and frowned. "I'm afraid you have to. It's for your own good."
"I'm sure we've lost those 'Cons by now," Beta Maxx said. "We're probably far below Ibex, so you could just drop me off here."
She shook her head. "We're a long ways from Ibex."
Before Beta Maxx could inquire further, the mysterious Mini-Con reached into the darkness and suddenly pulled open a door, filling the tunnel with light. Once his optics had adjusted to the sudden illumination, Beta Maxx saw what was behind the door... and gasped.
"By the Chimera Stone," he murmured. "It... it cannot be...."
The female Mini-Con smiled. "It is. Welcome to Little Iacon, the last and only Mini-Con village."
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