CHAPTER TWO
--Nemesis--
"I'm thinking about getting magnawheels."
The Vehicon trooper, known only by his identifier of 928, glanced at his partner. "What are those?"
"Magnetic wheels, basically. They let you drive or stand on any metal surface." 917 looked down at the wheels on his legs. "I think it would be cool to have them."
"I'm sure it would be."
928 couldn't say he relished his job, which consisted of standing guard outside the Nemesis' engine rooms. Not that anyone came down to this level, let alone break into it. In fact, except for that incident at Aquatron, no one had successfully sneaked onto the Nemesis, at least as far as he knew.
Suddenly, he heard a clang from inside the engine rooms. He glanced at his partner, who gave him a meaningful look (or at least as best he could muster one with a visor and mouthplate).
928 readied his rifle, turned around, and opened the door to the engine rooms. A red shape lunged at him and he was immediately on the ground, pinned by something heavy.
"Autobot!" he hear 917 cry, followed by a round of shots from the Vehicon's gun. He then heard the sound of blades slicing through armor and circuitry, and 928 knew that his partner was no more. The Vehicon was then turned on his back and he saw a pair of cannons aimed at his face.
"Which way to the bridge?" his Autobot assailant growled.
928 responded by shooting his aggressor in the face. In return, the last thing he saw were the cannons firing.
* * *
"Ironhide...." Optimus Prime spoke with an admonishing tone as he and the Autobots exited the engine rooms, which the GroundBridge had transported them to. "We may be at war, but to mercilessly kill--"
"He shot first!" Ironhide protested.
"Even so, you seemed to revel in killing him."
Ironhide grimaced as he straightened up, looking down ruefully at the deactivated Vehicon. "I'm sorry, Prime," he finally muttered. "It's just... we've never been this close to taking out Megatron in... years."
"I understand," Optimus said, resting a hand on the Autobot veteran's shoulder. "Just stay focused or else our chance to take out Megatron will slip through our fingers."
"Still would've been nice if he'd pointed us to the bridge," Bumblebee said, looking ahead. "I see two turbolifts at the end of the corridor."
"Then we'll split up," Optimus said. "Arcee, Ratchet, you're with me. Ironhide, you lead Bumblebee and Bulkhead."
The Autobot leader then prepared to take off but stopped when he saw a grin on Bumblebee's face. Sighing, Optimus said, "What is it?"
"You forgot to say it."
He rolled his eyes. "Roll. Out."
* * *
"Lord Megatron, six Autobots have appeared on my scanners."
Megatron fixed his gaze on Soundwave from his command chair. "Where at?"
"Here. On the Nemesis."
For reasons beyond even his understanding, Megatron was not fazed by this. Perhaps his time as a disembodied head had dulled his senses. Perhaps a millennia of war had fatigued him. Regardless of the cause, he responded to the news with complete calm.
"Dispatch Lugnut, Blitzwing, and Brawl to handle them."
"No Vehicons?"
Megatron shook his head. "I want to be ridden of them as soon as possible."
Soundwave nodded. "As you command, Lord Megatron."
--Cybertron--
The Hall of Records were silent. They had been for a long time; in fact, Alpha Trion could not recall the last time anyone besides him or Beta Maxx had walked through these walls. Everyone was too focused on the present to explore the past.
Not that he minded the silence. After so many years of war, it was quite refreshing. Thus, when he heard something fall in the Vaults, a building adjacent to the Hall of Records, he knew something was wrong.
With Beta Maxx close at his side, the ancient archivist walked briskly through the door leading into the Vaults. To his dismay, everything was in disorder; age-old relics were scattered about, as if a powerful wind had blown through. Ancient artifacts such as the Resonance Blaster and the Phase Shifter were damaged beyond recognition.
He then turned his gaze to the mech responsible, standing in the center of it all. Though the Cybertronian wore no faction badge on their person, their face-- which resembled the Decepticon insignia-- was enough of an indicator.
"Who are you?" Alpha Trion demanded. "How did you get here?"
"I have friends in very high places," the Decepticon said. "As for who I am... that's hardly relevant to your current predicament."
Suddenly, from all around him, orchestral music blasted into Alpha Trion's audio receptors. Startled by this, he fell to his knees before being pushed back into a crimson chair, which he did not remember seeing before.
"Give him a jolt, Kaon," the insignia-faced Decepticon said. "We don't need him conscious for the trip back."
Alpha Trion then felt a charge of electricity surge through him before being consumed by darkness.
--Gorlam Prime--
In the sky over Gorlam Prime, a silver ship streaked through the clouds. It was the first vessel in over a thousand years to have arrived on the last planet, and it was sure to be the last.
As the ship's systems scanned the surface for its target, its single occupant mused on the orders he had recently been sent, straight from his superiors. They consisted of only two words:
Kill Rollbar.
It was a name he recognized-- all too well, in fact. He had not been told why he had to kill this being (though he had an idea), but it was not his place to question orders. It never was.
The systems of his ship pinged. Rollbar had been spotted in Gorlam Prime's only city.
A rueful look on his face, Skids accelerated forward.
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