CHAPTER SEVEN
--Earth--
"Are you ready for the procedure, sir?"
"As I'll ever be," Harold Attinger replied, clad in tan and purple armor with a helmet tucked under his arm. "Let's go."
Joshua Joyce led Attinger into the next chamber. Inside, there were two things of note: one being a cylindrical vat connected to all sorts of terminals, and the other being the headless body of Scorponok.
"The ununtrium infusion was a success," Lyman said, rushing up eagerly to greet his superiors. "Scorponok will now by impervious to damage, nearly invincible. All that remains is for you to take the helm, so to say, sir."
Attinger nodded approvingly. "Then let us begin."
--Cybertron--
"My liege, there's something you should see."
Breaking away from the contemplative trance he had been in, Galvatron looked down to see Jhiaxus standing before him. "What is it?"
His chief scientist showed him the datapad he was holding. On its screen was a blue beam of energy shooting off into space, originating from a blue-green world.
"The Nega-Core on Terra has been activated," Jhiaxus said gravelly.
Galvatron frowned. "We haven't sent anyone there yet, and no one else besides our fellow heralds should know of its location."
"Well, whoever is responsible is clearly all for our plan."
Galvatron snorted. "Unless it was a happy accident."
He turned away from the scientist, continuing to watch the rebuilding. After a moment had passed he then said, "Any luck in finding Megatron?"
"Yes, actually," Jhiaxus said. "Soundwave has found him in Kaon, with a small cell of Decepticon rebels. He is awaiting your orders on how to deal with them."
Galvatron was silent for a moment while Jhiaxus looked at him expectantly. When the Herald of Unicron spoke, his words were not exactly what the scientist was expecting.
"Kill them all."
Jhiaxus jerked slightly. "My liege?"
"You heard me," Galvatron snarled. "We cannot risk letting anyone interfere with the plan, especially if they know of the Nega-Cores."
Jhiaxus bowed his head, somewhat reluctantly. "Then I shall relay the order to him, my liege."
The scientist took his leave. Left alone to return to his meditation, Galvatron couldn't help but notice that the nighttime sky was just a bit darker than normal.
--Dead Universe--
"Haven't we played this game before?" Optimus Prime said to his dark doppelganger. "I thought we had come to an understanding, Scourge."
Nemesis Prime chuckled darkly. "Oh, I am not Scourge. He has long since become as much a part of you as I am."
"And you would be?"
"The manifestation of all your doubts, fear, and anger. I represent of the dark legacy the Primes have left you to continue."
"And...? Are you just going to taunt me? What is your purpose?"
"That's what you should be asking yourself. What is your purpose?"
"To restore Cybertron and lead our race to a new golden age."
"And have you made much progress?"
Optimus fell silent.
Nemesis stepped forward, his optics baring into Optimus'. "Just what I thought. And yet they call you the true Prime for carrying the Matrix of Leadership. But Sentinel Prime actually succeeded in bringing about peace, and his hand never brushed the Matrix. Tell me, what have you done-- what have you accomplished-- to deserve the title of Prime?"
Optimus looked at his feet, mulling over the question, before looking straight into Nemesis' eye. "I brought back faith."
"What?"
"For years, the Prime lineage has been corrupted, creating the dark legacy you represent. Nominus brought forth functionism, Zeta was an extremist, even Sentinel committed some questionable acts, such as allowing functionism to prosper. I wouldn't blame any Autobot for renouncing their allegiance after that.
"But I rekindled their hope. I made up for the wrongdoings of my predecessors. I proved myself to be the leader the Autobots needed."
Nemesis grunted. "Can you live up to those words?"
"I can only try."
At that, Nemesis Prime vanished in a cloud of black smoke. As soon as he was gone, a small beam of blue energy shot out from the Matrix in Optimus' chest, creating a portal before him. Seeing it as his only exit, the Autobot leader stepped forward and fell through.
--Earth--
The procedure had been painful-- extremely so-- but when he stepped out of the cylindrical chamber, Harold Attinger felt like a new person. Then again, he was sharing a single mind with another now.
All of the scientists in the lab were looking at him expectantly. Wringing his hands nervously, Lyman said tentatively, "H-how do you feel, sir?"
Attinger grinned, bursting with the feeling of victory. "Incredible."
"Good, good. Shall we... shall we test the transformation cog?"
"Yes, immediately."
After putting on his helmet, Attinger willed himself to transform. Moving as fluidly and natural as walking, his limbs folded up and compacted into the shape of a head. In seconds, he was seeing through a pair of eyes that were not his own.
A pair of robot arms descended from the ceiling and lifted him up from the floor, moving him towards the headless body of Scorponok. As he was inserted into the Decepticon's empty head socket, Attinger realized that, at that moment, he was no longer just the head of Scorponok.
He was Scorponok.
The lab workers watched as the giant robot flexed its claws, testing out the joints in the arms and legs. Biting his lip, Joshua Joyce stepped forward.
"How do you feel... sirs?"
A tight smile crossed Scorponok's faceplate. "Incredible."
He looked down at the gathered scientists, who were all regarding him with... was it fear? Yes, fear. The sincerest form of respect. Attinger liked how it felt.
Splaying his arms, Scorponok said, "Thank you all for your dedication and a life time of service. No one could ask for better subordinates."
His smile grew tighter as his red visor gleamed with malice. "However, as they always say, all good things must come to an end. I now find myself better fitted for the exclusive company of the titans."
He took a step forward, finding glee in the terror that all of the scientists displayed.
"Consider yourselves all relived of duty."
From his back, Scorponok's stinger tail lowered, unveiling twin cannons. In mere seconds, the lab was in flames.
* * *
Drift awoke to the earth shaking.
The last he remembered, he was being taken up into Lockdown's ship. After that, nothing. Looking around with his optics, he didn't appear to be on a ship of any sorts; going by the white, sterile walls and different types of machinery, it was more like a lab.
Another quake. He then heard a female voice say, "What's going on?"
"Probably just another one of Gill's inventions gone wrong," said a second voice-- a male one. "Just ignore it."
As soon as those words had been spoken, a third quake heralded the explosion of a nearby wall. Amid the dust and rubble, Drift could make out the silhouette of four Trax drones, led by a fifth Machination drone in red and black.
"What the--? Stinger?!" An old human man rushed into Drift's view. "The drones-- they've gone haywire! Evelyn, sound the--"
A gunshot from Stinger's arm cannon silenced the man. A second ended the scream of the woman. Preparing a third, Stinger aimed its gun straight at Drift's face....
Next chapter preview:
"Remind me to never drink Nightmare Fuel again."
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