CHAPTER EIGHT
--Cybertron--
"Slaggit." Starscream let out an annoyed huff as he and Sideways watched their respective leaders fight from afar. "They just had to pick their fight near the mines. They couldn't pick an old arena or something."
Sideways made no response, not paying any heed to the battle at all. Instead, he moved his hand to his head, clutching it as if in pain. Something at the back of his mind was pulsing, moving at the same rate as a spark-beat. It was his spark. The spark of the very entity he served.
The Great Devourer was coming.
--Gigantion--
"Wait, didn't you say you were an escape artist?"
Leaning against a wall, Getaway lazily turned his optics to Bumblebee. "It might've been somewhere there in my introduction...."
"Bumblebee, Getaway's been here for months," Windblade said. "If there was a way out, I'm sure he would have found it by now."
"Now, now." Getaway wagged a finger in a mock-patronizing manner. "Let's not jump to conclusions. After all, in all the months I've been here, I was all on my lonesome. But now, with you guys here, I've got myself a fresh set of keys."
"If you've got a plan, you'd better make it quick," Perceptor said. "I hear footsteps."
"Legislators, probably." Getaway clapped his hands. "Quick, does anyone have anything useful on their person?"
"I have my suspense bomb." Brainstorm held up a spherical object. "It's a prototype, though--"
"It'll have to do," Getaway said, taking the suspense bomb. "We can use this to take out the Legislators coming down the corridor, but first we need to disable the energy bars."
"Leave that to me." Minimus Ambus moved past Getaway and toyed with the energy bars emitters, causing them to dissipate. He then turned to see everyone staring at him in awe. "You can thank a thousand trips and prison tours at Garrus-9 for that."
"Well, I'll be darned," Getaway said. "You're gonna have to teach me that trick someday."
With that, the Autobot specialist then hurried out of the cell and hurled the suspense bomb at an approaching Legislator. Upon detonation, the giant fold bot began moving at a sluggish pace, as time for it began to slow. Skids then charged towards the Legislator and snatched the giant gun it was toting, using it to destroy its previous owner, as well as another Legislator that had just entered the hallway.
Stepping out of the cell with the others, Perceptor held up a hand just as Brainstorm was about to speak. "Okay, I take it back. No need to rub it in."
Optimus moved over to the second fallen Legislator and hefted its discarded gun. "Autobots, let's roll."
* * *
Star Saber had just released the last prisoner from the Lost Light when he heard the gunfire coming from an adjacent hallway; where Optimus Prime and the others were.
Handing the cuffed Riptide to Lockdown, Star Saber said, "Take them to the Hall of Justice. I'll see what's going on."
"Want one of my 'bots to go with you?" Lockdown asked.
"No," Star Saber said, unsheathing his sword. "I'll handle this myself."
While the bounty hunter and his gang left with the prisoners, Star Saber strode down the corridor and turned the corner, walking straight into Optimus Prime and his fellow escapees, toting the gun of a Legislator.
The Autobot leader leveled the gun at the enforcer. "Stand down, Star Saber. It is not my wish to hurt you."
"Nor mine you. I thought better of you, Prime, more so than the rest of my kind. I had thought that, as a Matrix bearer, you would have been able to see the truth."
"What truth?"
"That this is what must be done; Primus and his equals must be reunited to restore universal balance."
"I don't buy any of that," Optimus muttered. "In fact, I've just about had enough of it all. Tyrest is deluded, these so-called Heralds are deluded. And you are deluded for believing any of it."
Star Saber sighed as he raised his blade. "If you will not side with me, then you leave me no--"
The warrior was cut off as Skids pulled the trigger of his gun. Star Saber was sent flying into the opposite wall, knocked into unconsciousness.
Optimus gave Skids an admonishing look. "The least you could have done was give him a fighting chance."
"He brought a frikkin' sword to a gun fight," Skids reported. "Frankly, he deserved it."
"Forget it," Optimus muttered. "Let's recover our old weapons and find Tyrest. We must stop him before...."
"Before...?" Getaway asked.
"Just... before."
* * *
The first thing Elita One found notable about the Hall of Justice was that it had a lot of statues. On either side of the hall were statues of twelve members of the Thirteen, while the Thirteenth-- Prima's statue-- served as part of the entrance. At the very end of the hall, where Tyrest's incredibly tall podium was, were five more statues, each representing a member of the Guiding Hand. And jutting out from the ceiling were a pair of claw-like horns, representing the maw of the Great Devourer.
"I'm no religious expert," Nightbeat murmured, "but I'm pretty sure making that kind of ornamentation in a Titan is sacrilegious."
"Quiet, you," one of Lockdown's goons grunted, pushing the Autobot detective to stand side-by-side with the others.
Stepping up to the main podium was Chief Justice Tyrest, looking down upon the gathered prisoners with an air of contempt. To the side stood Pharma, grinning with mad glee, and Lockdown, showing absolutely no interest in the court proceedings.
Clearing his throat, Tyrest said, "Ah, Lockdown, where are Prime and the others?"
"Star Saber said he would be bringing them," the bounty hunter replied.
"He's been gone for several cycles now." Tyrest tapped into his communicator. "Enforcer, this is Chief Justice. Where is the Prime?"
Static briefly crackled on the other end. "...Escaped... your honor. Couldn't... stop them...."
"Escaped?" Tyrest's gaze moved towards the hall's entrance. "But how is that--?"
Suddenly, the door's burst off their hinges, torn away by gunfire. Charging into the courtroom with recovered weapons were Optimus Prime, his seven teammates, Minimus Ambus, and Getaway.
"Tyrest," the Autobot leader said, "this court has been suspended indefinitely."
"Has it?" Disturbingly calm, Tyrest leaned across his podium and steepled his fingers. "You know what, Prime... I do believe you're right."
Optimus blinked. "What?"
The Chief Justice pressed a switch on his staff and, in an instant, swarms of Legislators were bursting through the walls, bringing down the statues of the ancient Primes. While the Autobots were surrounded by the giant bots, Tyrest turned towards the Primus statue behind him and walked up to its midsection. He opened up a hidden panel to reveal a simple switch, though it would soon have all the meaning in the universe.
Putting his hand on the switch, Tyrest closed his eyes and smiled. It was a sad smile, a proud smile.
"'Till all are one."
Then, he turned it.
-
Author's note: The "sad smile, proud smile" bit is lifted from James Roberts' unofficial Transformers novel Eugenesis.
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