So much for that "later tonight" thing, huh?
CHAPTER NINE
--The Lost Light--
"How fast can you get that hole fixed, Grapple?"
The orange Autobot engineer rubbed his chin as he studied the "entrance" the Nemesis had made into the Lost Light, currently protected by an emergency seal. "If I can get my tools back from Atomizer, I'd say twenty minutes. If not, then maybe an hour at least."
Elita nodded. "All right, take all the time you need. I'll tell Optimus that we'll be a bit late getting to the rendezvous after Theophany."
As he set to work, Grapple glanced at Elita just as she was about to leave. "So, uh, is it true what I've been hearing? That we're teaming up with the Decepticons?"
She stopped only to give him a blunt, "Yes," before continuing down the corridor.
* * *
"Man, so much action for us and we still haven't gotten to our original destination!" Swerve said cheerily as he moved about the bar, acting as if nothing had taken place earlier. "Those 'Cons just love making things more difficult for us."
Tailgate said nothing, tightly gripping a near-empty glass of engex as he looked downcast at the counter.
Swerve let his trademark smile fade as he served a beverage to Glyph. "You're not still down in the dumps about being sick, are you?"
"I'm more than just sick, Swerve," Tailgate mumbled. "It's... it's not a normal illness like rust or something. It's worse than that."
"Ah, I'm sure it won't be too bad. Nothing an ex-Primal Vanguard member like you can't handle, right?"
Tailgate sighed softly before saying in a quiet voice, "I was never in the Primal Vanguard."
Swerve looked at him surprised. "What? But you said--"
"I know what I said. It was a lie. It was all a lie-- the Primal Vanguard, the Ark, Nova Prime-- I lied about all of it. Those things I've claimed to have done, I never had."
"But why would you lie about stuff like that?" Glyph asked.
Tailgate shrugged sheepishly. "I just... wanted to be liked. My life-- my real life-- was pretty mundane: born in Rivets Field and got put to work as a waste disposal unit. I was tasked with cleaning out the Ark's coolant tubes. Then I took a little detour and-- bam-- lost my legs and got stuck underground.
"And that's my story. My entire story. Two weeks in just under forty words. I've never done anything of notice; I've never even shook hands with Delta Magnus or Hyperdrive or anyone famous. I'm just... I'm just a nobody."
Glyph rested a hand on his shoulder. "You know that's not true."
"How so?"
"Because you are somebody. At least to me you are."
Tailgate looked up at Glyph, his visor wide. "I... I am?"
She giggled. "Of course you are. You're a kind and sweet person--"
"Ugh, I'm not staying for this," Swerve muttered, leaving to serve another patron.
"--and you can be a very good friend... even if you sometimes do hang around the wrong type of crowd." Glyph shifted closer to him, hugging him with one arm. "So don't you ever think that no one cares about you-- because I know at least two people who do."
If Tailgate had a normal face and been organic, he would have blushed at this statement. "Thanks, Glyph. That... that really made my day."
"Don't mention it. So what are you sick with?"
All of Tailgate's happiness evaporated with this mere question. Without looking at Glyph, he said quietly, "Cybercrosis."
He heard her gasp even as he added, "And I've only got three days left to live."
"Oh, Tailgate...." She pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close to her. "It'll be okay. It'll all be okay."
He didn't have the spark to tell her that it wouldn't.
* * *
"So have we reached Theophany yet?" Elita asked as she returned to the bridge.
"We certainly have," Ultra Magnus said. "And we've found something of interest."
He pointed out the viewport and Elita followed his gaze to a cylindrical object floating out in space before the planet of Theophany. Elita narrowed her optics at it.
"Is that an escape pod?"
"We believe so. Windblade says she's picking up at least four spark signatures from it."
"Most likely Circle of Light members. Pull it in."
"Are you sure about that?" Red Alert asked. "I mean, it could be Decepticons--"
"Even if they are... so what?" Elita shrugged. "We went up against the D.J.D. and survived. I doubt they can throw worse at us."
Ultra Magnus frowned. "You may have just jinxed us with that statement."
"We're already jinxed, Magnus," Elita said with a small smile. "That's just how life works for us."
* * *
"It's Ring, right? No, wait... Rang?"
"Rung," the small orange Autobot corrected Nightbeat, sitting in his office as he fiddled with a model spaceship. "What brings you here, Nightbeat? You said it wasn't for an appointment...."
"I've been doing some digging around the first Ark," the detective replied, admiring the psychiatrist's collection of models. "I thought about asking Rewind, but most of his knowledge would be second-hand. You, however, have been around for... forever."
Rung smiled. "Yes, I've lived quite the long life. What do you want to know?"
"Did you know anyone on the Ark personally?"
"Only Tailpipe; he visited me regularly for sessions when he started his career in the Primal Vanguard, experiencing some trauma from his missions. I saw him last three days before the Ark's takeoff."
Nightbeat nodded. "Did he clue you in to where the Ark would be going?"
Rung thought for a moment. "Not that I can recall. It's all common knowledge though, isn't it? They colonized Velocitron, Animatron, Gigantion...."
"Yes, but where did they stop? I didn't see any signs of a ship when we visited Gorlam Prime."
Rung shrugged. "It could very well be long gone by now. But why the sudden interest in it?"
"Because I want to know what place Galvatron and the rest of the crew under Unicron's control. If we can find where the Ark ended up, we could find the source of that evil... and perhaps use it against Unicron."
"A sound idea... but I doubt Elita would embark on such a quest with almost nothing to go off of."
"I know," Nightbeat said. "Which is why I'll be leaving the Lost Light when we return to Combatron."
Rung nearly dropped his model ship at this. "What?"
"It wasn't an easy decision; I hate abandoning adventures before they're finished. But it's something I want-- have to do."
The psychiatrist adjusted his spectacles. "I see. Well then, I'm certainly not going to stop you; personal quests, I find, are effective cures to psychological issues. Will you be going alone?"
"No. I'll try to get Hardhead to come along with me. I'm sure I'll be risking my neck, wherever I end up heading, so I'll need him to save it."
"If what you're expecting to find turns out to be real... I wholeheartedly agree."
* * *
Elita watched as the escape pod was pulled into one of the Lost Light's hangar bays. Standing with her were Ultra Magnus and Windblade, and waiting in the corridor just outside was Red Alert with a group of heavy hitters, ready in case the escapees turned out to be hostile.
She immediately knew that would not be the case when a large, winged mech in blue, white, and yellow emerged from the pod.
"Dai Atlas," she said. "What were doing out in space?"
"Waiting to get picked up," grunted an orange mech, appearing behind Dai Atlas along with two others. All four of them were covered in scars and seemed a bit battle-worn.
"But why?" Ultra Magnus asked. "Why were you in an escape pod?"
Dai Atlas sighed heavily. "The darkest hour has come upon us."
"So we've noticed," Windblade said. "What happened to you? Where's the rest of the Circle of Light?"
"Dead," grunted an old blue and orange bot. "We were invaded by a legion of undead, pouring out of a fiery portal. We were slaughtered."
"And... you're all that's left?" Elita asked.
Dai Atlas nodded solemnly. "Where once we were thousands, we are now four. Never have I seen our race-- or even a portion of it-- be pushed so close to extinction."
Elita's mouth fell agape as she registered all of this. She looked to Ultra Magnus, who shared her look of dawning horror.
"Oh no," was all she could muster.
* * *
Galvatron smiled as he looked upon his army.
Swarming all around Cybertron were hundreds of thousands of Terrorcons-- reanimated corpses of Cybertronians who had fell during both wars. Autobots, Decepticons, and neutral alike were united as a single legion of undead. They were what would ensure the defeat of whatever came at them and bring about their victory.
The board was all set. Now, it was time for the pieces to move.
TO BE CONTINUED
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