CHAPTER SEVEN
--Outpost Four--
"Huh."
"What is it?" Quickshadow asked as she caught up with Brainstorm, who stood before a single door. "Is there something wrong?"
"No. It's just that...." Brainstorm looked around, seeing not a single Decepticon in sight. "I thought there'd be a guard or two here. Or even an automated turret. You know, something."
"Did you not know this beforehand?"
"I just knew where Fort Max was being held. Didn't get the chance to see what security measures were in place."
"They must have door heavily secured." Quickshadow stepped up to the door and began to examine it. Brainstorm watched her for a moment before walking over to a nearby control panel on the wall and pressing it. The door instantly opened and Quickshadow jumped back in surprise.
"What the--? Are you crazy?!" she exclaimed. "You could have triggered an alarm!"
"I know a trap when I see one," Charon replied. "If the 'Cons had been that mindful to put a lock, they'd have also placed guards for good measure. No, they want us to enter."
"But... why? I mean, I'm sure they've found Irontread's body by now and have probably pinned us as the culprits... but they don't know we're after Fort Max, do they?"
"No. But I didn't mean us specifically. Just anyone who came across the room."
Quickshadow shook her head in exasperation. "But why? It doesn't make sense."
"Only one way to find out, eh?" With that, Brainstorm stepped into the room. After a moment of hesitation, Quickshadow followed him.
--Debris--
"I hear fighting."
Hubcap jumped, startled by Convoy suddenly speaking. He turned from his station to look up at the blue and black clone of Optimus Prime, seeing the alarmed look in his optics.
"Huh? Oh. Um, yeah." Hubcap did his best to act as casual as possible. "I was just about to say... it's on level one, in the Mausoleum."
Convoy looked down at him. "Aren't you going to alert Prowl? Or Springer?"
"I... I already did," Hubcap said, moving his hands across his console as subtly as possible. "They should be on their way over."
"Well, I'm going to head over there as well. I'll take Toxitron as w--"
"I don't think you should," Hubcap said, a lot more hastily than he had intended. "I... I think you should stay here. They've got it handled."
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to lend them a hand."
Hubcap's mind raced as Convoy started to leave. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "I can't let you do that."
The Optimus clone stopped midway out the door, turning around to look back at the Minibot. "What did you just say?"
Hubcap's only response was to draw his gun and fire a stun bolt at him. As Convoy fell to the floor, his systems shut off, Hubcap returned to his work, feeling even more frantic than before. Muttering countless prayers to himself, he pulled the hidden lever beneath the console, initiating Debris' transwarp engine....
* * *
Ironfist wailed as he was thrown against the wall, landing with a loud crash. As he struggled to get back to his feet, he saw Guzzle run past him, gun ablaze.
"Judgment day, ya disgusting creep!" he roared as he unloaded his weapon on the arachnid. The creature barely flinched as it trained its eight eyes on the stout Wrecker, who took a step back in shock.
"As amusing as this is," the spider hissed, acid dripping from its maw, "I have more important matters to attend to. You are merely a distraction."
The beast started to advance towards the exit to the Mausoleum, stomping past the defeated Roadbuster and Pyro. Before it could get far, a harpoon flew out of nowhere and impaled one of the arachnid's eyes, drawing a loud scream from the creature.
"Spinnerets are for chumps!" Impactor cried as he reeled himself up on the harpoon line. He didn't get far when the creature suddenly reared up on its legs and began to transform.
Ironfist's optics widened at the monstrous figure that now stood before the Wreckers. Grabbing Impactor's harpoon line, the beast-former hoisted the veteran Autobot up to be at eye-level with him.
"Oh, Impactor," the grotesque robot said. "You never did think before you acted."
He then tossed the Wrecker aside just as the door to the Mausoleum opened and Prowl came running in with Springer and Kup right behind him. Upon seeing the hideous sight before them, they all froze in horror. Prowl's mouth fell open in a mix of terror and shock.
"No," he said quietly. "It can't be."
"Hello, Prowl," the monster said, cackling. "It's been too long."
Before anyone could do anything, the station shook. An alarm started to wail.
"Someone's turned on the transwarp engines!" Springer shouted over the blaring alarm.
"Ah, yes," their enemy said. "That would be my spy doing his job. Remind me to think him when we get back."
"What is the meaning of this, Mesothulas?" Prowl demanded, stepping up to the beast-former. "What are you 'Cons planning?"
The monster roared in laughed. "It's Tarantulas now, old friend. As for your questions...."
Ironfist felt that sharp pain in his head again, his vision beginning to blacken.
"...Let's just say we're making adjustments to this new Golden Age."
--Outpost Four--
The room in which Fortress Maximus was being held only had a single chair and a bot sitting in it.
Said bot was not Fortress Maximus. At least, not the way most would recognize him.
It took Brainstorm a moment to realize that the black and gray mech with no distinguishable alt mode was in actuality Cerebros, the bot Fort Max had once been before undergoing Operation: Maximus (or, as he liked to call it, Operation: Anticlimaxes Blow for reasons he preferred not to think about).
This brought up a number of questions in his mind: How did the 'Cons reduce Fort Max to his original state? Why had they done it? Why had they kept him in an unsecured, unguarded room?
Considering that Cerebros was clearly alive, awake and staring at him, Brainstorm figured it would probably be best to just ask him himself.
Stepping into the room with less caution than he probably should have, Brainstorm walked up to the seated Cerebros, who looked up at him questioningly.
"Brainstorm? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to get you out," the Autobot genius answered. "Obviously."
"Oh. Well, good luck with that." Cerebros wobbled the chair he was in. "They've magnetized me to this chair."
Brainstorm's optics narrowed in confusion. "The chair's not bolted or anything?"
"No. But they told me that if I tried to leave the room while still in the chair, they would blow my head up."
"So rather than bolting the chair, they let you hobble around freely in your cell." Brainstorm rubbed his chin in thought. "I can't decide if that's evil or hilarious. Or both."
"Forget it," Quickshadow said from behind him. "Let's just get him out of here already. I've got a demolec-gun that we can--"
She was cut off by the station suddenly lurching and both she and Brainstorm lost their balance. Cerebros' chair wobbled a bit but managed to keep upright.
Quickly getting back on his feet, Brainstorm muttered, "I think we've reached our destination."
Quickshadow looked over to a port just outside the room. After making sure no one was coming down the hallway, she rushed over to the port and peered through it.
"I wonder where we are," Brainstorm pondered aloud. "If we're anywhere at all. I'm almost convinced that the 'Cons were too scared to pick a fight with the fraggin' Wreckers so they--"
"We're at New Kaon," Quickshadow said.
Both Brainstorm and Cerebros looked to her in surprise. "Wait, New Kaon?" Brainstorm said. "As in the former Decepticon capital?"
Quickshadow frowned. "If things are going the way I think they are... I don't think it'll be 'former' for much longer...."
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