Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light IX, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--Outpost Four--

    Megatron stared silently at the blank viewscreen.

    Those words... those words had just come out of him. The venomous posturing, the boastful grandeur... that had all been him.

    Yet it didn't feel like him. It felt... manufactured. Scripted. Like he knew what to say, and how to say it, but didn't mean it. He was only playing a tyrant, not being one.

    It didn't feel right. None of this did. While he couldn't quite put his finger as to why he felt this way, he just knew that it wasn't the path meant for him.

    "Er, Lord Megatron? Is everything all right?"

    Megatron turned around to see Darkstar staring at him, wearing that same look of concern and suspicion that she always wore when around him. It did nothing to improve his feelings.

    Deflecting her questions, he said, "Where is Shockwave?"

    "I don't know. I haven't seen him since you and he arrived."

    Megatron frowned. "And Gigatron?"

    "He left with the Chimeracons and Ragnarok for Outpost One." Darkstar raised an optic. "Why do you ask?"

    The Decepticon leader growled lowly as he brushed past Darkstar and exited the command center. "I am going to get answers," he said as he strode out. "And if I need to tear everything in sight to get them, I will do so." He then raised a hand to his comm. "Soundblaster? I need you."

*  *  *

    "Well, this... this really offsets things."

    Quickshadow frowned as she gazed out the viewport, watching the blue tunnel of hyperspace swirl around the space station. "This is not good," she murmured.

    "Yeah, I... I kind of already said that," Brainstorm replied.

    Turning away from the viewport, the silver femme crossed her arms. "We need to have a plan for when we come out of hyperspace. I can still use my Decepticon disguise and pass you off as--"

    "Whoa, hold up," Brainstorm interjected. "We're not leaving without Fort Max."

    Quickshadow blinked. "Fort Max?"

    "Sorry, I meant Fortress Maximus. You've heard of him, right? Warden of Garrus-9? Big bot with guns in his legs?"

    "Yes, but... you're saying he's here? On this station?"

    Brainstorm nodded. "Yes. Don't ask me how I know -- it's a long story -- but we have to get him out of here with us."

    Quickshadow shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we can't risk locating him and getting him off this station. If we get caught, then we'll all die."

    "Fine then. Leave without me. I don't care. But this is something I have to do. If I didn't, I would never be able to live with myself."

    Quickshadow was silent for a moment as she stared at the defiant Brainstorm. Then, she sighed. "All right. Lead the way."

    Brainstorm blinked. "Wait, you mean... I wasn't actually trying to guilt trip you or anything. I was just--"

    "I know. Just... let's just get moving. I'm sure they've found Irontread's body by now. Escape's likely no longer an option anyway."

    "Aw, don't say that," Brainstorm said, smiling behind his faceplate. "Besides, you haven't even met Max yet."

    Quickshadow stared at him. "What are you...? I wasn't even talking about him."

    "I know." With that, Brainstorm started to stride down the hallway. "Come on. I promise you, you're going to love him."

    Quickshadow shook her head as she followed. "Already I'm starting to regret this...."

--Debris--

    "We have to bring Prime into this."

    "No." Prowl's response was quick and with finality. This did nothing to deter the green and yellow mech standing before him, as he kept his arms firmly folded over his chest. There would be no convincing him to back down.

    "Prowl," the Wrecker leader said, "this is serious. Megatron has returned -- I don't care if it's a clone, it's still Megatron -- and these 'Cons are obviously up to something bad. This has long since stopped being a mere special ops mission. This is something more."

    Prowl sighed, raising a hand to his crest. "I know. I just... I don't want Prime doing something foolish."

    Springer frowned. "What do you mean?"

    "You know how he is. If we tell him what's going on, he'll want to get involved, and once he's in, there's no chance of getting him out. He'll be out there on the front lines, going toe to toe with Megatron or whoever's in charge; trying to sacrifice himself for the 'greater good.'"

    "But that's what makes him a great leader. The courage he displays, his selflessness and compassion... it's why we all look up to him."

    "I know, and I'm not condemning him for any of that," Prowl said. "I've served under three Primes in all my life and I won't argue with anyone that he's the best we've had. Which is exactly why I don't want him to be involved; if something were to befall him, everything we have fought for would be wiped away in a nanoclick. If the Autobots lost their icon, while the Decepticons regained their own... the results would be disastrous for us."

    "You have to have some faith in him, Prowl," Springer said. "Look at all he's been through: Massunstrad, Simanzi, Hell's Point, Unicron. He's dealt with more brushes with death than any living Autobot and he's still ticking."

    "Yes, but one of these days he's going to bite off more than he can--"

    Prowl was cut off by an alarm suddenly going off. Springer immediately assumed a battle-ready stance. "Are we under attack?"

    Prowl looked down at his screen, his optics widening. "No," was all he said as he launched from his desk and ran out the door, with Springer close behind.

*  *  *

    "Ironfist? You okay, pal?"

    The tan and blue mech groaned as his optics came back online. He rubbed his helmet as he sat up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm... what just happened?"

    "You blacked out," Pyro said as he helped his comrade to his feet. "Roadbuster had been showing us the graves of past Wreckers when you just... collapsed."

    "Oh. Right. Sorry." Ironfist took a moment to readjust himself. "It's just... this is all so much to take in, especially for a Wrecker enthusiast such as myself."

    Roadbuster made a non-committal grunt. "Most of them aren't actually buried here, if that's what you're freaking out over. Most of them are just for decoration. You actually think they were able to pull Threnody's body out of the X-Dimension? Or that we'd have pieced Wide Scope's remains back together after Black Shadow tore him apart?"

    "Well, no. I was just saying... you know, that I'm just now realizing that I'm standing in the same pedes as bots like Crest and Hyperion and... even Impactor."

    "Speaking of which...." Rotorstorm tapped his fingers against one of the many grave markers, one which read Impactor's name. "Since when did Impactor die? From what I've heard, he quit the Wreckers after Pova."

    Roadbuster was silent for a moment as the four new Wrecker recruits all stared at him expectantly. "I don't know why that's there," he finally said, sounding untypically quiet. "Maybe it was some sort of assurance thing; that he was still standing over it rather than laying below it... I dunno, it was probably something dumb like argh!"

    The Wrecker screamed in surprise -- as did the others -- as a purple metal arm, terminating in a harpoon attachment, tore out from under the grave.

    "Sweet Primus, it's Operation: Dead Moon Rising all over again!" Ironfist exclaimed, brandishing his gun. "Except without the crystal vampires and the two-headed werewolves--"

    "Hold your fire!" Roadbuster barked, just as the figure -- or figures, rather -- emerged fully from underneath the grave. While no one recognized the blue and yellow bot he was with, they definitely recognized the purple-colored, harpoon-armed mech standing before them.

    "I-Impactor...?" Ironfist dropped his gun, looking ready to black out again.

    The veteran Wrecker only gave him a brief glance before turning his gaze to Roadbuster. "Where's Prowl?" he asked.

    "Uh," Roadbuster said, looking almost as shocked as the junior Wreckers. "What... how...?"

    Impactor grabbed him by the shoulders. "Look, old buddy, I would love to tell you where I've been and how I got here, but right now--"

    "Right now," a voice came from behind him, "is about all the time you have left."

    All of the Wreckers turned to see a large, eight-limbed shape emerging from the same spot Impactor and his companion had. Green saliva drooled from the giant arachnid's jaw as it bared its sharp fangs.

    "You know what, kid?" Roadbuster muttered, slowly backing up as he prepared to raise the alarm. "I'd say this is worse than Dead Moon Rising."