CHAPTER SIX
--Necroworld--
"So... do we knock?"
The ten Autobots stood at the door to the only building on the entire planet -- undoubtedly the home of the Necrobot. The compound was cast in a sparkling silver and had a circular build with fins sticking upwards. In the epicenter of the structure were a group of spires that stretched skyward. It was a simple design by Cybertronian standards, almost reminiscent of buildings made before even the Silver Age.
"I'm still having severe doubts about this," Ratchet muttered. "I mean, we don't even know for a fact that whoever lives here is actually the same Necrobot mentioned in the claptrap nonsense people spout."
"No, we don't," Rodimus said. "Which is why we're here. To find out if he is."
Ratchet rolled his eyes. "What I'm saying is that, for all we know, this bot could have some ill intention."
"Now you're starting to sound like Red Alert. Just relax, okay?" He raised a hand to the door. "Everything's gonna be fine."
He then proceeded to knock on the door once, which immediately slid open, causing him to let out a startled yelp. He then stared in awe, as did the others, at the figure that stood before them.
The spindly, almost skeletal robot was clad in an ebony cloak, its reflective sheen creating a starry image. Ancient cerulean optics glowed from an equally orange faceplate, which was covered in archaic lines. He towered over all of them, but did not at all come across as menacing. Rather, he looked more guarded than anything, with a mildly perturbed look on his face, as if they had just interrupted him from something very important.
"What," the Necrobot said in a voice as old as the stars, "do you want?"
Rodimus found it impossible to speak, frozen in awe as he was. Fortunately, Nightbeat stepped up to speak for him. "Are you... are you the Necrobot?" the detective asked.
The old mech grunted. "The only name you shall refer to me by is Censere of the High-Ceiligned Manifold. However, I have no desire whatsoever to interact with you, so if you do not mind, I would rather you leave me be."
"Wait!" Nightbeat grabbed the door before the Necrobot could close it. "We want to know who you are! Why you record the dead! Why... why you're doing any of this!"
Censere sneered at him. "Some mysteries are best left unsolved, Nightbeat of Yuss. It's about time you learned that."
Nightbeat frowned. "How do you know my name?"
Censere said nothing and wrenched the door free of the detective's grip before slamming it shut. After a moment of silence, Riptide turned around to leave, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Well! That was a complete waste of time! Now we're gonna go back to Carcer and those aftholes there will be all like, 'We told you it'd be a waste of time!' And it was! It was an incredibly huge waste of time!"
Rodimus sighed. "Well, so much for that, I suppose. I don't think there's any changing his mind. Let's head on back."
While the others looked ready to go with him, Swerve on the other hand strode up to the compound and banged his fist against the door.
"Oi! You get back out here, you! My friend's trying to find his lost Conjunx Endura and here you are huddling in your nice and cozy alcove! You know, I nearly died 'cos of you. I had a stupid bullet in my shoulder with a stupid message in it that led to your stupid planet! So don't you be telling us to leave when I've gone through hell and back to bring us here!"
No response came. Frowning, Rodimus stepped up to the Minibot. "Swerve, I think you should--"
Suddenly, the door slowly creaked open again and Censere peered out from behind it. He looked down at Swerve, who cowed slightly from his gaze. After a moment, the Necrobot then pulled the door open wider and stepped aside.
"Come in."
* * *
"You know, I'm starting to wish these statues had been arranged in some orderly fashion."
Chromedome carefully stepped over the blue flowers as he made his way over to Rewind. The archivist was standing dejectedly at an empty plinth with a plaque reading Domino of Altihex -- just a letter away from reading Dominus Ambus.
"It's like I'm so close yet at the same time so far," Rewind went on. "I mean, he's got to be here, right? The Necrobot wouldn't have forgotten him, would he?"
"Don't worry," Chromedome said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him. Trust me."
While the two continued their search, Minimus Ambus walked not far behind. He still felt a bit uncomfortable being on this search with them; he clearly saw that finding Dominus meant more to them than anything else. And it certainly meant more to them than it did him.
He felt almost ashamed for thinking that. He loved his brother but never really got along well with him, having always lived under his shadow. He had been off-world when Dominus vanished and everything in Minimus' spark told him he was dead. He never had the heart to tell Rewind as much, and seeing him now... it just wouldn't be right.
"Why the long face, Ambus?"
Minimus stopped, slowly turning around to see Ultra Trion standing behind him. The mysterious old mech smiled softly at him.
"Are you afraid of what you're going to find? Afraid to discover your brother's fate?"
"No," Minimus said, eyeing him skeptically. "Actually, I was thinking about you."
"Me?" Trion feigned surprise. "Why, what could possibly be so interesting about me?"
"For starters, there's your name. As far as I know, the House of Trion died with Alpha Trion six months ago. No other member has been recorded to still be alive. Meaning you adopted the patronymic for yourself."
"Mm, go on." Ultra Trion arched an optic ridge. "I'm curious to see where you're going with this."
"Then there's your first name: Ultra," Minimus went on. "That combined with your color scheme immediately makes me think of Ultra Magnus, who I know for a fact--"
"Is dead," Trion finished for him, smirking. "Yes, I could see why one would think that. I was in a... less than stellar state when Tyrest whisked me away."
Minimus' optics widened. "Wait... you're saying that you're...?"
"Did you really think an Autobot of my caliber would be killed so easily?" Trion laughed. "Ah, the naivety of today's generation."
"I... I don't understand," Minimus murmured. "How can you be... after all these years?"
"When Tyrest recovered me, he rebuilt me into this current body and had me leave Cybertron in order to perpetuate the idea of an immortal soldier that you and others would portray by wearing armor based on my original chassis." Trion smirked again at Minimus' surprised look. "Yes, I know that you've been carrying my name and appearance for the past two hundred years. I've been keeping track of all of you, ever since Suture."
"But... why?" Minimus asked. "Why would you agree to something like that?"
"I suppose you could say it amused me. The idea was certainly intriguing enough, so I decided to humor him." Trion let out a wistful sigh. "Besides, having already fought in one Great War, I wasn't exactly in the most ideal condition to fight another one. I was well past due a reprieve."
Minimus hummed as he folded his arms. "So how did you come across Carcer and join Magmatron's Covenant?"
Before Trion could answer, both mechs heard Chromedome holler to them. "Minimus! Come over here!"
The white and green mech quickly rushed over to him only to find a spark-breaking sight. Rewind was on his knees, head in his hands, before a statue-less plinth. Inscribed on the plaque was a name he had no desire to see in this scenario, but knew there was no way of avoiding it.
Dominus Ambus of Ambustus Minor.
Chromedome was already at Rewind's side, resting a hand on his Conjunx's shoulder. Windblade was standing nearby, watching with a mournful expression.
Minimus simply stood there, unsure what to do, how to feel. He did not want to intrude on Rewind's despair, nor did he want to come across as uncaring. If he was being honest with himself, he never really expected to be presented confirmation of what he had always felt.
Preoccupied as he was with his warring emotions, he had not noticed Ultra Trion's absence at all... until he heard the distinct thrum of engines.
By the time he, Chromedome, Rewind, and Windblade saw the ship they had arrived in taking for the sky, it was already too late to stop it...
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