Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Epilogue

EPILOGUE

    "...Elita and Minimus are still trying to figure out means for transportation back to Cybertron; Quickswitch and Delta Magnus are still missing, as are Tarantulas and Pharma's corpse somehow; and Swerve just found Minimus' original Magnus Armor in a storage closet." Rodimus collapsed onto a nearby berth, rubbing his head. "And I am exhausted."

    "And what about Megatron?" Ratchet asked, standing over Ambulon's remains as he pieced the two halves together. "Have you done anything about him?"

    "He's speaking to his Decepticons right now; said he would seek me out afterwards. Didn't sound like he was giving a rousing speech...." He then looked over to Ratchet. "Have you fixed him yet?"

    "No," Ratchet said grimly. "He's dead."

    Rodimus blinked. "Then why are you...?"

    "Because I don't want First Aid to be traumatized when I bring him in to say goodbye."

    Rodimus frowned and opened his mouth to say something until he noticed Megatron standing in the doorway.

    "Done already?" Rodimus quipped. "Usually your speeches take longer than that."

    "I want to join your crew," Megatron said.

    Rodimus performed a double take. "I'm sorry, what? Did you just say what I think you just said?"

    "I want to help you find the Knights of Cybertron?"

    "Why? Why do you want to? And why would I even let you on?"

    "I know that I have much to answer for," Megatron said. "And that sacrificing myself to defeat Unicron does not absolve me of my sin. But I know what can."

    "The Knights of Cybertron," Ratchet muttered.

    "They are said to be the ultimate judges," Megatron went on. "They are the only ones who can truly decide my fate, whether it be punishment or vindication."

    Rodimus narrowed his optics. "How do I know this isn't yet another deception."

    "You have my word." Megatron held up his Decepticon badge, which he promptly crushed. "As an ally rather than an enemy."

    Rodimus stared at him, mulling over the ex-tyrant's words. Finally, he said, "Fine. I'll let you on board... but on one condition."

*  *  *

    "You're staying behind?"

    "I've had enough craziness," Windblade muttered, nursing her glass of engex. "I was planning on leaving when we got to Caminus, but... well, look how that turned out."

    "So you'll be going with Firestar and the others?" Nautica asked, sitting next to her old friend as they watched Elita and Minimus Ambus sort the rest of the freed bots out. Some of the Secret Order bots, whom Megatron had managed to intimidate into cooperation, were helping out.

    "Yeah, although I heard Velocity is thinking of joining," Windblade said. "She says she finally passed her exams."

    Nautica smiled. "Really? Boy, Ratchet will be glad to hear that, especially since...." Her grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Especially since Ambulon...."

    "Yeah, I heard about that." Windblade sighed as she put a hand on Nautica's shoulder. "Try not to die while I'm gone, okay?"

    Nautica laughed uneasily. "I'll do my best, Windy."

    "Good." Windblade smirked. "I still hate that name, you know."

    "It's what Maxima calls you."

    Windblade shifted as she looked away. "That's just because we're good friends."

    "So are you and Chromia, yet you never let her--"

    "This is different! Maxima and I have known each other for a long time and-- and---"

    "Sure, Windblade," Nautica chuckled. "Whatever you say."

*  *  *

    "Cyclonus? Can I come in?"

    The former Herald of Unicron glanced over his shoulder to see Tailgate standing in the door to their hab suite on the Lost Light.

    "Why are you asking?" Cyclonus grunted. "You live here, don't you?"

    "I know, I know, I was just...." Tailgate sighed as he walked in and sat down on the edge of his berth. "I don't know. Forget I said anything."

    Cyclonus huffed as he stared back out the window. "What is it?"

    "Have you ever lost someone you really cared for?" Tailgate asked.

    Cyclonus stiffened. "What do you mean?"

    "Like, have you ever had a really good, really close friend just... leave you? Like, they just stop caring about you for whatever reason?"

    Cyclonus sighed. "This is about Glyph, isn't it?"

    Tailgate blinked. "How did you know...?"

    "The fact that you're not with her is one thing," Cyclonus muttered. "You were almost always at her hab suite, only coming here to recharge."

    Tailgate let out a woeful sigh as he looked down at his feet. "She said that she's staying behind and going back to Cybertron with Elita. She said she doesn't care about the Knights anymore...."

    A long silence passed between them. Then, slowly, Cyclonus turned away from the window to look at Tailgate.

    "I can teach you a song."

    Tailgate looked up at him. "What?"

    "I too have lost a dear friend -- a trusted comrade. Perhaps a little song can cheer us both up."

    "What song is it?"

    "It's called Candles Gone Dim. I've known it since I was forged."

    Tailgate looked up at him before slowly nodding. "Okay...."

*  *  *

    "So you don't know anything at all about how you came to be? Or how you became a Headmaster?"

    Doomshot shook his head, standing on Brainstorm's work table. "Nope. Earliest thing I can remember is waking up on this ship."

    Brainstorm rubbed his chin as he paced back and forth, watched by Cannonspring and the two clones. "This is crazy," he murmured. "The good kind. This means Headmaster technology can still be replicated. It doesn't require a super genius like me to make it! ...Actually, I don't know how to feel about that."

    Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

    "Go away!" Brainstorm snapped. "I'm busy doing science!"

    "It's me," came Nightbeat's voice. "I've got something for you to look at."

    Huffing, Brainstorm walked over and opened the door. Nightbeat stood outside carrying the deactivated corpse of Clutch.

    "Hey! Get that out of here!" Brainstorm exclaimed. "The morgue's down that way!"

    "I know," Nightbeat said. "But before I take it there...." He looked over to Cannonspring, who shifted uncomfortably. "I need a few answers."

*  *  *

    "Is it secure?"

    "Lock and tight," said Red Alert, stepping away from the sealed up fusion cannon. "Only you and I know the access code. Of course, I highly doubt we would ever open it...."

    "Yes," Ultra Magnus murmured, having returned to his old armor at last. "I still think it was unwise of Rodimus to let him on board without conferring with me or Elita... but he does seem serious about seeking redemption."

    "And what about the other Decepticons he let on board?" Red Alert asked. "Are they seeking redemption too?"

    "Some of them are, I think. Blitzwing strikes me as someone searching for a cure to his... condition. Soundblaster I think is only following Megatron wherever he goes. At least it's not Lugnut...."

    "They should all be in the brig," Red Alert muttered.

    "Perhaps," Magnus said. "I'll be sure to keep a close optic on all of them. I trust you'll do the same."

    Red Alert nodded. "Seems like we've been picking up a lot of shady crew members. First Rampage, now these 'Cons... I don't know what that says about us."

    "Neither do I," Magnus said. "Nor do I want to know."

*  *  *

    "Meantime and her crew have just teleported the last of the rescuees," Prowl reported to Elita. "The Wreckers have got the Mayhem Attack Squad locked. Still no sign of Quickswitch or his crew."

    "They must have gotten away," Elita muttered. "What about Shockwave?"

    "Right, the gun," Prowl said grimly. "I took him over to Que and...."

    "Yes?"

    "He says there wasn't a spark in his body, and his brain module had been effectively wiped."

    Elita raised an optic at him. "Are you saying he's dead?"

    "I don't know." Prowl shook his head. "Frankly, I doubt it. I think this is another one of his tricks." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, his tone lower. "He also found a message."

    "And what did it say?"

    "That this," Prowl's gesture encapsulated the Floating Fortress, "is just the beginning."

*  *  *

    "It's about time you two got back!" Crankcase said as Misfire and Fulcrum got back to the Scavengers' ship. "What took you so long? Did you get the money?"

    "Man, you would not believe what just happened!" Misfire exclaimed. "So see, me and Fulcrum were talking to Big Hoss, right?  When all of a sudden this hot clock lady and her friend kidnapped us! They took us to this place where we got processed and they hooked us up to this space bridge along with a bunch of other losers! Then these Autobots broke us free and then there was like some sort of battle royale! And then Megatron came through the space bridge and killed a bunch of dorks! Then the clock lady brought us straight back here and gave me her number! It was wild!"

    "Wait, she what?" Crankcase held out his hand. "Let me see."

    Misfire handed him the piece of paper. "13507," he said in a whimsical voice. "I can hardly wait to hear the sound of her melodious voice again."

    Crankcase stared at the piece of paper. Then he turned it upside down. "It says 'loser.'"

    Misfire blinked. "What?"

    "Loser. That's what it says." Crankcase showed it to him. "You've been duped, pal."

    Misfire stared at the prank message, his wings drooping. "Aw, gee. And here I thought I had actually scored. Man, that blows."

    "So did you get the money?" Krok asked.

    "No," Fulcrum said. "No, we did not."

    "Figured as much." Krok then turned to leave. "I'll tell Spacewarp to set course for the Chumlii system."

    As he left, Spinister suddenly jumped out of his seat, waving around a scratched-up lottery ticket.

    "Eight hundred Shanix! Ha ha! Suck it, you scraplets!"

*  *  *

    "...And taking first place is Override yet again! Watch as she makes Racemaster eat her dust!"

    Sideways groaned as she came back online. She raised a hand to her forehead and rubbed it.

    "Good, you're finally awake," she heard a voice say. "I'll tell them to ready the tracks for you."

    "Meanwhile, on our natal tracks, our newborn racers are getting ready to race for the first time!"

    Sideways blinked. What was this about racing?

    "On the tracks now we have Blueshift, Quicklightning...."

    She looked down at her body. Sleek and silver. Wheels. No. She was a--

    "...and Wayside!"

    Her optics narrowed in annoyance. Scrap.

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL: CONCLUDED

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

--The Floating Fortress--

    "Space bridge at fifty percent."

    Magnificus knew no one was listening. All of the Heralds had left the room, having joined in the battle down below. From what he could see, several bots had already gotten freed, meaning the process was going to be even slower now.

    He sighed as he looked away from the screen. He wondered what would happen to him if this succeeded. As a "knockoff", he was not allowed into Cyberutopia. Would he and others like him be left behind, forgotten about? Would they all be enslaved or disposed of?

    Why was he even doing this?

    He glanced back at the screen. Sixty percent now. Perhaps he had been wrong about less sparks equating to slower process. It probably had to do with the number of Point One Percenters they had hooked up down there.

    He could shut it all down of course. The Heralds weren't here to stop him. He could just flick the switch and call it a day.

    Sixty-five percent.

    After all, how did it benefit him? When he joined the Secret Order, he knew nothing of the Heralds or their plans. If he had, he probably would have declined.

    Seventy percent.

    Then again, if he did shut it down, the Heralds would show him no mercy. It was lose-lose either way.

    Seventy-five percent.

    It was all a matter of which fate he preferred: death or subjugation.

    Eighty percent.

*  *  *

    "You know, I never did like you."

    Cyclonus winced as Grindcore's fist collided into his face. He was likewise unable to block a kick to his abdomen.

    "You had always only been Galvatron's pet cyberdog," Grindcore went on. "You served no purpose within Nova Prime's inner circle. In fact, Dai Atlas was meant to take your place on the Ark; it was only when he turned against Prime that you were chosen instead."

    Grabbing Cyclonus by the shoulders, Grindcore slammed his head into the ex-Herald's, sending him staggering back.

    "You are a hanger on. Always have been. Always will be."

    Grindcore lowered his shoulder cannons, pointing them at Cyclonus.

    "You'll never belong. Not even in the Afterspark."

    The Herald prepared to fire his weapons... only to cry out as Whirl tackled him from behind. Pinning him down, Whirl pummeled Grindcore with his claws, punctuating each hit with his words.

    "No one -- kills -- my -- best -- frienenemy!"

    He paused in his attacks to toss Cyclonus a gun before lifting Grindcore up.

    "He's all yours," the ex-Wrecker said.

    "Ha!" Grindcore spat. "He won't do it. He has too much of a code of honor to--"

    The Herald was permanently silenced by a shot to the face, his head exploding into oblivion.

    "Honor is not given to those who have none," Cyclonus said, lowering the gun.

    "Are you talking to me?" Whirl asked. "'Cos he's dead. He can't hear you."

    Ignoring him, Cyclonus said, "Where are the others?"

    "The other who? Us or the Heralds?"

    Cyclonus huffed. "The Heralds."

    "Well, I saw Bludgeon going at it with Drift, Jhiaxus with Windblade, Scourge with Convoy and Rodimus--"

    "And where are they?" Cyclonus asked, scanning the fighting field.

    "I think they're by that portal thing--"

    Without another word, Cyclonus changed to his jet mode and took off.

*  *  *

    "Rewind?! Has anyone seen Rewind?!"

    Chromedome pushed his way through the chamber, avoiding enemy fire from the Decepticon reinforcements that had arrived. Skids and Rampage were behind him, providing cover fire while he searched for his sparkmate.

    "Oh, Domey~!"

    Chromedome froze at the sound of the voice, which was definitely not Rewind's. Turning around, he saw Pharma standing there, situated between a still-hooked up Rewind and Ariel.

    "Oh, good!" Pharma said, seeing Rampage just behind Chromedome. "You're both here. We're going to play a little game."

    "Miscreant!" Rampage roared. "Unhand her before I--"

    "Let me lay down the rules," Pharma said. "You each pick one for me to spare. If you each pick a different one, I'll play Catch-A-Cybercat-By-The-Tail. Whoever I pick lives, the other dies."

    "How about I just shoot you instead?" Skids grunted, aiming his guns at the mad doctor.

    Pharma grinned, raising his hands-turned-guns to either of his captives' heads. "Then they both die. These are primed to go off should I be hit. So much as tap my shoulder and they both die."

    "If Ariel dies, I swear I'll kill every last one of you," Rampage snarled, glaring at Chromedome.

    "I can't let Rewind die!" Chromedome snapped back. "He's-- I vowed to help him find Dominus Ambus! I can't-- he means everything to me!"

    "Clock is ticking!" Pharma said. "Hurry up and choose or else I'll pick for you."

    "Rewind!" Chromedome cried.

    "Ariel!" Rampage shrieked.

    "And you, Skids?" Pharma looked to the blue Autobot. "Who do you choose?"

    "What?" Skids asked.

    "You're part of this game too! You can be the tie breaker!"

    "But you didn't say--"

    "I changed my mind. I like to make up things as I go along. So who will it be? Whose death do you want to be responsible for?"

    Skids could feel all eyes on him now. He could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. It suddenly began to feel very hot....

    "Whose loved one do you want to kil--"

    Skids howled as he charged at Pharma, seizing him and knocking him to the ground. Both of the medic's guns went off but they missed Rewind and Ariel's heads by inches.

    He became numb to everything as he bashed Pharma's face in. Nothing else mattered. He was just sick of that face. He hated it. He wanted to get rid of it.

    "Skids, stop!"

    At the sound of Rung's voice, Skids stopped in the midst of his assault. This gave Pharma the chance to kick him off and get back to his feet.

    "Touched a nerve, have I?" Pharma said, smirking despite the desperate state his face was in. "Maybe I should consider becoming a therapist instead. It's clear I'm great at getting under other people's armor plates."

    Rampage snarled as he deployed a cannon from his arm. "Nothing is all you will become."

    Pharma cackled. "Can you tell me what that's like? I figure you must be an exp--"

    A blast to the chest silenced him for good and sent him flying across the room. His smoking form landing right in front of the space bridge... which began to materialize before everyone's eyes.

*  *  *

    "At last!" Forgetting his conflict with Convoy and Rodimus, Scourge turned away from the Autobots and faced the portal before him. "Unicron lives!"

    "Unicron?" Convoy asked. "I thought this was about Cyberutopia?"

    Scourge laughed. "Ah, the magic of twisting the truth. Yes, this is about Cyberutopia... or rather, our vision of it; a universe reshaped in our master's image!"

    "But Unicron is dead!" Rodimus said. "He was destroyed by the Matrix!"

    "Again, you presume that of what you do not know. With the energy of the forged sparks still connected, we can at last revitalize Unicron and bring forth his reign of chaos!"

    "There's only one problem with that."

    Scourge looked up to see Cyclonus fly up and land before him in robot mode. Sneering, the Herald said, "And just what would that be?"

    Cyclonus bent down and picked up one of the cables, which connected Bumblebee to the space bridge. "The spark energy has ceased flow. None of it is going to Unicron."

    Scourge's optics widened. "What?! But... how?!"

    "You can thank me for that."

    All eyes looked up to see Magnificus standing in the shattered window of the observatory, arms folded in defiance.

    "I shut off the spark flow. I thought it would turn off the space bridge as well, but... I guess that was a lie as well."

    "You fool!" Straxus bellowed, shaking his fist at the Decepticon. "Do you realize what you've done?"

    "I realize that I've been deceived," Magnificus said. "We've all been deceived. This was never about bringing forth a new Golden Age... it was all a ploy to let these Heralds have their little revenge plot. We were all just tools of a foul play."

    "Imbecile!" Jhiaxus shrieked. "You've ruined everything!"

    "I know. And I'm glad." Magnificus lifted his chin up. "Serves you for trying to deceive a Decepticon."

    Scourge glared at him as he produced a gun -- the gun that was in actuality Shockwave. "Turn the spark flow back on... or else."

    "Go ahead, shoot me. At least I'll have made Megatron proud."

    "Megatron is dead! That was simply another lie to coerce all of you into working for us!"

    "Er, if that's the case," Rodimus said, pointing to the space bridge, "then who's that?"

    All of the Heralds turned to the space bridge... and froze.

    Emerging from the shimmering blue portal was a looming figure clad in intricate black and purple armor plating. Wings swooped behind him to form a cape-like formation, the newcomer wielded a large cannon mounted to his right arm. Red optics blazed from a masked face, covered with a bucket-shaped helmet.

    The look was difference... but the presence was all the same.

    "Megatron?" Scourge murmured.

    "You were expecting someone else?" the former leader of the Decepticons growled. "The Fallen, perhaps? Nova Prime?"

    "But... but how?" Straxus questioned. "How are you still alive?"

    "I have a better question: Why are you?"

    Charging his fusion cannon, Megatron raised it at the Heralds of Unicron and fired. In one fell swoop, Scourge, Jhiaxus and Straxus were eradicated by the blast. The Shockwave gun fell to the floor, unaffected by the blast. Bludgeon stood in place, optics wide as Megatron pointed at him.

    "I shall spare you, as you were not a true member of theirs but merely an accomplice," Megatron growled. "Same goes for Cyclonus; you were not a willing participant of their machinations." He then looked up to Magnificus. "Shut off the space bridge. Now."

    "Just wait one minute!" Rodimus protested. "You really think you can just walk in hear and steal the show? You think we've all forgotten about you being an evil despot?"

    Megatron glanced at him. "Perhaps Prime has failed to mention that I was the one who used the Matrix on Unicron."

    "Oh, he's brought it up, don't worry! But that doesn't suddenly absolve you of everything you've done!"

    "I'm not expecting immediate clemency, but listen to me: if we don't turn off the space bridge now, Unicron will find a way to--"

    "Uh, Lord Megatron?" Magnificus poked his head out. "The space bridge won't shut off."

    "What?!" Megatron exclaimed. "What do you mean?!"

    "It's not letting me do anything! It says I don't have access!"

    Megatron snarled. "The Heralds must have installed a failsafe. We must destroy the space bridge then."

    "That would tear this whole station apart," Cyclonus said. "Not to mention destroy us all."

    "Plus we still have hundreds of bots still connected to the blasted thing," Rodimus said. "What would you have us do?"

    "Actually," Magnificus muttered. "There is a way for me to bypass the failsafe and shut off the space bridge. But it requires a specific spark type...."

    "Which would be what?" Megatron asked.

    "Isomeric-negative," Magnificus replied. "Which is... which is my spark type."

    "Talk about awfully convenient," Rodimus muttered.

    "Yeah, sure... just give me a minute."

    Magnificus disappeared as he went to work. Several minutes passed by until there was a flash of light from the observatory just as the space bridge powered off, its portal dissipating.

    "Hot dog!" Rodimus exclaimed. "Nice work, Magnificus!"

    No response came.

    "...Magnificus?" Rodimus looked up towards the observatory. Smoke emitted from the shattered window.

    Megatron exhaled. "Lethal spark donation. Typical Tarantulas."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

--The Floating Fortress--

    "Delta Magnus and Quickswitch should have been here by now. What's taking them?"

    Scourge huffed impatiently, standing in the main observatory along with the rest of the Heralds, as well as a captive Cyclonus. "If they're not here in five minutes, we're starting without them."

    "What about Tarantulas?" Grindcore asked, peering down into the chamber below. "Is he still hooking up those four escapees he found?"

    "No, he's in the second observatory, seating the constructed bots we've captured," said Bludgeon. "I must say, he has a very twisted mind, setting up an audience that can't even see."

    "Let him meddle in his madness," Scourge said. "So long as it doesn't interfere with the plan."

    "I don't get what your problem with him is," Jhiaxus chuckled. "I like him. I think he's a brilliant mind."

    Straxus rolled his optics. "Of course you do...."

*  *  *

    "And there we... go!" Tarantulas took a step back to look at the eight restrained bots: Prowl, Chromedome, Nightbeat, Brainstorm, Getaway, Cannonspring, and the two clones. All of them were deactivated and placed before the broken window that oversaw the main chamber. Even though they were unconscious, they would provide a sufficient audience to the culmination of all his hard work.

    "And to think," he muttered to the motionless Prowl, "you didn't believe me."

    With that, he turned around to leave the observatory. Stepping through the door, he began to make his way to the main observatory... only to stop when he heard the sound of fighting. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Quickswitch and Delta Magnus in the midst of fighting five or so Autobots. Scattered about were pieces of armor that suspiciously resembled Ultra Magnus....

    "This day just gets better and better," he said before moving to join the fight."

*  *  *

    "Convoy? Can you hear me? Please wake up."

    Convoy groaned as his systems booted back online, his head hurting. Tilting his head, he saw Archforce standing before him, a small gray and red robot standing on his shoulder.

    "I... what's going on?" Convoy asked. "Where are we? Why do you have a little bot on your shoulder?"

    "His name is Doomshot," Archforce replied. "He brought me back online."

    "Yes, and we need to wake up the others," Doomshot said. "Quickly, before Tarantulas gets back."

    Without any question, the two clones quickly rebooted the confined Autobots and Cannonspring. Once they were all awake and back on their feet, Doomshot hastily explained the situation to them.

    "The Heralds are going to use the forged sparks to open the portal to Cyberutopia," he said. "Once its opened, they're going to pull out the original Megatron."

    "But Megatron's dead," Prowl said. "How can he--"

    "I don't know. Just shut up and listen." Doomshot pointed out the window. "We need to get down there and start unhooking as many bots as we can. The less sparks there are to drain, the longer we can delay the activation."

    "Might as well hurry," Brainstorm muttered. "I hear humming."

    Everyone turned to see the room outside beginning to glow. Energy could be seen flowing through the cables from the captured bots to the space bridge. The ceremony had begun.

    "Then what are we waiting for?" Convoy said. "Let's roll out!"

*  *  *

    "Space bridge at five percent," Magnificus reported. "Estimated time of activation: thirty minutes."

    Scourge frowned. "Thirty minutes? You said earlier it would be fifteen."

    "That was before you decided to 'speed things up,'" Magnificus retorted. "If you had waited for us to retrieve more bots, we would be ready in no time."

    Scourge clenched his fists. "Don't you start with me. If it wasn't for your intelligence, you would have been--"

    "I think I can help you speed things up," Cyclonus said.

    The other Heralds all turned to look at him. "And why would you want to help us now?" Straxus growled.

    "Hear me out," Cyclonus smirked. "The space bridge can only be powered by forged sparks, correct?"

    "Yes," Scourge muttered.

    "And all of us Heralds are forged, correct? We all predate the method of cold construction."

    "Are you offering up your own spark for the ceremony?" Jhiaxus asked.

    "No." Cyclonus' grin grew wider. "I'm saying you should all offer up your own sparks to speed things up."

    Scourge scoffed. "Right. And who's going to oversee operations?"

    "Magnificus seems competent enough. Just leave him in charge."

    Scourge shook his head, turning back to the window. "Forget it. We are not doing that."

    "But it's too late," Cyclonus said, rising to his feet. "I've already made the decision for you."

    With all of his strength, he broke free from his constraints before charging at Scourge, tackling his ex-comrade and sending them both flying out the window.

*  *  *

    Fear. Pain. Suffering.

    He could feel it all around him, surrounding him like walls, trapping him in a cage of punishment.

    His spark pulsed in agony. It felt weak. Drained.

    No. It wasn't his. It was her's. She was in pain. They were making her suffer. Scared.

    He would make them pay.

    With a roar, Rampage emerged from unconsciousness. Grabbing the cable attached to his spark, he tore it free before scanning the sea of faces for Ariel's. He could smell her. She was near.

    As was him.

    He looked up towards a shattered window. In it, he could see several bots in combat, most of them he recognized from the Lost Light. However, one of the combatants was a large mech in teal and red, toting large amounts of weapons. Despite being physically outnumbered, he was clearly overwhelming the Autobots through sheer strength alone.

    It was him. The one who made her suffer. The one responsible for her misery.

    Quickswitch.

    Uttering another bellow, he converted to his alt mode -- a wide-winged spacecraft -- and shot towards the window.

*  *  *

    "Ambulon! No!"

    The Autobot medic screamed as he was hoisted up in the air, his head and legs in each of Quickswtich's hands respectively.

    "You all reek of inferiority," Quickswitch snarled. "I'll never understand why Prime insisted on the continued use of M.T.O.s. You are weak by nature. Not as strong as us true, forged bots. You are easier to harm, easier...."

    He pulled on either end and tore Ambulon apart by the waist.

    "...to kill!"

    "No!" Ammo cried as he continued to fire his gun. The shots merely bounced off of Quickswitch as the veteran Autobot as he continued to storm forward, casually tossing Ambulon's remains aside.

    "Quickswitch!"

    The large soldier turned just as a red spacecraft came flying into the room, crashing into Quickswitch. Changing to robot mode, Rampage pinned the veteran to the ground, eyes blazing with scorn.

    "You!" he spat. "You have taken your last life. You shall pay for all the misery, all the suffering!" He dug his claws into Quickswitch's mouth and tightened his grip. "Any last words?"

    "Ehind ooh."

    Rampage blinked. "What?"

    Suddenly, he felt his skull be grabbed and his legs were soon hovering off the ground. Delta Magnus brought his face closer to his as the legendary soldier sneered.

    "I knew I should have disposed of you when I had the chance. It was a mistake to hand you off to Magnificus. That fool couldn't keep a leash on a shock turtle."

    He began to apply pressure on Rampage's head, squeezing.

    "So.... any last words?"

    Rampage said nothing. He was physically incapable of doing so.

    Delta Magnus smirked. "Thought so."

    He began to squeeze harder... and then vanished before Rampage's eyes. As he landed roughly on his rear, he looked up to see Brainstorm flying before them in alt mode. Cannonspring stood on top, holding the scientist's mass-displacement gun.

    "I was wrong," Brainstorm said. "The Orvus Base was actually twenty years ago, so I had two charges to use."

    While Rampage and the Autobots marveled at the tiny Delta Magnus jumping and yelling at them, Quickswitch sneered at Brainstorm and Cannonspring. "But now that you're all out, what are you going to do?"

    "This."

    With that, Cannonspring jumped off as Brainstorm transformed... revealing the head of Megatron. Before Quickswitch could react, the Autobot scientist unleashed a blast of fire at the veteran, knocking him back. He then turned his sights to Tarantulas, but the spider-bot was already skittering out of the room.

    Ignoring the gawking stares, the disembodied head of Brainstorm beamed from within his chassis' canopy. "Headmasters for the win."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

--The Floating Fortress--

    "The Mayhem Attack Squad has reported back, sir. The prisoners have been successfully recaptured."

    "All of them?" the Warden asked.

    The operator hesitated. "We're... still missing four. However, Scourge says that we are to begin the ceremony now."

    "Very well then." The Warden rose from his seat. "Tell Quickswitch he is free to dock now. I shall go greet him and tell him the news."

    "Um, about that. Apparently Quickswitch has brought with him the ship we retrieved Protoform X and the others from. I'm not sure why...."

    "It used to be his ship before we recalled him," the Warden explained. "He's most likely reclaimed it as he has with all of his others ships. You might want to give him a moment to assimilate it."

    "Assimilate...? Uh, yes, sir. Understood."

    "Good." The Warden opened the door. "Tell Scourge he and I will be joining for the ceremony shortly."

    "Yes, sir."

*  *  *

    "So are we just gonna ignore that Fake-Megatron's head turned into a robot?"

    "Fake or not, it was still Megatron's head!" Swerve said as the four bots continued to crawl through the vents. "If you want to go back and chat with him, be my guest, but I'm sure as Pit don't--"

    "But he was a Headmaster!" Rewind exclaimed. "They're supposed to be extinct!"

    "What about Sunstreaker?" Tailgate asked.

    "That was the result of experimentation. Same with Brainstorm. I guess that could be the same case here, but... why? Why would they make him one?"

    "They're Decepticons," Swerve said. "Experimenting is their game."

    "Quiet!" Rung hushed them. "I hear voices."

    The four bots quietly crept forward before reaching a closed grate, through which the voices could clearly be heard.

    "Anyway, Scourge wants to know if you're ready yet."

    "Tell him to be patient! I'm nearly finished here!"

    "What are you even doing? Is he forged? Shouldn't he be down with the others?"

    "I'm just making sure he has a good view of the ceremony!"

    "He's not even awake."

    "Shut up, Magnificus! You don't know anything!"

    "Fine. I'll be in the main observatory."

    "There! I'm done! Now watch your mouth before I--"

    "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

    The voices died down as did the sound of footsteps. Soon, all was silent once more.

    Carefully and slowly, Rung pushed open the grate. Seeing no Decepticons around, he and the others climbed out and came into a wide room with a large window. Placed in the center was a single chair with a white and black mech as its sole occupant.

    "Oh my god... Prowl?" Rung stepped over to the motionless Autobot, his optics shut off.

    "He's not dead, is he?" Tailgate asked.

    Rung put an ear to Prowl's chest. "No, he's alive. I can still hear parts moving. He must be in stasis lock."

    "Um, guys?" Rewind and Swerve had already moved to the window and we're looking through it. "You should see this...."

    Rung and Tailgate moved over to join them... and stared in shock at the sight before them.

    Down below, in a massive chamber, were hundreds upon thousands of bots, all of various alignment. Not only were familiar faces from the Lost Light noticeable -- such as Skids, Nautica, and Minimus -- but also those from Cybertron -- Bumblebee, Arcee, Elita-One. All were in a similar state of deactivation as Prowl, with cables hooked up to their chests and leading to a giant structure: a space bridge.

    "This is it," Rewind whispered. "This is what those 'Cons were talking about. They're going to drain their sparks...."

    "We have to do something," Tailgate said, looking around the room. "Maybe there are some kind of controls...."

    Rung shook his head, frowning. "I don't think there is anything we can do, Tailgate. I think this is out of our hands."

    "Don't say that, Rung! There's gotta be a way!" Tailgate looked back at the window and rubbed his chin. "Maybe we can drop down there and unhook as many of them as we can before they can send anyone down."

    "Tailgate, I really don't think--"

    Ignoring the psychiatrist, Tailgate reeled back his arm and threw a fist at the window. The glass merely cracked rather than shatter and Tailgate groaned as he shook his hand.

    "Ow... that was dumb."

    "It certainly was."

    The four Autobots turned around in time to see a small spider crawl up Prowl's head, only to grow in size and transform into a monstrous figure. Four limbs stretched out and seized each bot by the waist.

    "If you're so eager to go down there," Tarantulas spat, "then allow me to help you!"

    With that, he lunged forward, Autobots in his clutches, and burst through the glass....

*  *  *

    "Welcome home, Quickswitch," the Warden greeted the teal and red mech as the latter stepped off of the massive ship docked in the Fortress' hangar. "I trust you had a safe journey."

    "Somewhat," Quickswitch replied. "It was quite tumultous crossing the Omni Expanse, but once we passed that, it was smooth sailing."

    The Warden nodded, cocking his head to his comrade's massive ship, comprised of a number of various vessels. "I see you've amassed quite the collection along the way."

    "Only the Good Conscience and the U1 have been added. I actually found the U1 just outside the Fortress. I'll have my crew assimilate it while I'm gone."

    The Warden nodded. "You came here just in time. The ceremony is about to start."

    "Hard to imagine, isn't it?" Quickswitch said as the two bots walked alongside each other. "After countless years of work, we've finally accomplished our groan. Cyberutopia is within our grasp."

    "Indeed," the Warden said, smiling. "The Golden Age is going to be glorious."

*  *  *

    "All right, get moving people," Plummet ordered as he and the rest of Quickswitch's crew dropped onto the Lost Light's hull. "Armorfist, Heavy-Stomp, bring the cables down. Carjack, go inside and turn off their engines."

    "What about their crew?" asked Carjack. "Should we tell them to get off the ship?"

    "Forget about them," Plummet snapped. "Let's just get this over with--"

    "Hey, uh, Plummet?" Armorfist was standing on the edge of the hull, looking down. "They just lowered their ramp."

    "They must be getting off themselves then. Have Lookout and Watchdog keep an optic on--"

    "They're driving out in a giant truck."

    "What?!" Plummet stormed over to see a large, blue and red carrier truck driving down the ramp. Several Autobots could be seen in alt mode within the trailer, while a Minibot sat in the cab, barely fitting inside. Catching Plummet's gaze, Gears extended an arm from the window and delivered a very rude gesture.

    Unsure whether to be appalled or impressed, Plummet simply said, "Someone alert Quickswitch. Now."

*  *  *

    "This is insane," Ambulon muttered, clinging onto the side of the truck, which had been formed from Ultra Magnus' new, larger armor.

    "Of course it is," Dipstick said from within the trailer. "Doesn't mean it won't work."

    "You don't know it will."

    "Um, guys?" Ammo said from atop Riptide's boat mode. "I see Quickswitch up ahead and he's, uh, turning into a tank...."

    "Deploy rockets!" Dipstick barked.

    "I don't know how to do that!" Gears snapped. "I don't know what any of these buttons do!"

    "Then just keep driving! Full speed!"

    "Maximum overdrive!" Ammo shouted. "That's what Magnus says, right? No, wait, I'm thinking of Pr--"

    He let out a wail -- as did Ambulon -- as Gears slammed on the pedal and sped forward. They quickly drove past Quickswitch, who didn't have time to react, and were gaining up on the blue and red truck up ahead.

    "Hey, is it just me," Riptide said, "or does that almost look like--"

    The Hydrobot never finished his sentence as the truck transformed to robot mode and produced a large hammer. He swung it at the Magnus Truck and it and all of its passengers were sent flying forward....

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--The Lost Light--

    "I don't like all this waiting."

    "Neither do I," Ambulon muttered, staring out the ship's bridge. "But we can't do anything until we hear back."

    "But what if we never do?" Riptide asked. "For all we know, they could all be dead by now."

    "Don't say that. We've been through worst. They're fine."

    "Even so, I'm tired of sitting on my aft." Walking over to Mainframe, Dipstick leaned over to peer at his monitor. "Where is this Floating Fortress again?"

    "It should be right in front of us," Mainframe replied. "I think it's protected by some sort of cloaking shield."

    "Does that prevent us from going up to it?" Ambulon asked. "Or do we need to wait for it to be lowered?"

    "Well, technically no," Mainframe said. "But, with the shield up, it would be hard for us to dock."

    "Ah, docking, shmocking," Dipstick grunted. "Let's just ram this baby into 'em and blast our way in."

    "I don't think Rodimus would like us damaging his ship," Mainframe murmured.

    "Neither would I."

    All bots on deck were startled by this disembodied voice. They all looked to Blaster, who merely held up his hands.

    "Who is this 'Rodimus?'" the voice went on. "And what are they doing with my ship?"

    "I know that voice," Riptide murmured. "But... it can't be...."

    "Is that you, Riptide? It's good to hear a familiar voice... although you never were my favorite. Is Nautica still there? How about the Duobots?"

    "What are you doing here, Quickswitch?" the Hydrobot asked. "Where have you been all this time?"

    "I apologize for abandoning you," the voice replied. "I had other matters to attend to. I see you wasted no time in finding a new captain...."

    "As if we had a choice," Riptide muttered. "None of us were exactly leadership material...."

    "I suppose you have a point. Where is your captain now?"

    "He vanished, along with half of our crew. We've just sent a team to rescue them."

    "Ah.... I see." Quickswitch fell silent. At that moment, the ship suddenly shook as a large shadow fell over the bridge. "In that case, I shall be retaking what is rightfully mine. I'm sure Rodimus would not mind. And if he does... well, I don't think it will matter at the end of the day."

--The Floating Fortress--

    "It's gotten awfully quiet all of a sudden," Chromedome murmured, creeping through one of the station's many corridors. "Did they just forget about us?"

    "I doubt it," Ratchet said, at the front of the group. "The alarms probably aren't heard throughout the base and we just left that particular perimeter. I'm sure all the 'Cons are still on high alert."

    "Speaking of which," Rampage growled, "I smell some up ahead, coming around the corner."

    "How can you tell they're 'Cons?" Trailbreaker asked.

    "Well, what else could they be? Except for that Pharma miscreant, everyone we've encountered has been a Decepticon."

    "Even so, don't shoot until we can confirm they're hostile," Ratchet said.

    "Since when did you become the boss of me, doc?" Whirl asked, cocking his guns. "I'll shoot at whatever I want."

    At that moment, two bots appeared from around the corner and the corner and Whirl unloaded his weaponry. All of his shots missed their target and Ratchet managed to stop the ex-Wrecker before he could land any direct hits.

    "Stop it, you nutjob! It's Convoy and Archforce!"

    "Who and who?"

    "The clones! Of Prime and Megatron! Remember?"

    "Oh, sorry," Whirl said. "I should've only shot at one of them. My bad."

    Shaking his head, Ratchet turned to face the two clones. "Sorry about that. We didn't know it was you two."

    "No worries," Convoy said. "Simple misunderstanding."

    "How did you guys get here?" Trailbreaker asked. "I didn't see you escaping with us when Cyclonus broke us free."

    "We kind of got lost in the confusion," Archforce said. "We apologize for leaving you behind."

    "Hey, no worries!" Trailbreaker said cheerily. Ratchet, on the other hand, had his optics narrowed as he studied the two clones.

    "Are you sure you two are all right?" he asked. "You don't seem yourselves."

    "Of course we're fine," Convoy said. "Why wouldn't we be?"

    "Maybe you should come with us," Archforce said. "There's a meeting room not far from here. We can talk more there."

    "I don't think so," Ratchet said, backing up. "I know a trap when I see one."

    "Yet you spring it anyway."

    All six bots turned to see Pharma standing behind them, accompanied by two large Decepticon brutes. The rogue Autobot medic flashed his trademark crazy grin.

    "Typical Ratchet," he said as the two brutes raised their stun guns and everything went dark.

*  *  *

    Rodimus let out a wail as he was sent flying by a seismic blast, taking several pieces of the metal floor with him. At the end of the hall, the maroon and blue Decepticon laughed as he prepared for another attack.

    "Not so strong, Quake!" cried a brown Decepticon flier, who was in the middle of a firefight with Getaway. "I just polished these floors!"

    "Shove it, Windsweeper," Quake rumbled. "You can polish them again after we're done with these Autobots."

    As Rodimus got back to his feet, he saw Quake charging up his gauntlets again. With the floor practically torn apart, there was no way for him to drive off. If he got hit with another attack, he was done for.

    Guess it was better to go our fighting.

    He let out a yell as he charged forward, surprising the brutish Decepticon. As he got closer, he charged up all of his energy....

    ...and released it in a burst of flame.

    Quake cried out as his chassis caught fire. Moving in a frenzy, he flailed his hands and accidentally hit Windsweeper. As his gauntlet had been charged up, the brown Decepticon was sent flying.

    As the flames died down from his body, Rodimus collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Through his fogging gaze, he could see that Quake had already stamped out the flames and was now walking over to him.

    It was fun while it lasted, he thought as he felt his systems shut offline.

*  *  *

    "Ha! Two in one!" Ruckus cackled as he and Needlenose stood over the defeated Nightbeat and Brainstorm. "Did you see how that punch pushed one into the other? It knocked them both out! It was amazing! Did you see it?"

    "No, I wasn't paying attention," Needlenose said. He looked down at Brainstorm, who was turned on his back, and saw something in the Autobot's canopy chest. He bent down to open it. "What's that in--"

    He opened the canopy and Cannonspring burst out, instantly returning to full size. He threw a fist into Needlenose's face, dazing the 'Con, before turning his attention to Ruckus. Scowling, the tan Decepticon raised his gun and fired it. The shot knocked Cannonspring in the shoulder but the mech was unfazed. Grabbing the gun by the barrel, he tore it out of Ruckus' hands before clobbering it into the Decepticon's head, knocking him out. Cannonspring then whirled around and did the same to Needlenose.

    As both Decepticons fell to the ground, Cannonspring scanned around for Rodimus and Getaway... and screamed as he felt a blade pierce through his left shoulder.

    "Always look for your enemies," Bludgeon hissed into his audio sensor. "Never your allies."

    He dug the blade deeper until Cannonspring's entire left arm came off, drawing an agonized scream from the mech. Bludgeon then struck him in the head with the hilt of his sword before pushing him down to join Brainstorm and Nightbeat.

    Looking up, Bludgeon saw Quake and Windsweeper approach, dragging behind them Rodimus and Getaway. 

    "Is that all of them?" Windsweeper asked.

    "No," Bludgeon growled. "Cyclonus still remains. Have either of you spotted him?"

    Before either Decepticon could reply, a purple shape flew from out of nowhere, landing roughly as Bludgeon's feet. As the battered Cyclonus groaned, the three Decepticons turned to see Grindcore trudge up to them, cracking his fists.

    "After six thousand years, that felt good."

    Bludgeon sniffed. "Very well then. Let us put them back in their cages."

    "No," Grindcore said. "Scourge says it's time."

    Bludgeon raised an optic ridge. "Do we have enough?"

    "He deems we have a sufficient supply." Grindcore bent down and picked up Cyclonus, throwing him over his shoulder. "Let's go. Cyberutopia awaits."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars III, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

--Floating Fortress--

    "We've lost Squad 811."

    The Warden slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "Impossible! We had them outnumbered! How could they have been beaten so quickly, so easily?"

    "Well, they are Vehicons--"

    The Warden deployed a gun and blasted the operator's head off. Turning to another, he snarled, "Send out the Mayhem Attack Squad."

    The gray and blue Seeker frowned. "Are you sure, sir? Scourge did say to only use them--"

    "When I deemed necessary, yes. And I deem now to be more than necessary. These interlopers must be dealt with as soon as possible. Too much is at stake here."

    The Seeker slowly nodded. "Understood, sir. Dispatching the Mayhem Attack Squad now."

*  *  *

    "Ratchet!" Rodimus grinned as the medic carefully stepped over the deactivated Vehicons. "Back to your old digs, I see!"

    "Uh-huh," Ratchet muttered. "Where are the others?"

    "I saw Skids, Nautica, and Minimus get overwhelmed," said Cyclonus. "They must have been recaptured."

    "I think Swerve, Rung, and Tailgate managed to getaway," Trailbreaker added. "I saw them sneaking past some Vehicons just before we got cornered."

    "Cowards!" Rampage bellowed. "They deserve whatever fate Mortilus shall have befall them!"

    "Shut it," Rodimus snapped. "As long as they're safe, that's all that matters. We'll find them, and then we can try and rescue the others."

    "We should split up."

    All heads turned to a small, kibble-less mech sitting on Brainstorm's shoulder. The scientist gestured at him in introduction.

    "This is Cannonspring. He's our new friend. Apparently."

    Rodimus arched an optic ridge. "Hi, Cannonspring. I'm Rodimus. Why do you suggest we split up?"

    "They are bound to send reinforcements," Cannonspring replied. "By splitting up, we can divert their attention and make it harder for them to capture us. We could cover more ground that way, in regards to saving your friends."

    "That's... a good idea, actually." Rodimus rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers. "Right-o, then! Nightbeat, Getaway, Brainstorm, Cyclonus, you're with me. We'll search for Skids and the others. Ratchet and the rest of you, try and find Rung and the Minibots."

    "And what about Pipsqueak there?" Whirl asked, pointing at Cannonspring. "Because I'm sure not carrying him around."

    "Don't worry, I'll stick with Brainstorm," Cannonspring said. "If that's all right with him, of course."

    "Sure, whatever." Brainstorm picked him up and tossed him back into his chest canopy. "Be good."

    "Right then." Rodimus nodded to Ratchet. "See you soon."

    "With any luck, yes."

*  *  *

    "I still don't understand why -- ow! -- a Cybertronian base would have vents."

    "It's probably to circulate Nimbus' winds," Rung replied, crawling behind Swerve and Tailgate through a ventilation shaft. "Are you all right, Tailgate?"

    "Yeah, I just bumped my hip again," the Minibot replied. "Do you know where you're taking us, Swerve?"

    "Nope!" Swerve answered. "Absolutely no clue. So long as we're away from those Vehicons."

    "I just hope you don't lead us into something dangerous," Rung murmured. "Like a smelting chamber or--"

    "Hey!" Tailgate pointed up ahead. "I see a red light!"

    "Tailgate?" came a familiar voice. "Swerve? Is that you?"

    "Rewind!" Swerve exclaimed as a small black bot came into view. "I thought they had nabbed you as well!"

    "Keep it down," Rewind hissed. "Anyway, I was able to sneak into a shaft same as you. There's an adjacent corridor just up ahead and...."

    "What?" Rung asked. "What is it?"

    "Just follow me, and keep quiet. You guys need to see this."

*  *  *

    "Sideways has been gone for awfully long," Straxus growled, tapping the edge of his axe against the floor. "I am beginning to think she has met her demise."

    "No matter." Scourge waved a dismissive hand as he pulled up a seat. "We can continue without her... and Cyclonus."

    Seated at the end of the table, Megatron looked between the gathered Heralds of Unicron, optics narrowed. "What's going on here? What's the meaning of all this? I demand answers!"

    "Quiet down and you'll get your answers," Jhiaxus said sharply. "Megatron... you know that's not your true name, correct?"

    The Decepticon leader scowled. "What do you mean?"

    "What I mean is, you know you're not the real Megatron, yes? You know that you're a clone."

    Megatron slowly nodded. "Yes, of course. But the real Megatron is dead, so I am all that there is."

    "Except that is not true," Scourge said. "The real Megatron is still alive."

    The Megatron clone blinked, his mouth falling agape. "What? But... how?"

    "When the Matrix of Leadership was opened, rather than destroy Unicron, it transported him to Cyberutopia, where he is to be punished for all eternity."

    "However," Straxus said, "Megatron has already been atoned. He is now to be freed so that he may lead our race as he was destined to."

    "That is why we've abducted those who have been forged," Jhiaxus explained. "We need to use their spark energies to activate the space bridge that leads to Cyberutopia. Then we can free Megatron."

    "Then... then what purpose do I serve?" the clone asked.

    "You've already served your purpose," Scourge said. "You've rallied the Decepticons and brought them back from the shambles Starscream had left them in. You've done what you were made for."

    "But... once the original Megatron returns... what will happen to me?"

    "Nothing," Scourge said. "Because you'll already be dead by then."

    The clone's mouth fell open as Scourge raised a gun. The weapon was purple, with a gray rectangular barrel.

    Shockwave.

    As the gun's barrel began to glow, Scourge said, "You have been a useful asset, Doomshot. Your service will be remembered."

    There was a flash of light and then nothing.

*  *  *

    "Did you get all that, Rewind?"

    "Yup," the archivist replied, his voice hushed in shock. The four Autobots all watched as the Heralds of Unicron rose from their seats and left the room, leaving behind the Megatron clone's smoldering corpse.

    Still shaking from what he had just witnessed, Tailgate said, "Did... did he say something about Cyberutopia? Isn't that where the Knights of Cybertron are?"

    "I somewhat doubt they were being truthful," Rung said. "Or at the very least, they've deluded themselves into thinking that that."

    "I sure hope you're right," Swerve said. "Because it would totally blow if a bunch of Decepticons beat us to the punch."

    "We still have to do something though," Rewind said. "I'm no sparkologist, but I don't think using sparks to power something is good for it."

    "I agree," Rung said. "We should get back with Rodimus and--"

    "Hey!" Swerve exclaimed. "That Megs clone is moving!"

    Indeed, the body of the Megatron clone was stirring, despite the gaping wound in its chest. Steam hissed from its neck as its head detached and... transformed.

    As a small robot emerged, Rewind voiced everyone's thoughts: "This is shaping to be a very odd day."

*  *  *

    "Meantime and her crew have returned, sir," the stout and blocky green Decepticon reported to his similarly colored commander. "Seventy-five percent of them are from Cybertron while the rest are--"

    "Just send them to Sector 5-4," Grindcore grunted, pacing back and forth. "And don't bother processing them. Scourge says we have to speed things up."

    Twitcher nodded. "Will do, sir. Also, the Warden just called. He says he's sending out the Mayhem Attack Squad to capture the remaining escapees."

    "How many are there left?"

    "At least seven, sir. Cyclonus is also believed to still be with them."

    Grindcore growled, clenching his fists. "Tell them I will be joining them shortly."

    Twitcher blinked. "Sir?"

    "I'll trust you to operate things in my absence," the Herald of Unicron said, already walking away. "If anyone asks, tell them I'll be settling personal scores."