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....
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