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."
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