Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter Six

EDITED 11/25/2022 Rewrote the Pyrobots' interaction with Stormshot because I've since realized I'm not the best person to trust with handling certain social topics with care.

CHAPTER SIX

--The Lost Light--

    "Are you sure they're still on the ship?"

    "They have to be. Ultra Magnus locked up the ship when he and the others left. Only Rodimus and Red Alert have the authority to unlock it."

    "Well, we've already checked everywhere. I don't see where else he could be hiding."

    "How about here?" Coming around the corner, Fervor pointed to a hab suit door numbered 791. "We haven't checked here yet."

    Kindle rolled his optics. "Right. Like they'd be in the very last place we checked."

    "Hey, it's worth a shot, right?" Walking up to the door, Fervor rapped a fist against it. "Hello? Anyone in here?"

    "Go away," came the sharp reply.

    "It's security. You've gotta open up or else we'll... we'll...."

    "Lock you up," Kindle said.

    "Yeah, lock you up. In the brig. Where the bad people are."

    Silence at first. Then, the door slid open to reveal a white and blue winged bot.

    "What do you want?" Stormshot grunted.

    "We're searching for a blue Optimus Prime lookalike and a gray, nondescript mech," Fervor said. "Are they in your room?"

    "No."

    "Maybe we should search her room," Kindle suggested.

    "Can we search your room?" Fervor asked Stormshot.

    "You won't find anything," Stormshot said curtly, teeth gritting.

    "She might be trying to trick us," Kindle said.

    "You aren't trying to trick us, are you?" Fervor asked.

    Stormshot stepped out of the doorway. "Look, just go ahead and search it if you must. Just make it quick and leave me alone."

    The two Pyrobots exchanged wary glances. "She could be setting up a trap," Kindle murmured.

    "Don't be ridiculous," Fervor said. "That is so stupid. I mean, she's an Autobot."

    "So was Pharma. Heck, she even has Pharma's colors."

    "Prime's uncle, you're starting to sound like Red. Plenty of bots have colors like hers. I even knew a bot with the same colors as Shockwave and he was the sweetest thing in all of Lower Monoplex. Let's just search her room and be done with it."

    "I don't know. I don't think we can trust her--"

    "Oh my god!" Stormshot snapped, startling the two bots. "Would you two just stop it?"

    Fervor and Kindle blinked in unison. "Stop what?" the former asked.

    "Acting like you don't trust me! Treating me like I'm a.... I'm a freak. What is it about me that registers as someone you can't trust?"

    "Uh...." Fervor rubbed the back of his head. "Your attitude, maybe? It could be the wings, except... no, that doesn't make sense...."

    Optics rolling, Stormshot waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. Just... just do your stupid thing and get lost."

    "Hang on, I'm getting a call." Kindle raised a hand to his comm and turned around to listen in. A disgruntled look crossed his brother's face as Fervor crossed his arms.

    "Why does Red always call you and not me? Am I just not good enough or--"

    "Good news," Kindle said, turning back to the other two bots. "We're all wanted criminals."

    Both Fervor and Stormshot frowned at him. "How is that good news?" the latter asked.

    Kindle blinked. "Oh, wait... is that what they call sarcasm?"

*  *  *

    "Wanted criminals?" Rodimus stared incredulously at the police bot standing before him outside the Lost Light. "You can't be serious."

    "I am way too old to joke about this kind of thing," Checkpoint grunted, typing on his datapad. "We have been informed that you are harboring the Decepticon leader Megatron on your ship. Is that true?"

    "Well...." Rodimus groaned inwardly. "Yes...."

    "Then I'm sorry, but you and your crew must all be quarantined," Checkpoint said, putting away his pad. "If you have a reasonable explanation for this, then you can tell it to Landshark. But for the sake of everyone's safety, we must place you all under arrested."

    Rodimus sighed, realizing there was no use in resisting. "All right. Fine. Quarantine us. But I demand you take me to see Landshark asap."

    Before Checkpoint could reply, another police bot came running up to them.

    "Chief! There's been a--"

    "I'm a bit busy, Sparkride," Checkpoint replied sternly. "Send the report to Streetstar or--"

    "But, sir! There's been another murder!"

    Checkpoint frowned. "Another murder?"

*  *  *

    "His name was Skram." The purple and black femme sighed as she looked upon the deactivated car bot. "We trained at the academy together under Kup. I lost contact with him after the Exodus. I hadn't even realized he had come to Paradron."

    Sandstorm rubbed his chin as he studied the body with his optics, noting the gaping hole in Skram's chest. "Where did you find him?"

    "Just outside Beachcomber's shop," Quickslinger replied. "His wound was still burning when I found him."

    "I know what caused this," Sandstorm murmured, attracting the attention of nearby Paradron medics. "Infernus bullets."

    Quickslinger tilted her head. "Infernus bullets?"

    "They were created by Decepticon scientists on Varas Centralus, reverse-engineered from the Firecons' abilities. I know this because I was there at Varas Centralus with the Wreckers."

    Quickslinger frowned as she looked back down at Skram. "The Firecons were among the Decepticon arrivals we received last week. I remember Checkpoint butting heads with Landshark over their clearance.'

    Sandstorm let out a heavy sigh. "I respect Landshark but he is far too naive. It was a mistake to allow any Decepticons -- or Autobots for that matter -- to live on Paradron. Their penchant for destruction is too strong."

    "What are we going to do about it then? What can we do about it?"

    "Leave it to me," Sandstorm said, turning to leave the medbay. "I'll get to the bottom of this by the end of this cycle or so help me."

*  *  *

    "After you."

    With some effort, Cannonspring squeezed himself through the opened hatch and climbed out onto the Lost Light's hull. He then turned around and helped Convoy out as well.

    "That was one heck of an escape plan," Cannonspring commented as Convoy got to his feet. "How do you know your way through the vents so well?"

    "I didn't," Convoy said. "I just figured one would eventually take us outside."

    "Well, an improvised escape is better than a failed one." Cannonspring then narrowed his optics at the clone. "So why did you rescue me?"

    Convoy shrugged. "Honestly? I have no idea. I just... it was as if a voice in my head told me to. Like... I just knew it was something I needed to do."

    Cannonspring nodded. "I see. Well, it's a good thing you did; now you can help me find the others."

    "The others?"

    "Chaindrive, Clocker, Mainspring, and Pinion. Two of them I know are on Velocitron, one is on Junkion, and the other...."

    Convoy looked at him when he fell silent. "Yes?"

    "....is here," Cannonspring murmured. "Chaindrive is here, on Paradron."

    "Well, that's convenient. Where do we start looking?"

    Cannonspring's only response was to bend over and vomit at Convoy's feet.

    "...This is going to be a problem."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--Paradron--

    "Heed the word of Primus! Spread the truth today!"

    "Those zealots still out there?" Gutcruncher asked as he poured Octane his drink.

    "Apparently," Octane muttered, staring out the bar's window at the group of bots handing out pamphlets. "I just got here so I have no idea how long they've been there."

    "Too long," Gutcruncher grunted. The green and yellow Decepticon then narrowed his optics at Octane. "You say you're new?"

    "Yeah, I just arrived here on a ship full of Autobots. We're making a stop here in our quest to find the Knights of Cybertron."

    Gutcruncher snorted. "Well, you certainly aren't gonna find them here. You're better off talking to the crazies outside."

    Octane smirked as he lifted his drink. "Perhaps. I honestly couldn't care less about the Knights; I just needed to get away from all the stress on Cybertron."

    "Well, no stress here. Paradron isn't a half-bad place to stay. So long as the Autobots don't bother us, we don't bother them."

    "Hm. I might have to consider renting a place here."

    As Octane began downing his engex, the doors to the bar opened and a black and blue spindly mech with a single optic barged in, waving his wheel-hands frantically.

    "Gutcruncher! You gotta come out here, quick!"

    "I'm kind of busy, Skidmark," Gutcruncher said. "Can't it wait?"

    "It's your friend Stratotronic! He's dead!"

    Octane hadn't even consumed the last drop of his drink when Gutcruncher went flying out the door.

*  *  *

    "It wasn't me! Swear to Primus!"

    Skids waved Whirl to be silent as he and the other stared at the crowd gathered outside the Friction Bar. From what he could see, a pair of medics were examining a body while security tried to shoo the onlookers away. The religious preachers that had been shouting earlier had fallen silent, clutching their pamphlets close to their chests.

    "So much for being called 'Paradise City,'" Skids muttered. "How could anyone have done this when guns are banned planetwide?"

    "And yet you're still allowed to walk around," Whirl said snidely.

    "I have an inhibitor claw on, wise guy."

    "Maybe we should keep moving," Nautica said. "I'm sure the officials have got it under control."

    "Yeah, it's just a murder on a pacifist planet," Whirl commented. "Nothing to worry about."

    "Swerve says there's a park nearby," said Tailgate, carrying his newly purchased hoverboard. "Let's go there so I can try some stunts on my hoverboard."

    "Last one there gets murdered," Whirl said, transforming and flying off.

    While Tailgate, Swerve and Cyclonus followed him, Skids lingered, still staring at the unfortunate scene. He didn't take his optics off it until Nautica gently tugged on his arm.

    "Come on," she murmured. "Let's go."

    He stared at her for a moment before nodding, walking after the others towards the park.

*  *  *

    "You're stalling, aren't you?"

    Brainstorm refrained from looking up from the databook he was pretending to read. "Why do you say that?"

    Dion smirked at him. "Call it a hunch. The fact that you pulled us away from Skids and haven't spoken a word since is also a major clue."

    Sighing, Brainstorm lifted his head and swept the park with his optics. Chromedome and Rewind were cuddling on a bench, far out of hearing range. Rung was busy with tweaking a model ship. Some blue guy was sitting by himself, watching a bunch of skateboard-bots race around. As far as he could tell, he and Dion were by themselves.

    "Okay...." Taking a deep breath, Brainstorm turned to face Dion. "I was hoping to put this off for a while longer, but I suppose there's no point in waiting. Just to warn you though, especially for Cop-Tur's sake, this is gonna get heavy."

    "Hey, I'm a big bot!" Cop-Tur said, appearing on Dion's shoulder. "I can take it!"

    "If you say so," Brainstorm muttered. "Anyway... Optronix is no longer with us."

    "Well, that's certainly blunt," Dion remarked.

    "No, no, there's more to it than that. See, after I... after you...." Brainstorm huffed. "Let me try again: about a thousand years ago, Optronix was captured by the Decepticons. While he was in their clutches, they corrupted him and turned him into one of them.

    "When he returned to us, he had taken on the name Megatron and executed Sentinel Prime and the High Council. Then he took control of the Decepticons and began a millennia-long conquest of the galaxy, which we Autobots managed to put a stop to. Then Unicron showed up--"

    "Whoa, slow down," Dion chuckled. "This story's starting to sound just a little bit too unbelievable. Dial it back a bit, yeah?"

    "As I was saying, Megatron then sacrificed himself to destroy Unicron... only to show up a month ago alive and well. He's currently on the Lost Light, much to our... discomfort."

    "Discomfort?"

    "Well, I mean... the thousands of years he spent trying to kill us all are still fresh in our minds. Wouldn't you feel uncomfortable sharing a home with a former tyrant?"

    Before Dion could respond, the two bots noticed Skids, Nautica, and the others arriving at the park. Seeing Skids give him a look, Brainstorm turned back to Dion.

    "Look, why don't we bring this to Skids? I'm sure he can explain it better than I can."

    "Oh no, that won't be necessary." Dion smiled as he shook his head. "I think your retelling was quite sufficient."

    "Um... good?" Brainstorm rubbed his neck. "Uh, no offense, but you're taking this a lot better than I expected."

    "Of course I am. Because I already know all of this."

    Brainstorm blinked. "What?"

    "Hey!" Swerve suddenly cried out. "Who called in the fuzz?"

    Brainstorm looked up to see a group of security bots on skysleds flying over the park, sirens blaring. As they hovered down to surround the Autobots, one of the police bots dismounted her skysled and walked up to Dion.

    "Are these the delinquests you reported to us?" the black and white bot asked.

    "Some of them, yes," Dion replied. "There's more scattered across the city -- and Megatron's on a ship full of them in bay 84."

    "All right, I'll dispatch a squad immediately. Clamp Down, get these bots restrained."

    "What the Pit is the meaning of all this?" Skids exclaimed as a police mech cuffed him.

    Brainstorm looked to Dion, optics narrowed. "You knew. All this time, you knew."

    "Did you really think someone like Megatron would have been forgotten about after little more than seven hundred years?" Dion replied. "Even in the future, member worlds of the Galactic Alliance are still recovering from the devastation he had brought upon them."

    "Then why travel back to this time? Wouldn't it have made more sense to go back to a thousand years ago, before he turned evil? I mean, that's what I did!"

    "And upset the timeline? Come now, we at Star Command are better than that. Besides, we didn't come back to kill him... we're simply arresting him."

    "Arresting him? Why would you travel back in time just to arrest someone?"

    "To bring him back with me, of course; to answer for all his crimes. You see, Brainstorm, by the year 2825 -- or Cycle 10625 for you -- Cybertron and all of its inhabitants are long gone."

    Brainstorm's optics widened. "You mean...?"

    "The Transformers are all dead. I am the last Autobot... and I am going to finally bring the last Decepticon to justice."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

--Paradron--

    According to the boastful sign out front, Beachcomber's Amazing Souvenirs For The Ride Home claimed to have a wide variety of collectibles from all across the galaxy. Just from Skids' initial perusal, he could verify that it was not a lie.

    In the aisle he was standing in alone, there were Forever Glass imprints of historic Nebulan sites, miniature Femaxian structures encased in globes, and Force Chips with famous Cybertronians embolden on them. Hedonia could eat its spark out; this was the epicenter of culture.

    Looking around, he could see that the others were already enraptured by the selection: Nautica was digging through databooks, Tailgate was trying out a hoverboard... even Cyclonus was taking an interest in some snowglobes, of all things.

    Skids, on the other hand, had no interest in any of these knick-knacks. Instead, he was keeping an optic out for Dion, hoping the time-displaced Autobot wasn't getting into too much trouble. Last he had seen, Brainstorm had been with him....

    Turning around the corner, Skids suddenly found himself being grabbed and pulled into another aisle. Before he could say anything, a claw fell over his mouth as Whirl shushed him from behind.

    "You are not going to believe this," the ex-Wrecker whispered. "Look out the window to my right."

    Rolling his eyes, Skids did as instructed and saw a large sign outside. On it was a yellow and orange mech with large hydro-wings on his back and a wide smile on his face while giving a thumbs-up. Below him read the words Vote Sandstorm of Altihex For Paradron Leader!

    "Do you know who that is?" Whirl asked.

    "Yeah, it's Sandstorm isn't it? Your old--"

    "Don't say it!" Whirl hissed, covering Skids' mouth again. "If word gets round that I'm former comrades with someone in politics, I'll never hear the end of it! Slamdance will be hounding me for questions! Fever Dream will make jokes about me on his show!"

    "Okay, okay, I get it," Skids grumbled, pushing Whirl's arm down. "What do you want me to do about it?"

    "Just pretend I'm not here. Don't say a word about this to the others. If we keep things on the down low, then maybe no one will--"

    "Hey, Whirl!" Swerve appeared from around the corner, pointing at the sign outside. "Isn't that Sandstorm, your old--"

   "Arrgh!" Whirl hollered in rage as he sprinted down the aisle and crashed through the window. Transforming to his alt mode, he proceeded to ram himself repeatedly into the sign, eventually succeeding in bringing it down.

    "Sheesh," Swerve said. "What's his deal?"

    Skids sighed as he caressed his nose. "What isn't?"

--The Lost Light--

    "There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

    Sitting on the edge of the oil reservoir, Convoy looked over his shoulder to see Archforce walking up to him. The Optimus clone said nothing as his counterpart sat down next to him.

    "What are you doing here?" Archforce asked. "Is there something special about this place that I'm not seeing?"

    Convoy shrugged. "No, I just... I just needed some time alone."

    Archforce placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's bothering you?"

    Letting out a sigh, Convoy said, "Do you ever have dreams, Archforce?"

    "Dreams?"

    "Yeah. Or more like... recollections of a past life. A life other than yours."

    Archforce shook his head. "Can't say I have."

    "Well, I've been getting them ever since we left the Floating Fortress. I remember faces I've never seen before, names I've never heard...."

    "What kind of names?"

    "I don't know, just... names. None that I can properly recall or pronounce." Convoy fell silent for a moment before saying, "Doomshot's been having the same problem."

    "Has he?" Archforce asked.

    "Yeah. He's with Perceptor now, last I saw. Don't know if he's gonna tell him about the dreams or what."

    "Have you told anyone? Maybe you should see Rung."

    "He's gone down with the others. Maybe when he gets back I'll--"

    He suddenly fell silent and Archforce tilted his head at him.

    "You all right, bud--"

    Without warning, Convoy got up to his feet and wordlessly turned on his heel, rushing out of the reservoir.

*  *  *

    "Um, Ratchet?"

    "Yes, Velocity?" Ratchet called back as he searched through his cabinets.

    "It's... it's Cannonspring. He's talking in his sleep."

    "That's perfectly normal," Ratchet replied, retrieving an empty vial. "That happens a lot with patients who are under stress. So long as he doesn't start thrashing in his sleep, he should be fine."

    "Oh. Well, he's doing that too."

    Ratchet quickly closed the cabinet and rushed into the next room. Indeed, Cannonspring was thrashing against his constraints, muttering nonsense in his fit.

    "Pinion. Clocker."

    "He just started without warning," Velocity said, standing near the mech's bedside. "I hadn't done anything to disturb him."

    "Mainspring. Chaindrive."

    "Wait a nanoklik." Ratchet stared down at Cannonspring. "Those are names he's saying."

    "Are they?"

    "Yes. I knew a Chaindrive back on Cybertron -- I served alongside her during the Forth Vorsk Offensive. And Clocker... I swear I met a bot by that name during the fight against Unicron."

    "What do you think it means?"

    Before Ratchet could answer, Cannonspring suddenly shot up, optics wide open. Both medics moved over to calm him as he vented heavily.

    "Find them," he murmured. "Must... find them."

    "Easy there, soldier," Ratchet said as he gently laid the bot back down. "You're not finding anyone in the state you're in."

    "You don't understand!" Cannonspring said. "If I don't find them soon, then... then...."

    "Just rest," Velocity said softly. "Once you've recovered, you can bring this up to Rodimus. Right now, you need to rest."

    "But--"

    "Coax him back into stasis lock," Ratchet ordered. "It's the only way we can...."

    He trailed off as he caught sight of a blue and black mech standing in the doorway. Looking up at Convoy, Ratchet narrowed his optics at the clone.

    "Can I help you?"

    "Let him go." Convoy's voice sounded so much like Prime it wasn't even funny.

    "I'm sorry, but you are in no position to order me like that," Ratchet said sternly. "I only answer to Rodimus and Ultra Magnus."

    "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you though."

    The clone moved in a blur and before Ratchet knew he was on the floor along with Velocity. The medic lifted his head up in time just as Convoy ran out the medibay, carrying Cannonspring in his arms....

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

--The Lost Light--

   "So, what exactly are we looking for on Paradron?"

    Rodimus blinked, as if suddenly realizing Ultra Magnus was speaking to him. "Huh? Oh, uh, you know... directions to Cyberutopia and all that."

    Ultra Magnus frowned. "But do we have anything specific? At least with Caminus, we had the Mistress of Flame to talk to. In fact... why not just go back to Caminus, now that the Secret Order's been dealt with?"

    "Mainframe says we're a long ways from Caminus, and that Paradron is closer," Rodimus replied. "Besides... doesn't hurt to look around, right?"

    Before Ultra Magnus could respond, the door to the bride opened and, like a dark cloud, Megatron stepped in. Rodimus rolled his optics as he sunk lower into his chair.

    "Oh. Hey, Megs."

    "Rodimus." Megatron came to stand beside the captain's chair. "I see that we have reached our destination."

    "Yeah. Paradron. You might've heard of it."

    Megatron said nothing, staring at the metal planet in front of them. There was a long moment of silence between the three bots, with Magnus awkwardly looking between the other two. Unable to take it anymore, he looked back down at Rodimus.

    "So, are we all going down there?"

    "I mean, I guess, if people want to." Rodimus shrugged. "If some want to stay on the ship, that's fine. I'm not holding it against anyone. Especially after everything we've been through; I'd probably want to shut myself in my hab suite too."

    Silence reigned again, the three bots all staring at the approaching planet. Megatron then revved slightly before turning to leave.

    "I'll be in my quarters," he muttered.

    "I'll... gather anyone who wants to go and lay down the rules," Ultra Magnus said, leaving as well.

    "I'll stay here," Rodimus said. "Right here in my comfy chair."

    As Megatron and Ultra Magnus exited the bridge together, the former Decepticon leader glanced at the larger Autobot.

    "Did he just call the command chair...?"

    "Yes," Magnus said curtly, his expression stoic.

    "And... he's your captain?"

    "Yes."

    Brief as it was, Megatron allowed a look of genuine pity to cross his face. "I'm sorry."

    Magnus sighed. "So am I."

*  *  *

    "About time you two got back," Dion said as Skids and Brainstorm returned to the lab. "Cop-Tur's been getting impatient."

    "Where's Optronix?" Cop-Tur asked, hopping up to the two Autobots. "Did you find him? I want to meet him!"

    "Yeah, uh, listen," Skids murmured. "Before we can introduce you to Optronix, we need Dion to change his colors."

    "Why?" Dion asked.

    "We don't want Optronix to recognize you right away," Brainstorm explained. "We want to make it something of a surprise and, uh, need to set it up a bit."

    "Ah, say no more. Luckily, I can switch to my uniform colors in a jiffy."

    "Uniform colors?"

    "Yup. Watch." Dion pressed a switch on his arm and his orange and blue color scheme was immediately replaced with white and green with purple accents. "These were the colors I woke up with on Earth. They caught on so well with the humans that they became Star Command's uniform scheme."

    Brainstorm cleared his vocal processor. "That's... that's great. That'll work. Good."

    "Do I need to change my colors?" Cop-Tur asked.

    "No, you're good. Let's just... go out and... do stuff. Oh, and Dion, if anyone asks, your name is, uh, Sprint."

    "Is that to preserve the surprise too?" Dion asked.

    "Uh, yes. Yes, it is."

    "All right then." Dion beamed. "Are we all set?"

    "As set as we're gonna be," Skids muttered.

*  *  *

    "Stormshot?" Evac poked his head into the darkened hab suite. "Are you in here?"

    "What do you want?" came the bitter response.

    "We've touched down on Paradron. Wanna go out and--"

    "No."

    Evac's face fell. "But... everyone else is going."

    "I don't care. I'm staying here."

    "But they've got casinos and parks and... come on, it'll be fun."

    "I'm staying here, Evac. That's final."

    The blue mech's shoulders drooped. "Okay. If that's what you want, then..."

    "Goodbye, Evac. Have fun."

    "Yeah. Bye."

    With that, Evac closed the door and walked away, his head hanging low.

*  *  *

    "Okay, that's fifty Shanix for everyone," Drift said as he handed a bag of currency to everyone that passed by. "Remember: Don't go spending it all at once, don't blow it on--"

    "Where do you get this kind of money?" Swerve asked, examining his bag.

    "None of your business," Drift hissed. "Anyway, don't blow it on any sort of recreational devices or simultronics, don't...."

    While Drift went on with his lecture, Skids and Brainstorm discreetly merged into the leaving crowd with a disguised Dion. On the way out, they bumped into Nautica, who had her face buried in a data-book.

    "Oh! Excuse...." The Camien stopped to look at the three mechs. "Brainstorm? You're coming with us? I thought you hated leaving your lab."

    "Uh, well...." Brainstorm rubbed the back of his head. "I just thought it wouldn't hurt to... get out once and a while."

    She smiled. "Well, I'm just glad to have some familiar faces along." She then directed her attention to Dion. "Although I can't say I recognize you...."

    "Oh, this is Sprint," Skids said, throwing his arm around the green bot's shoulder. "Brainstorm and I just met him. He's a real hoot. Great guy. Wonderful bot."

    "Really? Can't say I've ever seen him before." Nautica shrugged. "Then again, with over two hundred bots on this ship, I shouldn't be so surprised." She extended a hand to Dion. "I'm Nautica, by the way."

    "Charmed," Dion said, shaking her hand. "What is that you're reading?"

    Nautica held up the datapad. "Oh, this? The Aestic Cybertronian by Dominus Ambus. It's a very good read. I'm already halfway through."

    "Hm. I'll have to check that out sometime."

    "Yes, well, you can always add it your bucket list," Brainstorm said. "Let's get a move on, shall we?"

    "What's there to even go?" Skids asked as they disembarked fully from the ship and into the Paradronian spaceport, where Ultra Magnus was speaking with the dock operator. "Do we have a map or anything?"

    "Where are we again?" Dion asked.

    "Paradron. It's a Cybertronian colony--"

    "Paradron? Well, why didn't you say so?" Dion beamed as he produced a pamphlet. "I've got a map right here."

    Skids stared at him, mouth agape. "How do you--?"

    "Uh, Skids?" Brainstorm nudged him with an elbow, pointing to a sign. "Look where we are."

    Skids moved his optics to the sign... and froze. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

WELCOME TO PARADISE CITY

WHERE ALL ARE WELCOME AND ALL ARE FREE

    "That," Brainstorm said, "is uncanny."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

--The Lost Light--

    Skids frowned as he stared at the orange and blue bot standing before him, as well as the little blue Mini-Con sitting on the latter's shoulder.

    Looking over at Brainstorm, Skids said, "You told me WALL-E and EVE were here."

    "No, I didn't," Brainstorm replied. "I said two robots from the future were here."

    "Yeah, except these guys aren't... I have no flippin' idea who they are."

    "Oh. Well, I kind of just assumed...." Brainstorm shrugged. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

    "Hang on," the orange bot said, looking at Skids. "You know WALL-E and EVE?"

    "Yeah?" Skids raised an optic. "Why, do you?"

    The mech grinned. "Indeed I have. And so has Cop-Tur here."

    "Wait, what?" The Mini-Con bounced on his partner's shoulder. "You know my parents?"

    "Parents?!" Skids' optics bugged out. "WALL-E and EVE are you parents?!"

    "What's a parent?" Brainstorm asked.

    "It's basically the human word for caretakers," Skids explained before looking back at Cop-Tur. "So... what, did they build you or something?"

    "Of course!" the Mini-Con said. "How else would they be my parents?"

    Skids slowly looked to the orange mech, his mouth agape. "Explain. Please."

    "Well, first of all, my name is Dion." The bot extended his hand. "Second lieutenant of Star Command. And Cop-Tur's guardian."

    "Guardian?"

    "Yeah, WALL-E and EVE trusted me with looking over their son while they're vacationing in Paradise City. Since I was off-world on Cop-Tur's tenth birthday, I've decided to make up for it by taking him on a time trip."

    "Time trip? Birthday? Paradise City?!"

    "Yup! 'Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.' Heck of a slogan. I wonder how they came up with it...."

    While Skids was busy babbling in incredulty, Brainstorm fixed Dion with a skeptical look. "Can we back up on the time trip thing? Are you saying that time machines are, like, commonplace in the future?"

    "Of course!" Dion said. "Most of it is thanks to our business deal with the Space Patrol Delta, who had gotten their hands on Troobian tech. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't be talking to you now... nor would this little guy have been built." He gave Cop-Tur a loving pat on the head.

    "Okay, I'm just going to pretend I understood any of that." Brainstorm rubbed his head. "So why did you travel to this time, to this place, of all times and places?"

    "Well, I wasn't aiming for this location in particular. See, I'm going off a name that I've had recorded in my databanks since I woke up on Earth. My memories of the person in question are vague, but I was hoping to meet him or her."

    "Okay... but why this time?"

    "Our time machines can detect hot spots of activity for a particular person throughout history. The year 2015 -- or Cycle 9815 for us Cybertronians -- is the latest hot spot recorded for this name."

    "Which would be...?"

    "Optronix."

    At this, Skids froze up, his face paling in horror. Brainstorm on the other hand merely nodded.

    "I see. Would you two mind waiting in here while Skids and I go fetch him for you?"

    Dion shook his head. "Not at all."

    "Good. Be back in a jiffy."

    With that, Brainstorm quickly ushered himself and Skids out of the lab, closing the door behind them. Brainstorm then let out a long sigh.

    "I have fragged up so very, very badly."

    "What do you mean?" Skids asked. "Are you saying you have something to do with this?"

    "Why don't we take a little walk?" Brainstorm said, putting a hand on Skids shoulder. "See, it all started with an idiot and his briefcase...."

*  *  *

    "Easy does it now, easy does it...."

    Nightbeat winced as Cannonspring hurled again, creating another puddle of energon on the floor. Helping him into the medibay, he called out Ratchet's name and the Autobot medic rushed over to help Cannonspring to a berth.

    "Velocity, fetch me a pair of destabilizers!" Ratchet called to the teal Camien medic. "Nightbeat, best if you stand back."

    Nightbeat complied and watched as Ratchet and Velocity worked on the ailing Cannonspring, performing various tests and scans on the gray bot. Once they were done, Velocity gently coaxed Cannonspring into stasis lock while Ratchet walked up to Nightbeat with a preliminary report.

    "From the looks of things, it appears to be spark stress," Ratchet said. "His spark chamber is strained, which is applying pressure on his fuel tank and causing... this."

    "Do you know what's causing the spark stress in the first place?" Nightbeat asked.

    Ratchet shook his head. "It's more common among soldiers, as a result from too many years in combat. But I know that's not the case with Cannonspring here." The medic then tilted his head. "Didn't you tell me he was budded?"

    "Yes, I tried to talk to him, but he was pretty tight-lipped about it. All I know is that Clutch died from the process."

    "Well, I'm not that knowledgeable on budding, so...." Ratchet sighed as he shrugged. "I'll continue to perform more tests on him, once he's gotten some rest. He seems fine at the moment though...."

    Nightbeat nodded. "All right. Thank you for your help, Ratchet."

    "Don't mention it. Oh, and before you go...." The medic moved over to a table and picked up a small box, handing it to Nightbeat. "Drop this by First Aid's door when you get the chance. Don't bother knocking; he'll pick it up when he's ready."

    "Is he still upset over Ambulon's death?"

    Ratchet nodded. "Haven't seen him since the memorial services. I'm hoping this'll get him out of his shell."

    "What is it?"

    "That's not for you to know. Sorry, just... make sure you get this to him."

    "Don't worry," Nightbeat said as he headed out the door. "I will."

*  *  *

    "So why did you drop Dion off in the future after you erased his memories?"

    "I didn't!" Brainstorm said as he walked alongside Skids. "After I wiped his mind, I released him back into Rodion with a different name and color scheme, so no one would recognize him and screw up my plans."

    "What name did you give him?"

    "Argh, I don't remember. Something bland and generic. Same thing with his colors; something drab and monochromatic that would help him blend into the background. Bottom line is: I have no idea how he ended up on Earth, let alone in the future."

    "I see." Skids came to a halt and turned to face Brainstorm. "So how should we go about this? Should we tell Ultra Magnus?"

    "Ultra Magnus? Are you crazy?" Brainstorm shook his head. "If it were up to him, my aft would be off this ship the moment I opened my briefcase. I'm lucky to have been allowed back on. This would just--"

    "Well, who else do we tell? Rodimus has been in bit of a mood lately and I don't think Drift would be of much help. That just leaves--"

    "Uh uh. No way. You can't be seriously suggesting.... No. Not gonna happen."

    Skids frowned. "He's gonna find out eventually."

    "Find out what eventually?"

    Brainstorm shrieked as he and Skids whirled around to see Archforce standing behind them. Clutching his chest, Brainstorm at the Megatron clone furiously.

    "Don't... do that! Do you have any idea how uncannily you sound like him?"

    "Like who? Megatron?" Archforce shrugged. "I don't see how it's much of a surprise, considering... you know."

    "Does he know about you?" Skids asked, hoping to change the subject. "Like, have you had the chance to talk with him or anything?"

    "Not really." Archforce rubbed the back of his head. "To be honest, I've been kind of... scared to."

    "We don't blame you," Brainstorm said. "Really, we don't."

    "What about Convoy?" Skids asked. "Has he encountered Megatron yet?"

    "I don't know. In fact, I don't know where he is right now. I was hopping either of you had seen him."

    "ATTENTION! ATTENTION!" a boisterous voice rang from the intercom. "ALL HANDS ON DECK! WE HAVE REACHED PARADRON! REPEAT: WE HAVE REACHED PARADRON!"

    Brainstorm frowned. "Why are we going to Paradron again?"

    "Official answer: To continue the quest," Skids muttered. "Unofficial answer: ...We're lost again."

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

--The Lost Light, present day--

    "Hurry up, Stormshot, or we're going to be late!"

    The white and blue flier sighed, trudging after the short blue Autobot down the corridors of the Lost Light. "Where are you taking me again, Evac?"

    "To Brainstorm's class! Remember? We've been talking about it all week!"

    "Correction: You've been talking about it all week," Stormshot replied. "I've just been listening and nodding like I always do every time you get excited for something."

    Evac frowned. "Come on. You promised you'd come."

    "Yeah, but I didn't promise to be ecstatic about it. Neither of us are even scientists."

    "That's what this class is for!" Evac said, grinning. "To learn about science!"

    "I don't even like science."

    "Yeah, well, you don't like anything."

    The two of them finally reached the classroom, which was essentially Brainstorm's lab with a bunch of desks and chairs shoved in. Squeezing their way through the cluttered room, they made their way to their seats and situated themselves. Upon sitting down however, Stormshot's chair immediately collapsed and she landed hard on the floor.

    "Sorry," Riptide whispered from behind. "They were the best I could cobble together in short notice."

    Stormshot glared at the Hydrobot. "Then how are you still sitting? You're bigger than me!"

    "I'm sitting on a box."

    "Okay, quiet down everyone!" Brainstorm called from the front of the room, cutting off Stormshot's ready retort. "If there aren't enough chairs, then feel free to stand. This isn't Drouhard University or anything."

    Grumbling, Stormshot stood right next to Evac. Meanwhile, Brainstorm rolled out a blackboard with the help of Perceptor before coming up to speak up to the class.

    "Hello! Welcome to Brainstorm's Science Class of... Science! I am your professor Brainstorm and this here is my assistant Perceptor!"

    "Assistant?" Perceptor asked, raising a quizzical optic.

    "Assistant professor. Co-professor. Whatever. Just... whatever." Brainstorm cleared his vocal processor before continuing. "Anyway, I know that everyone of you here are just dying of thirst for knowledge! You're just ready to consume all of the science that there is!"

    "Not really," Riptide said. "I'm just here because Nautica asked me to."

    "I just wanna know how you made a time machine," said Octane.

    "I lost a bet," said Jackpot.

    Brainstorm huffed, his shoulders drooping. "Right. No worries. That's what this class is for: to get you interested in science."

    "Oh, science?" Dogfight rose from his seat. "I thought this was for silence. My bad, I'll leave--"

    "SIT BACK DOWN!" Brainstorm snapped. "Once you sign up, you don't drop out until you've completed at least one semester! Those are the rules!"

    "You didn't list any--"

    "Quiet! I'm still writing them down! Now then, today's lesson is about quantum mechanics. As most of you know, I created a time machine, which--"

    Octane raised a hand.

    "--which I'm not exactly proud of, but--"

    Octane waved his hand.

    "--but hey, we've all done things we're not proud of--"

    "I have a question," Octane said.

    Brainstorm closed his optics and sighed. "Yes, Octane, what is it?"

    "Is it true you tried to use your time machine to kill Mega--"

    "As I was saying, I built a time machine, which isn't the easiest thing to do, so today--"

    Octane raised his hand again.

    "--I would like to teach you--"

    Octane began waving his hand.

    "Yes, Octane, do you have a question?"

    "Does Megatron know that you tried to--"

    "Okay!" Brainstorm said. "No questions until after the lesson. Take notes if you must. Until then, just keep quiet and let me--"

    Evac raised his hand.

    It seemed to take all of Brainstorm's willpower to not explode. "What... did I just say?"

    "There's something coming out of the blackboard."

    Brainstorm blinked in confusion before slowly turning around. Emerging from the blackboard was, of all things, a hand.

    "Okay," Brainstorm said quietly, slowly backing away. "I think that'll do it for today's lesson. Because that right there is why you should never build a time machine."

*  *  *

    "Is he still in there?" Nightbeat asked, staring at the door to Rung's office.

    "Yeah," Skids replied, a permanent frown on his face.

    "Are you worried?"

    "Of course I'm worried! Who wouldn't be worried? No one would want their best friend to be stuck in a room with... him. I wouldn't even wish it on my worst enemy."

    "Is this his first time visiting Rung?"

    "No, I believe it's his second. And I was just as worried then as I am now."

    "Do you think he's being true about his turn?"

    Before Skids could answer the detective, his comm buzzed and he answered it. "Skids here."

    "Hey, Skids, it's Brainstorm. Mind coming down to my lab for a minute?"

    "I'm... a bit preoccupied, Brainstorm. Is it important?"

    "Well, there are these two robots from the future who I want you to meet...."

    Skids blinked. "Wait. Are you talking about...?"

    "Yeah. You wanna talk with them?"

    Skids frowned as he looked to the door. Nightbeat then put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

    "Don't worry. I'll keep watch. You go do whatever it is you need to do."

    Skids hesitated for a moment before nodding his thanks. As the blue Autobot transformed and drove off, the door to Rung's office opened.

    "What was that all about?" asked the black-armored figure that emerged.

    "Nothing," Nightbeat said tersely. "It's none of your business."

    From behind Megatron appeared Rung's head. "Wasn't Skids wanting to see me?"

    "He got called elsewhere. I'm sure he'll be back."

    Megatron sniffed dismissively as he walked away. "No matter. I am needed on the bridge anyway. We should be reaching Paradron soon."

    Nightbeat watched as the former leader of the Decepticons walked away before turning back to Rung, noticing the psychiatrist was holding a databook.

    "What is that?" Nightbeat asked.

    "Towards Peace," Rung replied.

    "The Decepticon manifesto? Why do you have that?"

    "It's a rare first edition copy. Nautica managed to track one down on Troja Major."

    "And what's so special about it?"

    "It has a dedication to someone named Terminus. I was hoping to ask Megatron about--"

    "Wait." Nightbeat held up a finger. "Did you hear that?"

    Rung tilted his head. "Hear what?"

    The detective frowned. "It sounded like Cannonspring."

    Before Rung could question him, Nightbeat was already in his alt mode, speeding down the corridor.

The Transformers, Issue 74: Final Conflict, Chapter One

   All right, we're finally in the home stretch. The last thirteen issues. Here we go.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

   (Recap: The Fallen vs. Necros; Optimus Minor and his Autobots up against the Decepticons; and Starscream and Noisemaze have two Cyber Keys. How does it all go down?)

   (Some guy flips a switch and everyone gets alien-abducted by Unicron)

    (Boy, we're off to a great start)

    (On Cybertron, which is now a wasteland, bots are getting pulled up left and right)

    Starscream: All right, what happened?

    Noisemaze: I... I don't know. This abduction wasn't supposed to happen until we found all of the Cyber Keys!

    Starscream: So... now what?

    Noisemaze: We must return to... my place, I guess you would call it... and find out what's going on! [Nice save, 'maze. Come on, tell Starscream how you really feel....]

    (Elsewhere, Optimus Minor awakes in the care of Ratchet)

    Ratchet: Hey, buddy! Wake up! It's me, Ratchet. You're in Iacon... or what's left of it.

    Optimus Minor: R-Ratchet? Where's my team?

    Ratchet: They're here, but still in stasis lock. We're still trying to wake them up.

    Optimus Minor: What about Primal and Lio Convoy? And Omega Prime?

    Ratchet: They've all vanished. There is a handful of us still here though.

    Optimus Minor: Like who?

    Ratchet: Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Hoist, Jazz....

    Optimus Minor: And Ironhide?

    Ratchet: He's dead. (He take him to where the others are) Here's everyone. Well, mostly. I'm still fixing the bots in the medbay....

    Wheeljack: And spark knows who else is out there.

    Prowl: And besides, does it matter? Whatever's abducting Transformers is probably unstoppable! [Well, actually you've stopped him before...]

    Optimus Minor: So... we're giving up?

    Prowl: Well, yeah.

    Optimus Minor: THIS IS OUR HOME! OUR HOME! AND YOU'RE GIVING UP?!

    Jazz: Kid's gotta point, Prowl. We must do somethin'.

    Wheeljack: I am so glad you said that, Jazz. Why else would I've made these upgrades?

    Jazz: Upgrades?! Dude! Why didn't you tell us?

    Wheeljack: Omega Prime told me to keep it secret. No idea why.... but I'm sure they'll come in handy.

    (Elsewhere, the Fallen crawls on the ground)

    Necros Prime: Still standing?

    The Fallen: Wh-who--?

    Necros Prime: Good. (He blasts the Fallen away while laughing)

    The Fallen: Cyclonus, Scourge, help me!

    Necros Prime: They've left you, brother. And now, you shall die!

    The Fallen: Not if I can help it.... RARGH! (They lung at each other, shooting out energy, and go kablooey!)

    (Nearby, Cyclonus, Scourge, and Soundwave rejoin Megastorm)

    Megastorm: And just what made you abandon him?

    Soundwave: I could tell he was planning to abandon or destroy us.

    Megastorm: So what's the plan now?

    Cyclonus: I've signaled all remaining Decepticons to Chaar. We'll discuss further plans later.

    Megastorm: To Chaar it is, then. Spinblade, ready our ship.

    (Back on Cybertron, some Elite Guardsmen are huddling in an abandoned building)

    Thunder Clash: Well?

    Kup: Powerflash is dead. I found his body near Polyhex. Face it, Thunder Clash. Whoever's killing our men out there must be unstoppable.

    ???: Sir, I see someone approaching!

    (The Autobots storm out with guns ready)

    Ultra Trion: Wait! It's me! Ultra Trion!

    Thunder Clash: Ultra Trion? Well, I'm glad to see you here, sir.

    Ultra Trion: Likewise, do you know what's going on?

    Thunder Clash: No, unfortunately. We were hoping you knew.

    Ultra Trion: Unfortunately, I don't have the answer, Thunder Clash. I had just enough time to run as this... beam abducted Omega Prime and Avalon. I kept running until I saw Kup. I knew then there was an Autobot post here.

    Blurr: It's great that you're here, but we need some sort of plan or we're all doomed!

    Ultra Trion: Hmm... I might have an idea.

    (Back in Iacon, the upgraded Autobots step out in Movie -- or Movie-esque -- forms, while Optimus Minor gets his dad's Cybertron form)

    Wheeljack: And done! Now, once the others wake up, I'll up grade them, but for now, we can use these.

    Jazz: "MT?"

    Wheeljack: Mech Tech. Highly upgraded weapons. They should prove useful.

    Jazz: Well, if only we had somethin to use them on....

    (Suddenly, someone blasts into the base)

    Razorclaw (the Universe dude, not G1): Allow us to serve that purpose... though I doubt you can defeat us!

    (In space, Noisemaze and Starscream arrive at Unicron)

    Noisemaze: Master! What is going on?! The abduction wasn't supposed to happen until--

    Unicron: I was growing impatient, Sideways--

    Starscream: "Sideways?"

    Unicron: Anyway, I believe I can do without the keys. Besides... (we then see Thunderwing standing over Omega Prime's corpse, the Matrix in hand) Now that we have the Matrix, the Autobots -- and Cybertron -- don't stand a chance!

    To be continued

FEATURED CHARACTERS

    Autobots: Avalon, Bluestreak, Blurr, Heavypunch, Hoist, Jazz, Kup, Omega Prime, Optimus Minor, Prowl, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Thunderclash, Trailbreaker, Turborun, Ultra Trion, Wheeljack

   Decepticons: Cyclonus, The Fallen, Megastorm, Scourge, Soundwave, Thunderwing

   Others: Guiltaur, Necros Prime, Noisemaze/Sideways, Razorclaw, Starscream, Unicron

Transformers Regenerated: Prime Wars IV, Prologue

PROLOGUE

--Cycle 8214--

    "It's not your fault, Optronix."

    The red and black Autobot said nothing as he stood over the closed metal coffin, staring at the small hologram projected above it.

    "These things happen. Even during times of peace, bots are lost and...." Whirlwind sighed as she gave a shrug of her shoulders. "You can't expect to keep every last bot alive."

    Optronix closed his optics but remained silent.

    "He was my friend too, you know. And Lockout's. We were all close to him."

    "Whirlwind," Optronix spoke quietly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but... I need some time alone."

    Whirlwind took a step back, frowning as she slowly nodded. "Right. I understand. We'll be outside waiting. Try not to take too long."

    "I won't. Thank you, Whirlwind."

    With that, the green and blue Autobot left the memorial chamber as Optronix continued to stared forlornly at the plaque bolted onto the casket.

    Dion of Iacon Minor. Date of deactivation: Cycle 8214, Polyhex.

--Cycle 8314--

    "There." The small yellow mech pointed towards a small facility less than two miles away. "That's where Zizza operates."

    "I should have known," Optronix muttered, raising his visor. "There had been reports of a large number of newborn protoforms being transferred to Kalis for caretaking. Most caretakers usually only take one or two under their wing, sometimes three. But any more than that is pushing it."

    "So, this Zizza person," said Zoom, crouched right beside Optronix. "Does she have any, like, defenses or something? Like some Gyronian Sentries she's tipped off or a couple of Guardian drones she's gotten a hold of?"

    "As far as I know, she only has a single Guardminder unit that she's reprogrammed," replied the yellow bot. "It usually patrols the outside perimeters around this time...."

    "I see it." Flying overhead, Delta Seeker pointed to a tall gold drone emerging from behind the facility. "It's armed with a... scrap, is that a Chaos-Rift Combustor? Weren't those banned?"

    Optronix looked down at the yellow bot. "If I were you, I'd get to somewhere safe. Thank you for your help, er...."

    "Bumblebee," the yellow bot supplied, grinning.

    "Thank you, Bumblebee. I'm sure you'll make a fine Autobot someday. Now get going."

    As the young mech drove off, Optronix turned back to the Guardminder drone... and saw that Zoom was already advancing towards it.

    "Zoom!" Optronix exclaimed. "What the Pit are you doing?!"

    "Being just like you, boss-bot!" Zoom called back. "Isn't this how you took out the Hork-Bajir on Sleegab Five?"

    "That wasn't--! Don't do this, kid!"

    "Why not?" Zoom asked, getting closer to the drone. "It's not like he can do much--"

    Locking its sights on the purple Autobot, the Guardminder took aim and fired its weapon at him.

    In spite of the gruesomeness of it all, Optronix could not look away as his comrade's pieces flew in all directions....

    Zoom of Nyon. Date of deactivation: Cycle 8314, Kalis.

--Cycle 8614--

    "Let me see her!"

    "She's too far gone, Optronix," Pharma said, blocking the Autobot's path to the medbay. "The rust has already corroded her armor plating. If you get anywhere near her, you could--"

    "I don't care!" Optronix roared. "I'm her sparkmate! I deserve to see her before she... before she--"

    "Come on, pal." A hand fell on his shoulder. "Let's get you--"

    "Get your hands off me!" Optronix whirled around and struck Impactor across the face. The Autobot veteran was unfazed as he stared impassively at his former student.

    "You need to relax," Impactor grunted. "There's nothing you can do. She's gone."

    "This is all your fault," Optronix snarled, jabbing a finger into Impactor's chest. "If you had just let me do things my way, she would have never been hit by that rust gun."

    "That Maraudicon was going to hit one of us eventually. It could have been you or me who had gotten hit instead."

    "Maybe it should've been you."

    Optronix hadn't realized what he had said until Impactor was already walking away, glaring at his once-protege over his shoulder.

    "Right. I get it now. See you later, Optronix."

    Before Optronix could call him back, the door slammed shut just as the flatline sounded from the other room.

    Kiloton of Uraya. Date of deactivation: Cycle 8614, Helex

EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE

Part 1: Idle Hands