CHAPTER FIVE
--211 years ago (Cycle 9604)--
"That's the last of 'em?"
Skyfall dusted off his hands as he perused what had once been the Hydrus battlefield. "I think so, Rollout. All that's left now are Decepticons."
"All right, let's get back to base. Would hate to keep Prowl waiting." The bulldozer started to drive forward only to stop when he realized Skyfall wasn't following. "You coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be right there," Skyfall replied, absent-minded. "Go on without me. I just need to check something."
Rollout grunted. "Fine. Just don't expect me to cover for you again."
"Yeah, yeah. Catch you later."
As Rollout drove off with the bodies of fallen Autobots, Skyfall stepped back out into the field and walked towards the subject of his curiosity. Laying on the ground, missing their legs, was a navy blue flier. Noticing Skyfall's footsteps, the Decepticon lifted their head up and stared at him with a broken visor.
"P-please," they sputtered.
"Relax," Skyfall said, crouching next to the 'Con. "I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?"
"Stormshot. I... I don't want to die."
"You're not going to." Sliding his arms under Stormshot's shoulders, Skyfall gently lifted the bot up with him. "You're going to be okay. Trust me."
"But... you're an Autobot."
"No." Skyfall smiled beneath his mouthplate. "I'm just a friend. A friend you can trust."
--Present--
Stormshot grunted as she stumbled forwards. Blinking, she looked around to find herself in an unfamiliar room, standing with four unfamiliar bots.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.
"Beats me, man," said a blue and gray mech, holding a box of ener-juice. "I was just, like, minding my own business when this orange guy showed up and totally ruined my day."
"You too, huh?" said a large femme with truck kibble. "Sounds just like my experience. I wonder how he'd like a fist to the face."
"Do you think this is it?" murmured a small white and red bot with wings. "Is this the Ascension? Has Primus come to--"
"Give me a break, you religious nut," growled a Decepticon helicopter. "Whatever this is, it definitely ain't proof of your precious--"
"So these are your candidates?"
The five bots all turned to see a large bestial bot enter the room, followed by the mech who had captured them all.
"Yes, Magmatron," Sandstorm said. "Their names are Beachcomber, Chaindrive, Skyblast, Windburn and...." He frowned. "I forget the last one."
"Stormshot," she snapped.
"Stormshot. Right. Sorry." Sandstorm looked up at Magmatron. "Are they adequate enough?"
"As they'll ever be." In his hands, Magmatron held up a peculiar looking device. "Hold still, everyone. This may tickle a little."
Switching the device on, it began to glow. At that moment, Chaindrive suddenly keeled over and threw up energon on the floor.
Sandstorm's optics widened. "Is that... is that supposed to happen?"
Magmatron frowned. "No. In fact... nothing is happening. They should have been combined by now."
Suddenly, the whole place began to shake. Optics flashing in alarm, Magmatron turned off the device and raised his comm. "Elitus! What's going on?"
"We've lost control of Carcer! He's not responding to our commands!"
His mouth falling open, Magmatron looked down at what he had thought to be the Enigma of Combination. He murmured something, prompting Sandstorm to look up at him.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"I said we have been deceived."
* * *
After hearing the sound of the blast, Dion did not emerge from his hiding spot until he heard Tarn and the others teleport away. Even then, he still waited for Gutcruncher to say, "They're gone."
Slowly rising from behind the bar, the sight that greeted his optics made his spark churn. Megatron laid there, a gaping hole in his abdomen.
"No," he murmured.
"So much for a new lease on life," Gutcruncher said quietly. "Assuming he was telling the truth, of course."
"He was." Climbing over the edge of the bar, Dion moved over to Megatron's corpse, kneeling down as he took his old friend's hand in his. "Oh, Optronix... why didn't you just come with me? The Galactic Alliance would have given you a far less gruesome death."
"It wouldn't have worked though."
Dion nearly jumped out of his chassis as he stared at the suddenly awake Megatron. "I-- what-- how are you still alive?!"
"I'm not," Megatron said. "I'm dead. I always have been."
"Then... then how--"
"There's no time to explain." Pushing Dion off him, Megatron got to his feet. "The D.J.D. are surely headed for the Lost Light now. They're after Drift."
"Actually, they were looking for someone named Stormshot," Gutcruncher said. "I mean, they could be after both, but...."
"Even so, we have to go back. I can't...." Megatron sighed, closing his optics. "I can't let them suffer for my mistakes."
"That's... remarkably noble of you," Gutcruncher commented. "I guess you weren't kidding about the Decepticons being over."
"They aren't," Megatron said, turning to leave the bar. "Not yet. There is still work to be done."
"Well, good luck then," Gutcruncher said. "You two go be heroes. I'll stay here and clean up."
"You could come with us," Dion suggested. "From what I've seen, the Lost Light is just as open to Decepticons as it is Autobots."
"Thanks, but I'll pass." Gutcruncher grinned as he held up Treadshot's lifeless body. "Besides, there's a profit to be made here."
* * *
"Magmatron, what's going on? What's happening?"
Sandstorm's queries went unanswered as Magmatron stormed onto the bridge, where Elitus and her crew where scattering about. Making a beeline for Elitus, Magmatron grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around.
"Explain this," he growled.
"Carcer isn't responding," Elitus replied. "He's still online, but... he's not answering any of our commands."
"And we don't have any Cityspeakers left, do we?"
Elitus shook her head. "The last one died three years ago and no one's been trained to fill the role since."
"What about mnemosurgeons? Do we have any sort of cerebro-experts on board?"
Before Elitus could answer, Payback spoke up. "We still have that Autobot mnemosurgeon down in the brig. Sundor or something like that."
Magmatron frowned. "Isn't he a serial killer?"
"Yeah. But he's pretty much our only option."
Magmatron was silent as he mulled over this. Elitus, on the other hand, was shaking her head in disapproval.
"No. I won't allow it."
"This is not for you to decide, Elitus," Magmatron said, almost off-handed.
"You made me Carcer's captain! You bestowed the title of First One to me! I decide who gets freed on this ship!"
Sandstorm frowned in confusion. "I thought Magmatron was First One. He said he commanded Carcer."
"For a time, maybe," Elitus said. "But not long after I arrived on Carcer, he decided to put me in charge of the ship. To date, he has always complied with my command."
"Things changs, Elitus," Magmatron said coldly. "Besides, you know what's at stake. Sunder is our only option."
"Sentinel and the others nearly died trying to restrain him. Are you really going to trivialize their efforts?"
"Yes." Looking over to Payback, Magmatron said, "Release the mnemosurgeon. Now."
"No!" Elitus protested. "You can't--"
"I can and I shall!" Magmatron bellowed, swatting Elitus to the side. "I am the Beast King! The conqueror of Titans! This is my command!"
His optics flared as he clenched his fist.
"And I shall see it obeyed."
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