CHAPTER SIX
--Necroworld--
"Sentinel." Delta Magnus regarded the would-be Prime who still had his gun trained on her. "Fancy seeing you here."
"I don't want any trouble," Sentinel said. "I just want someone to explain to me what's going on."
"Gladly," Delta said. "Just lower your gun and I'll tell you everything."
Sentinel did not budge. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"I wasn't the only who did that," Delta said, glancing at Obsidian.
The Decepticon general glared back. "I was following your orders. You said we needed him to further develop the Headmaster program."
"The Headmaster program?" Sentinel raised an optic at Delta. "You were... how did you know I was a Headmaster?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Krok commented, looking confused.
Delta ignored him as she stared at Sentinel. "We had our sources. The Headmaster program, like the combiner operation, was an attempt to return our race to its roots; to bring the minorities back into the majority."
"What purpose does that serve?" Sentinel asked. "What possible end are you hoping to achieve by bringing back combiners and Headmasters?"
"Because, like you, Infinitus, I too serve a Prime."
Sentinel stepped back in shock. Krok and Flamewar stared at Delta in astonishment; even Obsidian seemed taken aback.
"What?" Sentinel murmured. "You... you serve a Prime? One of the first?"
"What, you thought I was going to say you?" Delta let out a mirthless laugh. "You're not the only herald still around today, Infinitus. This entire operation -- all of this -- was in preparation for the return of the Primes."
"You said it was to bring Cybertron back to its Golden Age!" Obsidian snapped.
"That too. The two go hand in hand more often than not. After all, did Cybertron not flourish under the Thirteen?"
"You mean before they started killing each other?" Flamewar muttered.
"Yes, well, this time there will only be one; that being whoever stands triumphant over the others." Delta Magnus smirked. "My money is on my Prime, of course."
"I don't believe any of this," Krok said. "You're either joking or really, really delusional."
"Hey, Obsidian!" Misfire called from his statue. "I see your girlfriend!"
The others all turned to see a large violet tank rolling towards them from the same direction Delta Magnus had come from. While Obsidian looked elated to see his consort again, Delta Magnus frowned in consternation.
"I thought I ordered you to stay at the fortress," Delta said as Strika converted to robot mode.
"You did," the Decepticon general growled as she stormed up to Magnus, matching the Autobot in size. "But I don't take orders from enemies."
With that, she threw her fist into Delta's face, disorienting the Autobot. A well aimed kick sent her to the ground and Strika kept her in place with her foot.
"What..." Delta sputtered out energon. "What do you think you're doing?"
"The Necrobot's vidcams have audio as well as footage," Strika said, gesturing at the small camera drones that floated near the fortress. "We all heard your little revelation. And believe me, a lot of us are none too happy to learn that we've been deceived like this."
Delta Magnus snorted. "Doesn't matter. There's nothing any of you can do about it."
"Says who?" Strika huffed.
The Autobot grinned. "Says my friend."
In the distance, there was the sound of metal colliding. Sentinel and the Decepticons all turned to see a massive gestalt storming towards them, a maniacal grin on its face....
* * *
"No offense, but I'm getting a lot of mixed messages from you guys."
Burn Out ignored Skids as she removed his stasis cuffs. Nearby, other bots did the same for Getaway, Whirl, and Nightbeat. Minimus had also been released, albeit sans his Magnus Armor. Skids wondered where he had been, as he had not been among the rest of them after they had been captured.
Swiftly moving back to the main computer, Burn Out spoke to the white and red Decepticon stationed there. "Please tell me she gave him hell."
"Well, she socked him good," Exhaust replied, chewing on a cy-gar. "But, ah, Delta just pulled his wild card."
"Galvatronus." Burn Out's shoulders sagged upon seeing the gestalt on the viewscreen; the same gestalt that was comprised of Cyclonus and the rest of Ultra Magnus' team. "Brilliant. Just brilliant."
"I'm sorry, but just what the Pit is going on?" Getaway asked. "Why are you suddenly chummy with us? Not that I'm complaining, mind you..."
Exhaust removed his cy-gar and puffed out a small cloud of smoke. "Delta Magnus just showed his true colors. Apparently he's been usin' Hydra's vision for his own agenda."
"Meaning...?" Nightbeat inquired.
"Meaning all along we were pawns of someone else's game," Burn Out explained. "When the whole point of all this was to have a Cybertron without oppression, without...."
She trailed off, giving Skids the opportunity to chime in.
"No offense -- again -- but after seeing what you guys have done, I find that very hard to believe and, dare I say, hypocritical."
Burn Out sighed, looking down at her feet. "Maybe you're right. I admit, a lot of us have turned a blind eye to a lot of what Delta and the others have done. I've tried to convince myself that it's for the greater good. But now that I know the truth--"
"You've realized that you're all idiots," Whirl said. "Awesome. Now then, about that combiner."
"It's hopeless," said Exhaust. "We can't match strength like that. You'd need an Omega Supreme or somethin' to tackle him."
Skids looked over to Minimus. "I know it's probably pointless to ask, but do you still have that Maximus armor Brainstorm made you?"
"It's on the Lost Light in pieces," Minimus dully replied. He didn't seem to be all there, which was unlike him. "Pardon me, but..."
Burn Out turned to look at him. "What? What is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering...." Minimus glanced around the room. "If someone could help me get a door open."
* * *
Sentinel stared in both awe and horror at the monstrosity that loomed over him. It had been thousands of years since he had last seen a combiner. After his master's apparent death, the art of combination had been thought lost. To see one again after all these years was a miracle if nothing else.
But this gestalt... he recognized its face. It was his face. The Darklander. Herald of Megatronus.
Galvatron.
The combiner stared back at him and smiled. It recognized him, he was sure of it. But how... how could he still be alive?
"Hello, Infinitus," Galvatronus said. "It's been too long."
Sentinel found himself unable to move, despite every part of him wanting to. The monster spoke again and this time, Sentinel realized it was speaking in his mind.
"My fight is not with you. We both know I could easily crush you with a single step."
Sentinel said nothing. He did not want to acknowledge the monster's existence.
"I know that your master is still alive, as is mine," Galvatronus went on. "The other Primes are also on the rise again. Onyx. Liege Maximo. We are not the only ones in this fight."
Maybe if he closed his eyes, he would finally wake up.
"But... we don't have to take part."
Sentinel's head snapped up against his will and he was forced to stare into the demon's eyes.
"Who says we have to serve them? They already failed once... what makes you think they'll triumph this time?"
Sentinel didn't want to hear it. He wanted to wake up.
"I think the Age of Primes has reached its end. It is time for a new era to begin."
"Galvatronus?" Delta Magnus was looking up at the combiner in confusion. "What are you doing?"
The monster's face twisted into a sick grin. Its optics glowed with evil.
"The Age... of Galvatron!"
With that, the gestalt ignited a pair of thrusters on its back and shot up towards the sky, headed for the Mothership...
No comments:
Post a Comment