CHAPTER THREE
--Approx. 723 years ago (Cycle 9092)--
"Destroyed?"
Hydra did not bother to hide her disapproval at the utter glee Deluge was expressing before her. The Decepticon scientist grinned widely as his image leaned forward on the viewscreen.
"Come now, Hydra. You can't just leave it at that. Give me the details. I want to know how well my beautiful creation did."
Hydra huffed. "Fortunately, there were minimal casualties. Only her instructor, Grand Convoy, was killed in the incident."
"How unfortunate." Whether Deluge was expressing sorrow for Grand Convoy's fate or the fact that his was the only death, Hydra could not tell. She also did not want to find out.
"He was of the Convoy Corps, was he not?" Deluge went on. "A group that is very need to know, correct?"
"Correct," Hydra murmured. "In fact, Grand Convoy's status as her instructor was strictly off the record. No one -- not even Prime -- knows of this yet."
"Do you plan on informing him?"
Hydra looked away. "I..." She sighed. "Quickswitch has already altered the records to list General Browbeat as her instructor."
"Browbeat?" Deluge cackled. "Didn't he defect three years ago? In fact, I'm pretty sure he stopped teaching at Omnihelix five years before then."
"Browbeat has a history of coming out of retirement," Hydra said. "Also, his recent defection is not quite public knowledge yet. I'm sure Quickswitch has everything covered...."
"If you're sure, then who am I to argue?" Deluge leaned back, folding his hands as he smiled wickedly. "Still, I am very pleased with the results. She has turned out so much better than I had ever imagined."
Hydra returned her gaze to the screen, optics wide in dismay. "How can you say that, Deluge? You've turned an innocent bot into an unstable killing machine. A fellow Autobot died at her hands. I know you may not be one of us anymore, but--"
"I don't know what else you expected, Hydra," Deluge said, his smile contorting into a sneer. "If you wanted her to kill Decepticons instead, then you should have handed her to us. Something like this was always going to happen eventually. Grand Convoy was an unfortunate but acceptable loss."
Hydra sighed, lowering her gaze in defeat. "Fine. I suppose I can't argue with that. In any case, she's in Quickswitch's care now. He was able to prevent her from being taken to Garrus-16. She's his responsibility now."
"Excellent," Deluge replied, his grin returning. "I'm sure she'll be fine, Hydra. Trust me on this one."
--Now--
"High Circuitmaster Boltax?"
"You say that name like I just made it up," Depth Charge said, tilting his head as he stood before Optimus Prime in the Autobot leader's office. "Surely even you have heard of Boltax."
"Of course I have," Optimus replied, carefully regarding the other Autobot. "Please forgive my incredulity; it's only because Boltax has not been seen or heard from since the start of the Golden Age. He had already passed into legend by the time even I came online."
Depth Charge grunted. "Understandable. I only came into contact with him recently, just after Tyrest bit the dust. I hadn't even realized the Chief Justice had gone nuts until Boltax told me."
"How did you meet Boltax?" Skids asked, standing next to Optimus.
"Heh, now that's quite a story in of itself. I was in the Ferromax system when I came across Luna One."
"Luna One?!" Skids exclaimed. Optimus glanced at him before looking back to Depth Charge.
"The Seething Moon?"
Depth Charge nodded. "The one and only. Boltax had found it somehow and taken up residence. He told me about the whole Unicron thing and that, with Tyrest gone, he was next in line in terms of recognizable authority. He professed that the title of Prime no longer meant anything."
"And you agreed with him?"
Depth Charge shrugged. "The way I saw it, Boltax was my only hope at finding Protoform X. He allowed me to peruse his database and learn everything I could about him. Then I tracked him down to Earth and... here we are."
"How long have you been hunting Protoform X?"
"Ever since Colony Omicron. I did succeed in capturing him once, a century after that, only for him to break out again eight years later. Since then, I've been on his trail."
"You are aware that the Wreckers captured him at Pinea Omicron two centuries ago?" Optimus asked.
"Yeah, but instead of doing the right thing and killing him, they sent him to another facility. Only I never learned where they took him; otherwise I'd have gone there and killed him myself."
Optimus looked taken aback by this admission. Skids on the other hand seemed far more interested in other matters.
"I'm sorry, can we backtrack to the whole Luna One thing? You're telling me that Boltax is residing there?"
Depth Charge glanced at him. "Was I not clear on that matter?"
"See, here's the thing -- and you're not going to believe me, but hear me out: A few months ago, some friends of mine and I came across an alternate timeline where the Functionists ruled Cybertron."
"You're right, I don't believe you," Depth Charge said. "But go on."
"In that timeline," Skids went on, "Boltax had also found Luna One... except he had also merged with an Earth-made robot from the future."
"Well, I can assure you that nothing like that has ever happened, at least as far as I know."
"But isn't it strange that, in both timelines, Boltax discovered Luna One? There's gotta be a connection somehow."
"Maybe." Depth Charge shrugged. "But I don't know what to tell you, pal. That kinda stuff isn't exactly my foray."
"In any case, is there any chance you can get us in touch with Boltax?" Optimus asked. "He may be of great assistance to us."
Depth Charge thought for a moment. "Well... I do still have a tracking signal he gave me, in case I needed to return to Luna One. I wouldn't mind leading you there, though I will warn you: Boltax has pretty much shut himself off from the rest of the universe and isn't that welcoming to visitors. He only made an exception with me because I was able to provide him with something he didn't have."
"And what was that?" Skids asked.
"Someone to talk to."
* * *
"I'm not believing any of this," Ginrai muttered as the Apex approached Luna 1.
"I still don't understand it," Apelinq said, scratching his helm. "Junkion should be right here. Where could it be?"
"Maybe we'll find our answers on the moon," Devcon said. "I mean, that's what the legends say about it, right? That it has all the answers."
"I'm picking up a transmission," Flareup reported. "I think it's coming from the moon."
"Put it on visual," Ginrai ordered. "The sooner we know who or what we're dealing with, the better."
Flareup did so, and in minutes the viewscreen was filled up by a grinning, mustached face.
"Hidey-ho, early birds! Thank you for tuning in to Channel 31, where we promise to deliver you quality programming!"
Ginrai let out an exasperated sigh. "Wreck-Gar. It's been too long."
"Say! I recognize that voice!" the Junkion leader exclaimed. "I'm not too good with names and faces, but I never forget a customer!"
"Wreck-Gar, are the Circle of Light with you? Dai Atlas, Star Saber, Axe... are they all right?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, yes, they're fine! Cuter than a cucumber! We've cleaned up the place since you've been gone!"
"What happened to Junkion?" Flareup asked. "Why are you all on Luna One?"
"That's a very good question! Has Junkion been destroyed? Is Luna One replacing Junkion? And who left Wreck-Gar in charge? Find out next time when Ginrai and his Amazing Friends enter... the Seething Moon!"
With that, the connection was cut and the viewscreen went blank. While everyone gawked in bemusement, Apelinq slowly turned in his seat to face Ginrai.
"Does... does he always talk like that?" the Maximal asked.
"Yes," Ginrai muttered. "Sad to say."
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