CHAPTER SEVEN
--Luna 1--
"This is your 'better' plan?" Brainstorm shouted over the sound of intense fighting.
"It's working so far, isn't it?" Scamper called back, ducking as Apelinq leaped over his head to pummel an advancing Overcharge Terrorbot. "I mean, we got them free, right?"
"Yeah, but now the whole freaking place knows about it!" Brainstorm then spun around, ready to shoot a Noisemaze Terrorbot that had been terrorizing Swerve, only to see that Star Saber had already dealt with it.
"That was awesome!" Swerve exclaimed as Star Saber pulled his sword out of the Terrorbot. "Man, we could have so used you on the Lost Light! You would have wiped the floor with those Secret Order guys."
Star Saber glanced at him. "Who are you, again?"
"All right," said Dai Atlas, finishing off another Overcharge unit. "This sector's nearly been cleared. The central chamber shouldn't be far from here."
"So do you guys know what the dealio is here?" Swerve asked. "Because Scamper's been all vague and stuff, and it'd driving me insane."
Dai Atlas grimaced. "Any answers we had would probably yield the same results."
"I have a feeling I might know," Rewind murmured, stepping over the Overcharge Apelinq had just dispatched. "When we were on the alternate Luna One, we found a bunch of randomly drawn symbols. One was... all too familiar to me."
"You guys are killing me," Swerve muttered.
"These guys certainly want to," Brainstorm said, spotting another incoming wave of Terrorbots. "What say we get to that central chamber, eh?"
* * *
"This must be what the humans call awkward family reunions," Skids whispered.
Chromedome glanced at him. "What?"
"Never mind."
The two Autobots, along with Dion and the two Earth robots, kept a safe distance as Vector Prime stood before five of his fellow Primes. Several minutes passed without a single one of them speaking; only numerous weary glances were exchanged.
Finally, Vector broke the silence. "Oh, get on with it then."
Onyx Prime looked down at him. "On with what?"
"The spiel. The boastful, scenery-chewing spiel." Vector smirked wryly. "Don't tell me you didn't prepare one for this occasion. Surely I'm worthy enough of such a treat. I mean, you even gave Regulus Prime one before you bit his head off."
Onyx growled, his wings flapping menacingly. "Forgive me, brother, for not giving you the same courtesy."
"The answer would've been 'no' anyway," Vector said. "Now, allow me to give you mine."
"We have no time for this!" Liege Maximo bellowed.
"Hear him out," Nexus Prime retorted. "It's only fair."
"We are all being used," Vector began. "Not just the six of us, but all Transformers. Everything we've done... it's all been part of some ulterior motive. A distraction."
"A distraction for what?" Onyx asked.
Vector gave him a meaningful look. "Do you remember the Builders, Onyx?"
Onyx tensed, as did Nexus. Liege Maximo dipped his chin, captivated now, while Quintus and the Fallen looked mildly confused.
"You were too young to take part in the rebellion, of course," Vector went on. "But I was there. I fought alongside Prima, A-3 and Beta, and saw to it that our slavers were driven off Cybertron... but what if we were only led to believe that they had been banished? What if they've still been pulling our strings all this time?"
"Preposterous," Liege Maximo intoned. "The Builders were banished over nine millennia ago. You expect us to believe that they've been continuing to play their games all this time?"
"I don't want to believe it myself. However, I've recently discovered that Boltax is here on Luna One."
"The High Circuitmaster?" Nexus asked.
"Yes, as well as Keeper of the Underbase." Vector grimaced. "And you know that there is no way he would abandon such a duty."
"So the Underbase is here," Liege Maximo grunted. "How does that support your theory?"
"Because the Builders created it, Maximo! It was how they were able to enslave our race to begin with! If it hadn't been for A-3's ingenuity...."
"But how does this prove anything?" Onyx asked. "Perhaps Boltax relocated here to keep it out of their hands."
"Perhaps... but then explain this."
Drawing his sword, Vector slashed the air and opened a portal. Through it, the other Primes were presented with the appearance of a worn, skull-shaped symbol drawn onto a wall.
"I came across this shortly after I arrived," Vector said grimly. "As you can see, it's been here for some time."
"A coincidence," Liege Maximo murmured. "A remnant from the Age of Wrath. Luna One vanished during that time, did it not?"
"Precisely. Specifically in Cycle 500... when the Builders were banished from Cybertron."
A hushed silence fell over the Primes. Then, Quintus Prime began to clap.
"Well done," she said.
Vector stared at her, gobsmacked. "What are you applauding for?"
"You finally figured it out." Quintus grinned wickedly. "Too bad it's only taken you until now."
"What are you going on about?!" Liege Maximo roared.
"You think my herald happened upon this moon by chance?" She let out a wicked laugh. "No, I knew the Chimera Stone would be here. I had only sent her so I could then all lead you here, to this exact moment in this exact--"
The others never caught the rest of her sentence, as the Fallen chose then to fire his Requiem Blaster, obliterating Quintus Prime in an instant. As her ashes dispersed into the air, the Fallen turned to the others.
"We have to leave, now!"
Onyx glared at him. "Did you know about this?"
"I've been having my suspicions. But save your questions for later." The Fallen pointed skywards. "Quickly! To the Titans, before--"
"Before they leave?" Vector asked. "Because they've already done that."
Onyx and the others all turned to see that their fleet of Titans had indeed vanished without a trace. Before they could even begin to wonder where they had gotten to, the ground began to rumble....
Onyx growled, his wings flapping menacingly. "Forgive me, brother, for not giving you the same courtesy."
"The answer would've been 'no' anyway," Vector said. "Now, allow me to give you mine."
"We have no time for this!" Liege Maximo bellowed.
"Hear him out," Nexus Prime retorted. "It's only fair."
"We are all being used," Vector began. "Not just the six of us, but all Transformers. Everything we've done... it's all been part of some ulterior motive. A distraction."
"A distraction for what?" Onyx asked.
Vector gave him a meaningful look. "Do you remember the Builders, Onyx?"
Onyx tensed, as did Nexus. Liege Maximo dipped his chin, captivated now, while Quintus and the Fallen looked mildly confused.
"You were too young to take part in the rebellion, of course," Vector went on. "But I was there. I fought alongside Prima, A-3 and Beta, and saw to it that our slavers were driven off Cybertron... but what if we were only led to believe that they had been banished? What if they've still been pulling our strings all this time?"
"Preposterous," Liege Maximo intoned. "The Builders were banished over nine millennia ago. You expect us to believe that they've been continuing to play their games all this time?"
"I don't want to believe it myself. However, I've recently discovered that Boltax is here on Luna One."
"The High Circuitmaster?" Nexus asked.
"Yes, as well as Keeper of the Underbase." Vector grimaced. "And you know that there is no way he would abandon such a duty."
"So the Underbase is here," Liege Maximo grunted. "How does that support your theory?"
"Because the Builders created it, Maximo! It was how they were able to enslave our race to begin with! If it hadn't been for A-3's ingenuity...."
"But how does this prove anything?" Onyx asked. "Perhaps Boltax relocated here to keep it out of their hands."
"Perhaps... but then explain this."
Drawing his sword, Vector slashed the air and opened a portal. Through it, the other Primes were presented with the appearance of a worn, skull-shaped symbol drawn onto a wall.
"I came across this shortly after I arrived," Vector said grimly. "As you can see, it's been here for some time."
"A coincidence," Liege Maximo murmured. "A remnant from the Age of Wrath. Luna One vanished during that time, did it not?"
"Precisely. Specifically in Cycle 500... when the Builders were banished from Cybertron."
A hushed silence fell over the Primes. Then, Quintus Prime began to clap.
"Well done," she said.
Vector stared at her, gobsmacked. "What are you applauding for?"
"You finally figured it out." Quintus grinned wickedly. "Too bad it's only taken you until now."
"What are you going on about?!" Liege Maximo roared.
"You think my herald happened upon this moon by chance?" She let out a wicked laugh. "No, I knew the Chimera Stone would be here. I had only sent her so I could then all lead you here, to this exact moment in this exact--"
The others never caught the rest of her sentence, as the Fallen chose then to fire his Requiem Blaster, obliterating Quintus Prime in an instant. As her ashes dispersed into the air, the Fallen turned to the others.
"We have to leave, now!"
Onyx glared at him. "Did you know about this?"
"I've been having my suspicions. But save your questions for later." The Fallen pointed skywards. "Quickly! To the Titans, before--"
"Before they leave?" Vector asked. "Because they've already done that."
Onyx and the others all turned to see that their fleet of Titans had indeed vanished without a trace. Before they could even begin to wonder where they had gotten to, the ground began to rumble....
* * *
"Oh, look at that!" Rampage cackled as Depth Charge pressed him against the console. "Looks like you flipped a switch!"
"Shut up!" Depth Charge snapped, wrapping his hands around Rampage's neck. "I don't care about anything else now! Just you!"
"How flattering." Rampage eyed the Autobot savagely as the latter proceeded to strangle him. "You realize that you're wasting your strength, yes?"
He then pushed out his leg and kicked Depth Charge off of him, sending the Autobot stumbling into a wall. Lifting himself up from the console, Rampage drew his gun and aimed it at his opponent's face.
"Say hello to Colony Omicron for me!" Rampage tittered.
Before he could fire his weapon however, Depth Charge had already recovered and retrieved his trident. Belting out a battle cry, he lunged at Rampage and plunged the spear end into the rogue Cybertronian's neck. Rampage sputtered as he sparked at the mouth, leaking energon.
Depth Charge sneered as he pushed the trident further, drawing more fuel. "How does it feel, X? The pain. The suffering. Everything you caused at Omicron, Ferromax, Starbase Rugby. How does it feel to die, you sick spawn of a glitch?!"
Rampage looked his assailant straight in the eye: green on red. His mandibles parted, oozing energon at the maw... and he laughed. He laughed loud and hard, like he had just heard the funniest joke ever made.
"It feels wonderful."
Depth Charge let out a cry, a cry of utter raw emotion, as he pulled out the trident and dug his fingers into the wide gash made into his victim's neck. Rampage continued to laugh even as Depth Charge pulled his head further apart from the rest of his body....
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