CHAPTER THREE
--Cybertron--
"What do you mean the quest is a bust?!"
"Duty calls, I guess," Nightbeat replied as he sat at the counter of Maccadam's Old Oil House. "Omega Supreme's gone missing and the Destructons are on the loose. I guess there are just more important things at stake than some mystical quest."
Swerve was shaking his head, setting down the oil can he had been cleaning. "No. No, no, no. This just doesn't track. You can't just call it quits after you've been at it for a year. Think about all of the progress you've made!"
Nightbeat smirked at him. "Progress?"
Swerve frowned. "You... you have been making progress, right? I mean, you've had a whole year...."
"Swerve, at this point it shouldn't even come as a surprise. It really has to make you wonder if there's even anything out there to find."
"Come on, man, don't say that," Swerve said dejectedly. "We've been at this for so long! We can't just give up now!"
"Hey, you're the one who decided to stay behind and run a bar with Blurr." Nightbeat looked around the Oil House. "Speaking of which, where is he?"
"He called in sick. Said he had a processor-ache." Swerve fell silent and stared into space for a moment, before looking back up at Nightbeat. "Where's the Lost Light now?"
"In the docking bay, and no, you can't fly it for yourself."
"Why not?"
"I remember Elita specifically made it Swerve-proof as soon as she took command. Besides, I'm sure Star Saber still has the access codes."
Swerve scowled. "Well, I wasn't thinking of taking it anyway. I was just asking."
"Uh-huh." Nightbeat finished his can of engex before rising from his seat. "Well, thanks for letting me catch up with--"
Without warning, the detective suddenly staggered in his stance before falling to the floor. Swerve and several patrons reacted in alarm while a white and blue bot rushed over to him.
"I'm a medic!" she said as she crouched down next to Nightbeat, applying a stabilizing field over him. "Are you all right? Tell me what's wrong."
"Stop," Nightbeat murmured, rubbing his head. "Stop talking."
"Let her do her job, Nightbeat," Swerve said. "What's wrong with you?"
"Stop! I -- it won't stop talking!" Nightbeat screamed as he pushed the medic off of him before transforming and speeding out of the bar.
"We have to go after him!" Swerve vaulted over the counter and transformed to his truck mode. "Come on!"
He didn't even wait for the others as he drove after his friend.
* * *
"Boss! What's wrong?"
Soundwave couldn't even hear Frenzy over his own screams. Ravage and the others were surrounded around him, with Laserbeak pecking him in concern. Nearby, Blaster was also on his knees, clutching his head in pain while Karmen called out his name in despair.
"This ain't normal," muttered Rumble. "You think trying to call Ratbat did something to him?"
"That doesn't explain him though," said Frenzy, nodding to Blaster. "Maybe someone's tryin' to hack into our--"
The Recordicon let out a startled yelp as Soundwave suddenly jumped to his feet, pushing him and the others aside. Blaster did the same and soon both bots were running out of the station. Ravage immediately pounced after them, only to be knocked aside by Ramhorn as the rhinoceros charged after the other two.
"Yeah," Rumble said. "This definitely ain't normal."
* * *
"I've lost her! I could have sworn she went down this way."
Chromia sped through the streets of Iacon, her sirens blaring. Elita-One flew above her, while Rodimus Prime and Ironhide struggled to keep up.
As they neared the Iacon Spaceport, Elita swooped in and said, "I see her! She's at the Lost Light."
"My ship?" Rodimus revved his engine. "What's Windblade doing there?"
"Er, technically, Prime, it's Star Saber's ship now," Ironhide said. "Still, she doesn't have the access codes, does she?"
"As far as I know, only Saber and Ginrai do," Elita said. "In fact... I'm pretty sure that's him next to--"
Rodimus' engine roared as the Prime drove at full speed, nearly hitting Chromia as he passed her. Elita and Ironhide called after him but he paid them no heed as he raced into the docking bay. Elita flew ahead of the other two and got to the spaceport before them. She transformed and landed in front of the Lost Light, where Windblade, Ginrai, and several other assorted bots were gathered.
"What are you guys doing here? What's gotten into all of you?" She paused as she realized Rodimus was casually walking over to join them. "Prime?" she murmured. "What are you doing?"
Rodimus said nothing to her. Instead, he accessed the Lost Light's control panel and opened up the ship. As one, the gathered group of bots began boarding the ship: first Windblade and Ginrai, then Blitzwing and Kup, Soundwave and Blaster, Nightbeat and Brainstorm, Chromedome and Blurr... Elita saw little to no rhyme or reason as to why these particular bots had come here, save for some of them having served on the Lost Light in the past.
Soon, only Rodimus was left, and all Elita could do was watch as the Prime silently stepped onto the ship and close the ramp behind him. She didn't even notice Chromia and Ironhide join her as the ship started up and began to lift up from the ground.
"Where are they going?" Chromia asked.
"I don't know," Elita whispered. The ship's engines flashed to life and the Lost Light shot for the stars, vanishing into the night.
* * *
Rodimus blinked as he shook his head. Looking around, he found himself standing on the bridge of the Lost Light. With him were over a dozen Autobots and Decepticons -- some he recognized, some he didn't -- that looked just as confused as he was.
"What in the Pit is going on?" asked Kup, rubbing his head. "Where are we?"
"Ah, good. I do enjoy having a captive audience."
Everyone on the bridge turned at the sound of the voice, and immediately gasped in shock. Standing in the doorway, bearing a large and hulking form that he was not generally known for yet strikingly familiar all the same... was Optimus Prime.
As the former Autobot leader stepped onto the bridge, Rodimus said, "Optimus? But... I thought you died!"
Optimus chuckled, though he didn't quite sound like himself. "I apologize for giving you all a scare. It was not my intention. But I am here now, so now we can begin."
"Begin what?" growled the Decepticon Quake. "What are you planning, Autobot?"
"In due time, my friends. For now, just rest."
As he said this, everyone on the bridge save for the two Primes dropped dead to the floor. As Rodimus stared aghast at the sight, Optimus stepped over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Do you still have the Matrix?" the former Prime growled.
Rodimus could only nod, staring at his predecessor in shock.
"Good." Optimus released him. "We're going to need it."
"Optimus," Rodimus murmured. "What is going on? Why are you acting like this?"
Optimus chuckled again, though it did nothing to put him at ease. "I've been enlighten over the past year, my friend. Ever since you ascended, I've come to a realization; an epiphany I should have made a long time ago."
Rodimus frowned. "And what would that be?"
"That the time has come for the New Age to begin properly. And for that to happen... the legacy of the Primes must be destroyed. No matter the cost."
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