CHAPTER SEVEN
--Washington--
When he and Kup finally reached the end of the corridor, Springer wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to find. But a large bunker with various gadgets and equipment, marked by a large faded Decepticon symbol, was nowhere on his list.
"Please tell me this isn't another secret you've been keeping," he said exasperatedly as he and Kup transformed behind the two agents.
"This was the Decepticons' base when they were first operating here," Simmons explained. "After they left, we confiscated anything extraterrestrial they left behind. Most of this stuff is ours from that time."
"Any reason why it'd be connected to a warehouse owned by Onyx?" asked Kup.
Simmons had no answer for that, falling deadly silent.
"Maybe we can find out for ourselves," said Walker, moving over to a nearby computer console. "Assuming whoever was here last didn't erase their traces."
"Samantha," Simmons started to say. "I don't think you should--"
"Why not?" Walker turned to look at him skeptically. "What's got you acting like this all of a sudden? First you start dropping bombshells that even I wasn't aware of, and now you're getting jittery in one of our own--"
"You don't understand, Sam. I only know these things because my great-grandfather founded Sector Seven. Otherwise, I'd be as in the dark as you."
"Then why are you so nervous?"
"Because...." Simmons sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because I know what this place is -- was for. And I know what it was Kreiger was doing for Sector Seven ten years ago."
"Are you saying there's a connection?" Springer asked.
Again, Simmons did not answer. Instead, he moved over to the computer Walker had been approaching and inputted a pass-code. In an instant, a stream of information began to scrawl across the screen. The data moved to fast for Walker to read it, but the Autobots were able to process it easily.
"In 2006, S7-816-HH was the primary site of Project Hot House," Simmons began, not even looking at the screen. "Then-senior agent Joshua Red met with Generals Garrison Kreiger and Joe Colton to oversee experiments regarding a device known as the Talisman. Aware that the time-displaced Sergeant Robert Savage had once made contact with the Talisman, Kreiger orchestrated a Cybertronian attack -- using a Decepticon that had been recovered during the Cold War -- to lure Savage to the base and have him reactivate the Talisman.
"The resulting effect flung Sgt. Savage into the future... as well as destroy their Decepticon guinea pig. This all but confirmed that the Talisman was capable of doing what Sector Seven had hoped it to, which was--"
"To kill Cybertronians," Springer finished, his expression grim.
Simmons nodded gravely. "Director Banachek was quick to shelf any intention of using the Talisman once peaceful contact was made with Optimus Prime and his Autobots. But ever since he took over, Red's been looking for an excuse to use it against all of your kind, regardless of allegiance."
"And all this time you've known about this?" Kup asked.
"More or less. And only because I have special access codes that even Red's forgotten about. I doubt he's aware I know about any of this stuff."
"So how does Onyx -- or Machination, or whatever -- play into all this?" Walker asked.
"Well, this base was abandoned not long after Project Hot House, once Banachek became Director in '07. My guess is that Machination somehow found out about Hot House and built a warehouse over it to see what they could use for themselves. They wouldn't have found much though, since the Talisman had been relocated immediately after Hot House was shut down."
"Where to?"
"No idea. There's never been a record of it."
"So here we have a device that can kill Cybertronians, in the hands of a human who doesn't trust us, in an unspecified location," Kup said grimly. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"Agreed," Springer said. "In any case, let's get back with Ironhide and Bulkhead, in case Guzzle's woken up again. We should probably get him back to base and get him stabilized."
"What about that computer we found up there?" Walker asked. "Should Simmons and I go back to it?"
"You could try. I can leave Kup or Ironhide with you while the rest of us take care of Guzzle. I'm not sure there can be anything on it that's more groundbreaking than the stuff we've found here."
"Ya sure we've got everything?" Kup asked, giving Simmons a pointed look.
"Positive," the agent replied firmly.
"Good," Springer said. "Then let's get out of here."
The two Autobots started to transform... just as Walker and Simmons' pagers started to beep, a red light flashing on their screens....
--Earthbase--
"Stakeout and Verity are back," Wheeljack announced as a black police car emerged from the base's GroundBridge. "You guys find anything good?"
"'Fraid not," Stakeout replied, transforming once he had let Verity out. "They're having some kind of event at the Onyx building in Tokyo. A lot of the streets were blocked off, and even disguising as a local police car couldn't get us past security."
"You're not the only ones," Jetfire muttered, standing at the command station. "Jazz's unit reported something similar in Toronto. Seems to be happening worldwide."
"Any ideas on what it could be?" asked Arcee.
"I've been monitoring all the news stations, but apparently the 'grand announcement' hasn't happened yet," said Fowler, pacing on the railing above. "However, my sources can confirm that Blackrock is at the Onyx facility in Detroit."
"Detroit?" Sari Sumdac lifted her head up from the railing she was leaning on. "There is no Onyx building in Detroit."
Fowler shook his head. "News sources are saying otherwise. Apparently they bought out Sumdac Systems and--"
"What?!" Sari nearly toppled over the railing. "That's my dad's business! How could Blackrock have... unless...." Her expression darkened as she rolled her hands into fists. "Powell."
"Looks like Detroit's local news is reporting the Onyx event live," Jetfire spoke up. "Want me to bring it up?"
Fowler glanced at the irate Sari before nodding curtly to the Autobot. "Do it."
In seconds, the main screen changed to show a live broadcast from Detroit's local station News 44. A mustached man stood in front of a large crowd gathered outside of what had once been Sumdac Tower, now refitted to represent Onyx.
"--are eagerly anticipating the grand unveiling of Blackrock's newest invention," the reporter was saying. "After hyping up Onyx's new interface with the release of the Blackbook and subsequent products, Blackrock has promised us that this creation will further unify--"
"Uh, guys?" Raf Esquivel spoke up from where he was sitting with Jack and Miko. "My social media's blowing up over something happening in Verenya."
Alarmed, Jetfire hastily changed screens again while hailing Elita on his comm. "Elita? What's your team's status?"
However, he did not need to wait for a response as the visuals the computer brought up already gave him and the others the answers they needed. From the perspective of Verenya's news crews, Elita and her team of Autobots -- as well as Primal's Maximals -- were in the middle of fighting Predacons... but it was not just Predacons that they were exchanging blows with.
They were firing on humans. Innocent citizens of Verenya.
The entire base fell deathly quiet. Jetfire and Arcee stared at the screen in shock, trying to discern any reasonable cause for their comrades to be acting this way. Sari and the other humans began to step away in horror, not wanting to even be near them out of fear.
Lost in disbelief, Fowler almost didn't notice it when his pager started beeping frantically....
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