CHAPTER SEVEN
--Earth--
“Listen, this is gonna be a real awkward thing for me to ask of you but believe me it’s very important: Tell me about your mother.”
Sari lifted her gaze to Wheeljack, who had his back turned to her as he worked at a computer. Without moving her face out of her hands, she mumbled, “I didn’t know my mother.”
“Why not?” Wheeljack asked. “I thought all humans had mother units; that’s where you pop out from, right? They’re like... living CR chambers or something.”
“I didn’t know her because she died when I was very young,” Sari replied. “At least, that’s what my dad told me when I was, like, six.”
“Do you have a name for her?”
Sari sighed. “I never thought to ask. Dad always seemed so reserved about the subject, so I stopped bringing her up.”
“I see.” Wheeljack rubbed his chin as he stared at his monitor. From what Sari could see, he was evidently looking up files on her family, noticing her father’s profile in the upper left corner of the screen. “Do you know of any other relatives?”
“Not really. Only one I know anything about is my grandfather. He helped my dad lay the groundwork for what would become his company, or so I’ve been told.”
“Ah, yes. Here we go: Newton Sumdac.” Wheeljack brought up the image of an old man with a dark, scarred face. “Gotta say: I’m no expert on human naming conventions, but that does not look like a ‘Newton.’”
Sari couldn’t help but agree. Something about the image unsettled her, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. It just felt… unnatural. Like it wasn’t meant to exist. Straightening her posture, she shifted to the side to get a better look at the screen, seeing all of the connections the Autobot had been trying to make.
Noticing a particular distinctive emblem, she said, “What’s that over there? That symbol?”
“That would be the logo for Epsilon Holdings,” Wheeljack replied. “When we first got here on Earth, we dealt with a little group called Machination – long story. Anyway, Epsilon Holdings was a front they used for many of their operations, though from what Sector Seven’s told us, it was a legitimate business here on Earth over a century ago, as far back as the start of the twentieth century.”
The name was familiar to Sari; she was pretty sure it was one of the many subsidiaries Porter Powell owned. “So, what does it have to do with my family?” she asked.
“Well, apparently your grandfather – Newton – worked for Epsilon during the '60s,” Wheeljack said. “He was held in high regard by the company for his advancements in robotic technology, which eventually branched off into its own thing, that being Sumdac Systems.”
“So, wait,” Sari murmured. “If my grandpa worked for Epsilon... and Epsilon was a front for this Machination group... does that mean...?”
“It means your deduction skills are on par with Nightbeat’s,” Wheeljack said. “And also, that your grandpa was probably an evil scientist. Possibly.”
Sari allowed this information to sink in. Now more than ever did she want to find her dad and have a good, long talk with him. Speaking of which....
“Say,” she said quietly, causing Wheeljack to turn and look at her. “You don’t think there’s a chance we could try and rescue my dad, do you?”
“Does he need rescuing?” Wheeljack asked.
“Well, I mean, it sounded like someone was holding him hostage when he called me on the phone. Either Onyx or Sector Seven, since that was right before... all of that happened.”
“I don’t know,” the Autobot said. “It’ll be extremely risky what with the Decepticons still out there and stuff. We’re only safe here because Metroplex’s got a cloaking shield around him. Maybe when reinforcements get here, we can bring it up to Elita. I can’t guarantee she’ll go for it, but--”
Sari sighed as she got down from where she had been sitting. “Right. I get it. You guys have more important things to worry about.”
“Hey, wait!” Wheeljack called after her as she headed for the door. “Don’t you want to help me find out your origins?”
“Maybe later,” Sari grumbled back. “I think I need to lay my head down for a few minutes.”
“Oh. Okay.” Wheeljack rubbed his neck awkwardly as he watched her leave. “Uh... I’ll just be waiting here then.”
Once the door had closed behind her, Sari dropped herself to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. She didn’t even try to stop the tears flowing from her eyes.
* * *
“Shouldn’t they be here by now?”
Elita-One grimaced as she stood with Jetfire, Springer, and Primal Major in Metroplex’s command center, waiting eagerly for the arrival of whatever reinforcements Rodimus Prime had decided to send. She wasn’t sure who he would be sending, but if he had gotten their message (which she was almost sure of), then it shouldn’t have been much longer before they got here.
“It’s not like we were given a time estimate,” Primal pointed out. “For all we know, the Council could be preoccupied with attacks on the other colony worlds.”
“Or maybe they didn’t get the message,” Springer said cynically. “Meaning we’re on our own, again.”
“We could try sending another signal,” Jetfire suggested.
Elita shook her head. “Too risky. Even if the ‘Cons didn’t detect the first one, they’re still sure to be on the lookout. The chances of us being that lucky again are--”
“Wait,” Jetfire said, stepping closer to the main computer. “Something just came out of hyperspace, near Earth’s galactic position.”
“Huh.” Springer allowed himself a smirk. “I take that back then.”
“Can you get an ID on the ship?” Elita asked Jetfire.
“Give me a minute.” Jetfire took a few minutes to scan the ship’s signature and review the results. He stared at the screen for a moment, his face slowly but surely turning into a frown. After he performed another scan, the frown only worsened. “That’s odd,” he murmured.
“What is it?”
“The ship’s being registered as the Vis Vitalis.”
Elita tensed while Springer and Primal exchanged confused looks. “Isn’t that Thunderclash’s ship?” the latter asked.
“Yes,” Elita murmured. “The same ship that the Destructons were using in the Muta-Gaath Nebula. The same Thunderclash that revealed himself to be a Dire Wraith on Caminus.”
Primal shook his head. “I’m sorry, what? When did this happen?”
“Earlier this month. I was on the Council when the Crusadercons reported their encounter in the Muta-Gaath, and Rodimus later informed me about the Dire Wraith thing just before you and your crew got here.”
“Why are they here then?” Primal asked. “What does this mean?”
“It means we’re screwed,” said Springer.
“Yeah, I’ve gathered that much. But why?”
“I don’t think we have time to worry about that bit,” Elita muttered. “Springer, mobilize all defenses. Tell everyone to get ready for the fight of their lives. Jetfire, keep an optic on the Vis Vitalis and keep me updated.”
“Where are you going?” Jetfire asked as Elita began to leave.
“To see Wheeljack,” she replied. “I need to talk to him about a certain project he’s had under wraps....”
* * *
It had been quite a while since the last time Scorponok ever had to admit this to himself, but he was, truly and genuinely, taken aback.
He had envisioned a number of scenarios on how his little game with the Titan Masters was going to play out once he and the Ultracons had hacked into their database with the help of the Magnificence, but them all fleeing from their headquarters while leaving the Underbase behind was certainly not one of them. In fact, he was almost convinced that this was some sort of trick; that they had found a way to fool him in a way that neither he nor the Magnificence had foreseen. But the more time passed, the more Scorponok began to realize that the Titan Masters truly had fled like cowards.
It was a shame, Scorponok thought. He had really been looking forward to watching Sovereign squirm as he tried to oh-so-desperately cling onto his futile schemes. Still, at least it wasn’t a complete loss....
“I guess I owe Treadshot a hundred shanix,” Dropkick muttered as he and the other Ultracons in Scorponok’s party beheld the glowing interface of the Underbase. “I really didn’t think this whole thing was legit.”
“Seeing is believing, as they say,” Shatter remarked. Turning to Scorponok, she asked, “What shall we do with it?”
“I will need to contact my superior, as I had not foreseen this to be as simple as it was.” Scorponok stopped to look around the Onyx tower’s abandoned labs and robotics. He then gestured to it all with a large purple claw. “In the meantime, I want you to salvage what you can from here. As low as my opinion of them might be, I must give credit to the Titan Masters where it is due. They and I are of... similar wavelengths.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dropkick asked.
“Just do as he says,” Shatter hissed before proceeding to bark out orders to the others.
As the Ultracons got to work, Scorponok looked down at the Magnificence, which hung from his neck on a chain. Gently taking it in his claw, he rotated it so that its large eye was staring at him. He truly was grateful that the Grand Architect had gifted the impossibly powerful artifact to him; it had allowed him to achieve wonders that, before, he had only dreamed of achieving. It had served him exceptionally well in the past year... and it would serve him well here.
Careful to keep the excitement out of his voice, Scorponok asked the Magnificence: “Where is she?”
The Magnificence centered its singular gaze on him and answered.
Today was going to be a very good day.
* * *
“What are you doing out here?”
Sari looked up to see Elita-One as the magenta Autobot approached the door to Wheeljack’s lab. Quickly wiping her face dry of tears, Sari mumbled, “Just sitting.”
Elita looked unconvinced by this response. “I thought Wheeljack was helping you figure out your... true nature.”
“Yeah, and I’m not taking it well,” Sari snapped. “You try having a normal reaction to finding out that you’re actually an alien robot.”
“Well... I’m not sure that would necessarily apply to me,” Elita murmured. “That said, I understand that it’s a rather... difficult thing to process.”
“’Difficult’ doesn’t begin to describe it.”
Elita stared at the young human woman for a moment before slowly dropping to one knee, careful not to startle her. It didn’t exactly bring them to eye-level, but it was the least Elita could do in terms of gestures. “Listen,” she said quietly. “All we want is what’s best for you, your friends, and your entire race. We never meant to bring our conflict to your world, and we’re doing everything in our power to take it away. And if you truly are a member of our race, then it is of the utmost importance that we find out what you truly are so that we can figure out what we can do to help you in every way.
“I know it may not seem like it, Sari... but we’re here for you. All of us.”
Sari sniffed as she lifted her head and met Elita’s gaze. The Autobot smiled at her as she lowered a hand.
“Come on; let’s go see what Wheeljack’s found so far.”
After only a moment’s consideration, Sari climbed into Elita’s hand and allowed the Autobot to carry her into Wheeljack’s lab. The Autobot scientist was still at his computer, this time with ten times as many profiles and symbols cluttering the screen.
“I wasn’t out there for more than five minutes and already he’s gone full-Ancient Aliens Guy,” Sari muttered.
Upon noticing Elita’s entrance, Wheeljack spun around to face her. “Ah, Elita! Sari! Just the two people I wanted to see!”
“What have you found, Wheeljack?” Elita asked.
“What have I found? What have I found?” Wheeljack chuckled, which made Sari feel more than a little unsettled. “Oh, you two are not going to believe what I found. Hell, I don’t believe what I found. I’m starting to wish Perceptor were here to fact-check everything, ‘cos I--”
“Just get on with it,” Elita said exasperatedly.
“Right, right. So, imagine for a moment, if you will: The year is 1997. The crew of the Ark II are still in slumber and the Decepticons are doing who knows what. The secret organization known as Machination, headed by our ol’ pal Scorponok, is at the height of its schemes, utilizing such wonderful people as the folks at Epsilon Holdings as their front. Meanwhile, Sumdac Systems are at the height of their popularity, making their name in the field of robotics.
"Now, think about that for a moment, will you? On one hand, we have Scorponok and his secret organization. On the other, we have a robotics company that was founded by someone who used to work for Epsilon Holdings. Do you see what I’m getting at here?”
Elita frowned. “Are you implying that Machination had a hand in Sari’s creation?”
“Not at all,” Wheeljack said. “I’m telling you pointblank that Sari is literally their magnum opus.”
Sari shifted uncomfortably. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What it means, Sari, is that you are the culmination of everything Scorponok has been doing since he first arrived on Earth. The Headmaster process, binary-bonding, the labs full of organic materials... all to create you. The first ever techno-organic Transformer.”
Elita looked skeptical at this. “And you’re certain of this?”
“Elita, I’ve been studying Machination’s work since we first encountered them,” Wheeljack replied. “Sari was the missing puzzle piece I needed to finally get the full picture.”
“I see. And what exactly is the ‘full picture?’”
Before Wheeljack could respond, they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Springer, who came skidding into the lab. A panicked look was on the Wrecker’s face.
“You need to come back down to the command center,” he said urgently. “I think Dire Wraiths are going to be the least of our worries....”
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