AFTERMATH
“Any progress, Cerebros?”“If there was, Windblade, I would have told you by now,” Cerebros answered, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. “I’m doing everything I can here.”
“I understand,” Windblade said quietly. She leaned against the wall as she watched Cerebros operate the controls to Fortress Maximus’ space bridge, still struggling to bring back Rodimus Prime. They needed his leadership now more than ever after having lost nearly half of their council members. Shockwave, Starscream, Obsidian, and Strika had all answered Megatron’s call while Knock Out and the two Devisien councilors had stayed behind, though Fireshot and Vanquish’s loyalty was already wavering now that word had reached that Devisiun had been visited by the Grand Architect’s forces.
While Dai Atlas and the others were preoccupied in trying to calm the fears of the public, Windblade’s focus was on rescuing the only bot she could think of to get them out of this mess. And the fact that person was Rodimus of all people demonstrated how limited their options were.
The door next to her opened and she was surprised to see a familiar red-and-blue bot step in. Orion Pax had stayed behind in Tyger Pax when Windblade had gotten the call to Iacon; she had definitely not expected him to show up.
“How bad is it?” he asked, a solemn look in his eyes.
“As bad as you think it is,” Windblade murmured.
Orion sighed as he lowered his head. “I apologize for not coming with you. I was stubborn for staying out of this and not providing my assistance when it was asked for. I didn’t even realize how serious the situation was.”
“Well, now you do.” Windblade wasn’t sure if she meant to make those words sound as bitter as they came out. In any case, they had a visible effect on Orion as he looked up at her with sorrowful optics.
“While I have no desire to resume the mantle of Prime and intrude on Rodimus’ responsibilities, I would still like to help in any way I can.” Orion glanced at her. “If you will have me.”
“At this point, we could use all the help we can get,” Windblade muttered. “Especially now that is Megatron is back.”
Orion’s head snapped up, staring at her in disbelief. “What did you say?”
“At least, that’s what Deathsaurus told me. I have no idea if he’s telling the truth or not. Still, at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Before Orion could say anything else, Windblade’s comm pinged and she raised a hand to her helm. “What is it?”
“Elita and her team are back, along with Star Saber’s crew,” a voice on the other end said. “They’re flying Metroplex now for some reason, so… I hope you have room for another Titan.”
“Clear a space for them to land. I’ll be there shortly.” Ending the call, Windblade turned back to Orion and allowed herself a small smile. “At least some good news has come from all this.”
Orion nodded, still reeling from the news of Megatron’s return. “I suppose there is some comfort in that. Is Wheeljack with them?”
“He should be. Why?”
Orion Pax looked down at his small frame. “I think I need to speak to him on the matter of upgrades….”
* * *
“Sovereign and the others have abandoned the plan.”The news did not surprise Plasma as much as it should have. Even if it had, she would have maintained her neutral expression as she always did in the presence of her superior. “That is unfortunate,” she said evenly.
“Perhaps. But it is hardly a setback. The Grand Architect’s alternative plan — bringing back Megatron — turned out better than expected. The Cybertron Alliance has been split into two and the Decepticons have been brought to our side.”
“Then we no longer have need for the Underbase?” Plasma asked.
“Not at the moment. It is currently in Scorponok’s hands now.” The larger figure of the two of them started to pace around the chamber, regarding the three clones of Megatron was they received repairs for their injuries. “How much do the ones who escape know?”
“No more than I was permitted to tell them,” Plasma replied. “I told them of our plan to dismantle the Primes’ legacy, which is now irrelevant.”
“And the clone of Prowl did nothing?”
Plasma shook her head. “Their leader — the one called Impactor — wouldn’t fall for the deception.”
“I didn’t think it would. I will never understand Liege’s obsession with such ruses and ploys.”
“What about the other one? The one sent to Cybertron.”
“From what I’ve heard, it succeeded in luring Rodimus Prime to Liege Maximo. He should be in his presence as we speak.”
Plasma watched as the large, winged figure turned to leave the room. “So, what is our next course of action?”
“Remain here until further notice. I may ask you to relocate soon, but right now, I want to see how things with the current Prime will turn out.”
Plasma nodded. “I shall await your orders, Onyx Prime. I am forever in your servitude.”
Onyx Prime chuckled, a low sound that reverberated against the walls. “Sovereign once said the same.”
“I am not him, master. I will not fail you.”
“I am going to hold you to that.”
With that, Onyx Prime swiftly departed from the chamber. Once he was gone, Plasma shifted her attention to the three Megatron clones. Archforce met her gaze and quickly sat up, ignoring the protests of the repair drone.
“Mother, give me another chance,” he pleaded. “I promise I will not fail—”
“Stop calling me ‘Mother,’” Plasma snapped, stepping over to him. “Hydra was the one who brought you into existence and she is no longer with us.”
“I still want to prove myself to you! I don’t want to be tossed aside again!” He gestured to Megastorm and Megaplex. “These two are holding me back. Give me a mission that I can accomplish on my own. You won’t be sorry.”
“Well then, it should please you to know that I intend on separating the three of you,” Plasma said. “Liege Maximo has requested Megaplex’s presence on his world, so I intend on sending him there. Megastorm, I already have something in mind for him. As for you….”
She trailed off as her gaze moved to a vat laying on one of the tables. The contents within had been something the Heralds of Unicron had concocted back when they were working with the Secret Order. A sample of it had been left behind at Outpost Three and had gone unused in the year since the Heralds’ demise and the Order’s collapse. Since rediscovering it, Plasma had been itching to finally put it to use.
“I have something very special plan for you,” she said, giving Archforce a rare smile. “If all goes as planned, then you will never have to worry about ever failing me again.”
* * *
Rodimus Prime was growing impatient.That was nothing new when it came to him, but the fact that he had no idea what was happening back on Cybertron without him there made the wait even worse. The bot who called himself Liege Centuro had said that it would only take a few minutes, but according to his chronometer, “few minutes” apparently meant “several hours.”
Huffing to himself, he began to pace around the main hall of Liege Maximo’s “palace” or whatever it was. To either side stood six statues, each one representing one of the Thirteen Primes that Liege Maximo considered his contemporaries. Maximo’s own statue, naturally, stood in the center of the hall and towered over the other twelve. Rodimus stepped over to it to read the gold plaque bolted into its base.
“Let the lies cast a light on the truth - Liege Maximo of the Forgotten Plains.”
Rodimus couldn’t help but snort. Everything about the palace felt phony; like it was some parody of Cybertron’s idealistic Golden Age. Whether or not that was what Liege Maximo himself was going for, he would simply have to wait to find out.
He moved over to one of the other statues, this one of Solus Prime. He looked down to study the plaque and frowned as he read the words.
“You are being deceived - Solus Prime of Celestica Tetracornacapria.”
Confused, Rodimus moved to the statue adjacent to it, depicting the Autobot sage Alpha Trion.
“Don’t believe a word he says - Alpha Trion of Kutanzuule.”
Rodimus’ mind raced. As he turned to move to one of the statues on the opposite wall, he jumped back as he spotted a massive, green figure standing before him.
“I apologize for startling you.” Steam emitted from Liege Maximo’s glowing red maw as he spoke. “Admiring the artwork, are we?”
Rodimus glared at him as he assumed a defensive position. “What’s going on here? What kind of game are you playing?”
“No game,” Liege Maximo said, raising his hands. “I simply wished to have an honest conversation with you, one on one.”
“It’s hard to take that ‘honest’ part seriously when all of your statues are warning me about you lying,” Rodimus retorted.
“Oh, don’t mind them. They’re just there for decoration.”
Rodimus remained in his defensive position and watched Liege Maximo carefully as he stepped up to his own statue.
“I’m sure you have countless questions plaguing your mind right now,” the ancient Prime said as he ran a hand along the plaque. “And I intend on answering them… but first, there is a lot of things you must understand.”
“Like what?” Rodimus asked.
“Like the fact that everything the history records have told you about Cybertron’s past is a lie. Or, in some case, that they heavily obfuscate the truth. If you knew all the things I did about how Cybertron began and everything that happened during my era, then perhaps you and your friends would have been better prepared for what is happening as we speak.”
“So, what, you brought me here just to give me a history lecture?” Rodimus said dryly.
Liege Maximo chuckled, though it sounded more like metal scraping together. “I assure you that it won’t be a waste of your time. Besides, as the reigning Prime, you deserve to know everything about those that came before you.”
Rodimus Prime supposed there was some logic in that, as much as he resented himself for admitting it. With some reluctance, he allowed himself to relax. “All right then. I’m all ears.”
Liege Maximo smirked at him. “I think it would be more appropriate for us to relocate to the main chamber, so we can get more comfortable.”
“Is this going to be a long lesson?”
“Oh, not too long,” Liege Maximo said as he turned for the main doors. “We only have over twelve thousand years worth of history to go through.”
CONVERGENCE: CONCLUDED
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