CHAPTER TEN
Planet X
As far as breakouts went, Stockade had had better.
The breakout from Garrus-16 had certainly been one of the better ones. While he had been imprisoned there on his own accord in order to escape Megatron’s wrath, the pleasure he took in killing and torturing the Autobots stationed there after Gigatron had seized control was a sensation he had yet to replicate ever since. Slaughtering his way through hordes of Sharkticons and Allicons was definitely nowhere near holding a candle to that.
He wasn’t sure if any of the other Mayhems and Star Seekers knew where they were headed. While they had already made their way out of Rexian’s arena, they still had yet to find an exit to whatever facility they were in. At this point, he wasn’t sure if there even was an exit; for all he knew, this entire “planet” could have been a space station and the only way out was into the vacuum of space.
As he brought his fist down onto the last Sharkticon of the most recent wave, Stockade looked up to see where they were at. Nondescript Hallway #120 was the only thing he could gather, meaning that they had to keep pressing forward.
“This is goin’ nowhere,” groused Thunderhoof, pulling Allicon remains from his antlers. “There’s gotta be an easier way out of this place.”
“Feel free to put any proposals on the table, dear friend,” Steel Jaw said dryly.
“How ‘bout we start tearing our way through?” suggested Underbite, already chewing on the corner of the wall. “If no one else volunteers, I will.”
“Unfortunately, Underbite, I doubt your ravenousness will get us far,” said Steel Jaw. “I say we keep going. This path has to lead us somewhere.”
“Sure it will,” muttered Fracture. “It’ll lead us straight into another horde of Sharkticons. I say we go with Underbite’s idea.”
“That’ll just bring this whole place down on top of us!” cried Undertow. “We should follow Steel Jaw.”
Stockade glared at them all. “Oh, sure. Don’t ask the Decepticon general who has more tactical experience than any of you combined. That just wouldn’t make any sense.”
Steel Jaw sneered back at him. “Don’t delude yourself, ‘General.’ If you were truly as cunning as you make yourself out to be, you wouldn’t even be in this mess.”
Stockade rolled his hands into fists as he stormed up to Steel Jaw, his visor flashing. “Choose your next words carefully, Monstercon,” he growled. “The last bot who spoke out against me received a fist straight through their chestplate. Unless you would like to join him, I suggest you—”
He was cut off by an enraged yell coming from the bovine Monstercon Terrashock. Stockade and Steel Jaw barely moved away in time as Terrashock charged past them and crashed through the wall, tearing through the metal. Beyond it, Stockade and the others could see a star-lit sky, dominated by five metal planetoids, over a city of glistening silver. And populating that city was well over several thousand Sharkticons, Allicons, and even standard Cybertronians, all gathered outside the facility with their weapons drawn and pointed at the Decepticon escapees.
“Well,” Fracture said quietly, “at least we got what we wanted.”
* * *
“This day keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?” commented Roller as he and the other Crusadercons stood before a gathered horde of assorted Cybertronians.
After their unexpected “rescue” by Lord Imperious, Star Saber and his crew of 100+ Crusadercons had been forced to fight their way out of whatever facility the Quintessons had been holding them in, cutting through swathes of Sharkticons and Allicons. After Overhaul had blasted a large enough hole through the wall, freedom seemed to have finally been within grasp.
That feeling had lasted for all about 0.5 seconds.
Star Saber was silent as he surveyed the scene before him. In addition to even more Sharkticon and Allicons, there were a good number of what appeared to be standard Cybertronians, though many of them shared identical designs with one another. Only a select handful stood out to him, seemingly led by a large teal and gray bot with a rocket launcher attached to his shoulder.
“We can take them on,” Wing Saber whispered to him. “There’s over a hundred of us, aren’t there?”
“Yes, but not all of us are combatants,” Star Saber replied. “For every Whirl, there’s at least one Swerve.”
“I’m not even gonna bother arguing with that,” murmured Swerve, hiding behind Skids.
The crowd shifted as a large figure emerged to stand in front of them. Clad in brown and bright blue armor, the warrior had a finned appearance that echoed that of the Sharkticons while carrying a build that was not unlike that of the Decepticon leader Megatron. In his hand was a large purple sword, which he held aloft to his side as a sinister grin split his blue face.
“I must congratulate you all for making it this far,” said the Sharkticon leader Admiral Tyrannicon. “It is not often that prisoners of the Quintesson Empire leave their trial with their lives. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that you have exited the courtroom only to walk straight onto death row.”
“I fail to see what you gain from killing us as opposed to simply letting us leave,” Star Saber replied. “The person who freed us suggested we’re in no position to stop whatever is happening.”
Tyrannicon shifted at this, his grin turning into a scowl. “Yes, I am aware of your… unlikely rescuer. I must admit that even I am unbeknownst to Lord Imperious’ intentions and reasons for letting you free.”
“So why not just let us go then?” asked Wing Saber. “He’s your boss, isn’t he?”
“The Destructons are master to none of us,” Tyrannicon snarled. “My loyalty is to the Quintessons and them alone. It is their will that you Cybertronians are brought back to heel, and so it shall be!”
The Sharkticon leader raised his blade and his army positioned themselves to attack. In response, Star Saber and the others brandished their weapons and prepared themselves for what was to come.
What came was something none of them were prepared for.
One by one, the stars began to wink out of existence. A massive shadow fell over the planet and the replica Cybertron that surrounded it. Whatever illumination they had been providing was quickly extinguished, plunging the planet into near total darkness with only the glow of the robots’ optical sensors providing any light.
“What the hell is going on?” Tyrannicon snarled.
The answer came in the form of a large dark shape penetrating through one of the replica Cybertrons and obliterating it, leaving behind nothing but large chunks of debris.
Only Brainstorm, the Crusadercons’ self-proclaimed “Genius,” could supply the others with a single word that appropriately described the situation: “Bullocks.”
* * *
Rodimus Prime did not want to believe what he was seeing.
The shape was unmistakable. It had been replicated countless times in murals and statues and he, as well as pretty much everyone he knew, had seen it for themselves no more than two years ago. While it was no longer mechanical and instead in the form of a shadowy, almost cloud-like figure, Rodimus would have recognized it anywhere.
The long, curling horns on its cranium and shoulders, its wing-like cape, even just the sheer size of it… all undeniably visual traits of the Chaos-Bringer Unicron.
“Impossible,” Rodimus found himself saying under his breath. “Unicron was destroyed.”
“Indeed he was,” replied Lord Imperious. “His body, in any case. The rest of him lived on in the Dead Universe, which the Grand Architect here has kindly opened a portal to.”
“No.” Primus was shaking his head, appearing to be as horrified as Rodimus was feeling. “The God Gun was supposed to repel the Beast, not to free it!”
“And yet, here we are.” Lord Imperious inclined his head to the Grand Architect. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
As the Destructon leader let the question hang in the air, the shadowy form of Unicron lunged out of its portal and threw a fist into one of the replica Cybertrons that made up the God Gun, obliterating it instantly. Startled out of his stupor, Primus ran over to the main terminal and moved his hands desperately over the control panel.
“Maybe I can push him back in! There should be enough of the ores to—”
“I don’t think so,” Lord Imperious calmly interjected. “Even if there was enough, it would only make him stronger. The Regenesis ores were specifically chosen for this very operation. Trying to use them to undo it would be… ill-advised.”
Primus rolled his hands into fists as he whirled to face Lord Imperious. “You used me,” he growled. “All this time, you’ve been manipulating me into bringing this… this monster back into existence!”
“Well done,” Lord Imperious said dryly. “It’s only taken you nine thousand years to realize this.”
“You will pay for this!” Primus raised his hands at the Destructon, glowing with energy. “Gods are not meant to be trifled with—”
“Oh, please.” Lord Imperious waved a hand and Primus went flying into a wall, the impact strong enough to create a deep imprint in it. “It was amusing at first, but now you’re just acting pathetic.”
As Primus writhed in pain, Rodimus Prime struggled against the energy rings that binded him. He glanced over at Liege Maximo and Amalgamous Prime, both of whom were silently watching events unfold with unreadable expressions.
“Were you in on this to?” he called out to them. “Was this what you wanted? Or did Lord Whatshisface here deceive you, too?”
Liege Maximo met Rodimus’ gaze but said nothing. Amalgamous Prime’s optics were shifting between Lord Imperious and the defeated Primus, his face displaying a concert of different emotions. Uncertainty shifted to grim acceptance before converting into irritation and then—
“This isn’t right,” he muttered.
Lord Imperious tilted his head towards the Shifter Prime. “Come again?”
“My loyalty has been to Adaptus and him alone,” Amalgamous went on. “From the day I was forged from Luna One’s hot spot, I have been dedicated to helping him fulfill his plan, the endgame of which was to repel the Beast. Not… not this.”
“And?” Lord Imperious replied, sounding impassive. “Do you honestly expect me to care?”
“No,” Amalgamous said darkly. “But I do expect you to care about this.”
He raised an arm and pressed a button near his wrist. Suddenly, the energy rings that had been binding Rodimus and Convoy vanished, freeing their limbs. The ancient Prime then reached behind his back and drew a shimmering blue blade, which he handed to Vector Prime.
“We Primes may have had our differences, but that will not stop us from standing up against those who align themselves with the Chaos Bringer.” Amalgamous brought out his scythe and raised it in a defensive position. “Your first mistake was tricking our god. Your second was thinking we would stand by and do nothing.”
Lord Imperious stared at the Primes, continuing to look unfazed. “You think I am aligned with Unicron?”
Amalgamous gestured to the viewscreen. “Is that not proof enough in of itself?”
“I am aligned with no one.” Lord Imperious’ eyes flashed with anger as he spread his wings, splitting his two arms into sets of three. “I am Lord Imperious Delirious.”
His face started to shift, panels moving and sliding away from each other. Amalgamous let out a cry as he charged towards the Destructon, scythe raised high. Lord Imperious’ face splayed open and the Prime immediately screamed as he was faced with the hideous visage that laid beneath. Several eyes of various colors blinked rapidly within Lord Imperious’ maw, surrounded by razor-sharp teeth. Rodimus, Convoy, and Vector instinctively looked away while Amalgamous fell to his knees, unable to move any further.
“Make it stop!” he cried, clutching his head. “MAKE IT STOP!”
“With pleasure.” Liege Maximo stepped forward and, before any of the other Primes could stop him, brought a large fist down upon Amalgamous. The Shifter Prime’s body made a sickening crunch as it collapsed in on itself, Maximo’s fist grinding all of his internal components into dust. When he was done, all that was left of Amalgamous was a hunk of broken metal that could barely qualify as a corpse.
Lord Imperious’ face closed up again, though he kept his wings and bladed arms spread. His gaze fell on Rodimus and the others, a malicious gleam in his eyes.
“Would anyone else attempt to fill in his shoes?”
Before Rodimus could even think of what to do next, Vector swung his sword and a portal suddenly opened beneath Rodimus and Convoy’s feet. The two of them fell through the portal and Vector Prime dived in after them, closing the dimension gate before either Liege Maximo and Lord Imperious could take pursuit.
“We don’t have much time,” Vector said as the three Primes floated in the endless void. “We have to return to Cybertron and warn them before it is too late.”
“I don’t see much good anyone will be able to do without the Matrix,” Rodimus replied. “Primus still has it.”
Vector shook his head. “The Matrix alone won’t be enough to repel that… thing.”
“It’s already defeated Unicron once—”
“Yes, when Unicron had a solid body. With the form he is in now, I am not so sure.”
Rodimus frowned. “Well, before we go anywhere, we need to rescue the other prisoners. A good two hundred of them are Autobots who served under me when I was captain of the Lost Light.”
“I’ve already broadcast a signal to any remaining members of the Convoy Corps,” said Convoy. “I know at least one bot who should have received it….”
“Let’s hope it does some good then,” Vector Prime said grimly. “As it stands, we’re going to need all of the help we can get….”
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