Been a while, hasn't it? Managed to crank out one more story before the end of the year.
DRIFTING INTO FIRE: FIRE CONVOY'S TALE
Cycle 9801
It was not everyday one found a coffin floating in space.
The Iron Hope had been passing through the Viron system when they picked up the distress signal. As there were no inhabitable planets in the system, it hadn’t seemed likely that the signal was coming from any of the seven nearby planets. That was when X-Brawn had spotted an object on the ship’s radar, and a magnification of the visual scanners gave them the image of a Cybertronian-sized capsule, marked with the Autobot insignia, floating in the endless void of space. Fire Convoy gave the word and they had pulled in the capsule with the tractor beam and brought it onto the ship.
Once it was on-board, the ship’s medical officer Wrench had been called in to scan the capsule for life signs as well as any extraterrestrial pathogens that it may have picked up. The results came back negative—on both counts.
“Are you saying it’s empty?” Fire Convoy asked, standing with the rest of the command crew in front of the capsule as Wrench finished giving a report of his scans.
“I’m saying that there aren’t any life signs,” Wrench said. “It could be empty, or there could be a dead body inside. No way to know for sure unless we open it.”
“That’s not grim at all,” muttered Mach Alert.
“Well, you heard the doc,” X-Brawn said, already walking over to the capsule. “Let’s open it up and see what goodies are inside.”
Fire Convoy held herself back from groaning. Between the two of them, X-Brawn was much more adventurous and outgoing than his brother Mach Alert, who was much more of a stickler for rules. Still, neither of them were as bad as their youngest brother, who had left Fire Convoy’s team to join Optimus Prime’s crew aboard the Ark. Unfortunately, Prime and his crew had not been heard from in nearly a century, and their brother’s absence had put X-Brawn and Mach Alert in a poor mood; X-Brawn in particular having developed a morose sense of humor that apparently extended to referring to potential corpses as “goodies.”
As the silver and green Autobot worked at unlocking the capsule, Fire Convoy started to say, “Wait, X-Brawn. We should—”
But it was too late. X-Brawn had already unlocked the capsule’s hatch and lifted it up… and springing out of the coffin was a very-much alive Autobot in blue and white armor plating. He scrambled out of the capsule and fell to the deck, screaming the entire time.
“Oh, thank Primus! I don’t know how much longer I could have—”
“SIDE BURN?!” Mach Alert exclaimed, rushing over to join X-Brawn and their spark-brother. “What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on the Ark!”
“I was,” Side Burn said, allowing his brothers to help him onto his feet.
“Then why are you floating out in space in a fragging coffin?!”
“It’s not a coffin, it’s an escape pod.”
“No, it’s definitely a coffin,” said Wrench, patting the capsule. “These are pretty standard issue for most Autobot ships.”
“All right, fine, it’s a coffin,” Side Burn said. “But I used it as an escape pod because I didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention by using the actual pods.”
“What are you talking about?” Fire Convoy asked, stepping up to the young Autobot warrior. “Are you saying you abandoned the Ark? Does Prime know you’re missing?”
“Prime himself is missing,” Side Burn replied. “He was captured by a bounty hunter on Junkion and taken to Mortilus knows where. Jazz is in command now and he’s continuing the search for the AllSpark rather than looking for Prime. I couldn’t stand sitting idly by while our leader is in danger, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
“And you thought you could accomplish that by putting yourself in a capsule incapable of movement and floating aimlessly through space?”
“I was broadcasting a distress signal the whole time. I didn’t think it would take me this long to be found!”
“How come Wrench didn’t pick up your spark signature when he scanned it then?”
“I found a way to mask my signature to prevent me being found by any Decepticons or non-Autobots wandering through the sector,” Side Burn explained. “I was pretty much relying solely on the distress signal, which I encrypted so it could only be picked up by Autobot sensors.”
Fire Convoy narrowed her optics. “I trust you realize just how stupid and risky your entire ‘plan’ was?”
Side Burn smiled sheepishly. “I mean, it worked, didn’t it? Granted, it took, uh… what cycle is it, currently?”
“9801.”
“9801. So it’s been… a hundred years. Exactly a hundred years since I threw myself out into space. But hey, it worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
“Do you realize the number of things that could have happened to Optimus Prime in the intervening time? Maybe Jazz and the others have already found him. Or maybe he’s been killed.”
“But you don’t know that, right?” Side Burn asked. “You didn’t know anything about what I just said. But now you do. So now we can search for Prime ourselves, and maybe Jazz and the others too while we’re at it.”
Fire Convoy shook her head as she turned around. “No.”
“No?” Side Burn repeated. He glanced incredulous at Mach Alert and X-Brawn, to see if they shared his incredulity, but was met with blank expressions. “What do you mean no? This is Optimus Prime we’re talking about! We can’t just leave him!”
“Do you really think no one’s tried to search for him and his crew in last hundred years?” Fire Convoy asked over her shoulder. “Many have tried and all have failed. We would be wasting time and resources—some of which we don’t have much left—if we tried something that has already been attempted time and again. Besides, we have other priorities at the moment.”
“Oh, yeah?” Side Burn fired back. “Like what?”
“Like tracking down a Decepticon warlord and bringing him to justice.”
Side Burn stared at his commander confusedly for a moment before bringing a hand to his faceplate as realization set in. “Don’t tell me; this is about Gigatron again, isn’t it?”
“Do you even need to ask?” X-Brawn said as Fire Convoy continued to walk away. “It’s always about Gigatron. Always has been.”
Elsewhere
“The arid sand bears / No compare to the beauty / That is the great sea.”
Sky-Byte sighed loudly as he stared out into the vast desert that surrounded the Decepticons’ fortress. He had no idea what the name of the planet they were on was called, nor did he cared; it did not come even close to holding a candle to the marvelous world that had been Aquatron. His alternate mode here was practically useless; what good was turning into a shark if there was not a single body of water to swim in?
He knew he only had himself to blame for being here in the first place. After the madness that had went down on Aquatron a hundred years ago, he had realized that he could not escape the war and the chaos it brought. That, along with fear that the D.J.D. would one day track him down for abandoning his post, led him back to Gigatron and begging for a place in his army once more. Gigatron, to his surprise, did not enact any sort of punishment and returned him to the command position he once held. Then again, this was most likely not out of generosity but a result of Gigatron being engrossed in his current objective: to find this fabled “Stone Army” that was supposedly on this very planet.
A hundred years had passed and none of Gigatron’s efforts had gone to fruition. He had even go so far as to recruit non-beast Transformers—something he had never done in all the years Sky-Byte had known him—in order to widen the search and still… nothing. Sky-Byte could see the futility in this quest but he dared not voice such doubts aloud, lest he cause Gigatron to turn him in for his transgressions.
Just as he was about to turn around and head back into the fortress, Sky-Byte heard the roar of an engine and looked up to see a two vehicles flying in the dusty skies above, approaching the fortress. In the lead was a sleek blue and white fighter jet while behind trailed a medium-sized transport craft. As the two vehicles made their descent towards the ground, several feet from where Sky-Byte stood, the jet changed shape. Arms extended out from the sides while its fuselage split up into legs, the cockpit folding back to reveal a head with fin-like attachments on either side. While the transport continued to set down, the stranger walked up to Sky-Byte and he was able to make out a Decepticon insignia on the newcomer’s chest.
“Well met, fellow Decepticon,” the stranger said. “My name is Hellbat. I come here on behalf of Deathsaurus’ forces.”
“Deathsaurus, you say?” Sky-Byte said. “Well, er, it is nice to meet you, Hellbat. I am Sky-Byte, second-in-command to Gigatron.”
“Yes, I know who you are.” Hellbat titled his head, his red optics narrowing slightly. “I must say, I’m surprised to find you here. Didn’t you leave the Decepticons following the Battle of Varas Centralus?”
“Um, no?” Sky-Byte chuckled uneasily. “You must have me confused with someone else. I’m the most loyal Decepticon you could find!”
“Uh-huh,” Hellbat said, clearly not convinced. “No matter; I’m not with the D.J.D., so it’s none of my concern. I would like to have a personal audience with your commander, however.”
Sky-Byte unconsciously tapped his fingers together but stopped himself. “Is that right? Well, unfortunately, Lord Gigatron is rather preoccupied at the moment and he really doesn’t like to be bothered—”
“Is he already having his troops call him ‘Lord Gigatron?’” Hellbat asked. “I know it’s been a century since Megatron went missing, but I would think that—”
“Oh, that’s just a formality!” Sky-Byte said hastily. “It’s a term of respect from where he grew up on ancient Cybertron. Not an indication of rank in the Decepticon hierarchy. Definitely not.”
Hellbat rolled his optics. “Whatever. I understand that Gigatron does not like to be bothered… but I know what it is he seeks. I mean, why else would he be operating on this dustball of a planet?”
He gestured to the transport behind him and, as if on cue, its front loading ramp lowered. Stepping down from the ship were two Decepticon grunts carrying spears, with each spear having an energy rope tied around it. And tethered to those ropes was a Transformer in damaged white and black armor plating, glaring at everyone around them with baleful optical sensors.
“I might not know where the fabled Stone Army is,” Hellbat said. “But Deadlock here does. And I am willing to offer him to ‘Lord’ Gigatron… in exchange for a favor on his part.”
Gritting his fanged white dental plating nervously, Sky-Byte slowly nodded. “I’ll, uh, see what I can do for you.”
The Iron Hope
“Any luck so far?”
“My answer is the same now as it was when you asked me that four deca-cycles ago,” said Wedge. “Which is ‘no,’ in case you need a memory refresh.”
Were it anyone else, Fire Convoy would have reprimanded the younger Autobot for addressing her in such a manner. But if one wanted to get technical, he was the one in command on this ship rather than her. The Iron Hope had been assigned to Wedge after its previous commander was killed during the Cataclysm. While the other members of Wedge’s unit were technically more experienced and qualified for the position than him, Wedge had proved his potential for leadership during the later years of the war and, as the was had been cold for the last hundred years, Ultra Magnus had decided now was as good an opportunity as any for Wedge to prove his worth as a ship commander.
This dynamic changed when the Iron Hope picked up Fire Convoy some time ago. While her rank gave her authority over Wedge in the Autobot command structure, the Iron Hope was still his ship. While he had agreed to help Fire Convoy in her search for Gigatron and share temporary joint command on the ship, he made it clear to her that he would not be giving up the command chair any time soon (even if its size fit her large yellow and red frame better than it did his small orange body). The chain of command had been shaken up even further when they picked up Railspike and his crew after finding the Tsunami’s wreckage in the Dremden system. According to the Railbot leader, the Tsunami had gotten into conflict with a Decepticon warship that had then departed in the direction of the Viron system. While Fire Convoy had no idea if this warship belonged to Gigatron’s forces or not, she figured any Decepticon lead was a good lead and ordered the Iron Hope to take pursuit. Thankfully, Wedge had not argued with this order, although she could tell he felt somewhat intimidated by now having to share command with not just one but two Autobots far more experienced than himself.
From the ship’s controls, Wedge’s fellow Build Team member Hightower said, “We’ve nearly reached the outskirts of the system. We’ve already passed the last charted planet and didn’t pick up any signs of Decepticons. I’d say this system’s been a bust.”
“What’s the nearest charted system?” Fire Convoy asked.
“The 528B system,” said Heavy Load. “No inhabitable planets—hell, it’s mostly comprised of desolate rocks that can barely pass off as that.”
“Set a course for there then. No system is too desolate or remote for the ‘Cons to operate in.”
Wedge sighed as he turned in his seat. “Convoy, with all due respect, we do not have the resources to scour every last star system in the galaxy. The ‘Cons could have jumped to lightspeed by now. They could be anywhere.”
“Railspike said that both ships lost a lot of fuel in the battle,” Fire Convoy said. “They couldn’t have gotten that far, and they wouldn’t have enough power to make a jump.”
“Well, at this rate, we’re going to waste power just looking for them. Look, I understand how much you want to find Gigatron—”
Fire Convoy glared at Wedge. “You don’t understand anything about us.”
“…But there is a time and place for an operation such as this. Perhaps we should consult with High Command before—”
“No. High Command has done me no favors in regards to this and they’re not going to start doing so now. If anything, Ultra Magnus will probably try and shut me down before anything else.”
“Maybe that should tell you something,” Wedge muttered.
“Look, if you don’t want to help me in this, then I will happily take matters into my own hands.”
Wedge eyed her warily. “And what do you mean by that? Are you just gonna abandon ship and fly through space on your own? Or are you planning on taking control of my own—”
“Wait!” Grim-Lock, the eldest member of the Build Team, called out from his work station. “Heavy Load, what system did you say was closest?”
“Uh, 528B. Why? There’s nothing there.”
“No, but the next system over might! The Saxumis system is rumored to be the location of the Stone Army.”
“I’m sorry, the what army?” Wedge asked.
“Stone Army,” Grim-Lock replied. “It’s, uh, pretty straightforward. Anyway, if the ‘Cons are in this sector, then they could be searching for the Stone Army—if they’re real.”
Wedge frowned. “I’m not sure if—”
“It’s as good a lead as any,” Fire Convoy said. “Set a course for the Saxumis system, then.”
The others did not do anything yet, waiting for Wedge to give the final word. With a mere glance at him, Fire Convoy could tell that he was ready to protest or object in some way. After a few seconds however, Wedge merely sighed and gave the go-ahead to make the jump to lightspeed.
“Let’s hope your hunch pays off this time,” he said in an aside as the stars began to stretch before the Iron Hope.
Fire Convoy did not indulge his remark with a response and merely stared out the viewport as the ship entered hyperspace.
Saxumis
“So… Deadlock, isn’t it?”
“That’s not my name anymore,” retorted the black and white Transformer that had been brought before Gigatron.
“No matter,” the warlord snarled in return. “I know who you are, nonetheless. You were one of Turmoil’s troops, were you not?”
The bot formerly known as Deadlock said nothing, avoiding Gigatron’s gaze.
“Your silence speaks volumes,” Gigatron continued. “I already know the truth, in any case. Turmoil once answered directly to me, early on in the war, and he was the one who informed me of this planet’s existence after the two of you discovered it. Megatron may have not had use for a Stone Army, but I am not Megatron. I am better.”
He knelt down and grabbed Deadlock by the fins on his helmet, forcing him to look up and gaze into his blazing red optics.
“So tell me, Deadlock—or whatever you call yourself now… where is the Stone Army?”
“I don’t—” Deadlock started to say.
“Don’t lie to me!” Gigatron snapped, tightening his grip. “I know it was you who found the Stone Army all those years ago! You know where it is, and you will tell me how to find it!”
“That was nearly a thousand years ago,” Deadlock muttered, wincing as Gigatron continued to tighten his hold on him. “They were in a temple that was right where your fortress now stands, but we destroyed it in our attempt to get off world. They’ve surely relocated by now, and they could be light-years away by now.”
“Lies,” Gigatron whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “You’re lying. You must be lying. They’re still here; I can sense it. You will tell me where they are, or I will summon the D.J.D. to finish you off once and for all!”
“Ahem.”
Gigatron snapped his head up to look at Hellbat, who was standing nearby with the rest of his party as well as some of the warlord’s own troops.
“I hate to interrupt this productive conversation,” Hellbat said dryly, “but my commander is expecting me to report to him soon. Do we have a deal or not?”
“Deathsaurus will get his ‘alliance’ when I have the Stone Army under my control,” Gigatron snarled.
Hellbat sighed. “In that case, we might as well leave now, since I don’t see this going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Er, my liege?” A Decepticon in blue armor plating and with the wings of a bat-like creature poked his head into the room. “I hate to bother you, but—”
“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO INTERRUPT ME!” Gigatron bellowed. “This had better be worth my time, Dark Scream, or else—”
“It’s the Autobots,” Dark Scream managed to squeak out over the sound of his master’s voice. “They’re here.”
This gave the warlord pause and the centerpoints of Gigatron’s optical sensors dilated. “What?”
“A ship just appeared in our skies and it’s a visual match for the Iron Hope. Or, at least, that’s what Gas Skunk tells me. I mean, I’m no expert on Autobot ships since they all look the same to me but he says everything with such certainty that I have no reason to—”
Ignoring Dark Scream’s prattling, Gigatron threw Deadlock to the ground before storming over to Hellbat. “Were you followed here?” he asked in a low, dark whisper.
“I….” Hellbat hesitated, exchanging nervous glances with the rest of his party. “Well, we did have a run in with an Autobot vessel on the way here, but we destroyed them. Right, Grit?”
One of Hellbat’s Decepticon grunts blinked at him. “Why are you asking me?”
“Because you were there! We destroyed that Autobot ship, didn’t we?”
“I mean, I wasn’t on the bridge so—”
“Enough!” Gigatron raised a hand to silence them. “You will have an opportunity to amend your mistakes because you and your goons will be joining my forces in repelling these Autobots.”
Hellbat shook his head. “B-but Deathsaurus—”
“Deathsaurus will be receiving your remains if you do not do as I say,” Gigatron snapped. “Do I make myself clear?”
Not waiting for a response, Gigatron planted both of his hands onto the ground as he flipped his body around and changed shape, his wings extending to their full width as his legs converted into a pair of dragon heads.
“Now then… Decepticons, let battle be joined!”
The Iron Hope
Fire Convoy watched as, one by one, the Autobots under her command dropped from the lowered ramp of the ship to battle the Decepticons that were already gathering below. Side Burn and his brothers were the first to go, then Hotfire and his Spy Changers, then the Railbots. In the span of mere minutes, chaos was breaking out and it became nearly impossible to distinguish Autobot from Decepticon amid the curtain of laser fire and clouds of sand and dust that each explosion kicked up.
“I hope this is worth it for you.”
Fire Convoy turned around, expecting to see Wedge standing behind her, and was ready to fire a retort… only to see that it was not Wedge who had spoken.
“You,” she said quietly.
“Me,” responded God Magnus.
The image of her brother looked real enough to touch, but she knew that was not possible. It couldn’t be. But no matter how much she tried to tell herself that, she could not stop her hand from lifting up to grab his. She managed to stop herself in time and instead folded her arms to keep them in place.
“She’s down there,” Fire Convoy said, looking back at the battlefield that was playing out down below. “I know she is.”
“You sound so certain.”
“If Gigatron wanted to kill her, or any of the others, then he would have. He’s not the type to take prisoners. No, he captured them for a reason. He must have.”
“You’re probably right,” God Magnus admitted. “But even so, it’s been… how long, exactly?”
Fire Convoy sighed. “I’ve stopped keeping count. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, anyhow. The time for her—for them—to have been brought home is long overdue.”
“Fair enough. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do. I always do.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Fire Convoy turned around to see that the specter of God Magnus had vanished and in his place was a perplexed-looking Wedge, joined by his fellow Build Team members.
“No one,” she sighed. “I was just talking to myself. It helps me focus.”
“Odd way of focusing,” Wedge muttered. “But, hey, I’m no Rung. Do you plan on joining the battle?”
“Yes. I was just about to put on my battle suit.”
“Good. Hope to see you there.”
With a signal to his comrades, Wedge charged towards the open ramp and jumped down. Grim-Lock, Hightower, and Heavy Load were close behind him, their weapons deployed as they jumped off the Iron Hope with a battle cry. Fire Convoy watched them descend before turning away and heading to her waiting battle suit. As she put on the pieces one by one, she caught a glimpse of her brother’s ghostly image again, but this time she did not look directly at him.
“You’re putting a lot of lives on the line for just one person.”
“I’m not saving just one,” Fire Convoy retorted. “I’m saving six.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Once her battle helmet was secured in place, Fire Convoy stepped towards the ramp and launched herself forward.
Saxumis
“Can someone fill me in the details already? Why exactly are we here to begin with?”
X-Brawn ducked to avoid enemy fire and joined Side Burn behind the large stone they were using as cover. “What is there to explain? We’re fighting Decepticons because that’s what we’ve been doing for the past thousand years.”
“Come on, X, I’m not stupid,” Side Burn said. “There’s something more to it than that. There has to be.”
“What gives you that impression?”
A black and purple jet shot overhead. X-Brawn pointed his gun at it and fired, eliciting a pained scream from the struck Decepticon as they plummeted to the ground below.
“This planet is a desert wasteland that is in a region of space that bears no strategic importance,” Side Burn said. “Sure, they are Decepticons here, but you would have to go out of your way to find them. It’s not like we’re striking someplace like Chaar or Karn or anything like that. There’s something more to it, isn’t there?”
X-Brawn remained silent for a moment, focusing his attention on the Decepticons that were still firing at them. From the side came a white car that skidded to a halt as it reached the two Autobot brothers before converting into the robot form of Mach Alert, who proceeded to join his brothers behind cover.
“Looks like Gigatron’s gotten some help from Deathsaurus’ gang,” Mach Alert said. “Just had a run in with Hellbat and some Decepticon grunts.”
“Any sign of Gigatron himself?” X-Brawn asked.
“No, but I saw and heard plenty of his lieutenant. God, I hate those poems of his….”
“He must be hunkered in that fortress of his,” suggested Side Burn. “Bet he knows just how badly Fire Convoy wants to get at him.”
Mach Alert glanced at X-Brawn. “Does he know…?”
“No. I haven’t told him a fragging thing.”
“A-ha!” Side Burn pointed at his elder brothers. “See? Now I know there’s something you guys aren’t telling me. So, tell me: what’s the real reason for us being here?”
X-Brawn looked to Mach Alert, who simply gave a begrudging shrug in return. Sighing, the eldest brother said, “After you and Prime’s crew left, the Decepticons retreated back into their territory. While the main faction under High Command has been mostly quiet for the past century, warlords like Gigatron and Deathsaurus have still been causing trouble. Not long after you left, Gigatron captured a team of Autobots led by Fire Convoy’s sister. Since then she’s been scouring the galaxy for any sign of Gigatron and his forces, narrowly missing him more than once. This is the first time in nearly a hundred years that she’s finally gotten him in her sights.”
“So that’s it, then?” Side Burn asked. “All of this is to save one Autobot?”
“Pretty much. I mean, she’ll tell you that it’s about saving the rest of the team as well. But we all know the truth. They’re just a bonus in her optics.”
Blaster fire pelted the boulder the three brothers were hiding behind and Side Burn poked out to fire at the Decepticons that were shooting at them, taking down at least one of them. At that moment, a large shadow fell over the Decepticons and they began frantically shooting above them. As Fire Convoy landed on the ground, she swung the long metal ladder attached to her battle suit and used it to bash away three Decepticons at the same time. The remaining ones immediately began to retreat, converting to their alternate modes as they scurried away. Fire Convoy paid them no heed as she pressed on, firing her guns at any other Decepticon that stood in her path towards Gigatron’s fortress.
As the three Autobot brothers stepped out from behind their cover, Side Burn muttered, “I hope this is all worth it for her.”
“So do I,” said X-Brawn. “’Cos I don’t wanna see what happens when it isn’t….”
* * *
“Lord Gigatron! The Autobots are breaching our defenses! Fire Convoy is—”
“Cease your prattling and get back out there!” Gigatron grabbed Slapper by his large shoulder pad and hurled him to the other side of the throne room. Without another word, the crimson Decepticon transformed to his amphibian alternate mode and hopped away. Growling to himself, Gigatron returned his attention to the restrained Deadlock, who had his optics closed as the rest of the fortress shuddered around them.
“This is your last chance,” the warlord said darkly. “Tell me where the Stone Army is, and how to awaken them, and this battle will be ended swiftly. You will be rewarded.”
“I don’t want to be rewarded,” Deadlock retorted.
“Then you will die,” Gigatron said. “If not here, then when the D.J.D. are called in to execute you for your transgressions. You are signing your own death wish by refusing to help me.”
“You think I don’t know that? Why do you think I’m keeping silent?”
“Surely you know what Tarn and his band of sadists are capable of,” Gigatron said. “Do you truly wish to suffer a prolonged death at their hands? Does denying me victory mean so much to you?”
Deadlock said nothing, keeping his optical sensors switched off. Snarling to him, Gigatron whirled away from him and raised a hand to his communicator.
“Cerberus, recall our forces and redirect them to fortifying our front line. Make sure that the Autobots do not make their way into the fortress. Do I make myself clear?”
Static roared in Gigatron’s audio receptors in response. At that moment, he heard a wail and turned around just in time to see Slapper and Dark Scream be thrown back into the throne room. Gas Skunk came running after them, shooting behind him, only to be shot down as well. It was then that Gigatron saw what his soldiers had been running from and gritted his teeth at the large figure now standing in the entrance to his throne room.
“Fire Convoy.”
“Gigatron,” the large and heavily-armored Autobot commander replied. “Tell me where she is and this battle can end.”
“Even if I knew what you were talking about, it is much too late for that now.”
Transforming into his twin-headed dragon mode, Gigatron charged towards Fire Convoy, flames emitting from both maws. Fire Convoy raised her arms to block the flames before throwing an arm out to punch the dragon as it closed in on her. Staggering back, Gigatron changed shape again—this time into a bat-like creature—and released a sonic scream. Fire Convoy cried out as the sound assaulted her audio sensors, causing her to drop to her knees. Converting back to his robot mode, Gigatron drew a double-edged blade and struck his opponent in the head with it, knocking her to the ground.
As Gigatron raised his blade to deliver the finishing blow, Fire Convoy grabbed his leg and pulled him down, using all of her strength to throw him to the other side of the room and crash him into his own throne. Not waiting for the disoriented warlord to gather his bearings, Fire Convoy charged towards him, grabbed him from behind, and smashed him into the throne again.
“WHERE IS SHE?!” she roared into Gigatron’s audio receptor.
“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,” Gigatron growled.
“You know exactly who I’m talking about! Nearly a hundred years ago, you captured six Autobots. One of them was my sister. Where are they and what have you done to them?”
“Oh.” Gigatron cracked a smile. “Them. You are wasting your time if that’s what you’re after.”
Fire Convoy narrowed her optics as she grabbed Gigatron by the head. “What are you talking about?”
“They’re not here. They never were. I did what I wanted with them a long time ago.”
Fire Convoy let out an enraged scream as she used both hands to lift Gigatron up and throw him to the ground. The Decepticon warlord merely cackled as his Autobot foe stormed over to him.
“I wanted to replicate what Megatron did with his own brother,” Gigatron continued as he pulled himself up. “Not just replicate, but to improve upon. He thought he could bring his brother to heel by simply creating a virus that would control him. But if you really want to control someone, to bend them to your will, then you need to break them first.
“That’s what I did with your sister and her troops. I didn’t just brainwash them into Decepticons; I remade them into Decepticons. As we speak, they are out there conquering worlds in the name of the Decepticon Empire, killing Autobots they once called their brothers.”
Fire Convoy screamed in anger again as she threw her fist at Gigatron’s face. He withstood the punch, and the one after that, and the third one that followed. He was still grinning even as his faceplate became more dented with each strike.
“If you want to be reunited with her that badly, then I will gladly do the same to you,” Gigatron chuckled. “You already have the ferocity of a Decepticon.”
“I will never be one of you,” Fire Convoy growled. “I would sooner die.”
“That can easily be arranged.” Gigatron deployed his double-edged blade again and split the weapon into separate swords. “Now then, are there any more punches you want to get in before I end you once and for all?”
Fire Convoy said nothing as she readied herself into a fighting stance. As Gigatron did the same, he glanced over to where Deadlock was… and froze when he saw that the former Decepticon was no longer there.
“What the—”
Distracted as he was, he did not see Fire Convoy as she charged towards him and threw her body into his. As they fell to the ground, Gigatron frantically transformed to his dragon mode and tried to fly away, only for a bot to drop from the ceiling above and land on top of him.
“Impossible!” Gigatron cried as Deadlock clung onto his head. “How did you get out of your restraints?!”
“Processor-over-matter,” Deadlock replied. “An old Cyber-Ninja trick.”
“A Cyber-Ninja?! Of all the….” With a roar, Gigatron thrashed one of his two dragon heads to throw Deadlock off. The ex-Decepticon performed a backflip off of the warlord and drew a pair of swords as he dropped down onto the dragon’s back, plunging them through Gigatron’s wings. As the warlord howled in fury, Fire Convoy grabbed him by the hind legs and pulled him up before hurling him across the room. He crashed into a wall and fell to the ground. This time, he did not bring himself back up.
Fists clenched, Fire Convoy started to walk over to where the warlord lay only for Deadlock to grab her by the arm.
“Don’t,” he said. “It’s over.”
“It’s not over until I find them,” Fire Convoy muttered.
“Well, you’re not going to find them here. And if you kill him, then you never will.”
Fire Convoy stared at where the unconscious Gigatron laid, her fists still clenched. As Deadlock’s words drifted through her processor, she closed her optics and released a heavy sigh to cool her heating systems.
“You’re right.” She reached behind her back and produced a pair of stasis cuffs, before walking over to Gigatron and placing them over his wrists. She then lifted him up and slung him over her shoulder.
“Let’s go out there and help the others clean the rest up,” she said as she headed out the throne room. “Knowing these Decepticons, they’re morale is going to plummet once they see the state their leader is in….”
* * *
“A horrid defeat / Leaves morale low and scarce, yet / Hope can—”
“Oh my god, shut up already,” Mach Alert groused as he led Sky-Byte onto the transport where the other captured Decepticons were waiting. “Save it for your ‘Con buddies and spare me the pain.”
“Hey, we don’t want to hear him either!” griped Gas Skunk. “Can’t you put him on a different transport?”
“I don’t do favors for Decepticons.” Mach Alert shoved Sky-Byte into the ship before pressing the control panel to raise the ramp. “Get comfortable. It’s a long way to Garrus-16.”
The ramp closed and drowned out the continued whines and pleas of the Decepticons within. As the transport started to take off, Mach Alert dusted off his hands and walked over to where Fire Convoy and the others were standing outside the remains of Gigatron’s fortress.
“That’s the last of them on their way to the Iron Hope,” he said. “Still no sign of Hellbat and his goons, I take it?”
“They made like a turbofox as soon as Fire Convoy blasted her way through the outer walls,” said X-Brawn. “They’re probably begging Deathsaurus for forgiveness as we speak.”
“They got off lucky,” said the ex-Decepticon Deadlock, who had helped Fire Convoy defeat Gigatron. “From what I hear, Deathsaurus treats his bots with a bit more respect than most of the warlords.”
Mach Alert glanced at him. “You plan on seeking him out to hide from the D.J.D.?”
Deadlock shook his head. “I want nothing to do with the Decepticons. Not after the things I’ve seen them do.”
Mach Alert glanced at Fire Convoy, who was staring at the ruins of the fortress and not paying their conversation any heed. “Well,” he said quietly, “it’s not for me to say, but you could have a place in our ranks. Fire Convoy tends to be more open to ex-Cons joining our ranks than most Autobot commanders. If you ask her, she might perform the rite of the Autobrand for you. If that’s what you want, of course.”
“I’ll have to give it some thought. Besides, I think she has more pressing matters on her mind right now.”
“No kidding,” muttered Side Burn. “So, are the legends true? Does the Stone Army exist and Gigatron find them?”
“They did exist,” Deadlock said. “They left this planet a long time ago, after I discovered them. I have no idea if they’re still out there, but I doubt they’re still here. Gigatron was wasting his time on this planet.”
“Huh,” said X-Brawn. “Guess they have that in common….”
They all fell silent as Fire Convoy turned around. Her solemn optics fell on Deadlock, who instinctively stood to attention.
“You are welcome to join us in our trip to Garrus-16,” she said to him. “Where you go from there is up to you, whether it is with the Autobots or on your own.”
Deadlock bowed his head. “Thank you, commander. Your offer is a generous one.”
“Don’t mention it.” A hint of levity gleamed in Fire Convoy’s optic. “And no need for such formality. I already get enough of that from Mach Alert.”
Side Burn laughed as Mach Alert huffed in annoyance. “Wow,” the younger Autobot said. “You’ve already got her cracking jokes. Even I can’t do that on my best days! You’ll get along with us fine, Deadlock.”
“Please.” The former Decepticon smiled. “Call me Drift.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN “FALLING IN THE BLACK”
