Capping off the year with an unfinished story. A Regenerated reboot that never went anywhere. Started writing on January 29, 2018; not sure when I abandoned it. Only wrote five chapters.
I: FAR ABOVE THE MOON
Out on the farthest fringes of space, outside of any charted sector, a single green ship hovered over a barren moon—one of fifty that orbited the gas giant LCS-857-B. The moon itself probably had a number designation of its own, but for the life of him Cosmos could not remember it as, so far, he had only one number taking precedence in his mind:
Zero.
Zero energon readings. Thirty-seven out of fifty moons so far had not a single ounce of energon. What were the odds the others would have any? He had no doubt the number would be the same.
Not for the first time he wondered why he was even doing this. The real answer, of course, was because Sentinel Prime had sent him out here. But why send him out all this way? The chances of some remote moon containing energon were so close to nil that it was a waste of energon to go through all this trouble.
Of course, there was no way in Pit he was going to say as much to Sentinel Prime; not unless he wanted a demotion. He supposed he should have just been grateful that he wasn’t under Zeta Prime’s command; the slightest indication of one’s dissatisfaction in their assignment earned you a permanent place in Garrus-9 for treason.
Knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this, Cosmos set course for the next moon—which just had to be on the other side of the planet. As soon as Cosmos found the cosmic deity responsible for such an arrangement, he was going to seriously hurt them.
As he blasted across the gas giant’s hemisphere, his systems began to ping with energy readings. This surprised Cosmos; was there actually energon on one of these moons? Had he just picked the wrong side of the planet to start with? It wouldn’t be the first time his luck had turned out as such.
Still, he was eager to finally bring back some good news to the Orbital Command Hub. Kicking on his thrusters, he raced towards the moon…
…And found himself face-to-face with a Decepticon warship.
* * *
“Anything yet?”
The green-plated Decepticon leaned over his console, yellow optics fixated on the scanner. “Nothing, captain. Not a single ship in sight.”
Skyquake scowled as he glared at the officer from his command seat. “Charger, you know that the last thing any of us wants is to turn back around and tell Overlord that we failed to capture a single Autobot ship. So when next I ask if there is something on the radar, do not even think to tell me there is absolutely nothing. Because there is something and we’re going to bring it back to him. Are we clear?”
Charger blinked before nodding. “Uh, y-yes, sir.”
“Good.” Skyquake leaned back in his seat, tapping his fingers on the arm rest. “Now then, keep searching. A ship as small as that couldn’t have gotten—”
“Um, sir?” A grey and blue Decepticon was looking back at him, green optics wide. “There’s something right in front of us.”
Skyquake launched from his seat. “There is?!” He squinted out the Darklon’s viewport, not seeing anything beyond the gas giant and its many moons. “Where is it?”
“Here, let me magnify the visual.” Take-Off pressed in a few controls and the visual scanners zoomed in on a small round spacecraft hovering in front of the warship. It was green and yellow, with a bold red insignia on the front curve of its bow.
“Uh…” Charger looked over to Skyquake. “That’s not who we’re after, is it?”
“No,” Skyquake grunted. “But it’s a start. Activate the tractor beam.”
* * *
Oh hell, was all Cosmos could think as he was dragged towards the warship against his will, caught within its tractor beam. This is not good.
His mind raced. He thought about sending an alert to the Hub, but could already tell that they had blocked his frequencies. This day was just getting better and better…
What were Decepticons even doing all the way out here? The LCS system was so far from Decepticon space that they couldn’t have possibly known of its existence, especially considering it had only been discovered by Astroscope’s team half a year ago. Did their reach extend far further than the Autobots’ had been led to believe?
Cosmos figured he would get his answers soon enough as he was pulled closer and closer towards the ship. Or maybe not; for all he knew they could just be planning on killing him as soon as they got their hands on him.
Up ahead, a port slid open. Bathed in red light were two Eradicon troopers awaiting him as the tractor beam brought him closer to his certain doom….
Suddenly, there was a flash of lasers and an explosion rocked the warship, knocking out the tractor beam. Freed from its pull, Cosmos quickly zipped away as a light-sized craft emerged from behind one of the moons, charging at the warship with guns ablaze….
* * *
“There he is! Fire!”
Skyquake hadn’t even finished his command before the Darklon’s guns were alive with fire. The Autobot ship zigzagged as it evaded the purple lasers, returning fire with red-colored pellets of its own. The warship shook under the assault as the smaller craft shot over the bridge.
“Activate the tractor beam!” Skyquake roared, gripping the sides of his command chair.
“We can’t!” Charger replied. “It’s already been taken out!”
“Then deploy the Eradicons! Fire all weapons! Do something!” Skyquake gritted his teeth. “We are not leaving until that ship is in our grasp. That is final.”
“Yes, sir!” the bridge crew echoed back before quickly getting to work.
* * *
Cosmos cried out as he flew at full speed, the Autobot craft and flying Eradicons close on his tail.
The Eradicons he could understand… but the Autobot ship? What did they want with him? They could have easily just let him jump back to the Hub like he was going to; why come after him and just further complicate the situation?
It didn’t add up. Unless these guys weren’t Autobots….
He became even more panicked as the ship began to close in on him. Before he knew it, it was already on top of him and he was soon being dragged in by a magnetic force. Unable to do anything but cry for mercy, Cosmos did exactly that.
“Please don’t hurt me!” he exclaimed before the airlock had even sealed shut. “I didn’t do anything! I was just doing my job! I didn’t want any of this to happen! Please don’t—”
“Primus, calm down,” muttered the red and gray Autobot, releasing his magnetic hold on Cosmos. “We’re only rescuing you.”
“Rescuing me?” Cosmos transformed from his ship form, arms and legs unfurling from his saucer bits while his red head emerged from the central base. “Is chasing after me your idea of rescuing me?”
“You were getting away from us.”
“Yeah, because you were chasing me!”
The bot sighed in exasperation, running a hand down his face. “Whatever. Just sit tight while Prime gets things sorted out. Name’s Windcharger, by the way.”
“Cosmos.” The spacer tilted his head. “Did you say Prime? You’re commanded by a Prime?”
“Yeah.” Windcharger glanced at him. “Something wrong?”
“Not at all, it’s just… I thought all the Primes were accounted for. Sentinel’s at the Hub, Rodimus at Athenia, Override at Velocitron…” Cosmos then blanched in dread. “Oh god, you’re not under Zeta Prime, are you?”
Windcharger snorted. “No, thank spark. Come on, he’s waiting for you up front.”
“Oh, he? Because I was just going to say Nova Prime.” Cosmos rubbed his head as he followed Windcharger to the front of the ship, where three other bots were waiting. “I’ll admit, I’m not that up to speed on my Primes. I’ve only just gotten all my Magnuses down. ‘Course, there’s only been five of them….”
Ignoring him, Windcharger looked up to a stocky gray bot with a wide orange chest, who was piloting the ship. “Is he still out there?” the red Autobot asked.
“Yup,” the pilot grunted. “Always gotta make a show out of it.”
“He did say we had to make this look convincing,” said an orange-plated bot with a single blue optic taking up her face. “If we made it too easy for them, they’d be suspicious.”
“It’s sound thinking,” commented a blue-colored mech. “Still crazy, but sound.”
“Well, Skids, sometimes, crazy works.”
All five bots turned to see a small robot jump down into the ship from a port above. He was red and black with a blue helmet that made his identity unmistakable to Cosmos.
“By the AllSpark,” he murmured. “You’re… you’re—”
“The name’s Optimus Prime,” the bot answered. “And if you have any desire to continue functioning, then you’re going to do exactly what I say.”
II: A MOST PECULIAR WAY
“Sir, we have them.”
Skyquake sighed in relief as he slumped back into his command chair. Outside the Darklon’s viewport, the Autobot ship floated lifelessly in space, damaged and out of fuel.
“Finally,” the Seeker muttered. “Is our tractor beam back in operation?”
“No, sir,” Charger replied. “However, I can have the Eradicons drag it in physically.”
“Make it so.” Skyquake allowed a small grin to break his otherwise stoic features. “They won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”
* * *
“I’m sorry, Optimus Prime, sir, but, ah… did I hear you correctly? Did you say we’re going to let the Decepticons capture us?”
“Bang, got it in one,” Optimus Prime replied, pointing a finger-gun at a flabbergasted Cosmos. “Ready the hatch, will you, Roller?”
“You got it, big guy,” replied the burly pilot bot.
Cosmos looked between the two bots in confusion. Windcharger and the other two were unfazed by the exchange, instead focusing their attention on prepping their weapons and gadgets. Cosmos then looked back to see Optimus Prime vanish into a nearby hatch.
“…I don’t understand,” Cosmos murmured.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Windcharger said, slapping him on the back. “Just stick with me and you’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“Trust you? I hardly know you!”
“We’re both Autobots, aren’t we?” Windcharger pointed at the red symbol on Cosmos’ shoulder before pointing at his own on his chest. “Besides, we’re all led by Optimus Prime, so shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Optimus Prime’s been missing for fifty years! How do I know that’s really him?” Cosmos looked back at where the Prime had vanished. “I mean, he’s a lot smaller than the history records make him out to be….”
“He recently downsized himself to preserve energon,” said the orange monoeyed bot. “Also to better utilize TNM—”
“Glitch!” the blue bot called Skids hissed. “Rule one of TNM: Don’t talk about TNM.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
Cosmos frowned. “What’s TNM?”
Skids glared at him. “What did I just say?”
Windcharger waved him off as he turned back to Cosmos. “It’s just a little trick Prime likes to pull off from time to time, especially in scenarios like this one.”
“All right, Eradicons are closing in,” Roller called out. “Hope you guys are ready.”
Skids smirked as he produced a large gun. “More than.”
Cosmos’ visor went wide. “What the—? I thought we were letting ourselves get captured!”
“We are,” Glitch said.
“Then what’s with the guns?!”
“Didn’t say we were gonna make it easy for them.”
As Cosmos blabbered in incomprehension, Windcharger hooked an arm around his. “Stick with me, yeah?”
Cosmos looked to him in utter bafflement just as Roller slammed a fist down on the console. A port opened and all four bots were sucked out into the void of space.
* * *
“What the bloody hell are they doing?!”
Take-Off winced as Skyquake tightened his grip over his shoulder. Leaning over the Decepticon’s station, Skyquake scowled as he watched the four Autobots pour out of their ship, shooting at the Eradicons. According to Take-Off’s energy scanner, there were still two more on board.
“They just don’t give up, do they?” he growled. “Target the turbolasers on them. They shouldn’t be hard to pick off.”
“Sir?” Charger looked to him with a quizzical look. “But… doesn’t Gigatron want them alive?”
“He only wants Prime. He didn’t say anything about the others.” Skyquake pointed to the Autobot craft. “Send more Eradicons to bring that in. Prime is sure to still be on—”
“Uh, sir?” Take-Off said weakly. “There’s a… something coming towards us.”
Skyquake blinked as he saw the object in question. It was roughly the size of a heavy-type bot, with gray armor over… was that hair? No, it seemed to cover its entire frame, making it fur. What was Prime doing with an organic creature? And one that could breathe in space, at that?
Before Skyquake could come up with a reasonable explanation, the gorilla had smashed through the viewport and everything and everyone on the bridge was being sucked out into space.
* * *
“Oh my god, was that a gorilla?!”
Cosmos heard Glitch cackle over the inter-com as she disabled an Eradicon with her bare claws. “Truck Not Monkey! Never gets old.”
“Of course, monkeys and gorillas are two different things,” Skids supplanted, blowing another ‘Con’s head to pieces with his gun.
Glitch rolled her single optic. “Oh spark, don’t even start with me, wise aft. That’s what Optimus calls it so you shouldn’t even complain.”
“I wasn’t complaining! I was just pointing something out!”
“Ooh, look at me!” Glitch held up a disabled Eradicon, using it as some sort of puppet. “I’m Skids the Theoretician! I’m smart and I know stuff! Let me bore you to death with all of the stuff I know!”
Skids scowled. “Now you’re making me sound like Perceptor.”
“Because you do! You so totally do. I’m amazed you guys aren’t, like, besties or something. Or maybe it’s because you two are so similar that you can’t stand to be in the same room together.”
“That’s not— What are you even trying to say?”
As the pair continued to bicker, Cosmos was pulled away from the action by Windcharger, who had the green space magnetically fused to him back to back. The two of them were brought closer to the Darklon, hovering just above the hangar bay.
“Okay, here’s what I need you to do,” Windcharger murmured to Cosmos. “Once I detach you, transform—”
“You’re going to detach me?!” Cosmos cried. “I thought you wanted me to trust you!”
“Don’t worry, it won’t be for long!” Windcharger assured him. “I just need you to transform and fly into the hangar.”
“But there are ‘Cons in there! They’ll kill me!”
“You’ll be fine. Trust me, okay?”
Every part of Cosmos wanted to scream as he was detached from Windcharger. Against his better judgment, he did exactly as he was told, transforming and flying into the hangar….
Where he was immediately disabled by an Eradicon with a stun gun. Losing all control, Cosmos came crashing down….
* * *
The green jet roared as it blasted back towards the now-open bridge of the Darklon. Ignoring Take-Off and Charger as they floated past him, Skyquake set his visuals on the armored gorilla rampaging across the ship, waving a black gun around.
That gun… Skyquake would recognize it anywhere. It was the ion rifle, signature weapon of Optimus Prime (after the axe, of course). Had Prime really given his trademark gun to a mindless ape? Or….
No. Skyquake mentally shook his head. That was ridiculous. He was a fool for even thinking it. There was no possible way….
But then the gorilla turned to him and it grinned, an expression which carried to its eyes. To anyone else, that wouldn’t have meant anything. But Skyquake had seen those eyes before; it had been over a century ago, but he remembered the Battle of Technahar well. It had been the first time he had ever faced Optimus Prime in combat.
Those eyes, that grin… they were the exact same. He would recognize them anywhere.
Optimus Prime… was wearing a gorilla suit.
As the jet struggled to process this, the gorilla raised his gun and fired it at Skyquake. The Seeker quickly dodged the blast before advancing at full speed, unloading on the primate. The ape fell just as Skyquake finally reached the bridge, transforming to claim his victory.
Grabbing a hold of the gorilla’s chest, Skyquake tore away the armor plating, revealing an unconscious Optimus Prime within. A savage grin cracked onto Skyquake’s face as he seized the Autobot and lifted him out of the suit.
“Oh, payback feels so good,” he chuckled. “A pity Gigatron wants you alive. This would have been the opportunity of a lifetime, to finally have your head on my wall.”
“Sir?” Charger’s voice crackled through his comm. “Ah, it seems that the Autobots have been dealt with.”
“Dead?” Skyquake asked.
“Seems like it, sir. No sign of them or their ship—and they couldn’t have jumped to hyperspace.”
“Then the Eradicons have done their job… just as we have.” Skyquake grinned at the unresponsive Optimus in his grasp. “Return to the bridge so I can enable the emergency blast shield. It’s time for us to leave.”
III:
Lightyears away on the hellish world of Lucifer, Lord High Governor Straxus of the Decepticon Empire was bored.
This was never a good sign. Usually he was enthralled with the cries of terror that rang across the halls of Darkmount, delighting in the smell of molten slag that came from the smelting pools. Today, he was supremely, imperiously bored.
Perhaps it was the fact that all they had been smelting lately were second-rate Autobot grunts and empties. Nothing substantial like a Major or a Prime or a—dare he dream—Magnus. These nobodies were so easily scared it wasn’t even funny—anymore, at least.
He didn’t understand why this was. When Gigatron was around, it was nonstop fun 24/7. From impromptu chases to mock arena fights, there was simply no end to the entertainment. But now, as he watched the generic, no-name Autobot writhe helplessly on the ground, he just felt… nothing.
Others, on the other hand…
“Oh yeah!” The slate-colored Decepticon jet pumped his fists in the air as he and his magenta partner stood over the hapless Autobot. “We are not to be messed with!”
Straxus did not resist rolling his optics. These Decepticons were as green as one got; they’d never set foot on a real battlefield before let alone faced off with a real Autobot. Gigatron considered these shows as training exercises, but Straxus found them useless. If Gigatron really wanted to train them, then he should throw them into the smelting pools and have them try to climb out. That would yield real results.
But no. Clearly Gigatron saw something in these novices. Straxus simply could not share that view.
“So what do ya say, Wingblazer?” asked the magenta ‘Con as he shoved a spear into the Autobot’s back, getting him to spasm. “Shall we take him to the pool now or save him for later?”
The slate one grinned wickedly. “How about we take him to Stalker? I wanna see how long he can withstand the endoscopic claw.”
“Please,” the Autobot sputtered out. “H-have mercy….”
“Oh! He said the M-word!” Wingblazer looked excitedly to Straxus, who was resting his head on his hand. “You know what that means, boss!”
Steam exuded from Straxus’ vents as he sighed. “What does it mean, Wingblast?”
“You get to say the thing!” said the magenta one. He stepped off of the Autobot and presented them to Straxus. “He’s all yours, boss. You’ve got your axe, right?”
“Uh…” Straxus fumbled around on his throne, retrieving his pickaxe from behind him. “Yeah, I do.”
“Say it again, Autobot,” the magenta ‘Con jeered, pinning the Autobot’s arms behind his back. “Say the M-word.”
The Autobot blinked, confusion mixed in with his terror. “Uh… have mercy?”
Joints creaked as Straxus rose from his throne. He winced as a piece of armor plating fell off, followed by a back panel. Metal groaned as he lifted up his axe, his pistons threatening to lock up. The grins on the Decepticons’ faces never once faltered while the Autobot regarded Straxus with more bemusement than fear.
“Mercy is not dispensed here, fools,” Straxus muttered, raising the axe over his head. “Only death.”
Then, with one swing of his axe, he eviscerated both the Autobot and the Decepticon that held him. Wingblaze stepped back in horror, his green optics wide.
“J—Jetflame…?” he murmured, gazing upon his friend’s remains.
“Aw, geez,” Straxus grunted, realizing what he had done but not at all giving a crap. “I’m sorry about that. Here, let me fix it.”
He then raised his axe again and brought it down upon Wingblaze, ending him as well. With that done, Straxus collapsed back onto his throne, exhausted from the two actions. He then shifted his attention to a pair of Eradicons standing nearby.
“Clean this up, will you?” he barked. “Why do you think I keep you around?”
Without hesitated, the Eradicons moved over to the three corpses. As they got to work, the doors opened to allow a scarlet Decepticon jet into the throne room. He stopped briefly to regard the dead bodies before directing his attention to Straxus.
“My lord,” Snare said. “Skyquake has returned.”
Straxus nodded. “Good.” He then blinked as he rubbed his helm. “Wait, who?”
“Skyquake,” Snare replied. “Commander of the 92nd Predator Corps of the Decepticon Air Force. Conquered the Skomiloch Territories last meta-cycle.”
“Not ringing a bell,” Straxus muttered.
“Tall and green with wings….”
“Nope.”
Snare sighed. “He made fun of your poetry.”
“Oh yeah!” Straxus snapped his fingers. “Now I remember! Is he here, then?”
“Yes, he’s waiting outside.”
“Bring him in then!”
Snare bowed before taking his leave. In his place strode in a tall Decepticon in green and silver, red stripes decorating his wings. Upon seeing Straxus, Skyquake took pause as he lifted an optic ridge.
“You’re… sitting in Gigatron’s chair,” the Predator commander said.
“Eh?” Straxus took a moment to figure out Skyquake’s meaning before laughing. “Oh, yeah. He’s gone for the orbital cycle. Meeting with the other ‘Trons at a summit on New Kaon.”
“I see.” Skyquake’s frown deepened. “And he left you in charge?”
“Yup! Great, isn’t it?”
Skyquake scowled. “But, I’m his right-hand!”
“Yeah, but you weren’t around and someone had to be left in charge.” Straxus leaned back in his seat and folded his hands over his wide chest, smirking smugly. “You snooze, you lose, as they say.”
Skyquake glared at him before sniffing, holding his head up high. “No matter. I have made an accomplishment far more important than some throne.”
Straxus grunted. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“I have captured Optimus Prime.”
Straxus was silent at first as he stared at Skyquake. Then, he threw his head back and laughed.
He laughed for a very long time, smacking his arm rest as he keeled over, clutching his side. Soon his laughs turned into wheezes before finally breaking into a coughing fit, gears grinding together as he struggled to compose himself. Once he had gotten a grip, he straightened back up and looked back at Skyquake.
Then he fell over laughing again.
“Something tells me you’re not taking this seriously,” Skyquake muttered.
“Oh man.” Straxus continued to chortle as he sat back up. “I’ve always wondered why Gigatron kept you around. Now I know: Every ruler needs a court jester.”
“I’m being serious, Straxus!” Skyquake snapped. “I’ve captured the one and only Optimus Prime! You don’t believe me?”
“That’s an understatement. Seriously, man, I’m gonna die here.”
“Fine,” Skyquake growled before raising his comm. “Bring him in.”
The doors opened again and a squad of Eradicons marched in, towing an upraised stasis pod behind them. Inside the pod was a small Autobot in red and black with a blue—and very familiar—helmet. Straxus studied the imprisoned bot for a moment before turning back to a smirking Skyquake.
“Are you high or something?”
Skyquake sputtered in confusion. “What?! No! This is—this is Optimus Prime! The one and only!”
“Uh-huh. And I’m the Prima-Vectorum.” Straxus shook his head as he gestured at the small bot. “Come on, man. That ain’t Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime is big, red and blue. That… that is almost the complete opposite. And I should know; I once fought against him.”
“So did I,” Skyquake retorted. “Believe me, I know this is Prime. It might not look it, but I know it for a fact.”
“If that’s the case, then maybe Stalker should give you a psyche exam or something.” Glancing back at the Eradicons, Straxus motioned with his hand. “Put him with the others. We can still play with him later.”
“No!” Skyquake exclaimed as Not-Optimus was wheeled out of the room. “You don’t know what you’re doing! You’re making a huge mistake!”
“Fat jokes won’t salvage your reputation, Skyquake,” Straxus grunted. “Now get outta here. Time for the next show to start.”
IV:
Cosmos’ systems took their time in booting back up as he was greeted with the sound of bickering.
“That one was mine.”
“We can’t have you shooting that BFG of yours in here. You’ll set off every alarm on this ship.”
“Skyquake and his crew have already left. All that’s left are Eradicons.”
“He’ll still be alerted! Unless you want to go swimming in the smelting pools.”
“Quiet, you guys,” came Windcharger’s voice. “I’ve found him. Glitch, can you disable this ray shield?”
Cosmos raised his head in time to see the ray shield of his cell dissipate. Standing there were Skids, Glitch, and Windcharger. The latter waved at him.
“Hey, buddy! You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”
“No,” Cosmos muttered, rubbing his helm as he stood up. “How… how did you guys get here?”
“Windcharger magnetically fused us to the ship’s underside,” Skids said. “Fortunately, they didn’t jump to warp speed. Otherwise….”
“Hey, I knew Lucifer was just a system over!” Windcharger said defensively. “They wouldn’t waste a jump over such a short trip.”
“I’m sorry, Lucifer?” Cosmos asked.
“Its proper designation is LU-5-4,” Skids said. “Well, short-term proper. Its full designation—”
“Oh my god, nobody cares,” Glitch said. “Let’s just regroup with Roller and get moving.”
With haste, the four Autobots began moving through the Darklon, heading for the hangar bay. Cosmos looked around as they dodged patrolling Eradicons, noticing the absence of a sixth of their number.
“Uh, where’s Optimus Prime?”
Glitch broke into a giggle fit. “Probably monkeying around.”
Skids rolled his optics. “Primus spare me….”
Windcharger shook his head before looking over at Cosmos. “He’ll be around. He’s doing his part of the plan, we’re doing ours.”
“And… what is your plan?” Cosmos asked.
“To break into Darkmount and free the prisoners.”
There was a long silence after Windcharger had said this. Cosmos stared at him before blinking once.
“No, but seriously.”
Windcharger frowned. “What? That’s the plan.”
“You’re joking, right?” Cosmos said. “You—you do know that Darkmount is, like, the ultimate Decepticon fortress, right?”
“Actually, that’d be Kolkular,” said Skids. “Granted, Darkmount is up there….”
“Either way, I can’t be the only one who finds the words ‘break into Darkmount’ to be synonymous with ‘certain death.’”
“Hey, it’s only certain if you don’t do things right.” Windcharger gave Cosmos a thumbs up. “Relax. Just follow our lead and everything will be fine.”
Cosmos groaned. “If I had any money, I would so totally bet against that….”
* * *
“Uh… where did he say to put him?”
“Who cares?” the Eradicon soldier grunted, tossing the stasis pod containing Optimus Prime to the floor, joining the ranks of a dozen others. “It’s not like anyone keeps this place organized.”
“Point taken,” said the other trooper. “Say, is it break time yet?”
“Dunno. Is TX-552 back from his yet?”
The two Eradicons continued talking as they exited the storage cell, closing and locking the door behind them. Once their footsteps had faded away, a pair of legs kicked open the stasis pod as Optimus Prime climbed out of the capsule, rubbing his battered helm.
“Boy, that Skyquake guy really doesn’t like me,” he muttered.
“An understatement beyond measure,” replied a muffled voice. Reaching behind himself, Optimus detached a small jet from his back, which instantly transformed into a small bot.
“No lie, I totally forgot you existed, Hi-Q,” Optimus said to the Mini-Con. “Why so quiet?”
“I’ve just been analyzing the probability of success for your plan,” Hi-Q replied.
“Ah, cool.”
“Chances of success are, at present, 1,984 to one.”
“That’s an oddly specific number,” Optimus said. “I won’t ask if that’s good or not.”
“Just as well. You wouldn’t like the answer, anyway.”
Standing to full height, Optimus looked around the room they were in. There were dozens of stasis pods but only a few were occupied. This was probably where the ‘Cons got their “playthings”—a reserve of Autobots to torture once they were done with their current target.
It disgusted him… but not as much as High Command’s complete and utter lack of action.
They knew these Autobots were being kept here, yet had Ultra Magnus sent anyone to Darkmount to rescue them? Nope; everyone was too busy defending worlds like Earth or Nebulos to care for their own people. It sickened him to the very laser core….
“Optimus?” Hi-Q was frowning at him. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Optimus lied. Shaking his bitter musings, he began to peruse the pods, peering into each capsule. Hi-Q floated after him, continuing to frown as he watched his larger partner.
“Aren’t you going to free them?” he asked.
“Not yet,” Optimus replied. “If I freed just any average bot, I would just be granting them an early death. No, if this plan is gonna work, we need someone big. Someone like Roller or Impactor or—”
He stopped as he looked behind one of the empty capsules. There, buried in the back, was a capsule larger than any other, containing a bot befitting its size.
“Grimlock.”
“I’m sorry, did you say the G-name?” Hi-Q asked. “I thought he died during the war.”
“He went missing after the Battle of Omnitron,” Optimus muttered, pushing aside the pods to reveal the stasis-held Dinobot. “We all thought the same but there were rumors that he had somehow survived.”
He took a step back to study the imprisoned Dinobot. While the face and build were undoubtedly Grimlock, the colors were different. Gone was the gold chest, replaced with an obsidian breastplate with red cracks seeping through. His gray armor was also changed to crimson while his red visor was now tinted green.
It was Grimlock, mos certainly. But… some things had changed. Optimus only wondered if the changes were more than just cosmetic.
“Right then,” he murmured. “Let’s get this open.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hi-Q asked. “I’ve never met him, of course, but I’ve heard Grimlock can be… unfriendly when disturbed from slumber.”
“Relax, he and I go way back,” Optimus said as he worked the pod’s controls. “Sure, he might be a bit grumpy at times, but once you get to know him, he can be a real—”
Without warning, the capsule burst open and Optimus was sent flying across the room, crashing into a pile of empty pods. As Hi-Q looked on in alarm, Grimlock lumbered out of his prison, green visor flashing with rage.
Optimus laughed as he thrust out an arm, giving the Dinobot a thumbs up. “Ha! Still got it, Grim! That was a good one.”
Grimlock simply snared as he crouched down, planting his palms on the ground as his back kibble began to unfurl, assuming the shape of a dinosaur’s head.
“Whoa now, not so fast.” Optimus scrambled to his feet. “We’ve gotta plan first, buddy. Do you even know where you are? You can’t just—”
Green optics glowed to life as the dinosaur head fell over Grimlock’s own. The resulting tyrannosaurus then growled lowly as it set its gaze on Optimus.
“…You’re not listening to me, are you?”
An earsplitting roar was his only response as the Dinobot came charging forward….
* * *
“Hey, did you hear that?”
The one Eradicon stopped to look at the other. “Hear what?”
His partner gestured down the corridor. “It sounded like it came from—”
Up ahead, a door went flying off its hinges as a red and black beast came raging out. The Eradicons immediately raised their guns as one held a hand to their comm.
“This is TX-959 to all available units! We have a breakout on Sector G-86! Repeat: Breakout on—”
The trooper was drowned out by the Dinobot’s roar as it charged towards the Eradicons, opening its maw to bring forth their fiery end.
V:
“Please tell me that’s part of the plan.”
Windcharger did not meet Cosmos’ pleading gaze as he listened to the wailing alarms ringing throughout the fortress. “No, I don’t think it is…” he murmured.
The five of them were pressed against the outer wall, hiding in the shadows as Eradicons rushed past them into the fortress. Regardless of whether or not it was part of the plan, it nonetheless provided a useful distraction.
“All right,” Roller grunted, hefting his gun. “Let’s split up. Windcharger, lift Skids and Glitch up to the top. Cosmos, you can fly up there as well.”
“Oh joy,” the green Autobot whined. “Oh joy oh joy oh—”
“Once you’re up there, find the controls to the smelting pools and switch them off. Meanwhile, Windcharger and I will go to the cells and help Prime out.”
Windcharger nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Sounds good?!” Cosmos stared at him incredulously. “Sounds good?! Don’t you guys watch movies? Splitting up the gang is like the worst thing you can possibly do!”
Roller glanced at him. “Well then, Mr. Strategist, do you have any alternative suggestions?”
“Yeah, here’s one: Stick together and don’t do something rash and suicidal.”
Glitch looked down and counted on her claws. “That’s… that’s two suggestions.”
Ignoring her, Windcharger stepped up and rested a hand on Cosmos’ shoulder. The green Autobot was beginning to get sick of these empty gestures.
“Look, I understand this all may seem intimidating, but just—”
“Just what?” Cosmos snapped. “Just trust you? That’s what I’ve been doing all this time and look where it’s gotten me!”
“Not so loud,” Roller hissed, glancing back at the Eradicons marching into the fortress. “Look, we don’t have time to argue this any further. Prime’s counting on us. Windcharger, get Skids and Glitch up there.”
Without question, the red Autobot got to work. As he lifted Skids and Glitch up with his magnet powers, Cosmos let out a weary sigh.
“I take it I’m the only one with a survival drive then.”
Windcharger smiled weakly at him. “Sorry, buddy. Just stick close to Skids and Glitch. They’ve got your back.”
“Do they?” Cosmos cast a doubtful glance upwards. “So far it seems like they’d love nothing more than to tear each other’s sparks out.’
“That’s just their thing,” Roller said. “They’ll keep you safe, don’t worry.”
“We’ll see about that,” Cosmos murmured as he transformed and followed the pair up the fortress wall.
* * *
“Man, will someone turn that alarm off?”
Skyquake frowned as he gave Straxus an annoyed glance. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned—”
“Of course I am!” Straxus snapped. “I’m concerned that I’m going to miss my nap!”
Growling in irritation, Skyquake directed his attention to Snare, standing dutifully as he awaited orders. “Alert Falcon. Have him take a squad of Predators to Sector G. Also, tell security to put the entire fortress on lockdown so that no one leaves.”
Snare saluted before running off to carry out his orders. Skyquake then turned back to see Straxus rising from his throne.
“Are you going to join them?” asked a surprised and hopeful Skyquake.
“No,” Straxus mumbled, waddling past the Seeker. “I’m going to my quarters. It’s sound proof there so the alarms won’t bother me.”
Skyquake could only cover his face with his hand as the Lord High Governor trodded away.
* * *
“Would you like to hear the current probability of success for the plan?”
“Hi-Q, the plan just took a suicidal nosedive out a 100-story window,” Optimus Prime grunted as he ran after the rampaging Grimlock. “Such as it was.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Hi-Q murmured, attached to Prime’s back once more. “So what’s the new plan, if you have one?”
“Tame Grimlock is as far as I’ve gotten.”
“Ah. I can give you an estimate on the probability of—”
“Please don’t,” Optimus said. “I really don’t need that right now.”
Following the sounds of death and destruction, Optimus turned the corner to find Grimlock entangled with a detachment of Decepticons, consisting of Eradicons and Predator jets. The Dinobot roared as he impaled a trooper with his tail before chomping down on an advancing Predator, hurling the both of them to the side.
Under normal circumstances, Optimus would have considered this move to be awesome. It still was, of course. But if he had any hope in taming the wild Dinobot, it was now or never; the awesomeness would have to wait.
“Grimlock!” he hollered. “Think happy thoughts!”
The Dinobot whirled to him, green eyes blazing with hate.
“Happy thoughts, Grim! Think about… think about pretty girls! And cute animals! And cupcakes! You like cupcakes, don’t you?”
Grimlock answered with a deafening roar as he barreled towards the Autobot commander.
“I’ll… take that as a no.” Metal feet screeched against the steel floor as Optimus turned around and began to run like hell.
* * *
In spite of all his apprehensions over the present operation, Cosmos had to admit that watching Skids in action was immensely entertaining.
The three of them had just turned a corner in the direction of the smelting pools only to come face to face with a squad of Eradicons. Without warning, Skids was immediately in motion, taking out one trooper with his gun while using his arm-mounted blasters to take down a second just as a pair of shoulder cannons finished off the third and fourth. He didn’t even need his gun emplacements on his shoulder wheels as the fifth had already ended himself by stupidly tripping over his comrade’s corpse and discharging his blaster in his face.
Weapons still smoking, Skids looked over to Glitch. “Did you…?”
“I’ve been teaching myself to use my powers remotely,” she replied. “The Professor did say they would evolve over time.”
“God, you’re scary,” Skids muttered. “Next you’ll be talking people to death or something.”
“That was so awesome,” Cosmos murmured despite himself. “Are you… are you an ex-Wrecker or something? A Warrior Elite? A Phase Sixer?”
Skids rolled his optics. “I’m a theoretician.”
“Is there a word for someone who somehow manages to act humble and haughty at the same time?” Glitch asked. “’Cos that’s what I’d call you. Or at least a vulgar twist of it.”
“Let’s just go,” Skids grunted, turning back around.
They continued their way down the hallway, managing to avoid any more conflicts with Decepticons. The further they went, the closer Cosmos could tell they were getting to their destination… because it was beginning to get rather warm.
“We’re getting close,” Skids said quietly, gun at the ready. “Be ready for anything.”
Up ahead was an open doorway, where two Eradicons stood before a chamber bathed in orange. Before Skids could say anything, Glitch disabled the both of them with a wave of her hands. As the guards crumpled lifelessly to the floor, Skids shot her a disapproving look.
“What?” Glitch snapped. “Practice makes perfect. Besides, you’re the one to talk, Mr. Walking War Machine.”
Skids simply shook his head as he led the other two the rest of the way to the open entrance. Upon entering, they came onto a wide balcony that oversaw the smelting pool… and what a sight it was.
Oil-curdling screams echoed out from melted corpses attempting in vain to climb to freedom, only to be pushed back down by cackling Decepticons. On hovering platforms, tow-cables dipped Autobots down into the lava only to pull them back out before repeating the process. Their screams were just as if not more harrowing than the others.
Cosmos began to feel himself shake. He had heard tales of the Decepticons’ brutality, of course, but he had always thought they were exaggerated. But now that he was seeing it first hand… he felt as if his spark were about to give out.
A hand fell on his shoulder and at first he thought it was Skids or Glitch trying to comfort him. But then he looked up and saw the Decepticon’s face just as the doors slammed shut behind them.
“Looks enticing, doesn’t it?” the orange jet said, brandishing a three-pronged trident. “Don’t worry; there’s plenty of room.”
---
