Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

--Outpost Two--

    The whole station shook beneath his feet. Gunfire rang outside the room and bolts of plasma zipped past the viewport. All around him, things were falling apart.

    He thought about calling for help, to ask for reinforcements but he quickly thought better of it. Even if one of the other Directors did send support, he would never hear the end of it. He would be mocked for his failure for all eternity, a fate he saw as worse than death.

   No, he would stay. He would stay here and burn with all his failures. It would only be fitting.

    The Wreckers were just outside his door. He could tell by the intense screaming and the twisting of metal. Any minute now they would be here, and he had to do everything under his power to make sure they didn't get their hands on what he had spent so long making.

    After making sure all of the charges were primed and ready for detonation, Magnificus then turned to the door and waited.

*  *  *

    "P-please! D-don't kill me!"

    Guzzle glanced down at the black-colored Decepticon at his mercy. Their legs had been blown away by his trusted gun and a good portion of their faceplate was missing, revealing a petrified expression.

    "Please," the Decepticon repeated. "You're an Autobot. You don't--"

    "It's Loudpedal, right?" Guzzle asked, keeping his gun trained on the 'Con. "You're that music artist from Monoplex."

    "Wh-what? No. I'm not--"

    "I mean, I'm not one to judge, but I never would've pinned one of you 'Cons as the creative type, y'know?"

    "I'm not Loudpedal!" the Decepticon shrieked. "I'm Vivisector! The Butcher of Pyrox! The 'Con of a Thousand Faces! I am one of the greatest minds in the Decepticon Empire! I--"

    "--Need to work on your marketing pitch," Guzzle interjected before pulling the trigger of his gun and blowing the Decepticon's head to pieces. Moving away from Vivisector's remains, Guzzle looked upon his handiwork. Dozens of bodies littered the floor, with only a few still twitching with life. None of them were in any condition to fight, so he did not waste the firepower on them.

    Hearing the sound of engines, Guzzle turned to see Kup and Ironfist driving up to him, followed closely by a yellow and purple truck. As they transformed to robot mode, Guzzle instantly got a whiff of a very terrible smell.

    "Good grief, what did you guys drag out of the trash disposal?" he exclaimed.

    "This is Toxitron," Kup said, gesturing at the burly mech. "He's an Autobot."

    "He smells like a Junkion took a bath in the Acid Wastes."

    "Me am very defended by that!" Toxitron snapped angrily. "You am not very mean!"

    "And he talks like a Dinobot. Wonderful." Guzzle sighed. "Well, I'm finished here. What's next?"

    After surveying the damage Guzzle had wrought with a small look of disapproval, Kup then said, "Springer just radioed me. He and the others have made their way to the control room. We're to meet them there and help 'em take down Magnificus."

    "Well, what are we waiting for?" Guzzle said, changing into his tank mode. "Let's wreck."

--The Lost Light--

    The robot who looked like Megatron stood there on the edge of the landing ramp, aiming his fusion cannon at the Autobots. In return, they simply stared at him in shock, too stunned to move, and waited for him to unleash his wrath.

    Minutes passed by. No such attack came. The apprehensive Autobots exchanged uncertain looks, unsure of what was going on. Eventually, it dawned on the Megatron copy that nothing was happening and he lowered his cannon in confusion.

    "What is--"

    "Now, Strafe!" Red Alert cried.

    The Technobot let out a yell as he fired at the double. As Megatron staggered back, Powerflash unleashed a stun bolt from his gun, which sent the Decepticon's systems into shutdown and brought him down to the floor. While Aquafend and Deftwing rushed over to restrain Megatron, Red Alert strode over to Dealer and slammed the butt of his gun into the other mech's face, knocking him down.

    "You have ten seconds to give me a good reason not to flush you out the airlock."

    "I had no idea!" Dealer said. "There were six capsules on the ship when I stole it from the 'Cons and I didn't know what was in them! And I don't know how he got out. I swear on my life."

    Red Alert did not look at all convinced. In fact, he looked even more dubious than he did before. However, just as he raised his gun to strike Dealer again, he heard Aquafend call out to him.

    "Red! His head's getting away!"

    Confused, Red Alert turned to see a tiny robot running out of the hangar, leaving behind a headless Megatron. His optics nearly shorting out from seeing this unexpected development, he quickly raised the rest of the ship's security detail on his comm.

    "All units, dispatch! We have an intruder on board! Repeat: intruder on board!" Once the message had been broadcasted, he then turned to Powerflash. "I want you to take Dealer to the brig. The others and I will track down whatever that thing was."

    "Shouldn't we investigate his ship as well?" Powerflash asked. "In case there are other Megatrons?"

    "There's no time to worry about that," Red Alert, already converting to his car mode. "Just get him into a cell before he causes any more trouble."

    With that, the security director drove off, followed closely by Strafe, Aquafend, and Deftwing. Powerflash watched them vacate the hangar before directing his attention to Dealer. After staring down at the other mech for a moment, he then offered him his hand.

    "Come on, pal. You're more use outside a cell than in one."

    Dealer looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

    "Red Alert might not trust you, but I'm the kind of bot who's willing to give second chances." Taking Dealer's hand, Powerflash helped the bot up to his feet. "Now, you said there were six capsules on your ship?"

    "Yes. Some Decepticon scientist put them on board. I'm pretty sure that..." he nodded to the headless Megatron, "...came from one of them, since I found a capsule with a broken canopy."

    "Then we'd better make sure the others are sealed tight," Powerflash said as he headed for the ship. "The last thing we need are six Megatrons running around."

    "Right," Dealer murmured as he followed the yellow and red mech. "To think that would ever be a genuine concern...."

--Outpost Two--

    "About time you guys got here!" Rotorstorm said as Kup, Ironfist, Guzzle, and Toxitron drove up to join the other three Wreckers at the door to the control room. "Did the old rustbucket hold you guys up?"

    "Shove it, kid," Kup snapped, transforming to robot mode. "I've killed for less than that." Brushing past a debased Rotorstorm, the veteran stepped up to the Wrecker leader Springer, his green and yellow armor scratched up from some sort of scuffle. Pyro was standing nearby working the door's control panel to open it.

    "You're sure Magnificus is in here?" Kup asked.

    "Positive," Springer said. "From what I've gathered from Agent C-308's reports, Magnificus is a control freak and thus never leaves this room, where he can see and control everything on this station."

    "Doesn't that mean he can see us?" Ironfist asked, looking around for cameras."

    "Probably. But frankly, so what? I don't think there's anything he can throw at us that he hasn't already--which has been a bit lackluster thus far."

    "Who's to say he doesn't have something cooked up for us past those doors?" Kup pointed out.

    The six Wreckers all fell silent, mulling over the veteran's words. Toxitron, on the other hand, simply strode over to the door and pushed Pyro aside.

    "So smart," he muttered. "Leave it to I to ruin the day."

    He then proceeded to put his hand to the door. Inexplicably, a corrosive substance exuded from his servos, slowly burning into the metal and causing it to disintegrate. Beyond the melted door was a very frightened black and silver mech, who looked completely astonished by the appearance of Toxitron and his accomplishment.

    "No... how did you... no...."

    Frantically, Magnificus opened a compartment in his chest and reached inside. Before he could get whatever he was reaching for, Toxitron lunged forward and slammed his fist into the Decepticon's face. The blow was enough to short out Magnificus' systems and the scientist collapsed to the floor, his chest still open.

    Pleased with himself, Toxitron turned to the Wreckers and stood proudly with his arms akimbo.

    "I are worst Autobot ever!" he proclaimed.

    Springer glanced at Kup, who simply shrugged.

    As the Wreckers entered the room, Springer said, "Pyro, Ironfist, cuff him and get him out of here. Rotorstorm, start going through the logs and download anything of note. Kup and I will stay on the lookout for anymore 'Cons."

    "What about I?" Toxitron asked.

    Springer turned to the garishly colored clone of Optimus Prime, looking him up and down. "You... can stay here with Rotorstorm. Keep him company."

    "Thanks for thinking of me," Rotorstorm replied sardonically. "Remain me to return the favor someday."

    With that, the Wreckers got to work. As Ironfist and Pyro put restraints on Magnificus, the former noticed the Decepticon's chest compartment was still open. He moved to close it... only to see what was within.

    "What is it?" Pyro asked, seeing him staring at his discovery.

    "There's... there's a timer in his chest," Ironfist murmured, stepping back.

    "What?!" Springer rushed over to see for himself. Indeed, ticking down with bold red numbers, was a timer with only a minute and thirteen seconds left to go. With no indicator on what it was counting down to, Springer decided to take no chances and drew his sword, raising it over Magnificus' chest.

    "Stand back," he ordered the other two.

    "What are you doing?" Ironfist asked.

    "I said stand back!" With that, the Wrecker leader drove his blade into the Decepticon's chest and the entire room erupted with a blinding light.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

--Carcer--

   "My head hurts."

    Rodimus was sitting on a bench outside the medical lab, repeatedly tapping the back of his aforementioned head against the wall. Witnessing him in this practice was Skids, the one who called himself Sentinel Major, and Minimus Ambus, all waiting for Swerve to be treated of his injury.

    Looking at him blankly, Sentinel said, "We have some cerebrosurgeons who can look you over."

    "I didn't mean it like that," Rodimus said hastily. "I'm talking about... all of this." He gestured widely around him and then to Sentinel. "Like you, for example. You say your name is Sentinel Major, whereas a lot of us knew a guy called Sentinel Prime. Now, I know good names are always taken and in most cases it's allowed to share one. But 'Sentinel' is kind of like 'Optimus' or 'Starscream' -- there's only one bot you think of when you hear the name, and when I hear 'Sentinel', I think of a majestic, red, pretentious pain in the--"

    "Rodimus," Minimus cut him off sharply.

    "Sorry. Anyway, you get the point. So explain yourself."

    Sentinel inclined his head. "I was always meant to be Sentinel Prime. During the Kaon Revolution, when the public's faith in Guardian Prime had started to wane, the High Council selected me to succeed him. When Guardian was assassinated, I was quickly whisked away for the Primal Ceremony. When I got there, however, a certain someone was waiting for me."

    "Galvatron," Rodimus murmured.

    "I didn't know it was him at the time, of course," Sentinel Major went on. "He had already adopted an appearance identical to mine. The first thing he did was hit us with a disruptor wave. When I awoke, I found myself here."

    "I see. And so you started this Covenant business?"

    "No, actually. That was Magmatron's doing. He was the one who awakened me."

    "And how did Magmatron come across Carcer?" Minimus asked.

    Sentinel thought for a moment. "You know... I don't think I've ever asked him. It was never a pressing matter for me to attend to."

    "Okay, great, so that explains you," Skids said. "But what about the others? Like, Ultra Trion. How does he know my name?"

    "Wait, Ultra Trion?" Rodimus looked at Sentinel bemusedly. "As in, like, Ultra Magnus and Alpha Trion?"

    Sentinel ignored him as he turned to Skids. "That's something you should ask him. I am not at liberty to--"

    Suddenly, the four mechs heard a scream come from the medibay. Skids was the first to the door, pushing past Sentinel and barging into the medibay. Inside, Swerve was sitting up straight on his repair slab clutching his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he held back another outburst. Surrounding him were the three medics Ratchet, Velocity, and a multi-limbed femme. The latter was holding a pair of tweezers, in between which was a bullet.

    "You know, there were better ways of performing that operation," Ratchet said sternly. "It's generally considered good practice to not cause the patient any more pain than they're already in."

    "Pharma, I've been in this practice far longer than you have," the femme said coolly as she went to set the bullet on a table. "I think it's safe to say I know what I'm doing."

    "For the last time, I'm not--" Ratchet stopped himself when he saw Skids and the others standing in the doorway. "Oh. Hey. Didn't hear you come in."

    "How is he?" Skids asked, stepping over to Swerve.

    "I'm alive, if that's what you're asking," Swerve said, wincing in pain as he tightened his grip on his shoulder. "But I'm also bleeding all over the place, so I'm not sure how long that'll be."

    "If you would just give me a minute, I might be able to do something about that." The Carcerian medic returned with a piece of metal and a rivet gun. As she started patching up the open wound, Ratchet frowned as he watched the procedure.

    "I expect a more professional patch-up from someone like you, Cogwheel."

    The medic's mouth curled into a sneer. "Well, forgive me for lacking the proper materials to perform a more professional job. I only have so much to work with."

    "Hey, relax, doc," Swerve said to Ratchet, grinning. "I'm cool with it. It makes me look more distinguished. Makes me pop out in a crowd."

    Skids smirked at him. "I don't think you need any help in doing that, Mr. Shut The Heck Up."

    "Har har. You're a riot."

    "How long have you had this injury?" Ratchet asked, nodding at Swerve's shoulder. "For the bullet to be that seeded in, you would have had to have gotten it...."

    "Over a century ago," Swerve finished for him. "Yeah, I think it was Cycle 9707 when I got it. I was stationed at an outpost on Galarus when I decided to take the day off. It was just my luck that I came across the D.J.D. while they were doing their thing."

    "It was the D.J.D. who shot you?" Cogwheel asked.

    "Yeah, they caught me while I was trying to flee. I think it was... Vos who shot me? The one with the claws. Don't know how he managed to hold a gun with hands like his."

    Cogwheel looked deep in thought as she glanced at Swerve's patched up shoulder and then to the bullet. "Did you have a badge on your shoulder when that happened?"

    "Um... yes, actually." Swerve tilted his head, surprised. "I remember having to get a new one on my chest after it got damaged. Why do you ask?"

    Cogwheel went over to the bullet and picked it up, rolling it between her fingers. "Sentinel, I think we should bring this to Karmen."

    "Why?" Sentinel asked. "She's our communications specialist, not our forensics expert."

    "Exactly." Cogwheel smiled. "I do believe Agent 113 is trying to tell us something."

*  *  *

    Skyfall clicked the heels of his feet together as he sat in his cell, listening to the muffled voices coming from outside. The more time passed, the more anxious he got, dreading whatever fate awaited him.

    When things had finally been sorted out with the Carcerians, the Autobots had been very quick to whisk him away to be detained. As if a Decepticon badge automatically made one guilty of a number of crimes....

    He didn't even know how or why he had changed into his Decepticon "alter-ego" without knowing it. Ever since his cover was blown two hundred years ago, he had ceased to use it and even forgot about it while he was stationed at Garrus-9. Why now of all times...?

    The voices were growing louder and Skyfall could hear the faint sound of... helicopter blades. He looked up in time to see the door open and a spindly gray mech hovered in, propelled by a set of rotors on his hunched back. Skyfall moved with a start as the robot came to a stop before his cell, hands clasped behind his back.

    "Hello, Skyjack," the visitor said.

    "I don't know that name," Skyfall said quickly.

    "Yes, you do. And you know who I am."

    "Everyone knows who you are. You're one of Megatron's top generals."

    "Indeed. But our connection goes a bit deeper than that." The mech hovered in silence for a moment before uttering a single word. "Gideon."

    Skyfall yelled as his hands went up to his head, clutching it in agony.

    "Grindcore. Phosphex. Babu Yar."

    Slowly however, the pain started to recede and the screams grew quieter. By the time he heard the last word, he was merely gritting his teeth uncomfortably.

    "Fisitron."

    Blue optics flashed to red as the black and red mech finally relaxed and straightened himself to meet his superior's eyes.

    "I am yours to command, general."

    "Good," the hovering mech responded. "I'm glad to have you with us, Skyjack. I have one last mission for you...."

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--The Lost Light--

    Dealer blew out a sigh of relief once his ship had docked in the hangar bay. He was finally in the clear; away from the Secret Order's wrath and in the safe hands of the Secret Service. He couldn't wait to see the look on Prowl's face when he told him what he had found out.

    Rising from the pilot seat, he started to head down for the ramp only to stop when he saw the six capsules lined up down the corridor, placed there by Vivisector before he had taken the ship. Dealer wondered what was in them and why the scientist thought them important enough to take with him.

    Eh, it can wait, he eventually decided. As long as they stay safe and sound here, I'm sure it won't be--

    Before he could finish that thought, an unsettling realization came over him. All of the capsules had glowing canopies to indicate whatever was inside them was secured... except for one. There was one canopy that wasn't glowing -- it wasn't even there at all. Shards of glass were scattered on the floor.

    Whatever had been in the capsule had broken out. And it was on the this ship.

    With him.

    Dealer did not even hesitate when he decided to run like heck.

*  *  *

    Red Alert stood approximately twenty feet away from the ship that had just docked. With him was his selected security detail -- consisting of Aquafend, Strafe, Deftwing, and Powerflash -- and they all waited patiently and cautiously for the owner of the ship to step down.

    His hand tight around the trigger of his gun, Red Alert counted the minutes as they passed. The more time went by, the more nervous he became. The ramp should have lowered by ow. What was taking so long?

    "I don't like this," he muttered to himself. "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

    "Hey, relax," Strafe assured him, holding his two orange guns readily. "Maybe something came up that he had to take care of, like a ship malfunction, or a--"

    Without warning, the ramp finally dropped down and a blue and gray mech came running out. Startled, Strafe yelled out and fired his guns at the mech, hitting him square in the chest. Collapsing onto his knees, the robot looked up at the Autobot with a furious expression.

    "You glitchhead! I'm on your side!"

    Ignoring him, Red Alert trained his gun on him. "Identify yourself," he demanded.

    "Agent C-308, alias Dealer."

    "Dealer?" Red Alert narrowed his eyes. "As in Doubledealer?"

    "...Yes? I don't see how that's--" The color went from the mech's face as the realization settled in. "Wait... you're not Secret Service."

    "Like Pit I am." Making sure his gun was set to stun, Red Alert was about to pull the trigger when something else came down the ramp. The other Autobots pointed their guns at the new figure... and collectively gasped. Red Alert lifted his gaze from Dealer and felt his mouth fall open.

    Standing there on the edge of the ramp was Megatron, silver and black armor plating gleaming as if it just came off the factory line. Red optics blazing with rage, he raised his arm-mounted cannon and prepared to fire....

--Outpost Two--

    "The Wreckers? Here?!"

    "That's what I've heard!" Vivisector shouted over the blaring alarms as he headed for the shuttle bay with Oil Slick, along with other panicked Decepticons. "Magnificus doesn't even want to risk a fight with them and has ordered a full-scale evacuation."

    "Well, it's good to know he has his head on straight," Oil Slick muttered. "Can you imagine if we were at Outpost Three? We would probably all--"

    A loud agonizing cry cut the scientist off, causing him and Vivisector to look behind them. A Decepticon was on his knees, a gaping hole in his chest, and behind him was a very short Autobot in yellow and dark gray carrying a massive gun. His blue optics calmly moved from the mech he had just killed and to the stunned Decepticons standing before him.

    "Don't worry," he said. "This only takes a few seconds to recharge. I'll get to you guys eventually."

    Vivisector and the others certainly did not hesitate in continuing to flee.

*  *  *

    "Are you sure it was a good idea to leave Guzzle by himself?"

    Kup spared a brief glance at his companion as he worked on opening the locked door. "Why do ya ask, kid?"

    "I dunno." Ironfist shrugged. "He just seems a little... bloodthirsty. I mean, I'm all for shooting Decepticons, but he takes it to the extreme."

    Kup grunted over the cy-gar he was chewing. "You've clearly never seen Roadbuster in action. You don't know what extreme is until you've watched him."

    "Oh, I've heard the stories. The Roadbuster affair of Cycle 9624, the capture of Protoform X... I actually have a datalog devoted to all of his escapades."

    Kup paused in his work to look over his shoulder at the rookie Wrecker. "Huh," he grunted. "Guess Springer wasn't kidding when he said you were a Wrecker aficionado."

    Ironfist's optics went wide. "He said that? Springer? He said that about me?"

    "Yes. You can thank him once we're done. Now keep it down while I try and get this door." Kup continued to operate the door's control panel while Ironfist stood guard. Moments later, the door finally slid open and Kup beckoned Ironfist to follow him in.

    Inside the room, the two Wreckers found rows upon rows of ovoid capsules, all containing gray, featureless figures, their fragile robotic frames covered with thin metal. In all their chests was a wide, circular crevice, in which a blue light glowed. Kup frowned as he looked upon this while Ironfist tilted his head in confusion.

    "Are those...?"

    "Protoforms," Kup confirmed. "I don't know how in the blazes these 'Cons got 'em, but I don't think I want to know what they're plannin' on doin' with 'em."

    "So many of them too," Ironfist murmured. "How are we going to get them all onto the Xantium?"

    "We can't," Kup said sharply. "We didn't come here on a rescue mission, lad. We're just here to find out what these 'Cons are up to and show our findings to Prowl."

    "But... we can't just leave them."

    "I'm sure someone will be sent to retrieve them once we're done here." Stepping up to one of the stasis pods, Kup explored its exterior, trying to find any sort of label or marking that would indicate its purpose. When he found none, he turned back to Ironfist -- and immediately cringed as his olfactory sensors detected a foul smell.

    "Agh, motherboard of Primon! What is that?"

    "What's what?" Ironfist took a moment to pick up the putrid smell himself. When he did, he reacted in similar fashion."Oh god. That's... that's nasty."

    "Guess the 'Cons don't know anythin' 'bout good hygiene. Have they got Horri-Bull working here?"

    "Me no am horrible! Me am great!"

    Both Autobots whirled at the sound of the voice and pointed their guns in its direction. From behind one of the pods appeared a broad-shouldered mech colored in an eye-searing shade of yellow and purple. Corrosive sludge leaked out from his crevices and a rancid smell emitted from his vents. Red optics glowed from behind a faceplate which, combined with his winged helmet, reminded the two Wreckers of Optimus Prime.

    "Okay, punk, who the scrap are you?" Kup asked, keeping his rifle trained on the mech. "Better yet, what are you?"

    "Me am Toxitron! Me am greatest Autobot of all!"

    "Autobot, eh?" Kup squinted his eyes and saw that there was indeed a red Autobot badge on Toxitron's chest, albeit covered in slime. "Well, that's good to know, if you're one of us. How did you come to be stuck here?"

    "Me was not stuck! Me was died here!"

    "Okaaaay." Kup exchanged a glance with Ironfist before looking back at Toxitron. "Anyway, we're on a mission here. If you think you can lend a hand, that'd be swell."

    "No!" Toxitron exclaimed eagerly. "Me can lend two hands!"

    "Um, that's great." Ironfist then glanced at Kup, cocking his head. "I don't know about you," he murmured, "but I don't think this guy's mentally stable enough to help us in a fight."

    Before Kup could reply, all three mechs heard a voice call from outside.

    "Hello? Is anyone in here? The base is being evac--"

    Kup only got a glimpse of the Decepticon before his view was obstructed by Toxitron, who charged at the teal mech and started tearing away. Circuits and armor went flying everywhere, causing even the hardened Kup to flinch while Ironfist simply stared in wide-eyed shock. When he was done, all that was left of the Decepticon was a skeletal structure missing both legs and an arm.

    Kup took out his cy-gar and flaked off bits of residual energon. "I don't think mental stability is a requirement with us."

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

--Unidentified Titan--

    "...And that's the situation so far."

    Rodimus did not say anything at first once Rung had finished relaying everything to him and the others whom had just awoken from stasis. Rubbing his chin, he glanced warily at Pharma -- who was supposedly Ratchet in Pharma's body -- and then at Minimus Ambus, who had somehow lost his Magnus Armor -- supposedly to Pharma in Ratchet's body. If he was being honest with himself, this all sounded like one big joke. But since it was coming from Rung and Minimus -- both bots he trusted -- then he really had no reason to not believe them.

    Well, except for one thing.

    "How do I know Pharma isn't mind-controlling you to say this scrap?" Rodimus asked.

    Rung looked up at Possibly-Ratchet, who simply affixed Rodimus with an impassive look.

    "What's up, doc?"

    Rodimus blinked. "Huh?"

    "First thing you said to me, after I dragged your sorry chassis to the medbay after the assault on Theta Palos. I nearly tossed you back into the Gorge."

    A small smile crossed Rodimus' face. "You also told me if I ever called you doc again, you'd find a way to make me contract corrodia gravis."

    "That warning is still effective, mind you," Ratchet said. "A thousand years makes zero difference."

    "Great. Now that we have all that settled...." Froid stepped forward, crossing his arms as he looked at Rodimus and the rest. "I suggest we figure out where in the blazes are we. It's been nearly two hours since that orange mech was here and I'm just about tired of waiting."

    "I have to agree," Velocity said, worriedly looking up from the offline Swerve. "This bot is fading fast. I'm not sure how much longer he has."

    Ratchet cursed to himself, at a complete loss. The mech had told them to stay here, even making it sound like a warning, as if they'd die by leaving. But at the same time, Swerve himself was dying. Would it be worth the risk to leave the chamber to save one single bot in peril?

    It only took him a moment to realize that someone else had already made up their mind on that dilemma, when he saw that Skids was nowhere to be found.

*  *  *

    While sneaking through the hallways of places he knew nothing about was not something he wished to make a habit of, it was nevertheless a compulsion Skids could not ignore. With Swerve's life being on the line, he was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on here.

    The sound of voices led him into a long hallway, down which he could see a door, open by a crack. As he carefully treaded across the hall, Skids took the time to study the decorations on the walls.

    If this was indeed a Titan, then whoever once lived here (or still did) had a love for ancient history and myths. Thanks to his religious upbringing, he recognized carvings of Primus, the Guiding Hand, and other such deities. There were also sculpted representations of every Prime from Prima to Nova; the absence of Nominus to Optimus made Skids suspect that the residents were very far behind the times.

    Eventually he came upon the door, to which he slowly crept towards. The voices were louder now and thus more clearer. However, before he could even begin to make anything out, the door swung open and he was sent flying by the force of a sonic cannon, which was mounted on the arm of the same orange winged mech from earlier.

    As Skids struggled to recover, he heard the mech say, "See? What did I tell you?"

    "Settle down, Sentinel," another voice said as an old mech in blue and red appeared behind him, bearing a "bearded" face Skids found familiar. "Perhaps he meant no harm."

    "You don't know that," the one called Sentinel retorted. "By my scans, he's toting weaponry all over his body."

    "That doesn't make him an assassin. He was likely just taken over by curiosity."

    "Typical Trion," said a third, more effeminate voice, coming from a figure Skids couldn't make out. "Always seeing the bright side of every situation. I say we dump the whole lot of them into--"

    "Quiet, Elitus." A fourth, fare more authoritative voice sufficiently silenced the other three and they all bowed their heads. "Bring our new guest in. Let us hear him out."

    Reluctantly, Sentinel put his cannon away and walked over to Skids, pulling him to his feet. The blue Autobot was then led into the room, where he found the other three occupants sitting at a table. On the right sat a magenta-armored femme, with a helmet that heavily resembled Elita-One's. On the left was a mech who looked a lot like Alpha Trion, except with a blue and red color scheme that made him think of Ultra Magnus.

    Finally, at the end of the table was a massive robot who looked unlike any Skids had seen before. Right away he could tell the mech was a beast-former, going by the purple Tyrannosaurus head on his shoulder. And the red pteranodon wings jutting from either side of his head. And the green shell of another reptilian creature on his left arm. Whatever kind of hellspawn creature he was meant to turn into, Skids wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

    As Skids was brought to the table, the beast-former grinned at him, revealing a set of fangs. "My apologies for my friend's reaction. He's a bit jumpy when it comes to surprise visitors."

    "As chief of security, such caution is necessary," Sentinel retorted. "At least I used a sonic weapon."

    "Okay, everyone shut up," Skids cut in, holding up his hands. "Let's skip the pleasantries and cut to the chase. Where the blazes are we? Who are you freaks? And can you please get my friend to a medbay? I'm pretty sure he's dying."

    "Do not worry," the beast-former said. "You are all in good hands. Would you like a seat?"

    "No," Skids said curtly. "I want answers. Now."

    The Trion-lookalike harrumphed. "Arrogance and impatience will get you nowhere. I see discipline has not improved since I've been gone."

    Skids shot him a questioning look but before he could say anything, the beast-former said, "Very well, your questions shall be answered, in the order you've asked them. You are on Carcer."

    "Great!" Skids exclaimed, whirling on him. "Except I have no idea what that is!"

    "It's a Titan."

    "Ah, marvelous! So it's like a Caminus sort of deal, right? A colony world kind of thing?"

    "Not exactly. We are currently traveling through space."

    "Wonderful." Skids clapped his hands once. "Now then: names."

    The beast-former nodded. "I am Magmatron, Beast King of Eukaris. You've already met Sentinel Major. To my left is Elitus, leader of the Carcer colony. To my right, Ultra Trion, keeper of the Oracle."

    "Sentinel Major? Ultra Trion?" Skids looked bemusedly between the two mechs in question, rubbing his head. "I know shared names can be common, but you guys both make me think of at least three different bots I already know. And two of them are dead."

    A smirk touched Ultra Trion's lips. "There's likely a reason for that... Skids of Nova Cronum."

    Skids stared at him, feeling his energon run cold. "How do you know my name?"

    Ultra Trion merely raised an optic while Magmatron rose from his seat. "As for your last question: we shall send a team of medics to help your friend now. I'll also have Sentinel leave with you to explain this all to your companions."

    "Oh, yeah." Skids glanced at Sentinel warily. "Explaining all of this to them will be a hoot."

    Sentinel simply motioned to the door. "Well then. Let's not keep them waiting."

*  *  *

    Magmatron, Elitus, and Ultra Trion watched in silence as Sentinel Major and Skids walked out of the room. Once the door had closed, Magmatron slumped down in his chair. "This complicates things."

    "Indeed," Elitus murmured, resting her chin on her hand. "They'll be nothing but a burden to us as we proceed with the agenda."

    "Sentinel did say they were in the space bridge chamber," Ultra Trion said. "We could just teleport them someplace else."

    Magmatron shook his head. "We cannot afford to use too much of Carcer's power at this point. We're going to need it when we reach Eukaris."

    "Then we can dump them on the next planet or moon we come across," Elitus suggested. "They won't put up much of a fight: twenty Autobots and Camiens against a hundred Carcerians? It would be child's play."

    Magmatron simply rubbed his chin in thought. Elitus then tilted her head suddenly, a devious smile on her face. "Or... we could use them."

    "Use them," Ultra Trion repeated. "For what?"

    "I can't be the only one to remember the little artifact we picked up recently. If things go south for us on Eukaris, we could use it on our guests. That way, if it fails or turns them against us, we'll have no qualms in killing them."

    "You can't be serious," Trion said. "I don't believe I've ever heard a more savage--"

    "I like it," Magmatron said.

    Ultra Trion looked at him in disbelief. "What?!"

    "I understand your distaste for it, Trion, but recall the words of Prima: The many are greater than the few. If we must sacrifice them to reach our goals, then so be it."

    "But--"

    "I'm sorry, old friend, but my mind has been made," Magmatron said with finality. "In the end, you will understand."

From the Archives: The First Transformers Stories I Ever Wrote

   So this is a new thing I'll be doing. A la the old TF comics I've been posting (which I still need to get back to), I'll be posting the old stories I wrote when I was 9-12. I'll be interchanging this with chapters from TF Regenerated (which I also still need to get back to). So sit back, relax, and bask in the awful grammar and spelling (which I am leaving in tact so you can suffer along with me).

TRANSFOMERS (dated January 13, 2006)

    The main villn Megatron was lokking for a Cyber Key but Optimus Prime stop him.

    Optimus Prime cried. "Optimus Prime Super Mode!"

    "You don't scare me." Megatron said.

    Optimus Prime said "Be scaired of this. Cyber Key power!"

    Then they battle. Optimus Prime won.

    Megatron said "No!"

    Optimus said "Yes."

    Megatron crid and ran away saying "Curse you, Optimus Prime!"

    The end.

----------

    Truly, that was a story of the ages. A thing of legends. Treasure it. Pass it along to your friends. Tell it to your grandchildren. It must be preserved for all time. But, ah, there is one other story from our new Shakespeare. Could it possibly surpass this one? Let us find out.

TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON (dated January 17, 2006)

    A Atuobot named Hot Shot was lokin for his Cyber Key.

    "Where is it?" Hot Shot asked himself.

    Then Red Alert came. He looked like a plice versin of Hot Shot. They heard big footsteps and it selld like evil.

    Red Alert and Hot Shot crid. "Red Alert transform vheicle mode."

    But Hot Shot didn't transform because it was just Jetfire.

    Red Alert said "Few"

    Then a plane ship came. It was Starscrem a evil Transformer.

    Starscrem said "Starscream transform robot mode."

    Red Alert said "Red Alert transform robot mode!"

    Jetfire and Hot Shot watch the two fight.

    The evil Starscrem won but Red Alert said "Cber Planet Key Power!" And it was a blade the Autobot swung the sowrd but the evil guy duke.

    Red Alert bastit and hit the evil Starscrem. He ran away transform and left.

    The three lo for the key for Hot Shot.

    The end.

--------

    Such tension! Go home, Macbeth. Take a hike, To Kill a Mockingbird. These are the masterpieces that deserve to be remembered as the template for all future stories to be told.

    I hope you enjoyed these two marvelous classics, for there is a lot more to be told.

    A lot more.

    A lot.

    Be afraid.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

--Nolvarion system--

    "This is C-308 to base. Do you read me? Over."

    Static roared over the comm. The bot formerly called Doubledealer frowned as he readjusted the radio settings. He had just dropped out into the Nolvarion system, which was where he had been told the Autobot Secret Service was located in. Not unlike Outpost Two, the base was virtually invisible and only its agents and affiliates had their encrypted frequency.

    Why then, with him so close to HQ, was there interference? Had they relocated while he had been gone? Surely he would have been informed....

    As he continued to work the comm, he glanced out the viewport of his ship. While at first he saw nothing but open space, stars twinkling against a black backdrop. But then something caught his eye: the gleam of an object that definitely was not a star. And it was getting larger by the minute.

    He made a quick scan of the approaching object and found it to be a Cybertronian ship: a Unitrex model registered by the Autobots no less than three weeks ago. Perhaps this was where the Secret Service had relocated, although he found it strange they were out in the open.

    Nevertheless, it was better than nothing. He advanced towards the ship even as he started to tap into their frequency.

--The Lost Light--

    "Does anyone have any idea where we are?"

    "Looks like the Nolvarion system," Mainframe replied, reading the data on his console. "Closest planet is Nolvara Minor... I say planet, I actually mean moon: the actual planet, Nolvara Prime, is a gas giant, so no point in going there."

    "Anything you can give me about it?" Hound said, shifting in the command chair.

    "Um, very little," Mainframe said, as he scrolled through the data. "It was claimed by the Galran Khanganete in Cycle 7830, but no activity from them has been recorded since then. Population equals zero."

    Hound rubbed the ridge of his nose and sighed, dreading the answer to his next question. "And how far are we from Caminus?"

    "Let me put it this way: it would take you a shorter amount of time to read the unabridged version of the Autobot Code than it would be for us to get back to Caminus."

    Hound groaned in exasperation. "Scrap. And we're not exactly high on fuel, are we?"

    "The closest refueling station is on Technos, two thousand parsecs from here," Mainframe said. "Not sure if we've got enough juice to make it there, but--"

    "Ahem." Blaster turned in his seat to look up at Hound. "Sorry to interrupt, but someone's hailing us."

    "Really?" Hound looked out the viewport, seeing nothing but the distant world of Nolvara Prime. "I don't see anything."

    "He says his ship is cloaked," Blaster replied. "He also claims to be an Autobot and is requesting permission to board."

    Hound frowned. "This sounds sketchy. Ask him why he's out here."

    Blaster did so, speaking with the other bot over private radio. He then turned back to Hound and said, "He says he's not willing to divulge such information with anyone but the Chief."

    Hound blinked. "Who the heck is the chief?"

    "Ain't that the question," Blaster said wryly. "So what's the word?"

    Hound was silent for a moment in contemplation. He then said, "Let him on board, but dispatch a security detail to surround the ship. Make sure Brawn is with them in case something needs to be blown up."

    While Blaster went to work, Mainframe turned back to him. "So, once he's on board and everything -- and provided nothing needs to be blown up -- do you want me to make the jump to Technos? Our fuel's only at eighteen percent, but I might be able to manage it."

    "We don't seem to have any other choice," Hound muttered. "The only alternative is to end up a floating hunk in space with no one to call. If you have any other ideas, let me know."

    Mainframe stared at him blankly. "So... is that a yes?"

    Hound sighed, rubbing his helm again. "Yes, Mainframe. That is a yes."

--Outpost Two--

    "So he got away with your ship."

    "Yes, sir," Vivisector said, staring at the ground as he stood before Magnificus.

    The latter Decepticon did not move from his spot, continuing to stare out at the raging battle outside. "And with the capsules?" he asked.

    "All but one," Vivisector said. "The seal was damaged when I dropped it. Oil Slick is working on fixing it now."

    "And how many capsules were there?"

    "I had just finished work on the seventh one when the Troobians arrived. Doubledealer has six of them now."

    "I can do the math, Vivisector," Magnificus retorted, whirling around to face the science officer. "Which brings me to my next point: why were you planning to leave?"

    An explosion rocked the station. Vivisector barely flinched as he stared at Magnificus. "I can give you two reasons."

    "We are in no danger," Magnificus said. "Both the Troobians and the Sirians are more focused on their fight than on us."

    "Which is exactly why we should leave!" Vivisector exclaimed. "They're not going to care if we get caught in the crossfire. Any minute now, we're going to end up as collateral damage."

    As if to prove his point, another blast shook the station, knocking both Decepticons down. As the whole room slowly started to turn on its side, Magnificus tapped into his communicator.

    "Status report, now!"

    "All systems are down!" came the alarmed reply. "We have a breach in Bay Seven -- we've lost over a dozen mechs!"

    Magnificus cursed. He glanced at Vivisector, who was giving him an 'I-told-you-so' look, before clambering to his feet, magnetizing himself to the deck.

    "Prepare all escape crafts," he muttered. "Evacuation is effective immediately."

*  *  *

    "Would somebody give me a fragging visual!"

    "For the hundredth time, I can't!" the black and blue femme retorted, hunched over her console as she tried to steady herself. "The power's out completely and my screen is cracked. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't show you who fired at us."

    As Dreadwind curled his hands into fists, a teal head poked out from behind a fallen monitor. "It must've been the Troobians. Their emperor seemed pretty mad when Magnificus--"

    "Hold that thought, Wipe-Out," Dreadwind said, striding over to the mini-bot. "I've just thought of a way to make yourself useful."

    Wipe-Out blinked as he looked up at the larger Decepticon. "How'sat?"

    With one hand, Dreadwind grabbed Wipe-Out by the neck and aimed a gun at the wall with the other. "Why don't you go outside and check?"

    Shadow Striker ducked as Dreadwind fired his gun, blowing a hole in the wall. He then released Wipe-Out and allowed the smaller Decepticon to be pulled out into the vacuum of space. After magnetizing his feet to the deck, Dreadwind tapped into his internal radio.

    "What do you see, Wipe-Out?"

    "I see...." Dreadwind could see the mini-bot flail his arms in alarm. "I see the Xantium."

    "The Xantium?" Dreadwind couldn't disguise the unease in his voice. "Are you sure?"

    "Positive. And I'm pretty sure...." Wipe-Out raised a hand to his head before nodding. "Yup. They're about to kil--"

    A beam of energy erased the mini-bot from Dreadwind's view. Fear gripping his spark, Dreadwind turned on his heel and ran out of the room, ignoring Shadow Striker's cries.

    "Coward!" he heard her scream. "You Pit-burning coward!"

    Yes, perhaps he was a coward, Dreadwind considered. He would admit to that, even unashamedly. Because cowards, he knew, carried a trait few others shared; a trait which, in his mind, made him more valuable than the Decepticons who rushed headlong into battle.

    Cowards survived.

    And when the Wreckers were at your doorstep, survival was the smartest option you could choose.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

--Elsewhere--

    Being punched in the face was no fun experience. Especially when it was being done to you repeatedly. And by someone who was very good at punching. As had a lot of anger for your face.

    "And this! Is just! For the heck of it!"

    Getaway punctuated the last word with a blow so hard, Ratchet was sure he heard his brain module crack. He was then finally pulled away by Rung, who gave the escape artist an admonishing look.

    "For the love of Primus, would you just listen to me? This isn't Pharma!"

    "You might want to clean your spectacles, eyebrows," Getaway retorted, pushing Rung off of him. "That right there is definitely Pharma. One hundred percent. Right down to the deranged look in his optics. See how they're sunken?"

    "That might be because you punched them in," Rung muttered. "But that's besides the point. Point is, even though he looks like Pharma -- and indeed it is his body -- he's really Ratchet stuck in--"

    "Stop right there." Getaway raised his hand, cutting Rung off. "You're not seriously telling me Ratchet and Pharma switched bodies."

    "He's not, I am," Ratchet said, readjusting his dislodged helmet. "When we were captured at Garrus-16, Pharma and some... serpentine Decepticon performed surgery on me and placed my spark, brain, and t-cog in Pharma's body, and vice versa."

    "So the Ratchet who's been with us since we left Garrus-16 was actually...."

    "Pharma, yes."

    Getaway crossed his arms and shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. Not buying it."

    Ratchet looked to Rung, who looked to Froid, who looked to the rest of the room, consisting of nineteen Lost Lighters (five of them unconscious) and assorted Camiens who were still reeling from being teleported to this unidentified location.

    "Do we have any mnemosurgeons handy?"

    Chromedome started to raise his hand, but Rewind quickly pulled it down. "No, we don't," the latter said.

    "What about Sunder?" Rung said to Froid. "Is he not a--"

    Froid waved his hand in dismissal. "Forget it. We'll just have to wait for your other crewmates to wake up so that they can all vouch for Ratchet. In the meantime..." He turned to Ratchet himself. "Mind telling us where you've brought us?"

    "Another Titan. That's all I can tell you."

    "I'm sorry, what?" Nightbeat asked, looking bewildered. "Please tell me you didn't just say what I think you just said."

    "I don't blame you for being in disbelief," Ratchet said. "I felt the same way when Firestar told me about Caminus' history after I joined the Vis Vitalis' crew. While I could buy the fact the colony had been established long before Nova Prime declared it as such, I couldn't quite get behind the idea of a Titan letting his parts be used to make the colony itself.

    "However, when I came across Pharma -- as me -- talking with Afterburner, I realized we had to get off Caminus as soon as possible. Luckily, I remembered Firestar telling me that Caminus' space bridge was right where the Grand Hall was."

    "Yes, but how in Solus' name did you activate it?" Firestar herself asked, standing among the crowd. "It hadn't been used in... well, since Caminus was dismantled."

    "I came across the control room while trying to evade Pharma and, well, everyone else. I at first thought it was Proxima's lab and was hoping she would help me with my situation."

    "Sorry, Proxi-who?" Getaway asked. "And how would she have helped?"

    "Um, hi everyone." A Camien in white, navy, and lavender raised her hand and waved. "I'm Proxima. Chief Science Officer of the Vis Vitalis."

    "And rightfully so," Ratchet said, nodding. "I spoke with her while on the Vis Vitalis, and I have to say, she gives Perceptor a run for his money in terms of brains."

    A femme standing next to Proxima gave her a nudge while Getaway remained looking unconvinced. "Okay, so you turned on the space bridge to save our hides. That sounds like a very good way of making us trust you just to dupe us later."

    "Getaway, save it," Nautica said sternly. To Ratchet, she said, "You say we've been teleported to another Titan. How do you know this?"

    "I vaguely recall Drift giving me scrap about the Titans and how they were all interconnected via their space bridges," Ratchet said. "Based on that, I'm assuming that's where we are."

    "Well, we're definitely inside something," Nightbeat said, looking around the spacious room they were all in. The metal walls had all rusted with age and bored a cobbled-together took. Worn pistons stretched all the way to highly placed ceiling. "And that something is definitely big...."

    "We should probably try exploring outside," Firestar suggested. "We're not accomplishing much standing here."

    "Let's wait for Rodimus and the others to wake up first," Ratchet said. "We'll have to fill them in on what's going on."

    "And stop them from strangling you," Whirl quipped.

    Ratchet sighed. "Yes, that too."

    "Um, excuse me." A Camien emerged from the crowd, cradling an unconscious Swerve. "Your friend is broken."

    An alarmed look fell upon Ratchet's face and he instantly rushed over to take Swerve from the mech. "What happened?"

    "I don't know, he just sorta... collapsed."

    Ratchet frowned as he looked over the deactivated Swerve. He hadn't even realized the bartender had been in the room, having not heard the usual quip from him. This made him wonder how long Swerve had been in this condition.

    "Okay," he said evenly. "Maybe we should leave this room. Try and find a place with medical equipment."

    "Uh, Ratchet?" Riptide piped up, suddenly sharing a shocked look along with everyone else. "Behind you."

    Ratchet looked over his shoulder. Behind him, the door had opened and a large mech filled the frame. His armor was colored in shades of orange and red, with wings adorning his shoulders and a crimson mouthplate over his face, cerulean optics glowing over it.

    The newcomer assessed the room and its occupants, looking at the several dozens of bots crowding around. His eyes then fell on Ratchet, narrowing slightly.

    "I look forward to hearing whatever explanation you plan on providing me regarding... this." The mech gestured at the whole room. "Truly. No joke. It's been a very long time since I've had a good laugh."

    "I assure you, it's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Ratchet said. "But first, can you please direct us to a medbay? My friend here just collapsed, and we have some bots in stasis lock--"

    "Do you?" the mech said tersely. "And just why should I help you?"

    "Please. We mean no ill will. We honestly have no idea what this place is."

    "Sure. That's what they all say." The mech stepped back outside and raised a hand to the control panel. "You all wait here. And don't even think of trying anything funny."

    The door then slammed shut in Ratchet's face. Behind him, Getaway revved softly.

    "This day just gets better and better."