Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue

Following Code Prime R2’s Epilogue

As Lelouch gained consciousness, his head was aching and his memory was vague. One moment he was celebrating Ohgi and Chigusa’s wedding and then preparing to rebuild the world following the end of the war against the Decepticons, the next thing he knew he suddenly felt weary and tired and collapsed on the spot. With no apparent cause to be seen.
He scanned the area around him to see where he was, only to find that not only was he in a vast, blank space, but surrounding him was many of his friends and family, all unconscious, though they didn’t appear to be hurt in any physical way.

Lelouch spotted Nunnally closest to him, and immediately went to check if she was alright.

“Nunnally? Nunnally? Are you alright?” Lelouch asked, trying to wake his beloved sister without being too forceful

“mmmmph, hmm? Big brother?” Nunnally asked groggily as she began to wake up.

“Your awake, thank goodness, how do you feel?” Lelouch asked

“Tired mainly,” Nunnally responded “everything is a blur, one minute we were celebrating at the wedding, the next thing I know, I suddenly feel drowsy, and then I wake up and see you”

“I see, well I’m glad you ok” Whilst Lelouch was relieved to know that Nunnally was unharmed, he was concerned that she knew no more about the situation than he did, he tried to think of what it could be, it was unlikely that this was an enemy attack as the Decepticons had been defeated and there had been no major uprising across the planet at the time, he decided to check on the others and see how they were doing and if they knew anything.

“Wait here Nunnally, I’m just going to check on the others”

“Ok big brother” Nunnally said with her usual smile.

As she said that, a few groans could be heard. Kallen, Rai, Ohgi, Tamaki, Euphemia, Cornelia and Suzaku had also just awoken, and from the looks of it they seemed just as tired as Lelouch was when he awoke.

“Guys! Are you alright?” Lelouch called out to them

“Ugh, my head hurts, what the hell happened?” groaned Kallen

“Did we party too hard last night or something? because my head and memory are fuzzy” Tamaki asked whist rubbing his head

“Does anyone know where we are or what happened?” Euphemia asked whilst trying to get up

“I can’t remember, the last thing I recall was dancing with Chigusa along with many others around us, then I suddenly felt tried and just passed out, it was strange, like something came over me.” Said Ohgi
“Well, from the looks of things, I don’t think we just passed out on the dance floor, look around us” Cornelia stated as she pointed to empty space around them

“Well, this doesn’t exactly look like Mt Fuji” Rai said whilst rubbing his eyes “And I don’t think this is the afterlife as I don’t recall us getting attacked at the wedding.”

“What on earth is going on here?, None of this makes any sense” said Suzaku

“Indeed Suzaku, this is most certainly an odd situation” Lelouch responded.

Suddenly many other groans could be heard. Shirley, Milly, Rivalz, Nina, Tohdoh, Chiba, Xing Ke, Kaguya, Leila, Akito, Ryo, Yukiya, Ayano, Anna, Claus, Gino, Monica, Anya, Nonnette, Jeremiah, Sayoko, Chigusa, Guildford, Marrybell, Oldrin, Sokkia, Toto, Orpheus, Ashley, Jean, Rakshata, Lloyd, Diethard, Cecile, Akari, Alice, Dalque, Sancia, Lucretia, Tian Zi and Misty had all awoken from their peculiar slumber and all of them looked exhausted as well.

Lelouch decided that siting around wasn’t going to help them address the situation. “Alright, all of you, check on those who have just awakened and see how they are doing, and whether they remember anything up until now, we need to check ifanyone is hurt or if something happened to us before we passed out, I’m going to take a look around see if I can learn something about where we are.”

“Understood” Suzaku, Kallen, Rai, Ohgi responded, whilst Euphemia and Cornelia nodded with a smile.

“See you in a bit man, don’t get yourself killed!” Tamaki shouted as he ran off

Nunnally had made her way over to lelouch and said “I’ll go and help check on the others, be safe big brother”

“Don’t worry Nunnally I’ll come back safe and sound, or else I’ll eat a thousand needles” Lelouch joked.

Nunnally giggled as she went over to go and check on the others who had just woken up.

Lelouch smiled before turning around to scan the room, he noticed that there was one person who wasn’t amongst the others lying on the ground, he was anxious that something had happened to her.

Then he spotted something in the distance and went over to see what it was. As he got closer he saw a girl with long green hair and immediately was relieved to see that she was alright.

“Cera!” Lelouch called out

The girl in question turned around and smiled “Hello Lelouch I see you are awake”

“I’m glad you’re alright, how long have you been awake, do you remember anything before now? Lelouch asked

“Sadly, I don’t know anymore than you do most likely, I was with Optimus Prime watching the festivities from above, when I went back down to join you all, I passed out and then woke up here not long before you, with little to no memory of anything prior.”

“How strange, nonetheless I’m glad you’re alright” Lelouch responded. “Have you been able to learn anything about this place?”

“Not much no, there doesn’t seem to be any connection with Geass as I cannot sense any trace of it, nor does there seem to be any tangible clue of where we are. I did however, notice one thing whilst I was investigating, a portal”

“A portal? That’s interesting, do you know where it leads?” Lelouch inquired

“I don’t as of now, I figured it would be best to wait for everyone to wake up before I checked the portal, in case there was a trap” Cera answered

“That makes sense, well now everyone is awake I suppose we should examine the portal if there is nothing else to note of in this area”

“That seems like our only course of action, let us inform the others” suggested Cera.

Lelouch and Cera made their way back over to others, where everyone was now awake and ready to move.

“Hey Lelouch, Cera, we’re here and ready, what’s the plan?” Kallen asked.

“Cera and I have examined the area, there is no immediate clue as to where we are or how we ended up here, the only notable thing we were able to find was a portal on the other side of this room” said Lelouch

“Do you two know where the door leads to?” Marrybell asked

“Not yet, but now that we are all awake and present, I believe now is the time to investigate the portal and see where it leads.”

“Very well, if that is what you believe is best, then I Jeremiah Gottwald will follow you no matter what lies beyond that portal” Jeremiah declared

“Yeah if that’s what you think is best Lulu, then we’re behind you all the way!” Added Shirley

Many other cheers and affirmations followed and Lelouch could only smile with pride and happiness. “Very well, let us head over there now”

Once everyone had reached the portal, it was time to take a leap and see what was on the other side.

“I’ll go alone first, and see if any dangers lie ahead” Lelouch declared

“That’s too dangerous Lelouch, you have no idea what dangers await you on the other side” Tohdoh objected

“Indeed, you are too important to the rebuilding of earth to risk yourself blindly” said Lelila

“Let me go first Master Lelouch, I will be able to manage any threat that lies ahead “Sayoko offered

“‘If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?’” Quoted Lelouch “I will not allow any of you to be put in harms way for my sake, even though you mean well”
Seeing that many were uncomfortable with him going on his own, especially Kallen, Nunally, Suzaku and the rest of his siblings, Lelouch offered an alternative

“How about this, I will go first but all of you follow after me? That way if I run into trouble, all of you will be able to back me up”

“Sounds like a good plan” Marrybell said with a smirk

“Even without our knightmares and weapons, we are far from powerless” said Xing Ke

“We’re with you every step of the way Lelouch” Kaguya said with a smile.

With everyone in agreement, Lelouch prepared to walk through the portal

“Everyone ready?” he asked

Everyone nodded, after which, Lelouch entered the portal and went through, with everyone following after him one by one…..

Meanwhile

After Attack on Prime Chapter 80

Eren slowly began to wake up, but he felt terrible. His head was pounding and his memory was foggy. The last thing he could recall was drinking with the others in Marley, and then everything afterwards was a blurr. Eren looked all around him, to try and figure out what had happened, to his shock, he was now in a vast empty space and many of his friends from the survey corps were also here, albeit seemingly unconscious, just as he was.
Eren noticed Mikasa close by and ran to her to check if she was alright.

“Mikasa, Mikasa! Hey are you alright?!” Eren tried to stir Mikasa and unknowingly was clenching her shoulders tightly as he shook her awake.

“hmmmm, Eren, what happened, where are we?” Mikasa asked groggily

“I don’t know, my memory is all fuzzy, how about you?” Eren asked, feelng relieved to know that Mikasa was ok

“I remember that we were drinking with Armin, Jean and the others, and then after that… nothing”

“Well, a hangover would be one thing, but that doesn’t explain how we ended up in this weird void of sorts” Eren stated whilst being somewhat annoyed.

Just then, the other survey corps woke up, Armin, Jean, Connie, Sasha, groaning from the debilitated feeling that was washing over them.

“uuuugggghhh, did we have too much to drink last night?” Jean asked whilst rubbing his forehead

“Things did get pretty lively, I think we may have gone a bit overboard” Connie responded, also feeling unwell himself.

“Seems like it, I feel like I’ve been squashed by a titan” Sasha remarked whilst trying to get up

“Well guys, I hate to say it, but I think there is more to this than JUST a hangover” Armin pointed out the strange space the Survey Corps found themselves in.

“WHAT THE HELL?! How did we end up here?!” Connie shouted in pure shock

Connie would soon be whacked on the head by Levi

“Oi, shitty brat, keep your voice down, I’ve got a splitting headache and I don’t need your obnoxious shouting making it worse.”

“Captain?! What are you doing here?!” Jean exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s not just him, we’re here too!” said Hanji as she came towards them alongside Onyankopon

“You two as well?! But none of you were drinking with us!” Sasha pointed now

“No we weren’t, we stumbled upon you brats after you’d partied yourselves to sleep” replied Levi

“But strangely, the moment we saw you both Levi, Onyankopon and I felt a wave of drowsiness come over us and before we knew it, we had passed out” Hanji explained

“So, us being here likely isn’t related to us drinking too much” Eren surmised

“Probably not, especially when you see who else is here” Hanji pointed to a few other unconscious people.

The Survey Corps were surprised to see, Erwin, Shadis,Pixis, Floch, Lousie, Historia, Ymir, Niccolo, Kenny, Nile, Kiyomi and Kenshin were here as well, despite not being in Marley with them, this immediately put the Survey Corps on alert, as now there was a possibility they had been attacked or abducted in some way.

“Ok, now THIS is strange how are THEY here with us as well?!” Jean exclaimed

“This is certainly suspicious, we should check on them to make sure they’re not hurt” suggested Armin

“Hold up, isn’t that Kenny!? Why the hell is HE here also? Do we really need to check on him?!” Connie pointed out

“We’ll worry about him later, right now we have bigger matters to attend to, such as figuring out how to get out of here, if Kenny tries something, we outnumber him, so he won’t get far. To be safe we’ll check up on him last for now we should split up and investigate the area.” Armin suggested

“Agreed, we should try and scout the area see if we can find an exit fo some sort” said Hanji “Eren, Mikasa Sasha, Levi, you guys have a look around and see what you can find, Armin, Jean, Connie you three come with me and we’ll check up on the others.”

“Roger” everyone responded and got to work on their given tasks. As Hanji and the others went to check on those who were unconscious or just awakening. Eren, Mikasa, Sasha and Levi agreed it was best to split to cover more ground as there didn’t seem to be any signs of immediate danger yet.

As Eren searched the area, he couldn’t help but think about the situation. Was this some sort of divine intervention? How come he hadn’t seen anything like this in his memories, or the time he made contact with Historia? None of this made sense! How was he going to carry out his plan when this sort obstacle had just presented itself?! Before Eren could ponder any further. Sasha called out loudly.

“Guys! I’ve found something!” She yelled out so the others could hear her.

Eren ran over to see what Sasha had found, only to find her standing next to a glowing portal. Initially Eren was frustrated, having hoped for something more substantial or straightforward, but when he scaned the void once again and could find no other notable nook or cranny, he figured this was better than nothing

“No need to yell, we heard you, what did you find?” Levi asked

“Well..., just this glowing portal” Sasha responded

“A portal? This just gets weirder by the second” Levi sighed “Did you see anything nearby that indicated there were traps of any kind?”

“No sir, just this portal” Sasha replied. “What should we do? This certainly don’t look normal”

“Potato girl, go round up the others, tell them what we’ve found and bring them over here, me and the other brats will investigate the portal”

“Roger that!” said Sasha as she ran off to report to the others

“No sign of any traps” Levi noted as he investigated the portal himself just to be sure

Eren, feeling restless, decided to try and check the portal himself by touching it, see if anything happened, he didn’t like being trapped in this dimension when the fate of there world was in the balance. However, before he could touch the portal Mikasa grabbed his arm

“No Eren, don’t touch it, it could be dangerous” Mikasa stopped Eren from touching the portal.

“Mikasa, let go! I’m trying to see if I can learn something, we don’t have time to be sitting around here as tomorrow the fate of our world will be determined” Eren argued

But you don’t know what that portal might do to you! At least wait for Sasha and the others to get over, so we can decide whether it’s worth the risk” Mikasa argued back

“Enough of your bickering, honestly you two can be such pain in the ass, in case you didn’t notice I’m examining the door also, so quit your damn belly aching and just let me check it out in peace” Levi interrupted, causing Eren and Mikasa to stop arguing.

As Levi continued to look around the portal, then once he was satisfied he put his hand into the portal, held it in there for a few seconds and then pulled it out unharmed much to the relief of Eren and Mikasa.

“There, now we can say it isn’t a trap, so quit with your damn worrying” Levi sternly said
Both Eren and Mikasa nodded

“Hey guys!” Just then, Sasha called out to the 3 of them as she arrived with Armin, jean Connie and the rest of the group that was unconscious beforehand, all of whom were now awake.

“Sasha, told us about what you found, and judging from the situation now, it looks like there is no immediate danger” noted Onyankopon

“While there are many questions surrounding these circumstances and many of us being here, those can wait for now, what have you uncovered?” Kiyomi asked
“The portal wasn’t rigged with any booby traps” Mikasa mentioned

“However, we don’t know what awaits on the other side” said Levi

“In other words we may not be out of the woods yet” said Eren

Everyone immediately became wary of the situation

“Well, looks like we’ve gotta bit of a shitshow on our hands eh?” Kenny remarked

“Keep your mouth shut asshole, your not off the hook for the shit you pulled during the failed coup attempt” replied Levi

“Levi, keep your cool, he’s not worth dealing with right now we have other matters at hand” Hange said in an attempt to calm Levi

Levi calmly eased off, but didn’t take his eyes of off Kenny, who could only smugly smirk back at him, which just infuriated Levi further on the inside.

“I suppose, the question now is ‘do we go through the door or not’ ”? said Historia

“For all we know, there could be Marleyan soldiers or some other dickheads lying in await through that portal” stated Ymir

“Not to mention we have no idea where it leads, we could end up stranded in the middle of nowhere!” Niccolo raised his own concern.

Right now, everyone was either unsure or outright panicking about what to do, until Erwin stepped forward with a firm resolve.

“Regardless of whether we know what’s on the other side or not, we can at least take stock in that the portal will not result in our demise, and since the portal itself is not a danger to us, the odds are we should take our chances and go through that portal, as it seems to be our only clue to leaving this place..”

“Indeed, and even if there is danger on the other side, with all of us here, we’ve got a better chance of dealing with whatever lies ahead than sitting here twiddling our thumbs” Levi added

“Well then, I suppose it’s decided” stated Shadis

“Through the portal! We’ll take on anything that stands in our way!” Connie exclaimed

“Don’t get to reckless, wouldn’t want you hurting yourself” Jean joked with a smile

“Everyone, through the portal, the unknown be damned!” Hanji exclaimed

“Honestly, such a loud bunch this lot” Kenshin said

“Perhaps, but that’s what makes them interesting Kiyomi replied

One by one everybody went through, with Levi making Kenny go before him, until eventually it was just Armin, Mikasa and Eren left.

Eren stood there, contemplating what was going on, even though he was itching to get back to their world, he couldn’t help but ponder what lay ahead of them through the portal. Suddenly a hand stretched out in front of him.

“Eren, come on let’s go, together” Mikasa said with a gentle smile

“Let’s see what lies ahead Eren, nothing ventured nothing gained” Armin said

While Eren was initially hesitant to take Mikasa’s hand, in the end he took her hand and gently held it in his own, inwardly happy and grateful that he had his two closest friends with him to venture into the 1st unknown for him in a long while. And with that the three friends walked through the portal.

Upon walking through their respective portal, the Black Knights and the Survey Corps found themselves in an even bigger void, with no sign of any doors or any other objects in it.

“Oh great, it’s just another void! What do we do now?!” Tamaki exclaimed in frustration

“I’m not sure but we should look around and see if.. What’s that?!” Nonnette exclaimed, pointing at the group of people standing opposite them

“Who are they? I don’t recognise any of them” Guildford said whilst trying to get a good look at the group standing in front of them.

“Be on your guard, we don’t know if they’re friend or foe” said Xing Ke

“Agreed, be ready for anything” Akito said in agreement

As for the Survey Corps they were in a similar position, upon arriving in this new void, they had heard some loud man exclaim frustration at being brought to another empty void, whilst they mirrored his sentiment, it was still alarming to find another group of people in this space.

“Great, what do we do now?” Jean asked anxiously

“Maybe we should talk to them?, they might know something about this place” Louise suggested

“And run the risk of them, attacking us? Shouldn’t we keep our distance?” Floch retorted

“Judging from their stances and the exclamation from earlier, I doubt they know anymore than we do” Pixis reasoned

“Agreed, still it might be a good idea to try and talk to them, see if we can figure out what’s going on” said Hanji

“That could be a risk, they may be Marleyans, and now that they’ve spotted us together they may wish to kill us, having seen us together and wanting to end any possible alliance between our nations.” noted Kiyomi

“Maybe, but at this point we haven’t got many better options, if we run we lose any initative we may have or the situation could escalate through suspicion alone, and neither of those scenarios are preferable.” Erwin argued “As such me and Hanji will go and try to establish a dialouge”

“Me?” Hange was surprised “Isn’t there someone better suited for this, like Armin or something?”

“I know your more than capable of this Hanji, or I wouldn’t have asked you to help me” Erwin said with a smile

Hange was happy that their old leader still trusted them so much “In that case I’d be more than happy to help” Hanji exclaimed excitedly

Then, Erwin and Hanji walked towards the Black Knights. Whilst many of the Survey Corps and company watched the two of them walk away, Eren eyed the other group with suspicion, if they turned about to be a threat, he would seem them eradicated, by any means.

Back with the Black Knights they saw two people walking towards and many of them became wary.

“Two of them are approaching us, what do we do?” asked Orpheus

“They don’t to be armed, and the rest of their group seems to be staying back” Oldrin noted

“Perhaps they want to talk, see if we know anything?” guessed Milly

“We don’t know if they’re actually friendly though, it could be a ruse” said Jeanne

“We won’t know until we at least speak with them” Said Lelouch “I will go and speak with them try and ascertain their intentions.

“I’ll go with you Lelouch, as you might want someone with you when talking to them in case anything goes wrong, my code will prevent me from harm or dying whereas everyone else would be more vulnerable” Cera offered

“Good point, I would appreciate your support” Lelouch smiled, which Cera returned with one of her own. “The rest of you stay here and be ready for anything”

Everyone nodded, trusting that Lelouch knew what he was doing, as he and Cera walked toward the two strangers.

The four of them met in the middle with Erwin and Hange offering their hands for a handshake and Lelouch and Cera acepting the gesture.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Erwin Smith”

“Likewise, my name is Lelouch Vi Britannia”

“Hi there!, I’m Hanji Zoe”

“I’m Cera, it’s nice to meet you”

“I hate to cut pleasantries short but, do you know anything about this place by chance, or why any of us have been brought here?” Erwin asked Lelouch

“I’m afraid not, unfortunately we know just as much as you do” Lelouch admitted

“Did you guys wake up in this place having been unconscious, with little memory of what happened beforehand?” Hanji asked

“Why yes we did, may I assume that was the same case for you as well?” Cera asked, to which Hange nodded

“Well this is most peculiar” Lelouch said “If neither of our groups know what happened to bring all of us here, then what did?”

“Yes, What indeed?” Erwin pondered

“I am the one that brought you here”

Suddenly a voice echoed throughout the void, everyone looked around in shock and surprise trying to find where the voice was coming from.

Then, a sphere of light began to form in front of both groups, then the sphere slowly disipated to reveal a transformer with blue eyes, adorning golden armour, and a dark red cape with stars on the inside. The being was none other than Vector Prime, The 2nd Prime and guardian of time

Nearly human present couldn’t help but look in awe at the sight before them, they had seen transformers before, but something about this one told them he was a special case and very powerful. Everybody that had been hanging further back came closer until they were next to Lelouch, Cera, Erwin and Hanji.
For Lelouch, Cera, Rai, Marrybell, Leila, and Orpheus, whilst they weren’t strangers to whom Vector Prime was, since they had met him once before, they were nonetheless surprised to see him here.

“Holy shit, what the hell is that?!” Connie exclaimed in surprise

“It seems to be a transformer, but I don’t think I’ve seen one that looks like that!” responded Kenshin equally shocked to set eyes on this magnificent transformer

“This aura, you can sense the power emanating from him, it almost feels similar to Optimus Prime!” said Nina in awe.

“And his appearance, it’s regal, yet it’s almost out of this world and that’s saying a lot after all we’ve seen!” Misty commented

Whilst may among the two groups were stunned by or commenting on the divine being in front of them. The 2nd Prime spoke “Greetings to you all, I am Vector Prime the Guardian of time, though many of you may be seeing me for the 1st time, there are some of you that I have met” He looked toward Lelouch, Cera, Rai, Marrybell, Leila, and Orpheus and offered them a subtle look of acknowledgement as if to say “hello again”.

Cera was the first to speak “It is a pleasure and honour to speak to you again Vector Prime” She smiled to which Vector Prime nodded
“Wait you know him?, when did you all meet”? Cornelia asked curiously

“We all met before the siege of Castle Weisswolf, we were transported to a space called “the dead universe” by a being called the Caretaker, at the request of Vector Prime as the two of them wanted to inform us about the origins of Geass, it’s a long story” Marrybell answered

“Certainly sounds like quite experience” Commented Monica

With the revelation that this being was a prime, many couldn’t help but be amazed

“Another prime in the flesh so to speak… it seems the longer time goes on the more I have to accept that divinity is a real thing after all” Lloyd said in disbelief

“You’re not the only one, we’ve seen what the relics of the primes can do, but to meet a prime, let alone one of the original primes certainly does make one realise the power transformers have compared to us” said Rakshata

“Another prime? I knew Optimus was impressive, and transformers were “beings from the stars” but this truly transcends all normal comprehension” Kiyomi thought

“This “Vector prime” certainly makes the order of the walls look like a bunch of demented loonies” Kenny said, normally he wouldn’t believe in any “gods” or old “beings but considering what had taken place in their world, having seen transformers first hand and even the Prime’s presence before him he couldn’t refute what was in front of him.

Hanji meanwhile was ecstatic, they knew how amazing Optimus prime was, but to meet another Prime, but the power radiating from him, and the fact he mentioned time made Hanji’s brain race with excitement and curiosity, just as they were about to scream out and ask to touch the 2nd Prime, Levi grabbed Hange, restraining them and put his hand over their mouth to prevent Hanji making a scene “Not now four-eyes, we’ve got questions we need to ask him and we don’t need you fucking about trying to feel him to satisfy your mad urges”

Diethard himself wasn’t much different from Hange, he was shaking with excitement. Here he was, in the presence an ancient being, a prime no less! He was enamoured with Optimus prime, as he’d seen him unite Humanity alongside Zero, a feat almost no one could claim to have achieved, but he’d also seen Optimus use the Star Saber, a weapon that trumped nearly all others, and had cleaved amount in 2 as if it was paper. So to meet a being just like Optimus, and one of the original 13! To say that Diethard was ecstatic would be an understatement

Now relieved that this was not a trap or dangerous situation Lelouch then stepped forward to speak to Vector Prime.

“Hello again Vector Prime” said Lelouch. “While it is a pleasure, I must ask the question that is on almost everyone’s minds. What are we all doing here?”

“Indeed, it is also curious to note is that you have brought to different groups of people who have never met or interacted before, what is your reasoning for that?” Erwin enquired

“I believe I have the answers to both of those questions” Vector Prime responded

“For the 1st question, I have brought you all here after having observed you all for some time, I have seen your actions and the perils that you have faced and even how you have responded.
And most relevant I have seen the bonds you have all forged with the Autobots and have seen them recounting events and stories from Cybertron’s past to you and the interest you have all shown in that part of history.
As such, it dawned on me, ‘what would your reaction be to seeing some of these events unfold for yourselves?’, as the guardian of time I could show you these events, to provide you a better understanding of both what the Autobots went through and the turning point in the war for Cybertron itself up until the exodus and Cybertron going dark.
However there would normally be dangers in showing you these events, as it could drastically upset the course of time and history, creating ripples and damage throughout time, As such, through the aid of another keeper of time, I have brought you to a separate dimension, outside of the normal flow of time an ‘alternate realm’ if you will, where I can show you all these events without any repercussions upon the time streams. “

Everyone present nodded, almost everyone could admit that they were curious as to what happened during the later days of the war for cybertron, as they’d only heard fragments and stories about it, so to see it with their own eyes would be another experience entirely and they’d have a better understanding of what they’d be told.

“As for the 2nd question the reason I selected you’re groups is tied to why I brought you here. For the sake of clarity for all present, both of your groups are from different worlds and timelines, separate from each other. And yet, both of you worlds have encountered a similar incarnation of Autobots and even Megatron and his Decepticons in some cases, and from these encounters you have all bonded with Optimus prime and his Autobots, and come to see them as comrades in arms, friends and even family. Whilst the nature of your interactions may differ from each other, along with which Cybertronians you have met and even how they act in your own respective worlds, I took interest in how the presence of Transformers in your respective worlds has influenced the course of events.”

“In summary, I brought you to this realm as a “test” of sorts, to see your reactions and thoughts to key parts of the war on Cybertron, because both of you’re groups have close ties with the Autobots and share similar interactions with each them, and thus I brought you here, to show you these events without causing any severe repercussions to your timelines.”

To say that everyone present was shocked would be an understatement. It was one thing to encounter alien robots and hear of their high tech civilisation, but to hear about other worlds, which could be considered separate dimensions in their own right, and to be actually interacting with a group of people from a separate world, it was certainly surreal.

“Well, this certainly wasn’t how I was expecting to start the day” Jean remarked

“Me neither, what with meeting another prime and a group of people from another world that have also encountered the transformers” Cecille responded

“Nonetheless this is an interesting situation, since we’ve all encountered the transformers, we’re at least generally familiar with them and as such will most likely understand most of what we’re shown” Tohdoh reasoned

“Right, and because we all have similar knowledge of transformers, we can all talk about what we see and even reference our own experiences with them and share it with one another.” Armin deduced

“That is one of the main purposes of me bringing you here, to show you all events from the War for Cybertron, to see your thoughts on what is shown to you” Vector prime confirmed

“Well in that case I’m down for it! Sure we haven’t known each other long, but so long as you ain’t Decepticons or homicidal lunatics I don’t see any issues” Gino warmly stated

“I don’t know about the ‘homicidal lunatics’ part, but we sure aren’t Decepticons and we aren’t gonna kill you in your sleep” Ymir joked in response to which Gino laughed

“I’m not opposed to it either, I too am curious to see what happened on Cybertron during the war” Euphemia affirmed

“Indeed it will also be interesting to see how are groups interact about our experiences with transformers” Kiyomi noted

Lelouch himself was certainly interested to find out more about the war on Cybertron, whilst he had heard stories from the Autobots about many different parts of the war, seeing it for himself was certainly an intriguing prospect.

As for Eren, he was also curious about seeing the past, however, he was suspicious of this “Vector Prime’s ‘motives’ it sounded awfully convenient to show 2 groups of strangers from different universes the history of his own race, and he the way he expressed interest in “how they would react” made Eren even more wary of him. Something in his gut told him there was more to this “viewing” that met they eye, but for now, he had clues about what machinations were going on behind the curtain, and as such would bide his time until more was revealed, and if he learned more about that war on Cybertron whilst observing the situation, that would be a bonus.

“I’m glad to hear that some of you are receptive to my idea, however, is everyone here happy to stay in this realm and watch these events? I must warn you all that they are far from pleasant and despite the fact that you have all seen horrors of your own, I would understand if some would rather not see further horror. If so, I can transport anyone who would rather abstain from this back to their world.” Vector Prime

That brought the atmosphere back to a solemn mood, whilst seeing the history that they had been told about was appealing to many, there was the stark reminder that much of this history was filled with war, carnage and even death. So if these events were to be watched it was not to be done with false excitement.

“I shall give you all a moment to discuss it amongst yourselves, let me know when you have talked it through and if anyone wishes to return home”

“Very well then, I ask all of you now, are you satisfied to watch the events Vector Prime shows, with knowledge of his warnings?” Lelouch asked aloud to every black knight present.

“I’m not backing out of this, we’ve seen first hand what atrocities Megatron and the Decepticons have committed and even then we saw the horrific acts committed by Britannia, so I’ll stay” Suzaku stated resolutely

“Yeah, as awful as it might be to say, we’ve seen our fair share of shit, I’m not gonna shy away from this, besides I can’t say I’m not curious to see cybertron myself and what the bots went through in the latter part of the war” Kallen affirmed

Soon enough nearly every Black Knight was in agreement, no-one would be leaving, they would stay and watch the events unfold, whether it was because of curiosity to see Cybertron itself and the history of the war or out of a sense of respect for the Autobots and the sacrifices they had made.

As for the Survey Corps and it’s affiliates they were having a similar discussion to confirm that everyone was comfortable seeing the upcoming events.

“Alright guys, we’ve been given a heads up, this is not gonna be pretty and it may even bring up some bad memories, so if anyone wants to bow out, then say so now, there’s no shame in admititng you don’t want to see more brutal violence” Hanji said aloud

There was a brief silence, before Jean stepped forward

“In the past, I might have just run away, having seen the horrors of the world and having faced death more times than I cared to, because it would’ve made sense, it would’ve been easier…
But things have changed, and even though what we may seen might be awful to see, I’ll stay. Because there must be more to that war than just the endless fighting we’ve heard about, we’ve all seen glimpses of the transformers being mortal, vulnerable even.
And so if watching these events gives us a better understanding of what they went through, and maybe even aid us in helping them even a little, then I’ll watch it, because they’ve done plenty for us it’s only fair we do something for them”

Everyone present was stunned and impressed, here was Jean, once a stuck up snobbish cadet who many would expect to be the last person to face adversity, admitting that he was willing to watch some difficult events, just to help a group of beings who he considered allies.

“Well, look at you acting all cool? After a speech like that how could any of us leave now?” Connie Joked

“Shut up” Jean, feeling embarresed looked away with bright face

“I for one will also watch, yes there may be horrible parts to see, but from what I have heard, there are also aspects that aren’t violent, Cybertron itself must be a sight to see” Onyankopon added recalling when Optimus showed him and Yelena a projection of the galaxy

Shortly all of the survey corps and others present were in agreement that they would stay and watch also. As they too had seen their fair share of bloodshed and violence, they were not unaccustomed to what would come and also wanted to see the war for Cybertron themselves.
Eren himself was particularly interested in what transpired during the war, he’d heard pieces of it from Optimus and inferred other bits from Megatron, but couldn’t fully put it all together. If nothing else he would get to see both Optimus and Megatron in action most likely.
With each group having made their decisions they went to inform Vector Prime of their choices.

Meanwhile, Vector Prime was contemplating, whilst he was curious about how the two groups would react to the war, there were other reasons he had setup this viewing that he had in mind.

For the Black Knights, this was another "test" for them. Though he was curious to see how far they had all come, after defeating Megatron and whether the few he had met previously had truly absorbed what he had told them before, he had not planned on intervening any time soon, especially after recently helping to resurrect Lelouch in the final battle against Megatron at Darkmount. But recently, he had felt a disturbance in their universe, one that was all too familiar and if left unchecked would mean utter chaos and destruction for numerous planets and galaxies and perhaps time itself. As such, he wanted to measure their maturity and capability, through how they react to these events and hopefully they would both learn from Cybetron's past mistakes, and be ready to face the coming danger, looming over the horizon.

As for the Survey Corps, this wasn’t strictly a test for them specifically. Again he was interested to see how they would react to the War on Cybertron, but primarily this viewing was intended for a specific individual, one who’s intentions invited death and devastation to countless innocents. Vector Prime knew he was taking a risk to some extent, bringing all of these people into this dimension and showing them events outside of their own time stream, especially as he had been warned by another not to interfere. But still, Vector Prime thought it was at least worth trying, if he could influence this individual’s mind even slightly then the risk will have been worth it, because he did not want another person to make the same mistake that so many before had made.

His thoughts would be interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching him.

“Well then, what have you each decided?” Vector prime inquired.

Lelouch stepped forward and gave an answer “none of our group will be leaving, we shall all stay and watch what is to come”

“Very well” Vector Prime acknowledged “and what about your group?’ Vector Prime asked as he looked towards the Survey Corps group.

Just as Hanji was going to respond Eren put his hand on their shoulder and said “I’ll tell him”
and stepped forward before Hange could respond.

“We will all be staying as well, no one desires to leave”

Vector Prime narrowed his eyes slightly, recognising the man before him as Eren Yeager. Immediately putting him on alert internally. From what he had observed, he felt uneasy about Eren. While Optimus’s mentorship had managed to keep the boy from descending down the path of darkness for the time being, Eren always seemed to be teetering on the edge of committing horrendous atrocities for his own agenda, not unlike Megatron. However at this point in time, Eren had not done anything wrong yet, and as such Vector Prime would not judge or act against him.

“Understood, now then, since none of you wish to leave, if there are no objections, I will begin by showing you the first event I would like you all to see”

“I will show you all how Megatron began to turn the tide of the war”

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 Dark Energon

The Black Knights and Survey Corps are gathered in the alternate dimension. A giant Screen materializes and a voice is heard:

“Civil War has ravaged Cybertron, home world to the Transformers for millions of years. Megatron leader of the Decepticons has recently discovered an ancient power that will give him the edge to win over the hated Autobots. Called Dark Energon, this power remains locked away in an Orbital Station, under the protection of a Sky Commander named Starscream”.

Cecile was first to speak: “So this is where we are starting, the stalemate being broken.”

“It’s also before Starscream joined the Decepticons” Cornelia added.

“A ‘stalemate’? How long had the war been going on at this point?” Floch asked.

“At this point, more than a few thousands years at the very least, if not longer.” Cera answered, much to Floch’s astonishment.

“We’ve heard somethings about the war, but from the sounds of it, it was a gridlock for a long period of time.” Armin reasoned. “I suppose it makes sense that we’re starting from the turning point in the war.”

Meanwhile, Eren sat silently, more interested in observing than engaging with the strangers. Whilst they didn’t seem hostile, he had no reason to go out of his way to talk to them. Eren was Content to watch and learn about the past and would only speak when necessary.

On the Screen, an outworld view of Cybertron in the depths of space appeared: explosIons flashing in the outer reaches of Cybertron’s orbit; battle cruisers and warships firing in the distance at one another and a lone Seeker firing at an incoming warship, only to be vaporised in an instant by the warship’s canons. The warship then veers off towards a gigantic orbital space Station. The Station looms large and begins to fire on the incoming vessel, which aggressively returns fire. Inside the warship, a Cybertronian stands tall. He is clearly in command of the ship.

He is gigantic, possessing a powerful physique. He has a red coloured left forearm and white upper arm with four spikes on top of the shoulder, the inner two spikes being shorter than the outer two. His right forearm is white with a red shoulder guard and small cannon attached to a white shoulder plate. He wears sharp knee guards, has spiked triangular feet and his dominating feature is a red triangular chest plate, bearing the Decepticon insignia.

His head is in the shape of a circular helmet. Most notably, he has the face of a battle hardened, ruthless killer with blood red eyes.

To those assembled, there was no mistaking who this was. Despite the fact his appearance was different, looming large out of the Screen was the ruthless tyrant, fearsome warrior, brutal gladiator, Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.

Upon seeing this, the air in the room became tense. It was as if a poisonous vapour had enveloped them. Many felt angry whilst others looked on Megatron with disgust, remembering the countless atrocities he had committed. Others simply felt scared.

Lelouch, above all, glared at the Screen. Despite having defeated Megatron, the wounds and devastation the metallic tyrant had inflicted were still raw, as was the devastating hurt Megatron had caused Lelouch’s loved ones. And because of all the suffering Megatron had caused, seeing him on screen made Lelouch’s blood boil, for him, no individual was as depraved as Megatron, not even his father. Nunanlly, noticing this, grasped her brothers hand, her expression telling him that she understood how he felt, in the hope of easing him.

Meanwhile, Eren made no attempt to hide his Contempt. Despite the fact that Megatron had helped the Survey corps over the past few years and even saved Eren’s life, Eren still loathed Megatron. For Eren, Megatron remained the most horrific and hated individual he’d ever met. Most of all, he hated him for the pain he’d caused Optimus. A silent fury burned in Eren’s eyes, as he glared daggers at the Screen. Eren felt a warm touch: Mikasa had observed him and placed her hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort and calm him. On seeing Mikasa’s Concerned expression, Eren appeared to calm down, to prevent her worrying about him unnecessarily. But inwardly his anger was still ablaze.

Many others began to voice their reaction on seeing Megatron.

“He looks as terrifying as always” Rivalz eyes shook at seeing the Decepticon tyrant.

“Got that right, I’d hate to piss Megatron off, even on my best day” Connie gulped.

“He does look different from how we’ve seen him. Why is that?” Kiyomi questioned.

“You have to remember: this was before any of us met him. He must have changed his appearance: Transformers can change their appearance much more easily than we can. It’s entirely believable he would look different” suggested Erwin.

“Different appearance or not, it’s still Megatron and he’s certainly someone you do not want to trifle with” added Xing Ke.

Everyone silently agreed with him; Megatron was a dangerous individual, one that nearly everyone would avoid Confronting directly, unless absolutely necessary.

Megatron’s voice boomed out from the Screen again, challenging his crew: “Hold your course! Starscream wouldn’t fight with such desperation if the legends weren’t true!”

“Lord Megatron, you’re certain it’s here?” A blue and green Decepticon named Onslaught asked, referring to the Dark Energon.

Onslaught was a powerful warrior and clever tactician with a bulky build. His yellow visor and mouth plate were visible on his face, massive shoulders where his front wheels were, and strong leg servos where at his back wheels, with the front of his vehicle form serving as a chest plate.

“I AM certain Onslaught. And when I find it... the balance of this war with the Autobots will finally tip in my favour.”

On hearing this, Nunnally said with disapproval: “It’s no surprise that Megatron would want something that almost no one else would even think of turning to.”

As the warship on the screen got closer to the orbital space Station, it was fired upon by three large lasers, which it was able to dodge. However, this left the warship vulnerable to three further missiles coming from the right, one of which hit the side of the ship, causing an explosion which blasted a soldier to the other side of the ship, killing him. The ship’s alarms began blaring with red alerts being signalled.

“Lord Megatron! Stabilisers are failing!” A green tank Cybertronian called Brawl exclaimed, due to the ship being hit. Brawl was a tall Decepticon, with a yellow visor and mouth plate like Onslaught, shoulder cannons, a large body frame, medium sized arms, strong leg servos with treads attached and two tanks canons on his back. Brawl was suited for causing destructIon.

In spite of these warnings, Megatron refused to give way. “Maintain your heading Brawl! Do NOT Falter!”

“Sublight engines are offline. Shields at 15%. We can’t keep taking shots like that and there’s nowhere for us to dock safely!” A small black and grey police car Cybertonian known as Barricade warned. Barricade was smaller than the other three, however, he was dangerous in his own right, with a strong body frame, two wheels on his back and two on his hips, boosters poking out of his back and two yellow eyes with marks underneath. Barricade was a lethal threat, known for his brutal nature.

“Well if I can’t dock, then I’ll RAM this ship down their throats!” Megatron declared.

Meanwhile, Kenshin noted: “He’s certainly persistent, either that or he can’t take no for an answer.”

“Megatron can be a stubborn bastard when he want’s to be, it’s part of what makes him so dangerous.” Orpheus concurred.

Back on the ship, Barricade objected: “We don’t even know what kind of defences they’ve set up in that Station, or if we’ll even be able to get close to ram them! You’re risking a lot over some crazy legend!”

“Risk is what cowards call “opportunity” Barricade, and this is our ‘opportunity’ to break this accursed stalemate and bring the Autobots to their knees!” Megatron reasoned.

As the ship got even closer to the orbital Station, they could see that they were about be fired at by three lasers from the Station.

“The station is preparing to open fire on us! Your orders Megatron?!” Onslaught demanded urgently.

Megatron already had a plan in mind, albeit many would question it’s ‘validity’.

“Reroute all power to forward guns and thrusters! Full speed ahead!”

Everyone watching couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

“That’s insane!” exclaimed Anna on hearing this.

“Is he mad?!” Nile said in disbelief.

“Well in Megatron’s mind, if you can’t push through, just throw everything including the kitchen sink at it” Rai said while still glaring at the Screen

A Decepticon soldier objected from behind Megatron: “But Sir! That’s suicide!”

In an instant, the soldier was blasted in the head by Megatron’s fusion canon, which blasted the soldier all the way to the back of the ship, silencing his protest in a nano second.

Everyone was taken aback by how abrupt and sudden the execution was.

“Wow, not even one minute in and he’s ALREADY executed someone” said Gino

“Is anyone really surprised?” Kallen asked rhetorically.

No one could say that they were, for they all knew how extremely volatile and aggressive Megatron was.

“Any further objections?” Megatron asked with an irritated tone. “Ram this warship straight into the heart of that Station!” he ordered

With that, the ship charged full speed toward the orbital Station, firing on all cylinders. Even though under constant fire, Megatron remained undaunted, until the ship managed to breakthrough the Station’s defences and crash into one of it’s towers.

Then the screen faded to black.

“I don’t believe it, the lunatic actually went through with it,” Jean was first to speak.

“Megatron’s drive can lead him to take great, even fatal risks.” responded Sayoko.

A moment later the Screen came back into life, revealing that all four of the main Decepticons had survived the crash. Many of the soldiers aboard the ship weren’t so fortunate.

“We’re very lucky to have survived that, Megatron” Barricade pointed out.

“The strong survive. The week perish” Megatron responded dismissively.

This callous remark irked many:

“There he goes with that survival of the fittest shit again.” said Ayano, a look of hatred in her eyes.

“Convenient excuse, considering how many of his own troops he just killed.” argued Milly.

“That sort of mentality is like a poison which spreads and ruins the lives of so many.” Onyankopon agreed.

On Screen, the Ship suddenly began to shake violently.

“Lord Megatron! The reactor core is failing, an explosion is imminent!” Onslaught shouted.

“Would you look at that? Megatron’s suicidal tactic backfired on him!.” laughed Connie.

“Perhaps, but I don’t think he’s going to sit around and wait to be blown up.” Sancia replied.

“MOVE Decepticons. Double time!” Megatron ordered, as the four of them jumped out of the smouldering wreck and quickly made their way up to the room, jumping onto ledges in order to scale the room. Fast. As they reached halfway a Decepticon soldier looked over to see the ship’s core growing unstable rapidly.

“The core’s about to detonate” he screamed, urging every Decepticon to move even faster.

Once they were near the top Megatron urged his troops: “Go! Go! GO!”

“It’s falling apart!” a Decepticon soldier shouted.

“Watch out! another called out.

“Megatron! This way!” Onslaught called out to his leader, as he saw a room that was out of range from the ship.

Megatron, Brawl and Barricade spotted Onslaught heading towards the room: “Over here!” he called, with the others soon following him.

Once the four of them reached the room, a massive explosion rang out. The ship’s core had exploded, engulfing one soldier, causing him to scream out in agony as he was thrown away from the ship before he fell to the ground. Pieces of debris flew through the air and blocked the entrance to the room they had entered, trapping the other Decepticon troopers outside and leaving only them in the room. Brawl, Barricade and Onslaught looked behind in shock, but Megatron was unfazed and simply took a few steps forward without looking back.

“Looks like they managed to get away from the explosion.” said Sokkia.

“But how many didn’t?” Leila had her own thoughts on the matter. “I have no love for the Decepticons but it doesn’t change the fact that Megatron put his own troops in mortal danger and many of them just died, and he did nothing to help them, all because he’s more concerned with a WMD than his own soldiers.”

Many agreed with Leila. Whilst many Decepticons were malicious outright evil Bots, Megatron had still ruthlessly thrown their lives away without a care. Many of them had lost countless friends and comrades on Megatron’s account in the past, and to completely disregard their deaths was unconscionable.

Me an while, in the centre of ‘the room’ was a ‘projector’ of sorts, and it begun to shift and transform in response to the four Decepticons’ presence. The projector began to emit sparks. Barricade, Brawl and Onslaught pointed their weapons at the projector preparing for any sort of attack. The projector then displayed the visage of a Cybertronian, who had an intimidating design, toned forearms with slim upper arms and small wings on the side of his shoulders, thick legs that resembled jet thrusters, with stubby feet and heels, a broad chest plate resembling the front of a plane, with curved wings on his back, and was coloured in red, blue and white.

Many of the Black Knights frowned or glared in Contempt at this visage: a duplicitous, arrogant and obnoxious Transformer who had given many of them unpleasant memories and remarks.

“Now there’s a face I’d rather not see again.” glared Suzaku.

“Tell me about it, seeing and hearing Starscream is like having a headache and aneurism at the same time.” Kallen felt the same.

“Is he really that obnoxious?” Pixis asked.

“You have no idea. Starscream was one of the most infamous and notorious Decepticons due to his arrogant, deceitful and cowardly behaviour. One could almost compare him to a grandstanding politician who may boast of his greatness, but when the going gets tough, he heads for the hills, more concerned for his own spark than anyone else” Cornelia explained with disdain.

“Sounds like a real douchebag.” Ymir found those types of people to be obnoxious, the first to stand as big shots and run off at the first sign of danger.

Eren observed this “Starscream”. From what he’d heard, he certainly sounded like an unpleasant bot to deal with, but something subconsciously told him that this Transformer was also unpredictable and dangerously destructive. If anything, Starscream could be the type to hold lethal grudges if pushed too far. One thing was for certain: Starscream was not someone to be left unchecked.

The visage began speaking: “I am Starscream, and I have protected my Station for over a thousand years!”

Megatron shoved past his three subordinates and declared: “I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons! This Space Station is Decepticon property! Surrender immediately!”

Starscream was far from impressed. “Whoever you are, you’ve traveled a long way just to meet your doom!”

Suddenly the visage disappeared and two turrets appeared on the wall and opened fire forcing the four Decepticons to take cover. Barricade and Brawl immediately opened fire on a turret each, with their Neutron Assault Rifles. But four more turrets appeared, two adjacent and two beneath. Onslaught used his EMP Shotgun to destroy one turret then destroyed another with his second shot. Finally Megatron fired his Fusion Canon to demolish two turrets in a single blast.

Once the turrets were destroyed, a large thud could be heard, coming from behind a large locked door on the left of the room. Another thud was heard and then, a loud crash as the door was blown apart by four Decepticon troopers who had come to provide reinforcements.

Upon entering the room and standing post, one of the soldiers shouted: “Hail, Lord Megatron!”

This was met with a stern “Do not speak unless spoken to” from Megatron.

On hearing this, Ashley couldn’t believe that Megatron would just dismiss his own soldier like that for no good reason: “Dude, the guy was just trying to be nice and show you respect, why shut him down like that?”

“Because Megatron is a dickhead, and only wants obedience from his troops, nothing more” Ryo responded.

Megatron’s group walked on to find another soldier standing near a four way corridor.

“It’s lord Megatron!” he exclaimed.

“The honour is all yours” Megatron replied in a somewhat proud tone.

“Well, someone’s modest.” Niccolo sarcastically quipped.

“Megatron’s certainly not known for his humility.” Kaguya retorted with displeasure at Megatron’s attitude.

Further ahead a Decepticon Sargent spoke to Megatron: “Take out those sentry guns! They’re tearing us apart!”

“I HATE those sentry guns!” another soldier shouted.

“Hardly a detriment” Megatron scoffed as he and the other three proceeded to the right. Once they arrived, they found many Decepticon troopers in cover, trying to avoiding getting shot to pieces.

“Pah, pitiful” Megatron said upon seeing his troops being unable to push past the turrets.

“Brawl, Onslaught, destroy the turrets on the left, Barricade you will join me in clearing the right side, now attack!”

“Yes lord Megatron!” the three responded as they rounded the corner in quick successIon.

Brawl blasted the 1^st turret on the left, with Onslaught quickly destroying the 2^nd left side one soon after. Meanwhile Barricade shot the 1^st right side turret, with Megatron firing at the 2^nd turret immediately after the others were destroyed.

“Wow, they certainly cleaned house fast” Floch said in amazement.

“You think that was impressive? You haven’t seen anything. The Decepticons can cause much more damage than that.” replied Alice.

With the way clear, the four Decepticons proceeded onward to what appeared to be a large storage area, leaving the Decepticon troopers behind to secure the area. The storage area was filled with big crates all across the room, and numerous crane apparatus for moving things around. As they entered, the Decepticons could see numerous seeker troops moving through a long hallway on the right hand side and could hear communication chatter.

“There they are! Move ahead and cut them off in Storage Area Beta! Move! Move!!” one senior officer commanded urgently.

As they rounded the corner the Decepticons could see three vehicular soldiers approaching them, driving down a ramp towards them.

“Oh look. The welcome wagon” Brawl remarked sarcastically.

One of the vehicles drove off the ramp and flipped forward whilst transforming, once transformed he fired his Neutron Assault Rifle directly at the four Decepticons.

“Guess Starscream has realised that it’s gonna take more than a few sentries to take out Megatron.” commented Yukiya.

“If he does mean to see Megatron destroyed, he’ll need a lot more than that.” Cera noted

“I feast on destruction!” Brawl roared as he charged towards the trio of soldiers with his Cybertronian Mace, dodging the 1^st soldiers’ gunfire, and then swung his mace vertically and decapitated the bot in one swing. He then rushed towards the other two soldiers and whacked one of them into the nearest wall, he then caved in the chest plate of the other remaining soldier.

Two more soldiers arrived at the top of ledge from where the ramp descended, but Barricade had already driven to the top in his vehicle mode, and before the reinforcements could blink.

“Make way for Barricade!” he called out as he opened fire with his vehicle Assault Rifle and mowed them down in seconds.

Many winced at seeing the violent takedown of Starscream’s soldiers, particularly the Survey Corps. Despite having seen their share of violence, they hadn’t seen Cybertronian warfare for real.

“Yeesh that was brutal.” Sasha commented in abstract fear.

“Decepticons tear down any resistance with force, and have no qualms about how violently they do it.” said Akito, recalling the Decepticons’ actions in the EU.

“Shit, I’ve seen Megatron himself and how brutal he is, but to see his troops be just as violent...” Jean trailed off, thinking about Megatron during the coup and all the soldiers he killed singlehandedly.

“Yeah, they’re just as bad as he is in their own right.” Monica admonished.

With the soldiers dead, Megatron voiced his thoughts.

“Those fools mean to catch us in an ambush at the next door!”

Onslaught smirked as he spotted a large crane in the middle of the room “Unlikely! We can bypass their ambush altogether by using that crane to reach the crash tunnels and flank them instead.”

“Ambush their ambush. I like it!” Brawl agreed heartily.

“Then let’s get to it” Barricade said as he activated the crane and moved it’s arm to enable them to reach the crash tunnel.

The four of them soon climbed the crane and entered the crash tunnels.

“Looks like they’re a few steps ahead of Starscream now.” Sokkia noted

“Indeed, It would seem Starscreams soldiers have become the hunted.” Shadis Concurred.

The tunnels were filled with flame jets on the sides, spraying fire in front of them and posing a hazard. Molten metal lay everywhere in the tunnels, with steam rising from the melt, due to the heat. With the four Decepticons taking care not to get melted, a voice Contacted them through audio transmission.

“Megatron - Soundwave here. Establishing a forward base.”

“Transmit your coordinates, Soundwave... and I want everything ready upon my arrival” Megatron ordered.

Upon hearing the distinct voice of Soundwave, many of the Black Knights immediately tensed up, for they knew of the threat Soundwave posed.

“Oh my god, that was Soundwave!” Oldrin exclaimed nervously.

“If he’s involved in this mission, then that certainly isn’t good for Starscream.” commented Marrybell nervously, as she remembered her own team’s encounter with Soundwave and the Constructicons.

At the end of the tunnel, the Decepticons reached the top of a ledge overlooking Storage Area Beta, where Starscream was talking his soldiers.

“Starscream! The ambush is set. They won’t make it past us.” One soldier proclaimed.

“I shall hold you to that soldier” Starscream acknowledged in a dubious tone .

“Yes sir!” the soldier replied, Starscream then hung up.

“Heh, this is almost too easy” Barricade commented as he equipped a nearby Magma Frag Launcher.

“Time to spring our own ‘ambush’ said Onslaught as he pressed a nearby switch, which dropped an explosive barrel on top of the unknowing soldiers, killing them all.

“And with that, the tables have turned” Eren thought as he watched the battle unfold.

As the four of them jumped down into the storage room, Soundwave warned: “Alert! Hostiles inbound!”

“There they are!” Brawl pointed to a door above them, left of the ledge they had been standing on.

“Crush them!” Megatron declared.

Onslaught engaged two soldiers that had jumped down from the door with his EMP Shotgun, striking one soldier with a whole shell, before turning to the second soldier and shooting him down too.

Four more soldiers appeared behind them from a ledge opposite the door above, with two of the jumping of the ledge, Barricade shot a sticky grenade from the Magma Frag Launcher, sticking one descending trooper, then detonated the grenade, blowing up two Bots in one shot. The last two soldiers fired at the quartet from above, but Megatron fired his Fusion Canon to obliterate them in one shot.

Then, a door in the centre opened, with three soldiers standing ready to intercept. Only for Brawl to demolish them with a shot from his twin barrelled tank form.

“Those guys didn’t stand a chance.” Louise was surprised at how powerful the Decepticons were.

“And the way they were killed… it was just… brutal.” Tian Zi had no other words to describe what she’d just seen.

“The Decepticons capacity for ruthless violence knows no bounds.” Akari scowled.

Soundwave radioed in again: “Megatron, we await your arrival.”

With the room cleared, the four Decepticons advanced through the door and into a u-shaped curved room, with bullet proof windows, an entrance at one end and exit at the other. Suddenly a projection of Starscream appeared through the windows.

“Megatron! I thought you’d be scrap metal by now.” mocked Starscream “Your survival… intrigues me.”

“I shall not be denied, Starscream.” Megatron retorted as his team continued to move across the room “Surrender your Dark Energon program to me immediately!”

“Dark Energon…? Are you MAD? Dark Energon brings only death and chaos!” Starscream exclaimed.

“I am COUNTING on it” said Megatron ominously.

At this, the screen faded to black.

Many watching felt a sense of dread seep into their bodies.

“That doesn’t sound good” commented Claus. A serious look on his face, which was not common for him.

“With Megatron, when is anything good?” Chigusa questIoned.

“Yeah but..., to want a weapon that causes only mass death and chaos?... it’s just insane” said Shirley.

“Add to the fact that it’s another ego maniac whose telling you just how bad it is, yet you still want it, shows how fucked up Megatron is”, added Levi

Suddenly an image of Brawl appeared on the Screen, alongside a series of bars extending across a graph, appearing on the right hand side, with words next to the bars and numbers at the end.

Brawl: I was built to be wild.

Strength 9

Intelligence 4

Speed 4

Endurance 9

Rank 5

Courage 8

Fireblast 9

Skill 3

This caught the attention of everyone watching.

“This doesn’t look anything like the past we were just watching? What is this?” Toto commented in surprise.

“It looks like a profile of some sort, regarding Brawl.” Armin replied. “Those bars, they seem to represent his abilities.”

“Vector Prime, could you explain the purpose of this profile?” Lelouch asked.

“Certainly, This is called a ‘tech spec’, and as Armin deduced, it is a profile of a Transformers general abilities. I implemented it to give you all a general understanding of a Transformers individual strengths and weaknesses. Whilst the tech spec may not be wholly accurate or representative of that Transformers abilities, as they can change or evolve as time goes on, it can still provide insight that you may find valuable” Vector Prime explained.

“Well, I won’t complain. Learning about what each Transformer can do is pretty cool!” Sasha saw no issue, she actually found it quite exciting.

“Indeed, learning about Cybertronains is always an exciting pastime” Lloyd was excited as always when it came to Cybertronians and their capabilities.

“Well based on this tech spec here, Brawl is strong, durable and packs quite a bit of firepower, combined with his high courage stat, he’s certainly a powerful soldier” said Erwin

“However, he’s not very smart or fast and is very unskilled, making him pretty sluggish and ultimately just a battering ram” Sayoko followed.

“Well that was certainly a handy insight! Will we be seeing more of these tech specs?” Hanji inquired excitedly.

“Indeed, you will see some when viewing each of these events.” Confirmed Vector Prime.

“More Transformers to learn about! Amazing!” Hanji squealed with delight, much to Levi’s chagrin.

The Screen returned to show the Decepticons exiting the room.

Brawl spoke: “Megatron- when this is over, can I rip off Starscream’s head and boot it into space? Please?” he demanded as they proceeded down a hallway.

“Patience Brawl.” Megatron replied in amusement, “Starscream may yet be of use to us.”

“He’s right Brawl, Starscream likely knows this Station inside and out, so despite his… obnoxious personality, he’s more useful to us alive.” Onslaught reasoned, much to Brawl’s annoyance:

On hearing this Euphemia mentioned in a sad tone: “The Decepticons always talk about utility so casually, all most of them seem to care about is conquest, killing or what benefits them. It’s deplorable.”

“The Cons see themselves as superior, and only focus on what benefits or amuses them. They care little or nothing for morality or the wellbeing of things around them.” said Chiba.

The Decepticons jumped onto a ledge, which had a sparking Conduit above them, at the end of the hallway. Soundwave radioed again: “Megatron, your command post is 83.4% complete.”

“I expect it done when I arrive, Soundwave.” Megatron reiterated.

The group came upon a turret alongside two soldiers in a corridor. Megatron, wasted no time in transforming into his tank form and blew the turret to pieces, before driving towards the soldiers, who tried to shoot back, but to little avail due to Megatron’s vehicular armour, the first soldier was exploded by a tank shot, the other was rammed into and crushed under Megatron’s treads.

The group proceeded on through a door at the end of the corridor, where they came upon a steep drop.

“Wow, that’s a pretty long drop” Barricade commented in a concerned manner.

Megatron cared little for Barrciade’s concern. “Jump you fool, there is nowhere to go but down!”

Jeanne observed: “Megatron’s very demanding and unsympathetic towards his troops, he commands them with no manners.”

“Especially when he’s in a bad mood.”added Hanji, with reference to all the times Megatron ‘demanded’ things from the Survey Corps.

As Brawl, Barricade and Onslaught jumped into the abyss, Megatron noticed that on the other side of the ledge he was standing on, was a wounded Decepticon trooper and, at the end of of the ledge, was a platform with a chest Containing an overshield.

Megatron jumped as far as he could over the gap, and used his hover ability to cover the remaining distance. Once he was on the other side, he walked past the dying trooper and smashed the chest with his spiked mace, allowing him to absorb the overshield, granting him further protection from harm.

He then jumped from the ledge to join his Decepticons below, paying no mind to the wounded soldier he’d left behind, to the further disgust of those watching.

“He just ignored his soldier and left him to die!” Tamaki shouted

“All to get some fancy shield!” Connie was equally angered by Megatron’s abandonment of his soldier.

“Megatron has little time or patience for those who are of no use to him” Lelouch growled. He was fully aware of Megatron’s uncaring nature, but it still angered him.

Eren could only scowl hatefully: he’d seen countless friends and comrades die, but to see Megatron intentionally abandon his own soldier without even trying to to help them or feeling even slightly guilty, made his blood boil.

Once he landed, Megatron found the room had already been cleared by the other three, however, there was no obvious exit for them to leave through.

“But, Megatron, how do we get out?” Barricade asked, slightly frustrated and panicked

Before his question could be answered, an alarm rang out along with an announcement:“The intruders are here! Call in reinforcements!” it blared.

“Decepticons! Mount those turrets! We’ll cut them down with their own weaponry!” Megatron ordered.

“Time for some carnage!” Brawl declared gleefully.

As the four Decepticons mounted a turret each, countless soldiers flooded in from higher ground. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t withstand the sheer volley of bullets. Many of them were mowed down before they even had a chance to fire back.

The ensuing one-sided firefight horrified many of those watching, as it brought back memories of similar disastrous battles.

“My god...” Euphemia’s eyes shook as Suzaku held her hand in comfort, memories of the SAZ massacre flashing in her mind.

“It’s a massacre...” Shadis muttered in horror, having seen his fair share of slaughters during scouting expeditIons.

Megatron’s voice was heard to roar from the Screen: “None can resist us!”

Brawl was having the time of his life gunning down Starscream’s soldiers: “This is way more fun than target practice!”

A second wave of soldiers arrived through a door in front of the turrets and on the same level.

But this time, some of the soldiers managed to drive out in vehicle mode and fire their vehicular weapons, grazing Brawl and Onslaught, even somewhat diminishing Megatron’s overshield. This did little to actually press against the Decepticons, however, as even the vehicle armour was not enough to withstand the turrets firepower.

“Even a change in tactics did little to turn the tide” Akito noted grimly, as he watched the ongoing slaughter.

Onslaught continued shooting any soldier that was coming through the door: “A flawed strategy, now to clean up the rest” he declared.

Soon enough the four Decepticons had annihilated the entire attack force sent to eliminate them. Broken bodies, severed limbs and smoking vehicles littered the area.

“That’s showing them!” Barricade boasted.

“It looks like a graveyard” Ohgi said with a horrified look

“Or a smelters yard” said Dalque, just as appalled.

“Either way it’s a ghastly sight” said Erwin with a solemn expression, having also seen numerous fields of corpses himself.

Once the Decepticons detached themselves from the turrets, Megatron noticed that the door the reinforcements had come through had been destroyed in the attack: “The fools gave us our exit! Onward! Through that door!”

Megatron transformed into his tank to speed through the door with others transforming and following suit.

As the four of them drove down a corridor and turned right into a circular room, they ran into four Rocket Troopers, firing down on them from high ledges. Onslaught transformed from Armoured Truck mode into Robot Form and brought out his one-sided purple-blade Axe.

“Now you’re in for it” Onslaught said, as he landed on a lower platform with the momentum from his Truck form, quickly jumping across to an adjacent platform, where two Rocket Troopers stood. He lifted his axe over his head midair and proceeded to swing downward, splitting one trooper clean in half down the middle, before turning his attention to the other one by swinging his axe to bisect him. The remaining Rocket Troopers tried to shoot their rockets, but Onslaught simply leaped out of the way, while closing the gap between them.

Before they could fire again Onslaught rammed into one of the Troopers, slamming him against a wall before burying his axe into the pinned soldier’s chest, extinguishing his spark. As for the last Trooper, Onslaught cut off one of his arms, causing him to scream out in pain, before pulling out his EMP Shotgun, blasting him in the head and splattering his brain module everywhere.

Many winced upon seeing this grizzly display by the Combaticon leader.

“Onslaught certainly seems to be an extremely dangerous foe”. Kenshin was impressed by Onslaught’s combat capabilities.

“Without question” Tohdoh agreed, having fought Onslaught himself on numerous occasions.

“Onslaught is the leader of the Combaticons, one of the most feared groups of Decepticons, with Brawl also being a member of the team they pose a Considerable threat. Onslaught alone is a strong soldier in every sense of the word, and a skilled tactician. You do not want to take him lightly”

With Onslaught having cleared the way the four Decepticons left the circular room and entered a small hallway where they found a group of Starscream’s soldiers trying to retreat.

“Fall back! Fall back!” one cried out, only to be shot a moment later, along with the rest of his group.

The shooters were revealed to be more Decepticon troopers, who had taken control of the area ahead.

When the group exited the hallway, one of the soldiers standing nearby addressed Megatron.

“Area is secure, Megatron!”

“Excellent.” replied Megatron, as he and his team transformed into their vehicle modes and made their way through a winding corridor, where they began to pass many of Starscream’s soldiers who had been captured and were currently being guarded by Decepticon troopers.

“It seems Megatron’s troops have managed to capture a significant part of the Orbital Station.” said Anya.

“They’ve even taken some of Starscream’s soldiers as prisoners.” added Mikasa.

But in the background, a Decepticon could be heard torturing a captured soldier: “You want some more?” he enquired cruelly. “Then die!” the Decepticon roared as as he smashed in the captured soldier’s head.

Everyone could only watch in dismay.

“Who’s next?” the Decepticon asked sadistically.

Once again, numerous people felt angered by the injustice and cruelty they had just seen.

“He’d already surrendered! That Decepticon killed him just for fun!” Toto objected.

“And none of the others tried to stop him! They just watched him slaughter an unarmed prisoner for no justifiable reason!” Historia was shocked at the pure maliciousness they Decepticons exhibited.

“So even Megatron’s general forces are just as vicious...” Eren thought, visibly angered by what he’d just witnessed.

Megatron’s group came upon a lift, with a Decepticon soldier standing guard.

“It is an honour to serve you Megatron.” he said as Megatron approached, to which Megatron gave no response.

Then Soundwave’s voice was heard to say: “Megatron, I have unlocked the lift controls. Your command centre awaits at the top.”

“Excellent Soundwave, I will be there shortly.” Megatron replied as he pressed the elevator button to take him and his team upwards.

As the elevator began moving a soldier cried out “For the glory of Megatron!”

“I hope those assholes get fragged” Ayano said with hatred.

“You and me both” Lucretia agreed

As Megatron’s group ascended, three jets began flying towards the elevator, before transforming and hovering in front of it. The middle flyer began speaking.

“My name is Jetfire. I’m not here to fight.” he stated.

“It’s Jetfire! Interesting to see him here” noted Zhou.

“Well it makes sense, he and Starscream were colleagues and worked together in the past, seems at this point they’re not enemies yet” recalled Nina.

Meanwhile, Megatron had little patience with Jetfire: “That makes ONE of us. Speak your piece- quickly.”

“I’ve seen the horrors of what Dark Energon can do Megatron. It is not to be trifled with. It’s power is… too unstable to use; would spell disaster!” Jetfire warned.

But Megatron was unperturbed. “You cannot frighten me Jetfire, I will use Dark Energon as I please.”

“Then you are a short sighted fool! You’ll kill us all!” shouted Jetfire. Seeing that his attempt to appeal to Megatron was pointless. He transformed, with the other two flyers transforming also and they flew off.

“You say that as if it were a bad thing” Megatron smirked.

“Well that went fucking great.” Levi remarked sarcastically.

“Megatron’s still as callous and vicious as ever.” Suzaku remarked with angry tone.

“I take it this ‘Jetfire’ isn’t a Decepticon?” enquired Pixis.

“No, he isn’t. He and Starscream were originally friends, working at the orbital Station, but had a falling out. Jetfire defected to the Autobots, whereas Starscream joined up with the Cons” Anna explained.

“As to how they’re friendship fell apart, I suspect we may learn more of that soon.” Xing Ke speculated.

“I hope this Dark Energon stuff is worth it, Megatron” said Barricade, still unsure of whether this mission was worthwhile

Megatron’s group arrived at the base of operations. Computers, monitors and highly advanced technology could been seen all around, with soldiers standing guard in case of a counter attack from Starscream. Ahead of the group was a large screen projection being manned by the one of the most lethal Decepticons around. The Decepticon Communications Chief, and one of Megatron’s most trusted followers: Soundwave.

Seeing him in person made many of the Black Knights uneasy once again.

Soundwave had been a dangerous foe and posed many challenges for the Black Knights, some having personally faced off against him, having close brushes with death. Seeing Soundwave again was unnerving.

“Shit, he still gives me the creeps.” said Rai as he felt a chill go down his spine, remembering his final battle against the silent assassin alongside Ironhide and Bulkhead.

“Soundwave is certainly an intimidating foe.” Orpheus agreed.

“What’s the story with him? And how come his voice sounds different compared to everyone else?” Louise asked.

“Soundwave is one of Megatron’s most loyal followers, as they were fellow gladiators together in the pit. He’s a deadly fighter. He also contributed heavily to Megatron’s movement on Cybertron.

As for his voice, we don’t know why his voice is the way it is, but it does make him more unnerving. Needless to say, Soundwave is an enemy you do not take lightly” Marrybell elaborated.

“Soundwave: report!” ordered Megatron as he and the other three Decepticons approached.

“We have taken control of this section of the Station and established a base of operations. Scans indicate that Starscream has locked down all logical routes to the Dark Energon Reactor.” Soundwave responded.

Barricade lightly nudged Brawl with his elbow to get his attention.

“Heh, and we’re fresh out of Star Cruisers to tunnel our way through” Barricade dryly remarked, which resulted in a laugh from Brawl.

“Quiet.” Megatron silenced them Both. “There must be another access point…we have to reach the station’s next pod.”

Soundwave offered a solution: “Megatron. I have located a nearby data matrix centre which to reveal any alternate means of entry to the next pod. Advance teams have already been sent to clear your path.”

“Then we have no time to waste. Decepticons, arm yourselves and prepare to disembark!” Megatron commanded.

The four Deceptcions armed themselves with new weapons and equipment from the Armoury in the new base of operations. Megatron equipped a Scatter Blaster and Fuse Grenades, Onslaught grabbed a Photon Burst Rifle and Healing Grenades, Brawl picked up a Thermo Rocket Launcher and Proximity Mines and Barricade acquired some Stun Grenades.

The Survey Corps and even the Black Knights couldn’t help but marvel at the arsenal the Decepticons had. The firepower they had access to was far more technologically advanced than their own, by a mile. The fact the Black Knights even had ‘knightmares’ to begin with, was because of Cybertronian tech.

“With that kind of firepower they could wipe out a whole city!” Chigusa exclaimed.

“Those guns are unlike any type of weapon I’ve ever seen!” Niccolo was in awe at the vast array of equipment he was seeing.

“Cybertronian weaponry and technology is truly a wonder to behold” praised Rakshata.

“Those look incredible! Ahhhh, if only I could actually touch them!” Hange was ecstatic seeing the Cybertronian technology and had to be restrained by Levi.

With their newly equipped armaments, the group drove towards an elevator to the right of Soundwave, which would lead them to the data matrix. As they passed some nearby Decepticon troopers, they could see that the troopers were heavily damaged and not in any condition to fight on.

“Uggggh, I think I’m going offline” a soldier exclaimed.

“These soldiers look pretty banged up.” Onslaught said, as they drove past.

“Unacceptable, they should either be victorious or dead.” Megatron said, as arrived at the elevator, transforming and walking onto it.

Then , they overheard chatter through a transmission from one of the Assault Teams.

“They’re putting up a good fight alright!” a Decepticon Sargent reported.

“Then put up a BETTER fight!” Megatron angrily responded, as he activated the lift and began rising upwards.

Megatron’s ruthless attitude was starting to aggravate many.

“He can’t even acknowledge his own troops, who are fighting for him?!” Dalque shouted

Guidlford was appalled: “And the only thing he cares about is whether they’re victorious, regardless of how many die or get injured? You don’t win wars by sending your soldiers into certain slaughter!”

Soundwave spoke: “Megatron- be aware that you face overwhelming odds against Starscream’s soldiers. It is statistically unlikely that your advance teams can defeat all of them, I shall await your word that you have reached the Data Matrix Center.”

When Soundwave finished talking, the four Decepticons arrived, only to witness one of the advance teams being wiped out by a group of Starscream’s soldiers. Barricade went in first, running towards the enemy, returning fire with his Neutron Assault Rifle and gunning down two of the soldiers, the rest falling back into a long hallway.

Upon seeing the incoming Decepticons, many of Starscream’s soldiers began taking cover, hiding behind a series of crates. Megatron knew that he needed to flush them out.

“Brawl, use a Proximity Mine to destroy those fools. In such a tight hallway there should be no room for them to escape!”

“With pleasure!” Brawl agreed, as he deployed a Proximity Mine to hone in on the soldiers behind the crates.

The soldiers could hear a beeping sound, but due to the echoing acoustics of the hallway it was hard to pinpoint. Before they knew it, the mine closed in on them and three soldiers were blown to smithereens, limbs scattered in all directions.

“Damn, that was a hell of an explosion” said Jean as he watched the scattered body parts.

The Decepticons continued to advance down the hallway as more of Starscream’s soldiers arrived, shooting from cover, along with four turrets emerging from the walls, on the left and right side respectively.

“They just keep coming at us!” Barricade exclaimed.

“It makes little difference. In this confined this area their numbers don’t matter, especially not when they see what I’ve got in store” Onslaught said, as he deployed what appeared to be a Guided Missile. “Create a distraction, while I get ready.”

On this command, the other three began firing, pinning the soldiers down and drawing the attention of the sentries, at which the Decepticons shot back, destroying two of them.

“Time to put my plan into action.” Onslaught said to himself as he launched the Guided Missile towards the distracted soldiers. Once it was close enough, he detonated the missile resulting in an explosIon that tore apart all of the soldiers and the remaining two turrets.

“That felt like overkill, like how many explosions do you need?” Rivalz couldn’t help but feel that all this was unnecessary.

But the Decepticons clearly thought otherwise.

“Ha ha ha! Now that’s how you do it! Brawl cheered.

“I plan to win this.” Onslaught said resolutely “And to win this, we need to see all opposition totally wiped out.”

“Agreed Onslaught. Onward Decepticons!” Megatron ordered, as the four of them entered another storage room, only to be immediately engaged and fired upon by two Rocket Troopers from above, with one of the rockets damaging Megatron’s overshield. Shortly after firing, the first Rocket Trooper took cover behind a barrier projector shielding him from harm. At the same time, more of Starscream’s soldiers, in vehicle mode, began dropping from the higher floor to attack.

Megatron immediately began issuing orders:

“Brawl, you and I will push trough the ground soldiers and make our way to the higher floor! Barricade, Onslaught, you will draw the attention of the Rocket Troopers. Advance!”

Barricade immediately activated his Barrier ability in front of himself, in direct line of sight of the Rocket Troopers, providing cover for the group. The Rocket Troopers tried to shoot at the Decepticons but it was no use as the Barrier blocked all of the incoming damage.

Megatron and Brawl seized the opportunity to run towards an ascending ramp.

“Power to the Decepticons!” Brawl called out as he activated his Whirlwind ability to spin his top half 360 degrees, holding out his mace and bludgeoning through all the incoming vehicle soldiers, smashing them into broken wrecks: whilst their armour was useful against bullets, it wasn’t as resistant against melee attacks, let alone a swift flurry of them. With the ground soldiers out of the way, Megatron and Brawl began shooting their way up the ramp.

Many of the Survey Corps were shocked by how physically powerful Brawl was. They’d seen him smash through soldiers earlier, but here, his strength was much more apparent. Meanwhile the Black Knights also felt uneasy, reminded of Brawl’s wild and frantic nature.

“Those soldiers were smashed to pieces without mercy.” Misty grimaced.

“That Brawl guy is like a brick shithouse!” Sasha exclaimed, in awe of Brawl’s strength. “The tech spec wasn’t kidding about him being super strong!”

Chiba had fought against Brawl personally, when her team fought to acquire a shield generator near Mount Ontake in Japan, and knew how strong he was.

“Brawl is a tough Decepticon. Being a Combaticon he’s already more dangerous than most, his physical strength and durability, combined with his firepower, turn him into a one bot wrecking crew. She explained “However, he isn’t exactly the fastest bot, nor the most intelligent. Far from stupid, but no genius either.”

Back on the ground, Barricade and Onslaught were shooting at another two Rocket Troopers, trading shot for shot, but with little effect, due to both sides having Barriers. However, Onslaught had spotted a weakness. In order for the Rocket Troopers to shoot, they had to lower their Barriers, as Barrier fields blocked bullets from both sides. In that moment, they were vulnerable.

“Barricade, I’ve figured out a way to take these guys out. Instead of going back and forth between Barriers, we simply wait for theirs to lower and then give them everything we have!” said Onslaught.

“Well it beats sitting here like cyber ducks in a barrel.” Barricade relented, as he lowered the Barrier.

Believing this to be an opportune moment to strike, the Rocket Troopers lowered their barriers also, to fire. Onslaught immediately fired his Photon Burst Rifle in quick succession at the left hand Rocket Trooper, riddling him with bullets, while Barricade used his Magma Frag Launcher to explode the other Rocket Trooper with a sticky grenade.

With the Rocket Troopers dealt with, Barricade and Onslaught met up with the Megatron and Brawl ,who had destroyed the rest of the soldiers in the area, Megatron activated a bridge that connected them to another side. Once they were across, they made their way towards the data matrix, on their way they passing many cubes of Energon and metal, though it was apparent that the cubes were obsolete.

“These cubes seem terribly outdated” Barricade pointed out.

“This entire Station was created over ten thousand years ago. Much of it’s technology is antiquated and inefficient.” Megatron explained. “I look forward to updating it.”

Many were surprised upon hearing how old the technology was: It was still leagues ahead of what most of their worlds had achieved on their own.

“It’s a wonder to see how even the most outdated Cybertronian tech is leagues ahead of our own.” Nina couldn’t help but be amazed by the sophisticatIon of the technology, even in lieu of it’s age.

“I know right? They’re technology is the greatest! Anything I can get my hands on I…” Hanji was about to gush, but was cut off by Levi.

“That’s enough shitty four eyes, I don’t need a migraine.” Levi covered Hanji’s mouth to stop them from rambling on.

Megatron’s group arrived in a map room. Terminals could be seen all over the room, with balconies overlooking the room itself and a giant Holomap visible above a door at the other end of the room.

“Soundave! We’ve located the Holomap - I’m sending the data to you now.” Megatron ordered. As he spoke, Megatron was interrupted by a transmission from Starscream, who was projecting himself all around the room.

“Megatron! You may have gotten this far... but you’ll never get your hands on the Dark Energon!” he declared defiantly.

“Starscream... this acrimony is needless.” Megatron replied calmly “I know who you once were: Sky Commander, and that you were betrayed. With Dark Energon, I shall return Cybertron to it’s former glory - and you to yours. IF you agree to serve me.”

“Seems there’s more to Starscreams past than we thought” mentioned Gino.

“If he was betrayed in the past and it was deep, then it would explain his behaviour to some degree, not that it justifies it.” Monica speculated.

“Starscream may have his own demons, but he made his own choices and ultimately those choices cost him.” Cornelia had little sympathy, for while she knew what the sting of betrayal felt like, with Schneizel being a prime example in her mind, she knew that it was no justification for Starscream’s subsequent abhorrent behaviour.

Starscream was having none of it. “You’re a fool Megatron! No one can control Dark Energon!”

With that, Starscream’s projection disappeared and a number of his soldiers began flooding the room, with Two Rocket Troopers hiding behind separate shields.

“Looks like Starcream was just buying time for his soldiers to arrive” said Anya.

“Such tactics are well within Starscream’s capabilities” Euphemia added, as she’d witnessed his cunning nature many times.

Barricade drew his two Torture Swords and rushed towards Starscreams soldiers, cleaving one into quarters with a dual slice, slashing another to ribbons, finally stabbing a third soldier square in the chest, before activating the Sword’s electric sparkers, electrocuting the soldier from the inside, causing him to shriek in agony: electricity surged through his body, shining through his optics, before his body fried from the high voltage. Barricade flashed a wicked smile.

Many winced or looked away from the visceral scene. It was too much to watch…

“That was awful...” Lucretia gasped in horror at the brutal kill.

“He fried that one inside out, like a roast chicken” Kenny crassly remarked, resulting in some of the survey corps, particularly Levi, glaring disapprovingly at him.

“That Bot… what’s with him? He comes off as, viciously cruel…” Historia trailed off, equally troubled by the visceral execution.

“Barricade was the leader of Squadron X, a unit made to counter an Autobot squad named the Wreckers. This group consisted of some of the toughest Cons around at the time. Barricade himself was a scrappy fighter and tough for his size. He also had a real mean strike and could be brutal in his fights, as you’ve just seen” Nonette answered, having seen Barricade fight on more than one occasion.

“We’ve heard about the wreckers and how tough they are, Optimus told us about them. They’re pretty similar to our group, so if Barricade was the leader of a counter group to them, he must be quite the threat, I’d love to inspect him, if he wasn’t so violent” Hanji mused.

As for the Rocket Troopers, Brawl and Onslaught had fired upon their shields, and with this diversion, Megatron had thrown a Fuse Grenade behind each of the Troopers, drowned out by the sounds of gunfire, exploding them from behind killing them.

Soundwave then contacted Megatron having analysed the Holomap: “Megatron- there is a route through the manufacturing plant nearby that Starscream has not yet blocked. Transmitting coordinates”

“Excellent! Decepticons! Send a reserve group to my location, lock this room down and await our return.” Megatron decreed.

Just then, a loud thud could be heard, like the pounding of a hammer. The Decepticons stood in anticipation, waiting to see what was coming. After two more loud thuds the door exploded to unveil a Brute Class soldier, with a long two-sided Hammer, a big rectangular Shield and Rocket Launcher mounted on his back.

“Goddamn, he’s a big one!” Ryo shouted.

“Damn right! And have you seen his weapons?!” Ymir continued.

“Look out! It’s a Brute!” Onslaught called out.

“Disperse, now!” Megatron shouted as the Brute charged towards them, swinging his hammer downward, as the four Decepticons dodged the mighty strike. Barricade tried firing his Neutron Assault Rifle at the Brute, but the bullets were blocked by the Brute's large Shield. This caused the Brute to try and swing at Barricade, which he managed to dodge due to his smaller size and better speed.

Onslaught and Brawl had manuvered behind the Brute, and saw that his backpack was vulnerable. Onslaught wasted no time, and fired a shot at the Brute’s backpack with his EMP Shotgun, while Brawl fired a rocket from his Thermo Rocket Launcher. Both shots were direct hits and caused the Brute to grunt in pain. But this wasn’t enough to detonate his back pack, and only drew more fury onto them. The Brute ran towards Brawl whilst firing rockets at Onslaught, with both of them being forced to dodge quickly.

“He’s a tough one to deal with, with both his weapons and defences.” Pixis commented.

“He’s a higher tier soldier compared to the other types we’ve seen, it’s only natural he would be trickier to handle.” Tohdoh reasoned.

With the Brute’s attention being shifted to Onslaught and Brawl. Megatron realised that the Brute was best suited for single combat, but when outnumbered, he could be easily out flanked and overwhelmed, despite his raw strength. And so he quickly came up with a plan.

“The fool is too preoccupied with the targets in front of him, and has failed to account for those around him.” Megatron surmised “Barricade, attack him from behind when he prepares to attack the others, whilst I position myself to deal him a blow he won’t recover from.”

“Heh, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Barricade smirked wickedly, as he pulled out his Magma Frag Launcher and rushed towards the Brute’s back.

Brawl was engaging the Brute in physical combat, striking his Mace against the Bruiser’s Hammer. Loud clangs could be heard echoing across the room, with them trading savage blows with each other. Meanwhile Onslaught had taken cover behind a pillar to avoid being hit by more rockets, and was trying to shoot at the Brute’s backpack with his EMP Shotgun. He’d been hit by one rocket and was leaking some Energon.

The Brute prepared to unleash a heavy swing, but just before he could, Barricade shot a sticky grenade onto the backpack and detonated it, causing the Brute to shout out in pain, as he fell to one knee. Then whilst he was recovering Megatron transformed into tank mode and drove directly behind him and fired a charged tank shot into the Brute’s backpack, damaging it so badly that it began to spark. The Brute realised what was happening and desperately tried to reach his back pack to prevent it from exploding, but he could do nothing: it exploded, killing him instantly.

“That guy went out with a ‘bang’ am I right?” Ashely asked in an attempt at humour. No one laughed. Jeanne placed her palm over her face and sighed.

“Is he always like that?” Mikasa quietly asked Jeanne.

“Unfortunately yes, even after all these years, the way his brain works still baffles me.” Jeanne replied.

With the Brute destroyed and Onslaught having tended to his and Brawl’s wounds with a Healing Grenade, the group made their way down into the service hallway, where steam and electricity were emitted across the halls, showing the extent of the destructIon the area had suffered. They saw a soldier lying on the ground, near lifeless, as he’d accidentally walked into the surging electric sparks.

“So what exactly did they manufacture here?” Barricade asked.

“Transport devices for Dark Energon. The ancients constructed special pods they could launch to any parts of Cybertron.”Megatron had done extensive research on Dark Energon, to ensure that it was the lethal force he was hoping it would be.

This unsettled everyone, as there had already been warnings of how dangerous Dark Energon was.

“Just how unstable is this ‘Dark Energon’?” Kiyomi was becoming increasingly concerned.

“You have no idea, Regular Energon is dangerous enough, but Dark Energon won’t just damage your body or kill you, it does so much more painfully compared to regular Energon. I don’t even want to discuss possible side effects.” Cera warned, her voice shaking slightly.

“Not to mentIoning that it can REVIVE AND ANIMATE THE DEAD. Sentient or not, it just reanimates them as mindless zombies. It’s a cursed taboo and should be avoided at all costs.” Lloyd Concurred in a nervous tone, which was rare for him, but even he knew that Dark Energon was not to be trifled with.

“Added to the fact that its the life blood of the Cybertronian equivalent of the Devil, there’s plenty of reasons to stay away from the stuff.” Claus concluded, adding another serious dimensIon.

This alarmed the Survey Corps. They knew Megatron’s body was filled to the brim with the vile substance. They knew how powerful it was: they even knew about it’s effect on humans, like with Bertholt, but they could only speculate about how destructive the substance truly was combined with the fact that Megatron essentially had Devil’s blood flowing through him! To say that they were unnerved by these revelatIons was an understatement.

The four Decepticons led by Megatron soon crossed a bridge, which crossed a pool of raw energon. Soundwave transmitted to them. “Megatron, according to my scans, the manufacturing plant is directly below your floor.”

Brawl announced: “There is no exhaust coming from that vent, we can blast through to make an entrance.”

“Aren’t you concerned about driving into the belly of a furnace?” Barricade asked Brawl incredulously.

“Aren’t YOU concerned that I might tire of your pointless chatter?” Megatron interceded, irritation lacing his voice.

Megatron’s dismissive response certainly didn’t surprise anyone, but they all thought it was poor conduct to ignore his soldier’s concerns completely.

“Megatron has no concern for anything, not even his troops wellbeing or his own” said Nile.

“He’s too busy getting angry and shouting at people to care.” followed Oldrin with an angry look

Having no choice, Barricade relented, and jumped into the furnace after Brawl, with Onslaught and Megatron following suit.

Inside the furnace, flame jets lay on the floor, shooting fire upward, which would torch anyone that walked through the flame. Above them were massive fans, easily towering over the four Transformers inside and spinning to cool the air in the furnace.

The Black Knights and Survey Corps looked in awe at the size of the furnace. If the Transformers looked small in there, they could only imagine how small they would be. Signifying the scale of their world compared to the Cybertronians.

“Damn, looks hot as hell in there” Tamaki stated as he looked at the flame jets and humidity in the room.

“And the size of those fans? Not only are they large enough to slice you to ribbons, but the amount of power they would need to cool a vent as large as that...” Cecile trailed off.

Despite the dangers, the four Decepticons proceeded, though Barricade only did so because the prospect of Megatron’s wrath was much worse than any possible hazard to his health!

“Those fans will split you in two! I can’t use you if you’re dead!” Megatron warned, as Brawl came to a fan and blasted it with his Thermo Rocket Launcher, rendering the fan inactive and allowing them to proceed.

Whilst Barricade was moving forward, a flame jet shot up out of the ground in front of him, causing him to jump back in shock.

“Stay clear of the jets you fool!” Megatron chastised.

Eventually, after avoiding every flame jet and destroying every fan, the four of them walked onto a ceiling platform fans were attached beneath. In order to proceed, Megatron blasted the first fan with his Fusion Canon, destroying the blades.

“See you at the bottom!”Barricade challenged as he jumped first, with the others behind him and blasted the second fan with his Neutron Assault Rifle until it stopped moving.

They repeated this process two more times, before landing in the manufacturing plant, with Onslaught having grabbed a discarded overshield, before the final jump from a ledge on the left.

“That was certainly one way to get closer to the objective.” Sancia remarked.

“It did have some practical benefits. It cut down on travel time and Onslaught was even able to acquire an overshield of his own.” Diethard pointed out.

“Megatron - Starscream is alerted to your presence in the production facility, expect resistance” Soundwave alerted Megatron.

“This place is pretty active to be thousands of years old.” Barricade noted as they walked upward into the plant.

“Soundwave reactivated it upon my orders. I have VERY special plans for this facility.” Megatron clarified as they entered an open storage area.

On hearing this, many people became even more anxious.

“I don’t even wanna think about Megatron’s intentions for the facility.” said Jean.

“Any plan that he’s involved with has only one outcome.” Milly agreed.

Suddenly the lights in the production facility went out, and the room became silent as the surrounding machinery shut down.

“What?!?” Megatron questioned in surprise and anger.

Then laser sights flashed from the top of bridge, overlooking the group.

“Snipers! Take cover!” As Onslaught called out, he was grazed by a Sniper, damaging his overshield.

“They’re on the bridge Megatron!” Brawl shouted.

“Obliterate them!” growled Megatron as he equipped a nearby Energon Battle Pistol, swapping out his Scatter Blaster temporarily, he began picking off the Snipers on the bridge. Onslaught began doing the same with his Photon Burst Rifle.

Meanwhile Brawl and Barricade drove forward to the next area, where another bridge with snipers loomed over them. Brawl sprayed his Neutron Assault Rifle at the bridge, forcing the snipers to take cover, as the couldn’t take a clean shot under fire. But this meant they didn’t notice Barricade race forward to close the gap, and before they knew it, he’d moved underneath to the other side of the bridge, leaving no cover for them, and he mowed them down with a few bursts of his own Rifle.

As the four Decepticons moved further into the productIon facility, an explosion rang out and with it came a Brute and a ‘Melee specialised’ soldier, who carried a blue coloured triangular-shaped Axe.

“Stand down Megatron.” the Melee Specialist demanded.

But Megatron wasn’t intimidated in the slightest: “No Bot with an oversized back scratcher is going to stop me.”

“You mock me? I will cut you down to size.” The Melee Specialist moved to engage Megatron in close combat.

“He’s got nerves of steal to challenge Megatron to close combat.” Mikasa said in surprise, for she knew how capable Megatron was in melee combat, having ‘fought’ him during her stay in Hizuru.

“With Megatron dismissing him, the soldier may have felt humiliated and is responding the old fashIoned way.” Chigusa speculated.

Megatron drew his Spiked Mace and went to confront the Melee Specialist, whilst the remaining trio got ready to engage the Brute. Megatron swung his Mace at the Specialist, who parried, and countered with a swing of his own. But Megatron simply stepped back to dodge. While Megatron traded blows with the Melee Specialist, Brawl, Onslaught and Barricade ganged up on the Brute, constantly outflanking him whenever he turned his attention to one or them. Eventually all three managed to burst him down and explode his backpack. Meanwhile, Megatron was still fighting with the Melee Specialist, engaged in violent combat, until Megatron viciously swung his Mace, shattering the Melee Specialist’s Axe, disarming him, before swinging his Spiked Mace downward, smashing the Specialist’s head, killing him in one mighty blow.

The Survey Corps were impressed by Megatron’s fighting skill. They’d seen him fight humans and Titans, but not Cybertronians, other than Optimus. They were also impressed with how quickly he dispatched the Melee Specialist; his skill was just as proficient when dealing with his own race, not just other species.

As much as Eren hated to admit it, Megatron was a skilled fighter in close combat, both swift and powerful. And seeing how dominant he was against his own race, Eren realized taking on Megatron should his plan come to fruitIon, would be extremely high risk.

Once finished, the Decepticons made their way past multiple Dark Energon machines, taking care not to be crushed as the machines slammed into the ground processing the Dark Energon. When they got past the machines, they were met with a large chasm where Dark Energon flowed beneath them and a long bridge that enabled them to cross the chasm. On the far side of the bridge there were banks of empty cannisters.

“Once I have enough Dark Energon online, I will use these cannisters to transport it to Cybertron! The Autobot’s surprise will be TOTAL.” Megatron mused, looking back at the vast pool of Dark Energon. Having crossed the bridge the four entered an elevator on the left side.

“I tire of these futile attempts to resist me, Dark energon will be MINE.” Megatron declared.

“Megatrons’ obsession with this Dark Energon is far from healthy.” Kenshin noted.

“He’s interested in the sheer devastation it can cause, all else is worthless to him.” Alice glared, reminded of many of Megatron’s heinous experiments.

The Screen then faded to black, to then show a tech spec for Barricade.

Barricade: Cruel? ‘Justice’ is always cruel.

Strength 8

Intelligence 5

Speed 8

Endurance 6

Rank 6

Courage 5

Fireblast 5

Skill 6

“Another tech spec, seems this one is for Barricade.” said Alice.

“Based on this, his strongest points are his strength and speed, with his endurance and skill being more than average.” Ymir commented.

“However all his other attributes are in the middle, so he doesn’t really excel in any other categories, meaning more intelligent, skilled or firepower based bots will overwhelm him.” Shadis followed up with his own thoughts.

“Overall, Barricade is a swift and strong bot, making him an effective enforcer. But in most other regards, he’s nothing spectacular.” Rakshata summarised.

The screen then shifted back to the elevator containing the four Decepticons. Barricade suddenly questioned Megatron’s ability to control the Blood of the Chaos Bringer.

“What makes you think you can control the Dark Energon, when no one else has ever been able to?” Barricade questioned dubiously.

“Only the strongest are worthy of such a force, Barricade. I am the strongest” Megatron reasoned.

“And do not question me again!” he added furiously as they exited the elevator.

“Gotta hand it to him, bastard’s got confidence.” said Kenny.

“But often times, over confidence can make people careless and it’s hard to know when that confidence is warranted.” Jeremiah responded, as he knew the dangers of over confidence: It was only when his own loyalty was renewed, that arrogance transformed into proper confidence.

“Since this is Megatron, and we’ve all met him, I suspect we all know the answer.” Eren reasoned that the experience everyone had with Megatron in their present timelines gave them enough insight into which of the two Megatron had, and many unfortunately could likely only guess which one Megatron had.

The Decepticons exited the elevator to find a ravaged section of the Station. Half of the walls had been destroyed in what looked like a turbulent explosion, crates were scattered everywhere, and debris was floating all across the room. Because of a missing wall, Cybertron was visible all the way from orbit, even from the station itself.

“Wow!” Pixis looked in shock: he thought he had seen destruction, but this was on a whole other level.

“The damage looks… so severe, the whole place is a wreck”. Cornelia was in disbelief as well, having seen very few things come close to that level of ruin, with Pendragon being a close example, after it was destroyed by the Decepticons.

“That isn’t even the end of it, look at that giant hole in the wall! You can see Cybertron through it!” Suzaku pointed out, which caused many to look at the hole and what lay beyond it.

“Cybertron…” Megatron commented, staring at his home planet, the planet he intended to conquer and rule.

“What a beautiful view...” Historia said in amazement, seeing Cybertron from such a vantage point.

“Certainly makes you think about how small we are in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to other races like the Transformers” Nina was in awe at the sight of Cybertron.

Megatron’s thoughts on gazing at Cybertron were interrupted when a jet started flying towards them.

“Flyers inbound!” Barricade notified. Megatron merely fired his Fusion Canon long distance at the flyer, hitting his wing, and causing him to crash into a platform, transform into robot mode and hover in place. He was then joined by three more Seeker Flyers, who stayed in vehicle mode and began firing their machine guns at the Decepticons.

“He managed to survive a shot from Megatron’s Fusion Canon!” Tamaki shouted.

“Well, he was lucky the blast didn’t hit anywhere vital, otherwise he’d have been scrap.” Ymir retorted.

Megatron immediately jumped and activated his Hover ability in the air, evading the incoming bullets and firing his power boosted Fusion Canon at two of the Seekers, obliterating them in explosive fashion.

Meanwhile Barricade threw a Stun Grenade at the remaining two vehicle mode Seekers, lowering them down from the air, forcing them into robot mode and preventing them from moving. This allowed Brawl and Onslaught to jump towards them and smash their heads with a stomp.

“So where do we go now Megatron?” Barricade inquired.

“This damage looks...old, it’s been this way for a good while. But no weapon I know of could have done this.” Brawl contemplated, as he looked intently at the large hole in the wall.

Megatron cared little for Brawl’s thoughts “I don’t care what did it – find away across!”

Soundwave provided a suggestion “The Holomap indicates no damage to this area.”

“Yes, this is unexpected, the entire area lies in shambles” Onslaught noted as he made his way to the control panel and activated it to lower a crane holding a bridge connecting the destroyed area to the outside debris. Brawl meanwhile had equipped an overshield from the opposite end of the control panel.

“How could the map not report damage like that?! You’d have an easier time hiding an elephant in a garden shed!” Nile couldn’t believe that such destructIon wouldn’t be at least noted.

“It could be that the damage was fairly recent, or that Starscream wanted to cover up the mess and seal it off to prevent humiliation.” Kaguya guessed knowing how prideful Starscream was.

“Hang on a moment” Ohgi recalled something. “I remember Jetfire telling us about this before. He mentioned an experiment with Dark Energon going wrong, resulting in a section of the Station being blown apart, this must be that very section.”

“Those could be probable explanations, hopefully we’ll learn more soon enough.” Armin said.

As they crossed the bridge and made their away through the debris belt, they were set upon by squadron after squadron of Seekers, with the group blasting their way through their meek resistance.

They came upon a door guarded by Rocket Sentries, with Snipers and ground troopers in the room behind. One rocket hit Megatron’s overshield, nearly depleting it, with Brawl and Onslaught taking hits also, due to the lack of proper cover in the debris belt. But after a few shots, the sentries were no more.

As for the Snipers Onslaught and Megatron began eliminating them with their Photon Burst Rifle and Fusion Canon respectively, while Brawl and Barricade cleaved and smashed through the incoming ground troops with their Melee weapons.

As they progressed, Soundwave gave them an update “Megatron I have downloaded the Station’s log, transmitting history.”

“Fascinating!” Megatron was elated as he scanned through the files sent by Soundwave.

“According to this, a quantity of Dark Energon became unstable... and the resulting explosion destroyed this part of the Station”

“Dark Energon did all of THIS?” Brawl exclaimed in surprise.

“Those fools had no idea how to control it, I’ll not make the same mistake!” replied Megatron.

“I know it’s been mentioned before, but this seems like a really bad idea, like he did see what happens if that Dark Energon stuff isn’t controlled properly right?” Onyankopon questIoned.

“Yeah, he literally had a clear example of how dangerous and destructive it was, any sane individual would have stopped there.” Floch agreed.

“Well Megatron is anything BUT sane, combined with the fact he is terrifyingly competent for an egotistical tyrant - it isn’t hard to believe.” Suzaku offered in contempt, being all too familiar with Megatron’s mindset.

The Decepticons soon encountered more Seekers and even a few Rocket Troopers, but Megatron and Brawl dispatched the Seekers with their Tank mode Canons, while Barricade blew up the Rocket Troopers with his Magma Frag Launcher and Onslaught used his EMP Shotgun to dispatch the last one.

When they reached the end of the debris field, they came upon an outside corner of the Orbital Station, which brought them all the closer to the Dark Energon production centre. Whilst they walked across, the floor began to shake.

“The floor is splitting apart!” Barricade shouted.

“Quickly! Jump to the other side!” Megatron commanded as they jumped to the right and off the collapsing floor and proceeded toward the Dark Energon core of the production centre.

It was now that Shirley truly realised how big the Station was: “You know when you think about it, this orbital Station: it’s much bigger than anything ever constructed on our planet. The whole thing is so vast.”

“It is impressive, it could be larger than most lakes, perhaps even an inland sea…, exploring such a place would be amazing” Armin mused, thinking about the wonder of exploration and the world beyond their own.

Shortly, the Decepticons would enter the main Manufacturing Centre. The Centre was three stories tall, with forcefields on the outside of the three floors, to prevent possible harm or long term exposure from the Dark Energon. Terminals and computer modules were spread all across the Centre, to record and monitor the Dark Energon’s manufacturing: most notably a large chamber in the centre of the room, connected by many pipes and tubes, which carried the Dark Energon.

“Look at the amount of equipment. All that is required just to maintain the Dark Energon?” Tian Zi mused as she looked at the vast array of the surrounding equipment.

“Considering what we’ve seen, I’d say more security measures are needed” Levi answered

Suddenly, Starscream flew toward the Decepticons in his jet form, before transforming in front of them and hovering in place.

“Impossible! No one has ever survived to reach this place!” he exclaimed in shock and anger.

Megatron stepped forward and spoke “You shall soon learn Starscream ‘I’ decide what is possible and what isn’t!”

However, Starscream wasn’t intent to standby and do nothing. He shouted a command: “Guards! Hold him off while I destroy the last of the Dark Energon remnants” he interacted with a computer terminal on his left, as his troops began rushing towards Megatron and his team.

“Seems Starscream is capable of making sensible decisions after all.” Kallen joked.

“But will it be enough? He said it will take some time, and I doubt that his soldiers will be able to stop Megatron, as they have failed to do so during this whole attack.” Akito countered.

“Well it’s the most he can do, better that than just hand it to Megatron with no resistance.” suggested Leila.

Megatron primed a Fuse Grenade and threw it down a hallway, where four ground troopers were rushing towards them. The moment the grenade made contact with the first soldier it detonated, blowing him up and the three around him.

As they moved downward to the second floor, more soldiers arrived firing in an attempt to hold the Decepticons off for time. In response, Onslaught transformed into his vehicle mode, firing his vehicle Rockets at three of Starscream’s soldiers, then activating his boosters to smash into the last of the four, his vehicle armour and overshield taking the brunt of all the incoming damage.

Seeing that his forces were being pushed back caused Starscream to panic. “STOP HIM! I need more time to initiate the sequence!” he screamed.

“We cannot allow Starscream to succeed! Do you hear me? I WON’T ALLOW IT!” Megatron shouted in defiance as he and his team advanced to the lower floor.

“Well it’s interesting to see Both Starscream and Megatron in a state of desperation.” Ohgi noted.

“Yeah, normally they’re trying to screw each other over or Megatron’s beating the life out of Starscream, but here they’re in a race of sorts, it’s a different to what we normally saw.” Rai noted in agreement.

“But between Megatron and Starscream, it’s apparent which one of them will prevail, one is an opportunistic commander concerned about his own wellbeing and benefit, the other is a brutal dictator who will stop at nothing to get what he wants” Suzaku reasoned, being very familiar with both Megatron and Starscream’s mindsets.

With that, a group of Rocket Troopers fired rockets at the Decepticons, along with sentry guns on the walls, firing to back them up. Brawl got hit by a rocket, damaging his overshield further, which in turn caused him to fire his own Thermo Rocket Launcher twice in furious retaliation, decimating the Rocket Troopers in an explosive rampage, while Megatron destroyed the turrets with his Scatter Blaster, clearing the way for the Decepticons to push through the left corridor. Here, they ran into two more Rocket Troopers, along with two ground soldiers and a turret.

Using another Stun Grenade, Barricade immobilised the squad of soldiers and sentry gun, ran into the middle between them and used his Thunderblast ability to emit an electric shockwave all around him, pushing back and zapping the soldiers to death, whilst frying the nearby turret.

As they got through the corridor, two Heavy Ion Soldiers wielding Ion Displacers were waiting for them and opened fire without hesitation.

All the Decepticons were forced to look for cover in order to return fire, with Barricade using his Barrier to temporarily block some of the bullets. But each of them were shot a few times by the Ion Displacers, whilst seeking cover behind some nearby pillars, wounding Megatron and Barricade and wiping out Onslaught and Brawl’s overshields.

“What firepower! Those soldier’s have them pinned down!” Shadis, exclaimed as he saw the flurry of bullets.

“Without doubt, we faced a similar class of soldier in the Decepticon ranks during a massive battle, they have tough armour and more than enough fire power to take out a fair amount of Bots.” Nonette added.

“They aren’t invincible either, you burst down their armour and they’re as vulnerable as any other Transformer, combined with the fact their armour and weapons slow them down, they’re almost sitting ducks and succeptible to headshots.” Rakshata added, from observing the battle on Darkmount, before Damocles emerged.

“My overshield is out!” Brawl yelled as he made it to coverage.

“Mine as well.” Onslaught affirmed, as he threw a healing grenade to repair the damage they’d taken. “What now Megatron?”

“We overwhelm them, despite their firepower and endurance they’re far from invulnerable. Their lack of speed allows us to attack them with little chance of them dodging. Brawl, you and I will use explosives to weaken them, once they’re stumbled we annihilate them!” Megatron commanded.

As he and Brawl threw two Fuse Grenades and two Proximity Mines respectively towards the two H eavy Ion S oldiers, they could do little to avoid the incoming ordnance and were hit directly by two explosives each.

This caused them to falter somewhat, and the Decepticons were quick to capitalise on the stumbled H eavy Ion S oldiers, with Megatron activating his H over ability once again and firing his S catter B laster directly at one of the soldier’s head, killing him.

While Brawl and Onslaught Both swung their melee weapons vertically at the remaining H eavy Ion S oldier’s head, crushing it between the collis i on of their weapons.

However, it appeared they had not been quick enough, as Starscream radioed in: “You’re too late! I have initiated the destruction sequence!” as more of his soldiers swarmed in to attack

Brawl and Onslaught immediately equipped the dead Heavy Soldier’s Ion Displacers.

“It would seem like Starscream got ahead of Megatron this time.” said Akari.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, there’s still time before the Dark Energon is completely destroyed.” Jeremiah retorted with a serious look.

“And now that the Decepticons have destroyed the heavy soldiers, they’ve turned the tide in their favour, especially with those Ion Displacers.” Leila said in a displeased voice, waiting for the slaughter to come.

“Time for some serious mayhem!” Brawl said as he equipped his Ion displacer and began firing on a group of soldiers from the left side.

“With this, my success is guaranteed!” Onslaught boasted as he destroyed two turrets on the Dark Energon Chamber, then started shooting towards hostiles on the right side.

A Heavy Ion Soldier soon entered along with a few more troops, but Onslaught and Brawl swiftly mowed through the ground soldiers, before setting their sights on the Heavy Ion Solider, who attempted to shoot back at the two, but could do little as he was fired upon from two sides and soon was blasted down, dropping his Ion Displacer.

After the initial three waves were slaughtered, one last wave attempted to strike, but Barricade had picked up the dead Heavy Soldier’s Ion Displacer and began gunning down the remaining soldiers.

“How do you like me now?!” he gloated with a malicious smile.

With all hostiles eliminated, the Decepticons turned their attention to the Dark Energon Chamber.

“Quick! Blast the containment field!” Megatron ordered as the other three used their Ion Displacers to blast open the door on the Chamber.

Megatron began walking towards the Chamber where Dark Energon could be seen inside, sparking wildly and dangerously. Starscream came flying in, landing to the left of Megatron from a distance.

“Well, it seems Megatron brought things back around in his favour.” Erwin wasn’t surprised, given how much he’d seen and knew about Megatron.

“Now the question is, with the Chamber open, how will he manage the Dark Energon now?” Nunnally pondered.

As Megatron began walking into the Chamber, Dark Energon began to flow towards him, enveloping him in a purple haze.

“Hang on, is he INSANE?!” Niccolo screamed.

“He’s gonna walk into it?! That’s like, walking into acid or poison!” Connie was just as flabbergasted.

“Sure, we’ve seen him control Dark Energon… he even has it inside of his body... but this is beyond drastic!” Marrybell objected.

“Even though there was little evidence he would survive this, he still attempted it!” Xing Ke couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“You arrogant FOOL! No one has ever survived direct contact!” Starscream chastised as he watched the Dark Energon envelop Megatron.

But to the shock of the other Decepticons and Starscream himself, Megatron jumped directly into the centre of the Chamber, directly exposing himself to the full extent of Dark Energon. Even more shocking was after a few moments, Megatron was shown to be not only alive after direct contact but he was actually controlling the Dark Energon

“No fucking way...” Levi seethed.

“I don’t believe what I’m seeing.” Rakshata was shocked as her mouth was left hanging open.

“He’s completely unharmed...” Mikasa said with her eyes wide.

“And he’s actually manipulating the Dark Energon… at will!” Diethard whole body shook with fear, as if he was looking at the Devil incarnate.

“What?! This isn’t possible!” Starscream objected in fear and disbelief, “No! No one can control Dark Energon! IT dominates and destroys everything it touches!”

Megatron laughed, as he acquired full control of the Dark Energon, with Dark purple Crystals rising inside of the Chamber, then he jumped down in front of the Chamber and as he did, dark crystals began rising all across the room, showing how much power Megatron now had. Starscream could only fly off in fear at this monstrous show of power.

With his power surging Megatron spoke: “I.. am the dominator, I… am the destroyer… I am MEGATRON!” he roared as Dark Energon crystals enveloped the whole of the chamber behind him.

The entire room was stunned, horrified even. For the Black Knights, they were reminded of when Megatron returned from the Shadowzone and said those very words when he broadcasted his return during the establishment of the UFN. And for the Survey corps, they had just seen Megatron truly wield Dark Energon for the first time and to say they were frightened by what they saw would be an understatement.

“My God...” Shadis couldn’t help but feel terrified, he had just seen how indomitable and powerful Megatron now was.

“Holy shit…” Ashely was in such disbelief he couldn’t even make a joke to alleviate the tension.

“That was… Terrifying”. Onyankpon’s whole body trembled from how frightful that experience was.

“Not only did he manage to dominate a substance that is known to destroy or corrode anything it touches, but he’s not even damaged by it” Lelouch scowled in both anger and fear, having experienced Megatron’s use of Dark Energon personally more times than he cared to remember.

“If anything, he looks enhanced by it, which considering how powerful and domineering Megatron is, makes what we’ve seen even worse”. Eren was far from pleased, he knew that Megatron was no pushover, but having just witnessed what Megatron just did, it was like being dunked in acid and emerging a new beast.

“Decepticons! Receive your birthright!” declared Megatron as he shared a portion of his Dark Energon power with each of them, imbuing them with newfound strength.

“I can feel the power!” Brawl was amazed by the power he felt coursing through his servos.

“It’s amazing!” Barricade concurred with evil glee, as he became energized.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen or felt before!” Onslaught added, just as empowered as the others.

“He’s shared his Dark Energon power with the others...” Tohdoh said with a grim tone.

“They look just as energised as him! Wasn’t that shit supposed to kill them?!” Ymir asked in disbelief.

“Either Megatron has managed to condense and transform the substance into raw power, or the Decepticons limitless endurance and desire to destroy enables them to withstand even Dark Energon.” Lloyd speculated, fear evident in his voice.

“Regardless of the explanatIon, it’s still worrying that Megatron was able to share the Dark Energon like that.” Misty was concerned about what this would mean for the future.

“Now! I shall deal with Starscream.” said Megatron as he and his team made their way to the other side of the Chamber, where a large Barrier field stood before them.

Looking to test his new powers, Megatron began gathering Dark Energon into his hands and then channeled the Dark Energon against the Barrier field, completely eroding it and causing Dark Energon to surge everywhere behind it, with crystals rising from the ground, slaughtering countless soldiers, who were helpless against Megatron’s new found power.

Some were impaled by crystals; others exploded from the sheer corruption of Dark Energon. Those who survived were hanging on by a thin thread, which was swiftly cut when the four Decepticons advanced through the corridor, trampling over the hapless soldiers.

“Those soldiers… were just...” Historia had no words for the carnage she’d witnessed.

“They were just… eviscerated. And the Decepticons just trampled over those soldiers without a second thought.” Cera felt enraged and horrified looking at the disfigured corpses and how ruthlessly the Decepticons had crushed them underfoot.

“The power of Dark Energon... it’s beyond monstrous.” Nunnally s voice shook as she observed the carnage caused by the destructive substance.

Once they reached the end of the corridor, Megatron transformed and used the Dark Energon to force open a massive door, causing it to explode and allowing them to enter the room where Starscream and Jetfire stood, along with three other Seekers. One was purple and cyan coloured and slightly slimmer than Starscream, the other two looked near identical to Starscream, but with different colour schemes, one was coloured purple and black, the other was blue with a tinge of white.

“Dark Energon is MINE to command! Through my will ALONE shall Cybertron be restored!” Megatron declared boldly, as he and the other Decepticons strode into the room.

“It’s too unstable, Megatron! Using that power… you’re endangering our entire world!” Jetfire protested fervently.

“It’s a bit too late for that pansy shit, in case ya didn’t notice smartass.” Kenny sarcastically commented.

“The rows of disfigured corpses and destruction caused by the crystals of Dark Energon can attest to that.” Kallen added disdainfully.

“Teach me, Megatron. Teach me to wield Dark Energon the way you do! And I will serve you” Starscream interceded, much to Jetfire’s surprise.

“And what could you possibly offer me… that I cannot simply take?” Megatron questioned dismissively.

Starscream had an answer up his sleeve: “The supply of Dark Energon aboard this Station is nearly exhausted. I know how to manufacture more. There was once an Energon Bridge that fed this Station directly. I know how to reconnect it”

“Is he serious?! One minute he’s talking about how Dark Energon corrupts and kills people, trying to kill Megatron all the while, now he wants to join him?!” Louise could not believe what she’d heard.

“That is who Starscream is, the perfect example of a cowardly opportunist, with not a shred of loyalty to anyone but himself.” Jeremiah responded, as he glared at Starscream in disrespect.

Upon hearing this, Jetfire was outraged. “TRAITOR! Zeta Prime will hear about this!”

With that Jetfire transformed and raced out of the Station through a large window frame, Skywarp, Thundercracker and Slipstream fired at him, but were unable to him and prevent his escape.

“Well at least Jetfire managed to getaway. Hopefully he’ll be able to alert the Autobots of Starscream’s treachery and plans” Zhou sighed in relief.

“Shall I send Thundercracker, Skywarp and Slipstream to retrieve him… Lord Megatron?” Starscream asked in a subservient manner.

“No. I want the Autobot leader to know his doom approaches. Once we have this Station online, nothing can stop me!” Megatron walked towards a window, looking down at the view of Cybertron.

“Now go. Find this Energon bridge, and reactivate it… For your new master” Megatron ordered as Starscream and the other Seekers, now adorning the Decepticon Insignia on their wings, transformed and flew off towards Cybertron.

Once the quartet had left, Megatron made a transmission: “Dreadwing come in, what is the status of integrating Starscream’s troops into our army?”

Hearing this name, caught Suzaku and Euphemia completely by surprise, with Cornelia also being shocked.

“It’s going smoothly lord Megatron, they should all be incorporated within a few cycles.” reported Dreadwing.

“Very good, I want you to leave the rest to Skyquake, You are to accompany Starscream and his Seekers, and ensure they carry out the task properly.”

“At once Lord Megatron. I will notify my brother and rendezvous with Starscream’s group now.” Dreadwing signed off.

And the screen faded out and stayed black.

Having reached the end, many had varying reactIons. Some were disturbed by the power of Dark Energon, others had taken notice of the Seekers joining the Decepticons, and a few had taken notice of the mentIon of Dreadwing at the tail end.

“Well, now we know how Starscream and the Seekers came to join the Deceptcions.” Kaguya noted

“Indeed. Through subjugation, fear and ironically enough, opportunism and powerlust.” Sayoko added, contempt and disgust in her voice.

“Not surprising, since this is Starscream we’re talking about, he never shies away from an opportunity to gain favour climb the ladder.” Guildford chipped in.

“And now they’re off to help create more of that poisonous substance, how vile.” Kiyomi felt revolted, having seen enough of Dark Energon.

“Add on the fact that Dreadwing is going with them, this will certainly be quite the mission.” said Shirley.

“Yes… it certainly… will be…” Euphemia trailed off, contemplating seeing her deceased friend again, with Suzaku being equally stunned and emotionally conflicted with the thought.

Cornelia immediately wrapped her arm around Euphemia, and others such as Lelouch, Nunanlly and the student council gave sympathetic looks towards the duo, all of them knowing exactly why the two two were so torn. Suzaku and Euphemia were eternally grateful for the support they received from their friends and family.

Then, Vector Prime reappeared: “And that is the end of the first chapter. Were you satisfied with what you have seen?”

Everyone present nodded or gave a sign of affirmation through putting their thumbs up.

“Very good. I am glad to hear it. Shall we continue to the next chapter?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 Fuel of War

With the Black Knights, the Survey Corps and Vector Prime still assembled, the screen lit up again:

Anxious to prove themselves worth of the Decepticon name, Starscream and his minions fly to Cybertron.

There they must reconnect the Energon Bridge that will enable Megatron to manufacture more Dark Energon and conquer the Autobots once and for all.

“So, we’re going to find out how Starscream reconnects this ‘Energon Bridge’ to provide a means of manufacturing Dark Energon” stated Kiyomi.

“Indeed, from what he said last time, the Orbital Station has almost run out of the necessary resources to manufacture it, and for what Megatron has planned, no doubt he’ll need a lot of Dark Energon” Nina explained, worried about the implications of this plan.

Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Slipstream and Dreadwing, who had joined the group per Megatrons orders, appear on the screen, flying downward into what appeared to be a Cybertronian underground section, with huge metal pumps and beams all around them, and a vast pool of Energon beneath them.

Slipstream was a purple and cyan coloured jet. Unlike Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker she had a completely different build and vehicle mode to them. Her jet mode notably had six wings, two long ones in the centre and four smaller ones at the back of her jet form, two on the top side and two on the lower side.

Meanwhile Dreadwing was a bulky blue jet with tinges of yellow, with two wings which were slightly longer and larger than the others. Along with two small wings at the back of his jet form.

Megatron could be heard giving orders. “Your orders are clear Starscream! Infiltrate the Cybertron underground, and reactivate the Energon Bridge. I want that power online!”

The group then came across a large metal fan, which Starscream blasted. He then responded to Megatron’s demand.

“Megatron, Thundercracker has detected several Autobots up ahead. Jetfire must have warned Zeta Prime and moved to intercept us already!” he reported.

Megatron cared little for Starscream’s concerns “Enough of your whining! If the Autobots try to stop you, crush them! Report back to me when you have found the bridge, Megatron out!”

Starscream didn’t take kindly to being dismissed so rudely “That imbecile thinks I’m expendable. ME?! He’ll soon learn never to underestimate Starscream.”

“Wow, Starscream just met Megatron and he’s ALREADY planning to usurp him” Ymir said in disbelief. “You weren’t kidding about him being a duplicitous douchebag.”

“Yeah, Starscream’s desire for power is certainly one of his most notable characteristics” Monica affirmed.

“True, but Megatron didn’t need to be a rude to Starscream about the warning of Autobots ahead, especially since it will be Starscream’s team that need to deal with it not Megatron.” said Misty, with many seeing her point: While Starscream was a devious schemer, in that exchange Megatron had been rude to Starscream with little justification or reason, showcasing his awful behaviour once more.

The group flew past a waterfall of Energon and flew through a passage where they spotted a circular drone.

“What is that?” Skywarp asked.

“An Autobot probe, we should avoid it to prevent detection.” elaborated Thundercracker.

“Like that puny probe could stop me. Blast them and get on with it.” Starscream impatiently ordered.

Dreadwing was the first fire, destroying the probe with a jet rocket. Megatron had sent him to monitor this new group, and from what he could observe this Starscream certainly was someone to keep an eye on, his arrogant personality made him stand out compared to his colleagues, though Dreadwing knew to keep an eye on them as well, for they too could be trouble. For now he would observe and talk with them when needed, but if needed he would step in to straighten them out.

“It would seem that Dreadwing has noticed Starscream’s prideful nature. That will be useful, should Starscream become a problem later on.” Erwin observed.

Suzaku and Euphemia watched in silence, on seeing Dreadwing again. Whilst they knew he would appear based on the previous viewing, it was still surreal seeing their friend again. Many of their loved ones noticed this, but chose to leave them be for the moment.

As the group proceeded through the area, with Skywarp and Thundercracker destroying one security probe each, they passed through a transforming door and into a tight aerial corridor.

Thundercracker took note of their surroundings. “I have never traveled this deeply into Cybertron’s interior before.”

“Ugggghh, you’re as boring as ever Thundercracker.” Slipstream groaned as they flew upward.

The group flew further through the corridor, before transforming as they ran into a door, which had a switch on the left.

“She says it’s boring, but I think it’s great to be able to see Cybertron itself, even if it’s just the planet’s underground, rather than a city or some other notable sight.” Shirley said in disagreement

“I agree, being able to see other environments and places carries a wonder that cannot be put into words.” Onyankopon responded.

Starscream activated the switch, only to find a trap door, with security lasers spreading all across the door.

“What is this? Some kind of Autobot trap?” he scoffed.

“It’s an enemy detection barrier” Thundercracker answered plainly.

“So it’s a trap” responded Skywarp dryly, irked that Thundercracker basically said the same thing as Starscream.

“He’s certainly good at stating the obvious” Levi remarked, also unimpressed with Thundercracker’s observation”

“Considering who he’s traveling with, that “straight obvious talk” is kind needed” Rai joked, which caused some of the other Black Knights to laugh.

“The power conduits along the floor should direct us to it’s power source” Thundercracker reasoned.

“Indeed, but this trap can be easily disarmed” said Dreadwing as he pulled out his signature Cluster Cannon and fired a rocket straight towards a glowing red powercore directly opposite them, destroying it and disabling the security lasers.

“Stupid Autobots, to think their measly tricks could ever fool Starscream.” Starscream boasted as if he disarmed the trap himself, much to the chagrin of his fellow Seekers and even Dreadwing, who glared at him from behind.

“What the hell is he boasting for? He didn’t even do anything!” Connie exclaimed in frustration.

“Seriously, is he gonna do this every time something good happens?” Gino groaned, aware of how obnoxious Starscream’s boasting could be, and thinking back to the mission to retrieve the immobiliser.

“Unfortunately, considering how arrogant Starscream is, I doubt this will be the last time we hear of his “achievements” Ohgi added scathingly.

They proceeded further into the room, only to find another set of security lasers covering the exit, preventing them from proceeding.

“Oh great, another trap!” Skywarp moaned in annoyance.

“The powercore has to be somewhere in this room.” speculated Thundercracker.

“Pah! Another nuisance. Spread out and find the powercore!” Starscream ordered as everyone separated to locate the powercore.

Starscream transformed and flew across a pool of Energon and turned left, where he found the powercore on the left side to the door. Starscream equipped his Null Ray and shot the powercore, disabling the lasers.

“Pathetic machinery” he said dismissively, as the other four regrouped with him, having heard his gunshot.

The five of them continued on, going further down into the underground until they stumbled upon a broadcast coming from beneath them. They looked down to see a projected transmission of Sentinel Zeta Prime, the Autobot leader before Optimus Prime.

Zeta Prime was a tall transformer, coated in blue and gold colours, with broad shoulders that went up to his head, long, firm arms and big, tall legs with flat feet. He certainly looked powerful and regal, but when everyone looked at him, they felt he did not inspire confidence or hope the same way Optimus Prime did. Still, this was many people’s first impression of Zeta and a hologram at that, so time would tell more about this Prime.

“He certainly looks regal, with that colour scheme and chassis and sense of power he gives off, it’s almost as if he were a King.” Leilla noted

“So that’s the Autobots’ current leader? The one who came before Optimus?” Shadis asked.

“Indeed, he was leader for a considerable amount of time, most notably during the ‘stalemate’ before Megatron defeated him” Cera explained, to the surprise of many in the Survey Corps.

“It’s strange though, I know he’s meant to be the Autobot leader, but there’s something about him that just feels… off. Like despite the ‘mighty’ presence he gives off, he isn’t as strong as he looks.” Jean was skeptical of Zeta as a whole.

“I know what you mean, especially when you compare him to Optimus, he just seems different, like he isn’t the proper fit to be Prime.” Kallen was just as unsure of Zeta, as she admired Optimus and knew how incredible he was; in contrast, Zeta just didn’t seem to compare, even at a first glance.

“Hopefully we’ll find out more about him as this goes on” Historia assumed, curious to find out more about the Autobots’ previous leader.

Upon seeing this projection Eren couldn’t help but feel… disappointed looking at Zeta Prime, he heard briefly about the history of Cybertron, particularly about the caste system, which was a core part of Megatron’s movement and even a root cause of the war in some respects. And here was the bot who ruled Cybertron during that time. And knowing that made Eren angry, whilst he had no love for Megatron, the fact remained that Zeta had been complacent with a system that discriminated against and controlled the freedom of it’s citizens, like cattle in a pen. And Eren loathed such a concept. Still this was only a glance of the Autobot leader, and despite not being a good first impression so to speak. Eren would wait to find out more, he was accustomed to having to wait for things by now.

As for Lelouch, he wasn’t as incensed by Zeta compared to Eren. However, he too had knowledge of the caste system that was rife across cybertronian society and the effect it had on many. So this made Lelouch look at Zeta not too fondly, combined with the fact that others had mentioned that he didn’t carry the aura or strength as Optimus was another factor that diminished Lelouch’s view of the Prime. Still, it was too early to form a judgement, especially on someone who was leader of a faction in war time, which itself is complicated. Lelouch was willing to give it time to learn more about Zeta, and what he was like. As he had seen that people can change over time and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly curious about Optimus’s predecessor.

Zeta began talking to the receiving Autobots. “Autobots, this is Zeta Prime. Be on high alert! The Decepticons are planning to re-activate the Energon Bridge. This would grant them access to an unstable energy source powerful enough to jeopardise the entire planet. Any Decepticon activity must be reported immediately, and all Decepticons are to be shot on sight! Zeta Prime out.” Zeta then signed off

“How boring!” Starscream mocked dramatically, “I’ve read more interesting maintenance reports.”

“Then why don’t we make things more interesting?” Skywarp smirked as he equipped some nearby Flak Grenades and threw one at the Autobots, exploding three of them in an instant, before jumping down himself to finish the job.

“Alert! Alert!” one Autobot cried out, before he was bludgeoned by Skywarp’s Cybertronian Club. Two Rocket Troopers then arrived, attempting to provide back up.

Skywarp was quick to dispatch them, killing one of them with a blow to the head, then killing the other by smashing his club into the Autobot’s chest, breaking through his chest plate and crushing most of his internal machinery.

Many once again noted the ruthless and brutal way the Autobots had been killed.

“Well so much for being ‘shot on sight’. Those guys were wiped out before they even had the chance to shoot the cons.” Ryo said in annoyance.

“Skywarp excels at ambushes and close quarters combat. Though he isn’t very smart, he’s a scrappy fighter and a lethal threat in the air. The moment he got the drop on those soldiers, they stood little chance.” Cecile explained remorsefully, thinking about the Autobot soldiers.

“From the looks of it, he fits the bill for that kind of fighting” Louise agreed.

“That was easy!” Skywarp gloated upon finishing.

“Perhaps, but the other Autobots will likely be tougher. I suggest we proceed with caution” warned Dreadwing.

Unfortunately, the group couldn’t proceed just yet as they encountered a stronger security laser trap, which was emitting both a high powered electrical current and a high frequency sound, which were damaging even when getting close to the trap.

“My neural circuitry is stinging, getting past this thing is just impossible!” Skywarp groaned.

“Keep looking you fool.” chastised Starscream “The answer is around here somewhere!”

Upon that, the Seekers began searching the room in hopes of finding the power core. Time passed, however, and no-one had found the power core yet.

Starscream began growing impatient. “I would prefer a solution sometime TODAY.” he emphasised dryly.

“You’re the brainy one Thundercracker, you figure it out!” Skywarp demanded, just as impatient as Starscream.

After scanning the room more thoroughly Thundercracker noticed a possible solution. “Ahh! Of course!” he exclaimed intuitively.

“You got the answer? What? What? What is it?!” Skywarp quizzed impatiently.

“I’m not telling you.” responded Thundecracker smugly.

Starscream went along with Thundercracker’s “Eureka” moment, so that he would seem just as clever. “I see it as well. Plain as day. Right in front of us.”

But Slipstream saw right through Starscream’s charade “You don’t really see it, do you Starscream?” she mockingly asked, much to the annoyance of Starscream, while Skywarp and Thundercracker were amuse d by his attempt to look good .

This got a few chuckles from some people, as they were amused by the antics on screen.

“There he goes again, trying to claim credit for things that he has no real right to.” Milly laughed.

“It’s like watching a dog run frantically for a bone that’s out of reach.” Alice joked as she stifled a chuckle.

“It does make for good comedy, seeing how desperate he is to look good.” Sasha found the comparison to be perfectly suitable and laughed more.

Dreadwing, meanwhile, was focused on actually finding the solution instead of engaging in the pointless back and forth of the others. If Thundercracker had spotted something, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to spot.

He looked upwards to see a door with two locks on both sides, and considering that there was little else in this area, he figured it was worth investigating. He transformed into his jet form and flew up to the door and blasted the locks.

With the door open he went through and found the power core, swiftly destroying it with a burst of J et M achine G un bullets, disabling the lasers.

He flew back down to rejoin the other Seekers, who noticed that the lasers had turned off.

“I have disabled the lasers, we may proceed now” he reported, to which the others acknowledged him, and with that they proceeded into the tunnel.

“Seems there’s at least one bot who’s properly serious.” said Kenshin.

“Indeed… Dreadwing certainly came through there...” Euphemia trailed off, with Suzaku holding her hand. With some noticing the somber tone Euphemia spoke in, but decided to leave it alone for the moment.

As they made their way through the tunnel, they were happened upon by Autobot soldiers.

“Rockets!” Slipstream called out.

“Quickly, get to cover!” Starscream ordered, as the group prepared to attack the Autobots.

Slipstream engaged first, having got to cover the soonest, she used her Photon Burst Rifle to eliminate three soldiers, reducing the amount of fire the Decepticons were taking.

Seeing an opening, Dreadwing rushed over a gap towards the remaining Autobots, and unsheathed his C ybertronian Flip s word, cutting down one soldier, then bisecting the R ocket T rooper with a swift slice.

Thundercracker reported to the group. “My scans indicate that door should lead us to the next canyon.” He motioned to a door ahead of them down a corridor to which they all then moved.

They continued on to find seven more Autobots in their way.

“You Autobots are all pathetic fools.” Starscream scoffed, as he used his Scatter Blaster to ignite a nearby explosive battery, eviscerating four Autobots in the explosion, before turning to the remaining three and gunning them down with the rest of his ammo clip.

The Survey Corps were surprised by how well Starscream fought: for a designated ‘coward’

“Wow, he managed to take out all those Autobots by himself.” Mikasa stated.

“I half expected him to fly away like some scared bird.” Niccolo was equally surprised.

“Starscream may not be the bravest Bot there is, but he’s well capable of putting up a fight when needed, especially if he’s cornered” elaborated Lelouch, being very familiar with the seeker’s unpredictable and dangerous nature.

The group then across a switch to the next door, but upon activating it they encountered a surprise. Behind the door were more Autobot soldiers, but more notably there was an Autobot Shotgunner running towards them.

“Diiiiiiiiieeeee” he cried out, whilst activating an Overshield, providing him with protection.

As the group went to engage the Shotgunner, they could overhear a transmission from the opposing side.

“Decepticons! Seal the door!” A soldier shouted in alarm closing the door behind the Shotgunner.

Skywarp attempted to get in close, but was hit by the Shotgunner’s EMP S hotgun, damaging him and forcing him to fall back.

“Damn, he’s pretty tough!” said Floch as he saw Skywarp fall back.

“That Overshield and EMP Shotgun, pose a problem as attacking up close becomes impossible without taking significant damage.” Marrybell evaluated.

“But like with most soldiers, there has to be a weakness of sorts, and no doubt the Decepticons will figure it out soon.” Pixis theorised.

“We can’t move up! His overshield and weapon make dealing close range damage too risky!” Thundercracker shouted, using his Energon Repair Ray to heal Skywarp.

“Then we need to engage him from a distance! Switch to long range weaponry if you have it!” Dreadwing suggested.

“Not a problem” Starscream acknowledged, as he swapped to his Null Ray and used it to snipe the Shotgunner alongside Dreadwing and Slipstreams’ supporting fire, which disabled the Overshield.

With the Shotgunner vulnerable, Starscream immediately took aim at his head, and blasted it to smithereens.

“Looks like they dealt with him pretty swiftly.” said Nile.

“Perhaps, but seems they’ve got a new problem to deal with.” Claus countered.

“Those punks locked us out!” Skywarp stated, quite obviously referring to the large door in front of them now being locked.

“Stop whining and find another way!” Starscream responded in an irritated tone.

Slipstream then noticed there was a gap near the right side of the door, and saw that it lead downwards to an area beneath, which would allow them to go around the door, so to speak.

“Here’s our way in.” she sneered as she transformed into jet mode and flying down the hole, with the others following shortly after her.

They flew down into what turned out to be an Energon canyon with a low ceiling, beams to hold up said ceiling and Energon flowing beneath them like a river.

“Holy shit, look at all that Energon! Ohhhh what I could do with that!” Hanji was ecstatic about all the different possibilities they could explore with that Energon.

“Energon is incredible, whether it’s used as a fuel to power industrious machines or even power transformers, Energon is always fascinating to see.” Rakshata was just as enthusiastic, for she enjoyed tinkering with Energon whenever she could, like when she helped to perfect the Synthetic Energon formula.

Skywarp was curious about their location. “Where are we?” he asked aloud.

“We’re NOT where we NEED to be Skywarp, so keep moving!” Starscream once again rudely answered.

As they flew through the canyon, Dreadwing noticed that there were numerous valves emitting crude Energon, and immediately alerted the others.

“Crude Energon is highly volatile and flying this close to it is highly dangerous, we should proceed with caution.” he warned.

“Tighten your logic sensors will you Dreadwing? We can easily avoid this stuff, besides it can’t be THAT bad.” Skywarp brushed off Dreadwing’s concerns as he dodged multiple crude Energon valves.

This comment caught many people’s interest.

“Volatile? I thought Energon was their life blood?” Kiyomi questioned.

“The issue is that crude Energon is like raw food, if ingested it can cause sickness or even kill Transformers.” Anna explained.

“That makes sense, and considering that different types of Energon like Synthetic and Dark Energon can have negative effects, it’s not hard to see how crude Energon could be dangerous.” Nina added, to which Kiyomi nodded in understanding, though she was curious about the mention of ‘Synthetic Energon’.

Once they had flown through most of the canyon, the group came upon two Autobot rocket troopers and two rocket sentries at an outpost, who opened fire on the Seekers.

“Time to dive bomb some Autobots.” said Thundercracker, as he fired at the three Rocket Troopers, obliterating them with a barrage of Jet Rockets, with Skywarp using his Jet Machine Gun to rip the rocket sentries to pieces.

With another nuisance rid of and another jet fan blasted by Starscream, they soon flew across a giant lake of crude Energon. Starscream noticed that they were reaching the end of the canyon.

“The canyon is so large, and look at the lake of Energon below. It makes most lakes and rivers on our planet look like puddles!” Kaguya said in awe of the sight of the vast canyon.

“To be able to see such a view up close… it’s incredible!” Armin observed.

“We’re getting close! The next entrance is just on the far side of this canyon!” Starscream declared.

However, his moment of pride would be interrupted as a large Autobot ship suddenly descended in front of them from above, and activated a shield generator at the front of the ship, sealing of the next entrance. Then the ship began firing three mortars that were positioned on the top of the ship, forcing the quintet of jets to evade the incoming volley.

“That’s a helluva lot of incoming mortars, wouldn’t want to get hit by one of those!” Tamaki shouted.

“It’s an impressive ship, with those types weapons and armour, it could definitely take out most armadas in our world.” said Kenshin, impressed by the ship’s technology and firepower.

“That Autobot ship is generating an energy shield over the entrance!” alerted Thundercracker.

“I can see that for myself Thundercracker” Starscream groaned, as it was again blatantly clear what was happening. “Enough babbling-destroy it!”

“Target the mortars first, that will make it easier for us to deal with the ship” said Dreadwing as he destroyed one mortar.

Starscream and Slipstream weren’t far behind him, destroying one mortar each.

Two more mortars emerged near the front of the ship where the shield generator was.

“Holy hell, more mortars?! That ship packks a punch!” Ashley exclaimed.

“Like it didn’t already?! This thing packs double the punch!” Sancia added further.

“This thing is as crazy as I am!” Skywarp exclaimed, as he dodged a rocket, then returning fire at the mortar.

Starscream cared not whether that was true “Just blast it! It breaks, like everything else!” Starscream then destroyed the other mortar after Skywarp.

With another pair of mortars destroyed, the group were closer to dealing with the giant ship itself. However, they soon found that Aerialbot fighters were being dispatched from the ship to run interference and stop them.

“Seems the ducks have decided to try flying, instead of staying in place to be shot.” Kenny mocked.

“With the mortars being taken out one by one, it’s natural the Autobots would move to intercept the Decepticons in the air.” Xing Ke reasoned.

“We have incoming hostiles!” reported Thundercracker.

“Bothersome pests! Skywarp, Slipstream take care of those Aerialbots, the rest of us will disarm the ship!” Starscream ordered.

Skywarp and Slipstream flew in to engage the Aerialbots. Slipstream sprayed her J et M achine G un at two incoming jets, whilst Skywarp used his Jet R ockets to take out another.

Meanwhile Dreadwing and Thundercracker took care of the last two mortars.

“Excellent! Now target the Aerialbots!” Starscream declared, as he turned his attention to the remaining Aerialbots and began firing upon them, shooting them out of the air.

“I’ll show them some REAL flying” boasted Skywarp as he flew towards an Aerialbot, transforming mid air to swing his Club at the jet, knocking it out of the sky in a crushing fashion.

“Looks like they dealt with the Aerialbot fliers in quick succession.” Historia observed.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean it’s the last of them, look” Sayoko pointed out.

With that wave dealt with, they were soon met with more Aerialbots.

“Here comes another wave!” shouted Slipstream as she flew in to start shooting at the Aerialbots, eliminating three of them.

“More reinforcements?” Thundercracker quizzed, having already shot down a few Aerialbots himself.

Whilst the battles in the air were raging, Dreadwing noticed something on the ship.

“The blast doors are open! Board the ship! Quickly!” he shouted urgently.

“Watch out for those Rocket Snipers!” Skywarp warned, as he saw them on the outer decks.

“Enough of this nonsense! We’ll bring this nuisance down from the INSIDE. Fly in and target it’s power core!” commanded Starscream, as he and the others flew towards the blast door at the back.

“So, the Decepticons found an opening to exploit, quite literally” Orpheus observed.

“Now they can take down the ship from inside and once they do, they can proceed through the door the ship was guarding” Akito followed.

Skywarp flew in first. He transformed and pulled out his Scatter Blaster and demolished two Rocket Troopers, then went on to push through the left side and shoot two more Autobot soldiers dead .

On the right side, Slipstream encountered a group of Autobot soldiers. “Let’s have some fun” she sneered sadistically, bringing out a p urple coloured L ance and a S hield. She ran towards the Autobots, blocking any bullets coming her way with her S hield, then she began piercing and slashing through Autobot after Autobot.

At the centre, Dreadwing deployed a M olecular B omb, rolling it into a crowd of soldiers. Once the bomb was close enough, it detonated demolishing all Autobots caught in the blast.

“The Autobot troops inside don’t appear to be holding up very well against the Decepticons.” Nile commented, somewhat concerned.

“Standard infantry are effective in large groups, but against transformers whose abilities are outside the norm, they are often overpowered due to the gap in ability.” Diethard explained.

Once they were halfway through the ship, an announcement blared out.

“Close the blast doors, and seal the ship! We’ll trap them inside!”

“Trap us?” Slipstream questioned, unsure of the purpose of this.

“Orders Starscream?” Thundercracker shouted, expecting Starscream to have a plan now that they were trapped with their enemy.

Rather than scared, Starscream was amused by the announcement, to the point of laughing.

“Hahahaha! Those idiots locked us in here with their power core? Plant a Det Pack on it!”

This idea alarmed many watching.

“Is that a good idea? Planting an explosive in a falling ship, with all of you inside?” Rivalz was not convinced that this was safe or even possible.

“There’s a lot of risk and harm involved with this plan if anything goes wrong.” Sasha was equally concerned about the plan’s likelihood of success.

“While Starscream seems to have a “unique” mindset, his cunning and devious nature allows him to create plans that almost no one would think of to create unique advantages.” Erwin added his own thoughts, seeing the possible “validity” in Starscream’s plan.

“Indeed. Whilst the plan is dangerous, the group don’t have much time or too many options, as the ship is sealed and falling from the sky with them trapped inside.” Tohdoh concurred.

Dreadwing had to admit it was an interesting idea to turn the tables on the Autobots, and whilst it was not a full-proof or even safe idea, right now it would certainly be decisive. “Very well, allow me”. Dreadwing pulled out one of his unique bombs and planted it on the power core, as he was familiar with explosives and how to control the damage, so they would not be destroyed in the blast. Once he moved a safe distance away, he detonated, causing the ship to shake violently and begin falling out of the sky

“Warning! Warning! Warning!” the ship’s warning system repeated in response to the damage it had suffered.

“Unbelievable! These Autobots are dumber than Skywarp!” Starscream crassly remarked.

Many couldn’t help but feel exasperated at Starscream’ statement.

“Is he serious?! It was his idea to plant an explosive on the ship power core to get it open!” Oldrin questioned, frustrated with Starscream’s hypocrisy.

“Exactly! And why did he make that comment about his teammate? If anyone’s “dumb” in this moment it’s him!” said Floch, equally baffled.

“The thing with Starscream’s plans is they start off impressive, but often end up backfiring on him, either in hilarious or stupid fashion.” added Ohgi.

“Well, the plan seems to have been a double edged sword! Whilst the ship has ‘opened up’, its now falling faster, so to avoid disaster, the Decepticons will need to find an escape quickly.” concluded Jeremiah.

“Perhaps Starscream, but have you considered an escape route for US?” Thundercracker demanded, not amused by Starscream’s antics.

“Try the upper deck. Hurry!” suggested Starscream, as he quickly transformed to see if there was a way out above.

The five of them made their way up to the upper deck, only to find it closed.

“They sealed it off!” shouted Skywarp in alarm.

As the ship itself began coming apart, it created a large gap where door was once sealed.

“Now’s our chance! Fly through the gap!” Dreadwing called out.

The group flew out of the ship and back towards the entrance, which was now accessible as the ship was no longer blocking it.

Whilst they were flying out of the ship and to the entrance, Skywarp had a few choice words for his commander.

“Dumber than Skywarp? I’ll show you dumb, Starscream!’” he declared, clearly not happy about Starscream’s plan nearly backfiring on them and the insult about him being ‘dumb’.

“You always do” Starscream responded sarcastically, as he and the others flew to the entrance. And the screen faded to black temporarily.

This caused a few more chuckles from those watching.

“Damn! He walked into that one!” said Ayano, holding her stomach as she laughed.

“Don’t you mean “flew” into that one?” Jean joked, making Ayano laugh even harder.

“Well he certainly ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed, the dumb fuck.” Kenny smirked.

As they were talking, an image came up on the screen, along with a tech spec.

Skywarp: Strike when the enemy isn’t looking.

Strength 7

Intelligence 2

Speed 9

Endurance 8

Rank 4

Courage 7

Fireblast 7

Skill 9

“Speak of the devil, looks like we have a tech spec and it’s on Skywarp.” Gino observed.

“Lets see, most of Skywarp’s abilities are pretty highly ranked, with his speed and skill being the highest and endurance being his second highest. His strength, firepower and courage are equally good as well.” Kenshin noted aloud.

“The downside for Skywarp is that he’s dumb as a brick, with his intelligence being way below average and reaching near stupid levels” Chiba smirked, having had some experience with the seeker’s stupidity. “That and his below average rank means Skywarp won’t be outsmarting or making anyone believe he’s a grave threat anytime soon.”

“Skywarp has many attributes that make him a good fighter and suit his affinity for ambushing opponents. But his sheer lack of intelligence and low rank means he’s just a strong grunt, nothing more.” Guildford concluded.

The screen shifted to the Seekers proceeding down a hallway and turned right, but as they did, they saw a mysterious figure. The figure was relatively lanky, it’s face looking like a skull and it’s eyes a pale yellow, attached to it’s right arm was a P lasma C anon. It was an unusual, freakish appearance to be sure. However before the Decepticons could blink, the figure cloaked itself and jumped over the ledge.

“What the hell was that?” Niccolo asked, somewhat spooked by what he saw.

“No idea, but it’s got the ability to cloak.” Orpheus noted as he’d seen cloaking tech before.

“Whatever it is, it will pose a problem for the Decepticons when they follow.” Jeremiah added.

“Did you see that?” Skywarp asked in disbelief, somewhat bothered by what he saw.

“You mean that creepy looking thing that just jumped over the side?” replied Thundercracker.

“Yah.” Skywarp confirmed.

“Nope, I didn’t see anything.” Thundercracker answered, intent on trolling Skywarp.

“Me neither, you might need to get your optics checked Skywarp.” Slipstream joined in on the joke.

“I should’ve left you three on the Station.” Starscream groaned in exasperation, with Dreadwing also shaking his head at this. The five of them then jumped down to pursue the figure.

Some watching found the sarcastic exchange to be humorous.

“Funny, I didn’t know the Decepticons actually had a sense of humour” Dalque laughed.

“Yeah. If they were like this more often, maybe they’d actually be a bit more tolerable” chuckled Sokkia.

“Well considering their leader is Megatron, it’s a miracle they have any humour at all” Ymir joked, causing the others to laugh more.

Following the creepy figure, the group entered a room with a squared layout, with two supporting beams in the middle and one square shaped piece of cover in each corner of the room. Upon entering, the Decepticons heard a noise and looked in the direction it came from.

Feeling the tension of the scene, the mood returned to serious as everyone watched in anticipation for the Cloakers to strike.

“I think I saw something.” said Skywarp somewhat nervously.

“You think you saw what ?” Slipstream questioned incredulously.

“SILENCE! Your inane prattle is not helping.” Starscream silenced the both of them.

“It could be an Autobot Cloaker - keep your optics sharp!” Dreadwing suspected, as he had faced similar types of enemies before.

“This feels like watching a horror movie, just waiting for a killer to pop out” Shirley said, somewhat anxious.

“Well at least this isn’t as bad as when Optimus told us those scary stories for Halloween” replied Sasha.

This piqued the interest of some of the Black Knights.

“Optimus told you stories?” Nunnally asked.

“That sounds like fun! What stories did he tell you?” Rivalz asked excitedly.

“Well, he told us all sorts of stories, like about Medusa, Kelpie, The Bride of Tola, even about the Wailing-”. Before Sasha could finish, Jean covered her mouth.

“Shut it! I don’t wanna be reminded of that story. I couldn’t sleep for days after hearing that!” Many of the Survey Corps agreed upon hearing this.

The Black Knights found themselves interested in the fact Optimus had shared Earth stories with this other group of people. How close was he to them? Regardless, it seemed that these people had their own experiences with Transformers, Optimus in particular.

After a few moments, a red glow could be seen straight ahead of the group, signifying the Cloaker’s position, as he had to charge his Plasma Canon in order to attack.

“There! Destroy it!” Starscream shouted as he fired his Scatter Blaster several times toward the red glow, destroying the invisible menace.

“Looks like they were able to find the Cloakers through a pretty blatant weakness.” Chigusa noted.

“Yeah, that plasma canon they use is basically sending a signal saying “Look I’m here! Shoot me please!” Rai added.

“It defeats the whole purpose of being “silent and unseen.” Levi pointed out, somewhat disappointed by how counter intuitive the Cloakers were.

Unfortunately three more Cloakers appeared and began charging their Plasma Canons to fire at the Decepticons.

Thundercracker equipped his Cybertronian Hammer, dashed towards one of the Cloakers and swung his H ammer towards his foe, taking him out with one blow.

Meanwhile Slipstream decided to even the odds, activating her own Cloak ability to sneak up on the two remaining Cloakers. Once she had closed the gap, she charged up her Thunderblast ability to shock and destroy the pair of Cloakers.

With the Cloakers killed, Starscream let out a triumphant laugh.

“Hahaha! Feel the power of my wrath!” he boasted.

“Again with this? He only took out one Cloaker.” Anya was becoming annoyed with Starscream’s gloating.

“His need to boast about everything he does is becoming tiresome.” Zhou was also exhausted with his antics, being reminded of high eunuchs and their sense of pride.

Needless to say, the other four Decepticons weren’t exactly as e nthusiastic as Starscream.

“When your finished celebrating, can we get a move on?” Slipstream questioned impatiently, much to Starscream’s annoyance.

“Indeed. Now, time to get the power back online so we can move on!” said Dreadwing, as he activated the switch to open the exit.

Through the exit, the five Decepticons found a large area with two distinct sections, which were guarded by Autobot forces.

“There it is, the entrance to the underground.” observed Thundercracker.

Starscream, however, noticed that there was an obstruction preventing them moving forward

“Another shield generator?! These Autobots are getting on my nerves.” he grumbled, obviously irritated at the amount of resistance they were encountering.

“It would seem the Decepticons have run into an Autobot garrison.” observed Pixis.

“There’s a lot of Autobots, from infantry to fliers. Even some Rocket Troopers”. Akito was analysing what type of defences the Autobots were mounting.

“They must really not want the Decepticons getting further in.” Tian Zi speculated.

“Judging from what the Decepticons intend to do, it’s no surprise the Autobots are resisting to this extent.” Eren surmised.

“We need to bring down the shields if we wish to proceed. However, I have noticed that there are two control panels we need to access.” said Dreadwing.

“Any ideas on how to approach this? One that hopefully won’t get us scrapped?” Slipstream questioned, as she pointed to the Autobots garrisoned near the switches.

“The most efficient way to handle this is split up, Thundercracker, you take the left side, Dreadwing you take the right, Skywarp deal with any Aerialbots that try to intercept either of the other two, Slipstream and I will deal with the snipers and cover you three with our long range weapons. Now MOVE!” Starscream ordered.

The team moved into position, with Slipstream and Starscream eliminating the snipers on the left and right hand side, then taking out any Rocket Trooper that could be a problem, with their Photon Burst Rifle and Null Ray specifically, allowing Skywarp, Thundercracker and Dreadwing to fly in.

Skywarp engaged the Aerialbots to prevent them interfering with the others, blasting them with his Jet Machine Guns, before switching to rockets when his machine gun magazine was empty.

Meanwhile Thundercracker flew left and transformed to gun down a Rocket trooper in front of him with his Neutron Assault Rifle. Three regular Autobots then prepared to open fire on him, but Thundecracker dashed to cover and activated his Remote Rocket Sentry, spawning a Sentry Turret that proceeded to shoot and kill all three of the Autobots with a few rockets.

“Thundercracker doesn’t seem to be as aggressive or ‘out there’ as some of the other cons, what’s his deal?” Hanji questioned

“Thundercracker isn’t really a ‘fighter’ per se. He’s more of a scientist/ support than a head on soldier. He actually joined us in our final battle against the Decepticons, and has now joined the Autobots. We haven’t known him as long as the Autobots themselves, but from what I’ve gathered, he isn’t really interested in conflict or politics. He seems to be more of a pragmatic Bot than anything else. But make no mistake, he’s not stupid, being one of the more sane Decepticons. And he can fight if needed.” Kaguya explained, recalling her interaction with him in the Chinese Federation.

“I see… Thank you for the explanation young lady!” Hanji enthusiastically thanked Kaguya, to which the latter smiled and nodded.

As for Dreadwing, he had already begun engaging the Autobots on his side, shooting his own Neutron Assault Rifle at a group of Autobot soldiers, taking out two before switching to his Cluster Canon and blasting two more Autobot T roopers.

With the Autobots out of the way, Both Thundercracker and Dreadwing activated the control panels. Upon doing so, they saw some machinery begin to move.

“The battery case is opening!” Skywarp exclaimed.

“With the shield batteries exposed, if we destroy them, we can lower the shield.” Slipstream added as she destroyed the right side batteries, with Skywarp destroying the left hand side.

“They managed to get rid of this shield generator as well.” said Yukiya with a glare.

“And with the shield no longer protecting the door, it’s not hard to guess what comes next.” Toto grimaced.

“Excellent, now we can proceed” Starscream said. However, Thundercracker detected something from the shield.

“Wait, scans show high density ubarium shielding on that door.”

Starscream, however, had little patience for Thundercracker’s warning “I don’t care! Focus all firepower on their pathetic door!”

Thundercracker grimaced, as he knew challenging Starscream’s impatience would make little difference and so he and Dreadwing fired at the door along with Starscream, pulverising the door and blasting it apart, revealing a tunnel that led even deeper into the core.

“Move Decepticons, into the tunnels! We have a bridge to activate!”

“Starscream is beyond impatient, the guy doesn’t like waiting even one second for anything if he’s got an immediate answer he prefers.” mentioned Floch.

“That’s another notable trait of Starscreams’, his lack of patience. Unless he’s biding his time for some dubious plot, he does not like having to wait for results or people, which results in him making hasty decisions.” Nonnette explained, as she remembered a number of times Starscream showed his impatience first hand.

Once inside the tunnel, it was apparent how Dark and old the area was. There was little light, the machinery clearly showed age, and pipes and tubes were in disarray and had fallen out of place.

“This place gives me the creeps.” Skywarp commented as they flew through.

“These tunnels were decommissioned long ago. We’ll have to activate the power terminals to get the Station back online.” Starscream explained.

“Decommissioned? So this area hasn’t been accessed in a long time?” speculated Louise.

“That appears to be the case, similar to some parts of the Orbital Station, the area has fallen into disrepair.” acknowledged Cera.

“Still, what a sight. These tunnels look so sophisticated and intricate.” Anna said in amazement.

No sooner had Starscearm spoken, than a large explosion rang out, putting the five Seekers on alert

“Incoming! Take cover! Wait! That’s not Autobot weaponry!” Dreadwing exclaimed.

“Interesting, I’ve never seen these lifeforms before”. Thundercracker pondered, knowing no more about lifeforms than Dreadwing.

“Who cares… if they get in my way BLAST THEM!” Starscream ordered, as he flew past a set of explosive batteries.

“Are those another type of Cybertronian life? Ooooh wouldn’t it be marvellous to look at and study in person?”. Lloyd was excited at the thought of analysing such creatures.

“A fellow curious scientist?! Ooooooh you and I think alike. I could spend hours learning about that lifeform!” Hanji was ecstatic at the thought.

The two mad scientists shared a glance with each other, as if they’d found a long lost sibling, which made everyone shiver or groan, as they could sense that this excited new duo could cause a fair few headaches.

“Good grief, as if one headache wasn’t enough.” Levi scoffed under his breath.

“Oh my, we may have another ‘earl of pudding’ on our hands!” Rakshata let out a hearty laugh, while Cecile just signed in resignation, preparing to lose more of her sanity.

Soon enough, the Decepticons ran into two of the unknown lifeforms, who began moving towards them at a rapid speed, forcing Starscream and Dreadwing to shoot them before they got too close.

As they kept moving through the tunnel, more and more of the lifeforms kept popping up, attempting to attack them, forcing the Seekers to shoot them down, with Skywarp, Thundercracker and Slipstream taking care of the 2 ^nd batch.

Eventually they came upon the terminal they were looking for.

“There, just as I told you! The Energon Bridge terminal. Find a way inside and activate it.” commanded Starscream

But before they could get too close, three rocket sentries emerged along with two Autobot probes similar to the ones they saw at the beginning.

“I thought this place was deserted?” Skywarp shouted in surprise.

“We must’ve tripped the Station’s automated defences” speculated Starscream. “Open fire!”

“The Station’s certainly well armed, considering it’s ‘decommissioned’” Jeanne said in surprise

“And look at the defences? They’re not too different to the sentries we saw on the orbital Station, which means the weaponry is still relatively up to date, or at least still effective” Armin observed

“Which in itself is impressive, and once again shows how sophisticated Cybertronian tech is. Even the oldest machinery is miles ahead of most of the technology we have.” Misty added.

Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker vaporised the turrets with Jet R ockets, whilst Dreadwing and Slipstream destroyed the probes. With the outside defences out of the way, the five Seekers transformed and ventured further into the Station.

Inside the Station, the group moved down onto the lower floor where the control room was. However, before they could activate the power, they saw Plasma Canons being charged, and realised they’d encountered more Cloakers.

“More Cloakers? These guys creep me out!” Skywarp groaned.

“What’s the matter, Skywarp – afraid?” Thundercracker teased.

“At least I’M not ugly.” Skywarp retorted.

“ Ugly? You and I look the SAME!” Thundercracker replied in disbelief.

Hearing this caused many to laugh once again, which is not what they were expecting when watching the Decepticons.

“Honestly these guys crack me up!” Lucretia said as she again held her stomach in laughter.

“Seriously, why didn’t these guys become comedians or something?” Connie laughed heartily.

“The fact that Skywarp didn’t even realise they look similar makes it even funnier”. Kallen began laughing even more.

“Well, Skywarp proves again that he really isn’t the smartest looking Bot.” Akito joked, which caused some people to look at him wide-eyed, and even more laughter to erupt in the room, as they realised the corny joke. Akito simply smiled, with Leila holding his hand, smiling back at him, proud that he was able to make such jokes after all he’d been through.

“Ugh cut the comedy routine you two, you’re destroying my brain circuits” Slipstream groaned, he she began firing at the Cloakers with a Plasma Canon of her own which she’d equipped earlier from the upper floor of the Station, and killing two with a charged shot.

Following this, Starscream equipped his dual purple S words and began hacking and slashing at any red energy he could see, cutting down three of the Cloakers in quick succession.

“Pah, puny Cloakers. As if they ever stood a chance against Starscream” he gloated, much to the others frustration, as he activated the switch the Cloakers were guarding. But the switch activated a plug to seal off the exit to the Station! It was an ambush!

“Seems like the Autobots knew that the Deceptiocns might make it into the Station.” Monica noted.

“They managed to seal them in there, which suggests that the Autobots have control of the entire Station.” Guildford deduced.

“Considering Jetfire managed to give the Autobots warning in advance, it does make sense that Autobots would have nearly the entire area under their protection” mentioned Xing Ke.

“Detecting Autobot energy signatures!” reported Thundercracker.

“More fools rush to their death. Destroy them!” Starscream shouted as he and the other four went in to battle the Autobots ambushers. Starscream engaged both a Rocket Trooper and a Regular Trooper, having re-quipped his S words to do the job.

Suddenly Megatron radioed in: “Starscream, report!” he demanded.

This sudden interruption startled many.

“Holy hell, that gave me a fright.” said Floch.

“Hearing Megatrons voice all of a sudden is enough to make my heart freeze” Nunnally said as she place her hand over heart, with Lelouch, Euphemia and Cornelia putting their arms around her.

“The fact he called in to demand a ‘report’ doesn’t help, as the last thing Megatron likes is things not going his way.” Ohgi gulped.

“Umm Megatron!”. Starscream was caught off guard, as he was in the middle of battling the Autobot troopers and needed to dodge an incoming rocket whilst Megatron was transmitting. “We are encountering significant Autobot resistance but…”

Megatron interrupted Starscream: “I will not tolerate excuses. Do not fail me!”

“You really told him Starscream”, quipped Skywarp, having just shot down a hovering seeker in jet mode with a Thermo Rocket Launcher he had picked up in the base.

“Indeed, what a magnificent display of leadership” Slipstream added sarcastically, as she dealt with a Rocket Trooper of her own with her Plasma Canon.

“Silence!” Starscream screamed at them both, as he took out his Autobot opposition in a fit of anger with his Thunderblast ability. “Soon the Decepticons will be mine to control and Megatron will serve me!”

This ‘proclamation’ made many groan and stare flatly at the screen.

“He really does love talking about how he’ll be leader someday, doesn’t he?” Historia stated, unimpressed.

“Yeah, he only just got off the com with Megatron and he’s once again talking about leading the Decepticons and having the big M serve him . Like seriously, give it a rest”. Milly was also growing weary of Starscream’s flagrant display of ambition.

“Especially considering the fact that the moment Megatron called, Starscream folded like a house of cards and lost his ‘confidence’ right there on the spot. It’s almost pitiful” Cornelia joined the ‘insult’ Starscream train.

“He may come off as desperate, but he certainly doesn’t waver in trying to achieve his goals, however impossible or dangerous they may be. And that in itself means Starscream should not be underestimated.” Tohdoh weighed in.

“Whatever you say Starscream.” Slipstream responded, not taking Starscream’s claims seriously.

Meanwhile Dreadwing engaged with two Autobot Rocket troopers and one regular trooper. Deciding to take them out in one quick blow, he equipped one of his Remote Bombs, which was shaped like a traingle .

“Consider this a gift, from me to you!” he said as he threw the R emote B omb like a frisbee at the trio of Autobots. Before they could blink, he detonated the bomb with his detonator in his free hand, blowing them all apart.

As for the last two remaining Autobots, they were fliers who were in jet mode, firing down at the group with their jet machine guns. Thundercracker used his Neutron Assault Rifle to shoot them out of the sky with a series of controlled bursts.

With the ambush thwarted, Slipstream found the switch near the sealed exit and disabled it, allowing them to leave the Station and proceed deeper into the core.

The entered a wide tunnel, with pylons shifting up and down in the middle of the room and cables running along the lower part of the tunnel.

“The Station is only showing power levels at 50%, so there must be another terminal deeper underground.” speculated Thundercracker.

“So it looks like they’re only halfway to reactivating the Energon Bridge.” observed Chigusa.

“Whilst it hasn’t been easy, the Decepticons were able to tear through any Autobot they encountered.” said Lelouch in frustration.

“Combined with the fact that this bridge will enable more Dark Energon to be manufactured. And to say that is ‘troublesome’ is an understatement.” Cera added grimly, which made many feel anxious and worried.

Once they dodged the moving pylons, they entered a narrower tunnel with more ancient creatures guarding the tunnel, who tried to attack the Seekers, but were quickly taken care of by Slipstream and Skywarp.

“I’m reading Autobot energy signatures up ahead” warned Thundercracker, as they exited the narrow tunnel and found themselves in new, larger tunnel, with a long platform in front of them and numerous other platforms ahead of them, all lined up with Autobots.

“I do enjoy sniping!” cheered Starscream.

“Afraid to take them head on Starscream?” goaded Skywarp. “Guess I’m flying solo on this one.” he said, as he activated his own V loak ability to stealthily close the gap on a nearby S niper to his left. Once he was close, Skywarp transformed and bashed the Sniper off the ledge, before quickly transforming to jet mode again and attempting to take on more Autobots.

Further back, Starscream was playing a back and forth game with a Rocket Trooper, who was hiding behind a barrier. Growing frustrated, Starscream came up with a plan to deal with this ‘irritation’.

“Slipstream, fire at that trooper and draw his attention. When he attempts to fire back at you, I’ll blow his brain module out!”

“Ugh, you’d better not miss” Slipstream groaned, as she used her Photon Burst Rifle to get the rocket troopers attention off Starscream. Once the Rocket Trooper saw her, he looked away from Starscream and lowered his barrier, ready to fire at Slipstream, but had his head blown off before he could do so, courtesy of Starscream.

With the 1 ^st group eliminated, the other four joined Skywarp in getting near the end of the big tunnel. Slipstream even grabbed some P roximity M ines from the first platform the Autobots were holding. They soon found that the last platform had more Autobots to deal with, along with two fliers.

The relatively confined space made it difficult to engage in a dog fight, without being exposed to the R ocket T rooper below who also had a B arrier. With no other platform from which to safely engage the trooper either, this situation posed a problem.

Realising this, Slipstream flew towards the Seekers above the Rocket Trooper and quickly transformed midair to deploy a P roximity M ine that was too close for the fliers to dodge, before it detonated and killed them both.

“That Slipstream is quite skilled, pulling off a maneuver like that”. Shadis was impressed with Slipstream’s trick.

“She’s certainly a tricky one. Being a seeker it’s dangerous to engage her in the air. Besides that, her sarcastic personality and skills set makes her somewhat similar to Skywarp, but Slipstream’s much smarter than him and is just as swift on land when fighting”. Ohgi had seen her fighting in the arctic during the quest for the Iacon relics.

“Thundercracker told us that before our final battle with the Decepticons, Slipstream deserted and left the planet, so we have no idea what she’s doing now, but she still remains an enigma to us, even to some Decepticons as she wasn’t the most open Bot.”

With the aerial cover gone, Dreadwing flew above the Trooper’s barrier and transformed, unsheathed his sword and thrust it downward into the Rocket Troopers head, swiftly taking him offline.

The group continued through the tunnel to find that at the end, a large door with a switch in front of it signified another area lying beyond. To the left and right sides, weapons and ammo could be found. And the Decepticons wasted no time making use of these discoveries.

Thundercracker prised open the door, and beyond it was an Autobot Outpost, with entrances on the left and right side and heavy ion turrets above each door. An Autobot trooper noticed the door opening and sounded an alarm.

“Alert Alert!” he called out, resulting in the Autobots guarding the area to begin taking defensive positions, including two mounting the H eavy I on T urrets above. The incoming fire forced the Decepticons to hide behind two large crates in front of them to avoid being shredded.

“It seem the deeper the Decepticons go, the more Autobots they encounter and the tougher the defences.” Shadis observed.

“Well, as the Decepticons get closer to the core, it becomes all the more pivotal that the Autobots stop the Decepticons getting any further.” Jeremiah speculated.

“Well, it’ll be interesting to see how the cons get through this outpost”, said Claus with a wry smile.

“We’re pinned down! How do we get through?” Skywarp screamed over the loud sound of turret fire.

“We need to neutralise the turret gunners, otherwise we might as well be sitting around to become spare parts!” Thundercracker pointed out.

Dreadwing took charge: “I can put up a B arrier to provide us with additional cover and a means of getting closer. Skywarp, Thundercracker. you two push up with me to the left side. Starscream, Slipstream, lay down cover fire with your ranged weapons, whilst we move to neutralise the right side gunner. Once he’s down you can focus on eliminating the left side gunner. Afterwards, push the right hand side and we can pincer the Autobot outpost.”

As much as Starscream hated taking orders, in this case it was not like he had any better alternatives. “Argh, very well” He equipped his N ull R ray and prepared to fire at the left hand gunner and Slipstream charged her P lasma C anon.

“On my signal” Dreadwing raised his hand and then… “Go!”. Dreadwing lowered his hand and he, Skywarp and Thundercracker began running towards the left side, firing their weapons at the right side turret to draw attention away from the remaining two. The right side turret tried to shoot back, but Dreadwing activated his B arrier ability to block any incoming damage, and he along with Skywarp and Thundercracker hid behind each corners of the barrier, shooting at the Right turret again, this time finally neutralizing it after a barrage of bullets from all three.

As for the left side door, they found it wouldn’t open, but that wasn’t a problem as Dreadwing planted some R emote B ombs and ushered the other two stand back, which they could do since the turret above couldn’t fire down at them. Dreadwing blew the charges and the three moved in.

With the right side turret dealt with, Starscream had more room to maneuver. Starscream continued firing at the left side turret, even hitting the gunner in the shoulder, but the gunner held on. But before he could fire again, Slipstream, having moved away from the crates without the gunner seeing, fired a charged Plasma Canon shot at the gunners head and obliterated it, ending his life in an instant.

“Your welcome, by the way.” she remarked as Starscream scoffed, the two of them moving to the right side door and meeting up with the others. The door was sealed but Starscream noticed an explosive cannister near the door and shot at it, causing it to detonate and take out the door with it, allowing the two inside.

“That was clever plan by Dreadwing, what else is he capable of?” Mikasa asked.

Many of the Black Knights went quiet, as they knew that the topic was a sensitive one, for two individuals in particular.

Suzaku and Euphemia hadn’t said much, if anything. They weren’t surprised by the question, as deep down they’d expected someone to ask about Dreadwing eventually. And they’d made peace with his death, but once they saw him on the screen, as if he were still alive, it hit them in a way that was difficult to describe. And how could they explain the connection they had with Dreadwing to a group of strangers …?

After a few moments silence, Mikasa could sense that something was amiss.

“I’m sorry, should I not have asked that?” Mikasa asked?

“There’s no need to apologise”, Suzaku replied.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll try and keep it brief. Dreadwing was a Decepticon that we knew, who I knew. He and I were essentially partners when I was with the Decepticons.”

Suzaku’s explanation shocked the Survey Corps, but they kept silent, as Suzaku continued

He was honourable and like a brother to me, Amongst the Decepticons he was one of the few that wasn’t an abhorrent or cruel monster. He was even with me when I joined the Autobots and Black Knights. But then...” Suzaku trailed off, struggling to find the words.

Just then Euphemia placed her hand on Suzkau’s shoulder, seeing how hard it was for him to recount what had happened. Then Euphemia spoke.

“Unfortunately Megatron had captured me and after me, my sister. It was part of an elaborate plot to destroy our homeland’s capital. Dreadwing was part of the rescue team who saved us from captivity, but he was critically wounded in the rescue and… he stayed behind to buy us time to escape. He sacrificed himself in an explosion, to prevent us being followed.

As she finished, welled up in her eyes. Suzaku wore a solemn expression, as they remembered their friend’s sacrifice.

Many of the Black Knights looked on with sympathy, as many of them knew how close they were to Dreadwing. Lelouch, Nunnally and Cornelia wrapped their arms around Euhpemia to comfort her, with Shirley, Milly and Rivalz doing the same for Suzaku. Even Nina, who offered her hand to Suzaku.

Kallen looked on in sympathy, as they had both lost someone close to them that day.

Both Euphemia and Suzaku felt grateful to have friends and family that were there for them. Even though they’d long since accepted Dreadwing’s death, it still hurt deep down to know that he was gone, and to have their loved ones care for them in this moment was a reminder they weren’t alone in that grief.

As for the Survey Corps, they were just as sympathetic in their own right. Whilst they may not have been able to truly know the depth of the pair’s relationship with Dreadwing, it was more than apparent that Dreadwing’s death was still affecting them even now. And that was a sensation many of them were more than familiar with, having known others for so long who were there one minute, and then they were just… gone. Even after time passes, the memory of the lost and dead never fades. Nor should it.

“I’m… really sorry for your loss.” Mikasa said. “I didn’t mean to remind you of your grief. We’ve all lost our fair share of friends and family as well, so I know all too well what losing someone close to you feels like.”

“Like I said before, there’s no need to apologise” Suzaku replied. “You didn’t know and there’s no way you could have. Besides you said it yourself, you’ve lost people close to you as well.”

Hanji joined in: “Losing comrades and friends is never easy” Hanji was thinking about Petra, Oluo, Eldo, Gunter Moblit, Mike… the list went on and on in her mind. “It hurts like hell, and you may never truly get over the pain of losing them, but so long as you hold onto their memory and keep going... then you not only keep them alive but you also make their deaths mean something, that they were not in vain.”

On hearing this Suzaku and Euphemia smiled. They completely agreed with Hanji, as the best way to honour their friend truly was to keep him alive in their memory and live their lives to the fullest, to make his sacrifice meaningful.

Many Black Knights and Survey Corps saw this and smiled, with some even emotionally touched. Here were individuals who had only just met a few moments ago, and here they were, relating to something as sensitive as the loss of a loved one and coming to an understanding. It instilled hope that even in the face of strife, something good can come about.

After some time, when everybody was ready, they resumed watching the screen.

On the left side of the outpost, Dreadwing, Skywarp and Thundercracker ran into two S hotgunners near an ascending stairway with their overshields active. Dreadwing had t aken damage from one of the S hotgun ners .

“Facing them in close combat in this area is suicide. We need another plan of attack”, said Dreadwing, as Thundercracker healed his wound with his Energon Repair Ray.

“Bug out, I got this.” exclaimed Skywarp. “Thundercracker throw one of those S tun G renades you got earlier.”

“Alright, get ready. It’ll only hold them for a short period”. Thundercracker T hrew a stun G renade as asked , which immobilised the S hotgunners and deactivated their Over shields.

Skywarp moved in and activated his W hirlwind ability, battering the two hapless Autobots into scrap and clearing the way for the others. When the three reached the top of the stairs, Thundercracker noticing something close by:

“No point in letting this just sit here” he thought to himself as he equipped the weapon and moved towards the main room.

“Seems those Shotgunners have a few weaknesses of their own.” Chiba spoke up.

“Yeah, besides their range being pretty ass, those Overshields aren’t as tough as the real thing. Add on the fact that Stun Grenades turn off the overshields and they’re basically toast” listed Ayano.

“So as long as you engage from a distance, or have a way of overpowering the Overshields, Shotgunners aren’t a big problem” Lucretia concurred.

On the right side, Starscream and Slipstream were facing similar problems, as they encountered S hotgunners of their own to contend with.

“Slipstream, throw out your remaining P roximity M ines. They’re in such close range should disable their O vershields!” Starscream ordered.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t blow us up as well” Slipstream remarked, as she sent the remaining proximity mines towards each S hotgunner. But the blast worked and both S hotgunners were left vulnerable.

Starscream moved in and activated his H over ability to boost his S catter B laster’s effectiveness, allowing him to blast each soldier with close up shot s . He and Slipstream pushed on up on their side.

At the top, Slipstream saw one of the unmanned turrets that had been causing them problems earlier and decided to capitalise on the weapon.

“Ooooh, a girl’s best friend” she sneered as she detached the turret and converted it into an Ion Displacer and returned to Starscream, who was waiting by the other door to the main room. Seeing Slipstream was back and ready, Starscream activated the switch and opened the door.

Beyond the door was the main control room of the outpost, with many monitors and computer modules and two batteries near the top which were powering the room. Three S hotgunners were waiting inside, preparing themselves for the incoming assault. Both the left and right doors opened and the Shotgunners aimed their weapons and prepared to fire. What they didn’t expect was Thundercracker and Slipstream, both wielding Ion Displacers.

“Let’s send the Autobots to the scrapheap!” declared Thundercracker as he and Slipstream fired their Ion Displacers and eviscerated the three Shotgunners with a wave of bullets that even their Overshields couldn’t withstand, truly sending them to the scrapheap.

“Ahh! Seeing such firepower in practice is always a pleasing sight!” Lloyd said with excitement.

Some of the Survey Corps raised their eyebrows in response to Lloyds’ nonchalant attitude to the fact that he’d just watched some Autobots get shredded by two large machine guns, and was essentially gushing about it.

“Uhmmm, aren’t you in the least bit bothered about the killing spree you just saw?” Nile questioned, somewhat bothered himself.

“What can I say? I’m a trueborn sociopath” Lloyd casually responded, to the disbelief of the Survey corps and the annoyance of the Black Knights.

“He’s fucked up … I like him.” Kenny chuckled quietly.

“How do you put up with someone like that?” Louise quietly asked Cecile, who was sitting close by.

“After all this time, I still couldn’t tell you”, Cecile groaned in reply.

“Nothing will stop me!” Starscream screamed, boasted once again, despite not having had anything to do with clearing this room, “Now, blast those locks!” he ordered, referring to the two locks on a door on the opposite side to the batteries.

Slipstream and Thundercracker blasted the locks with their Ion Displacers and the group went downward into the next room.

This room was filled with see-through condensers with four on each of the left and right side and a large condenser in the middle. There were small sized crates laying around, both on the floor and on ledges up above. The fact that this room could channel so much energy indicated that the Decepticons were getting closer.

“Wow, look at all of those energy condensers. Imagine all of the energy that could be controlled in this room.” Toto was amazed at the capabilities the room demonstrated.

“Unfortunately, instead of using the energy for a positive purpose, the Decepticons are going to see that it goes towards the manufacturing of Dark Energon.” Leila grimaced, which made Toto frown upon realising this harrowing truth.

“The Decepticons’ focus on destruction over more peaceful methods is more than apparent.” Pixis stated with a concerned look.

“Alright. This Station seems to funnel power directly to the Energon Bridge.” Starscream observed.

“Look there, those are the Energon Bridge’s power control panels.” Thundercracker pointed to a console linked to the large condenser in the centre of the room.

Starscream went up to the control panel and began interacting with it, causing the room to shift, but after he was done, the only noticeable difference was that the condensers began moving up and down slowly.

“Wow, Starscream - that WAS impressive.” Slipstream mocked sarcastically.

“Silence fool!” Starscream shouted in frustration “We need to supply these side terminals with their Energon power cells.”

“I believe I may have found the means to do exactly that”, Dreadwing notified the others, as he interacted with a new panel that had emerged just behind the main condenser. Behind the switch was an array of power cells being held in a casing unit, which the switch should open.

However, when Dreadwing pressed the switch, the battery units didn’t leave the casing.

“Looks like the Autobots have locked these power cells down.” noted Dreadwing.

Starscream looked to see what could be causing the obstruction and saw two locks one on each side of the casing unit, preventing it from opening. “There! Quickly - destroy the locks!” ordered Starscream, as he and Dreadwing shot at the locks keeping the casing unit closed.

Dreadwing tried the switch again, and this time the power cells moved… but the Decepticons noticed that something was wrong.

“What happened now?!” Skywarp groaned in annoyance.

“The Autobots have booby-trapped this room. Fools!” answered Starscream

“Wait! Are you calling US fools or the Autobots fools?” Skywarp dmended, “Because I’m not getting the sense that you respect me!”

“Silence! Fool ” Starscream emphasised, much to Skywarp’s frustration.

“He just keeps falling face first into the pit, at this point it’s just ridiculous.” Louise held her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“And the fact Starscream wastes no opportunity to try to make Skywarp look dumb makes it even more ridiculous.” Milly agreed with an amused grin.

“Frankly it’s a miracle this group even made it as far as they have, with this kind of childish dynamic.” Sayoko stated, shaking her head, which made some people laugh as they could see where she was coming from.

Slipstream looked around the room and found a power core in the far right back corner and shot it with her P hoton B urst R ifle. Once destroyed, the room began to shift showing that the power core was interfering with the power cells’ configuration.

“Looks like I found the issue. The Autobots are using more of those power cores to interfere!” she explained.

“Heh, this is almost too easy.” Starscream scoffed. “Quickly find the other power cores.”

Hearing this, the other four began looking for more power cores to destroy.

Dreadwing transformed into his vehicle mode to look around the area from on high. As he was searching, he spotted a glowing red cable on the top left hand side of the room and he followed the glow back to it’s point of origin. Hidden between and behind some crates on a ledge, was another power core. Dreadwing shot it with his Jet Machine Gun, taking it offline.

“Excellent! Now keep looking – there should be just one more.” ordered Starscream.

Thundercracker soon found the last power core on the right hand side of the power cell casing unit near the ground and smashed it with his H ammer. “Energy barriers are 100% offline”, he reported.

“Perfect! Now get these power cells into position!” commanded Starscream.

“Looks like they managed to get rid of those power cores causing the disruption.” said Anya.

“Now, watch those bastards begin generating power to fuel their creation of Dark Energon.” Alice commented warily.

Skywarp tried the switch near the casing unit one last time and this time, the power cells finally moved into the condensers and began generating energy.

“The side terminals are showing power levels at maximum. The energy should be flowing directly to the Orbital Station.” reported Thundercracker.

Starscream was pleased, “Excellent, this should provide us with enough power to… What the…!??”

Suddenly the condensers stopped working and the power in the room cut off, preventing any further energy being generated.

A voice then spoke over the intercom in the room, though due to distortion and the technology’s age, it was difficult to identify who was talking.

“Did you really think we’d allow you to drain the life essence of Cybertron without a fight? If you want that power online, you’ll have to go through us first!” The commanding voice spoke with authority and defiance.

This surprised many, as they’d thought that most of the Autobot resistance at this point would be finished.

“Guess the Cons energy supply has been put on hold.” Ryo smirked smugly.

“That’ll show em!” Connie shouted.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the Decepticons will not give up on getting the power back. They’ll stop at nothing.” Tohdoh wryly observed.

“He’s right, it’s unlikely the Decepticons will take this lying down, they’ll fight to get the bridge reconnected, one way or another.” Eren said with an intense glare.

“Great. The Autobots have gotten in the way again, now what?” Slipstream asked, infuriated by the constant disruptions to their plans.

“Cursed Autobots! We’ll annihilate them and their obstructions!” Starscream declared.

Thundercracker managed to detect the transmission’s location. “The origin of the transmission came directly up ahead.”

“So be it. It is time to deal with these Autobots, and connect the Energon Bridge once and for all” Dreadwing decreed.

The screen fades to black, a moment later an image of Thundercracker appears, with a tech spec.

Thundercracker: The deadliest weapon is terror.

Strength 6

Intelligence 7

Speed 10

Endurance 7

Rank 5

Courage 5

Fireblast 8

Skill 7

“Ah, here’s a tech spec for Thundercracker.” Akari stated.

“According to this, his speed and fireblast are his highest stats, with his intelligence, endurance and skill being tied above average.” Nile evaluated.

“However his strength is only slightly above average. And with his courage and rank being what they are, Thundercracker won’t be intimidating anybody in a staring contest anytime soon.” Rivalz joked.

“Thundercracker specialises in fast attacks with his strong firepower, and his generally rounded stats make him an adept fighter. But with his courage and rank being in the middle, and lacking sufficient strength, you won’t see him in a leading position.” Pixis concluded.

(Queue: Activating the Uplink (Tension) ost)

The screen shifts back to the Decepticons. A new switch appeared underneath the central condenser, and Dreadwing activated it, which opened a door beneath them that led even further down into the centre of the planet.

The five of them went through the door and walked along a wide corridor, which led to a large room with a massive condenser in the middle and two pathways on the left and right to a control room behind the condenser, the likely answer to how the Autobots cut off the power beforehand.

The Decepticons noticed four Energon suppressors along the sides of the left and right hand pathways.

“Those must be stopping the energy flow to the condensers.” Cornelia assumed.

“The cons will need to destroy those to get the power back.” Yukiya followed.

Armin had a thought: “If these really are important to stopping the Decepticons’ plan, they’re going to be heavily guarded.”

As if on queue, the screen would prove him right.

Just then, an order rang out over the intercom from the voice earlier: “Autobots attack! Protect the suppressors and the main control room”.

Immediately, a Melee specialist appeared along with two Rocket Troopers from the right side. On the left side was a Brute and, most dangerously, a Heavy Ion Soldier.

“Damn, that’s quite a bit of resistance” Jean’s eyes widened.

But Guildford had his own thoughts “Maybe, but considering their opposition is the Seekers, I wouldn’t count them out. This won’t be a quick fight”. Guildford was well aware of how capable the Seekers were: he knew all about when they had attacked Pendragon.

“That’s a lot of Autobots… so lets scrap them!” Skywarp shouted.

“We’ve wasted enough time with these pions, we have to activate the Energon Bridge!” said Starscream.

“The right side is more lightly defended compared than the left. I will go right, destroy the suppressors there and take the control room, the rest of you engage the left side and destroy the suppressors there.” proposed Dreadwing.

“Fine, whatever rids of us of these Autobots fastest.” Starscream conceded with irritation, both at being told what to do and the Autobots constant meddling.

“Alright then, we have a plan, let’s tear them to shreds!” Slipstream said sadistically as she rushed towards the left with Skywarp not far behind. Starscream and Thundercracker followed behind them, while Dreadwing made his way to the right.

Skywarp and Slipstream began firing Thermo Rocket Launcher and Plasma Canon shots at the Heavy Ion Soldier, who flinched at the explosive damage. He attempted to return fire, but after they’d fired a few shots more they both cloaked and he lost sight of them. Skywarp and Slipstream then switched to their Scatter Blaster and Photon Burst Rifle respectively to start chipping away at the Heavy Ion Soldier’s armour, whilst trying to avoid their own armour being shredded.

As for Starscream and Thundercracker, the two of them were weaving and dodging the Brute’s Hammer swings and the occasional rocket or two he fired.

“I’ll pound the pistons out of you, Decepticons!” he shouted, as Starscream took one hammer swing, forcing Thundercracker to heal him. When the Brute went in for another running charge attack, Thundercracker had to duck out of the way, while Starscream used his Hover ability to evade the incoming attack, firing his Scatter Blaster, which damaged the Brute’s backpack. But it wasn’t enough to kill him.

“You dare to stand against STARSCREAM?!” Starscream taunted, as the two Seekers readied themselves for the Brute’s next attack.

Meanwhile on the right side, Dreadwing was running towards the two Rocket Troopers, who in return fired their rocket launchers at him.

“Think you can take me down? Think again!” He declared as he jumped over some incoming rockets and landing in front of them. He then drew his EMP Shotgun, which he’d acquired earlier from the Autobot outpost, demolishing them with a close range shot each.

This left only the Melee Specialist, who ran towards Dreadwing with his red triangular Axe.

“Hack that Decepticon into Scrap Metal!” He cried as he prepared to swing at Dreadwing, who drew his Sword to block the incoming slash.

The two exchanged slash after slash before Dreadwing eventually managed to parry the Specialists’ attack, rendering him vulnerable and allowing Dreadwing to swiftly thrust his sword into the specialist’s spark chamber, making him the winner of this duel.

(End: Activating the Uplink (Tension) ost)

Historia was impressed by Dreadwings’ individual fighting prowess. “He’s good. You weren’t kidding about Dreadwing being a strong fighter.”

“Without doubt, his skill could always be depended on when called.” Euphemia smiled at seeing her friend’s abilities recognized once again.

With his opposition defeated, Dreadwing destroyed the two suppressors on his side with sword slashes and then proceeded to the control room, which was a large open spacke, which also contained a large gate to the right. Inside the room, was an Autobot guarding a nearby switch. The Autobot in question was Silverbolt: an elite Autobot flier.

“Well this is interesting, so it must have been Silverbolt who was speaking over the intercom earlier.” Nonette commented.

“Considering how far the Decepticons have made it, it makes sense the Autobots would place a capable Aerialbot to challenge them.” Cornelia reasoned.

“Who is this “Silverbolt”? Can he fly like the Seekers?” Onyankopon asked curiously.

“Silverbolt was the leader of the Aerialbots. A reliable, courageous warrior in his own right. He aided us many times in the fight against the Decepticons...”. Zhou looked down.

Onyankopon noticed this and also how she spoke in the past tense. “Did something happen to him? Pardon me, I don’t mean to be intrusive.”

“Not at all.” Zhou replied immediately, sensing he didn’t mean offense. “He was unfortunately killed in a significant battle with the Decepticons… evaporated by a superweapon in the blink of an eye.” Zhou continued.

Many of the Black Knights looked down in respect, whilst others had mournful looks on their face, as they remembered the casualties and losses they took in that battle, and the many friends and comrades who lost their lives.

The Survey corps, looked on in sympathy, once again, sensing the scale of the losses that this other group had suffered: some of those losses being other transformers.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope I didn’t cause any unnecessary pain or grief to surface” Onyankopon apologised.

“Don’t apologise, you meant no ill will.” Zhou assured him.

Xing Ke stepped in. “Whilst it was regretful that Silverbolt lost his life, he was a trusted ally who helped us win our war, which made his death mean all the more. We will always remember him and what he contributed.

Nearly everyone smiled upon hearing Xing Ke’s words, as it was a reminder that even though losing allies and loved ones hurt, remembering them and all they did was the best way to honour them as well as ease the pain of loss.

Shortly after this, the group turned their attention back to the screen.

“Relinquish the control panel to us Silverbolt, and I will spare your life.” Dreadwing bargained.

But Silverbolt rejected his offer. “I won’t let you destroy this planet for your own selfish needs.”

With that Silverbolt opened fire with his Photon Burst Rifle. “For Cybertron!”, he roared.

(Queue: Activating the Uplink (Action) ost)

Dreadwing rolled to the side, firing back with his EMP shotgun as both combatants fired back and forth, rolling and dodging the incoming bullets.

After continued exchanges of gunfire, Silverbolt decided he needed to change things up, and swapped to two Pulse Canons, firing a vertical line of lasers from left to right. Dreadwing anticipated this and slid under the laser fire, then fired some rockets from his Cluster Canon at Silverbolt, who blocked the explosives with his own Barrier ability.

Silverbolt then fired five small heat seeking missiles into the air, which began descending upon Dreadwing’s position. Dreadwing had to move fast, as he’d already taken some damage and the missiles would do a chunk more if they hit, so he ran to his left to avoid the raining missiles, as they rained down and missed.

Realising that Silverbolt was trying to keep him at a distance, Dreadwing readied himself to rush down Silverbolt when the opportunity arose. He would get his moment when Silverbolt attempted to catch Dreadwing off guard by firing a series of small plasma blasts across the floor.

Dreadwing ran at Silverbolt, jumped over the plasma blasts and drew his Sword midair to swing downward, only for Silverbolt to block the sword strike with a thin slender red Blade of his own. Adorning a red Shield on his other arm. Silverbolt pushed Dreadwing back and the two adopted a stance, ready to strike.

“Holy crap this is cool!” Ashely exclaimed.

“Damn right. The way they keep dodging and countering the others attacks, it’s incredible!” Sasha was glued to the fight.

“To watch two equally skilled transformers fight is truly a spectacle.” Rakshata agreed.

“Impressive effort.” Dreadwing said in acknowledgement of Silverbolt’s skill.

“I could say the same, however, I cannot allow your mad plan to succeed!” Silverbolt replied, as he charged at Dreadwing. Dreadwing charged back as they each gave out battle cries.

Meanwhile, Starscream and Thundercracker had managed to significantly damage the Brute’s backpack. Thundercracker was keeping the attention on himself whilst clashing his Hammer against the Brute’s own, but he was struggling to resist the Brute's strength.

Before the Brute could overpower him, Starscream thrust his dual Swords into the Brute’s backpack, then pulled them out, jumping back as he and Thundercracker watched the Brute explode.

“That’s the Brute taken care of, courtesy of Starscream, of all bots?” Oldrin quizzed jokingly.

“I wonder how the other two are doing? Dealing with that Heavy Ion Soldier and all.” Cecile pondered.

As for Skywarp and Slipstream they’d diminished the Heavy Ion Soldier’s armour by quite a lot, but had taken quite a lot of damage themselves and had been forced to find cover. They needed to end the fight now.

“This guy is starting to annoy me!” Skywarp groaned.

“That’s one thing we can agree on.” Slipstream concurred in a rare moment. And then she came up with an idea.

“Our Cloaks should’ve recharged by now, you sneak up behind him and attack his back armour, when he’s on his knees I ’ll put him down” she challenged.

“I like the way you think.” Skywarp replied with a smug grin, as they both cloaked and moved to flank the Heavy Ion Soldier.

The soldier stopped firing and began walking towards their cover spot to see if they were alive, but before he could get too close, he felt a sharp pain as Skywarp shot him from behind with his Thermo Rocket Launcher. This caused the soldier to fall down on one knee, allowing Slipstream to stab him through the head with her Lance .

With their enemies terminated, the group rejoined, Thundercracker tending to their wounds with his Energon Repair Ray. Then they destroyed the remaining suppressors.

“Well, there goes the rest of the Autobot soldiers in the area, along with the last two Energon suppressors.” Marrybell glared.

“And with them gone, all that’s left is Silverbolt, now outnumbered 5-1.” Diethard added.

“Which means that Silverbolt’s in a lot of shit, to say the least.” Levi finished.

“The suppressors have been dealt with, but we need to get into the control room to re-establish the link.” Thundercracker reported.

“Then let’s not waste any more time - move!” Starscream ordered, as the four made their way into the control room, with Skywarp noticing the Ion Displacer lying on the ground.

“Can’t just leave this here.” he thought with a smirk, as he picked it up and followed the others to the control room.

Back with Dreadwing, he and Silverbolt were striking their blades and parrying each other’s attacks. The two seemed locked in a stalemate, clashing blades, until the door behind Silverbolt opened and revealed Starscream along with the others, preparing to join the fray.

Skywarp fired the Ion Displacer at Silverbolt’s back, wounding him. Silverbolt looked behind and activated his Barrier to block the incoming bullets, which gave Dreadwing an opening to knee Silverbolt in the stomach area, breaking the sword lock and then slashing at Silverbolt’s chest, wounding him and drawing Energon.

Seeing that this battle was lost and that he wouldn’t be able to fend off five Decepticons in his current state, Silverbolt used his Thunderblast ability to push the Decepticons back, then he transformed into jet mode and flew out of the door that Dreadwing had come through earlier.

(End: Activating the Uplink (Action) ost)

“He’s weak! Let’s finish the job!” Skywarp shouted.

“No! We’ve wasted enough time dealing with the Autobots just to get this far”, Thundercracker rebuked.

“Besides he is no longer a threat. To pursue him now would only waste more time. We must remain on task.” Dreadwing agreed, much to Skywarps’ annoyance.

“Well then, lets get on with it already.” Slipstream was forced to concede.

“Guess Silverbolt wasn’t strong enough to stop them.” Sokkia sighed, concerned that the Decepticons had managed to win that battle.

“Despite his courage, the odds were too great.” said Sayoko, who was just as displeased about the Decepticons victory.

“Ultimately it’s no surprise, considering how outnumbered he was and the fact that we all know what Megatron intends to do in the future with Dark Energon, which he could only acheive if this plan works.” Eren explained, which many found to be an interesting observation, using what they knew about the transformers history to begin with.

With Silverbolt dealt with, Starscream was ecstatic over the fact their goal was nearly complete. “Hahahaha! We are but one click away from activating the full power of the Energon Bridge!”

Thundercracker activated the switch in the control room. The power came back on and the energy flowed once again.

Starscream was basking in the ‘glory’ of the moment. “I did it! Look at all that power flowing!”

Everyone could see how much energy was flowing across the massive condenser and could only imagine the amount of energy that was in the room they’d seen prior.

“Wow! Look at the inside of that condenser… there so much energy flowing!” Shirley was astonished.

“I’d be more impressed if I didn’t know the cons were gonna do some bad shit with it.” Rai said.

“Nonetheless, the technological prowess and display of energy is still a sight to behold.” Erwin countered, which Rai acknowledged.

“Onward Decepticons!” Starscream transformed with the others following suit, as they flew through the gate and into the deepest part of the core yet.

Once through the gate, they flew down a long winding tunnel filled with see-through pipes and condensers, which were glowing a gold yellow, channeling all of the energy the underground Station was funnelling. It was a magnificent sight.

Thundercracker began sensing something ahead of them. “I am detecting an unknown energy signature nearby, off the scale” he warned.

“Then we are close – the Energon Bridge must be close by.” Starscream reasoned.

As they emerged from the tunnel, they came into a large circular room that was held up by six massive metal beams. Beneath them was lava contained under a sealed floor. A big machine stood in the centre, though it was hard to say what exactly the machine was.

“That’s a very large machine. What is it?” Akari pondered aloud.

Sancia was also puzzled. “Judging from it’s design, it doesn’t seem like any ordinary piece of machinery either”

Erwin had an idea. “Based on Thundercracker’s earlier warnings, the energy signature may be originating from that machine.” he speculated.

“Well shouldn’t the Decepticons be more wary then?” Tian Zi asked.

“Anyone sane would be cautious, but since this is the Decepticons we’re talking about, I doubt it.” Monica mused.

“The device must be inside that machine. We should plant a Dark Energon Det Pack on it’s power cable to activate it.” Starscream thought aloud.

Thundercracker interrupted: “My scans indicate that-”

But Starscream had grown tired of Thundercracker’s warnings “I’ve had enough of your readings! I WILL use Dark Energon and corrupt the machine!” he declared as he armed the Det Pack, expecting it to corrupt the machine. Unfortunately this caused the machine in the centre to begin moving.

“Whoa- ! Whats happening?!” Skywarp asked in alarm.

Thundercracker could only sigh as his suspicions were proven correct. “Precisely what I was afraid of… Cybertron is trying to purge itself of contamination.”

“What contamination?” Skywarp asked, as the machine began transforming and now had three large turret canons armed, with one of them firing at the Seekers.

“He means US you idiot!” Starscream and Slipstream shouted back, as the five of them transformed into jet mode to avoid getting blasted.

Everyone could only stare in disbelief at the stupidity of what they had just seen.

“He was warned multiple times that there was a strong energy signature to look out for.” Nunnally observed.

“And what does he go and do? He completely ignores the advice and then wonders why something bad happened.” Alice was also done with Starscreams incompetence.

“This behaviour is exactly what I’d expect from Starscream” Suzaku glared.

“Quit blabbing and destroy this nuisance!” Starscream ordered as he fired his Jet Machine Gun at one of the turrets, destroying the two canons on the turret. Immediately the machine transformed again, withdrawing it’s turret heads and emitting vertical burning plasma beams, spinning in circles in an attempt to swat the Seekers out of the sky.

“Avoid those beams!” Dreadwing alerted.

“Move! Move! Move!” Skywarp reiterated, as he began flying up and down to avoiding getting hit by the beams

After a few rotations, the machine retracted the plasma beams and transformed again, this time lifting it’s centre module to reveal a power core.

“Fucking hell, that machine certainly has a variety of ways of killin Bots.” Kenny remarked.

“Yeah! Three big ass turrets and loads of plasma beams is hella metal for scrapping bots!” Tamaki exclaimed.

“What an incredible sight! I wish I could inspect that machine in person!” Hanji was ecstatic at seeing such a big Cybertronian weapon.

“The machine is vulnerable! Focus your fire on the core!” Starscream yelled, as he began shooting the core with rockets, with the others firing at it also with their vehicle weapons.

After a barrage of bullets and rockets, the centre module lowered itself, protecting the core and transforming into it’s multiple sentry mode again. It began firing it’s remaining two turrets, only this time, the machine was also firing plasma blasts from it’s lower half, giving the Seekers even more projectiles to worry about.

“That didn’t seem to stop the machine or even slow it down.” noted Leila.

“A weaponised machine like that won’t be defeated easily, They’ll need to attack a few more times to get the job done.” Nonette speculated.

“Are we even hurting this thing?” Skywarp shouted.

“Not with your pathetic aim! Focus fire on those guns!” Starscream insulted him, for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“Ugh, do I have to do everything? ” Slipstream muttered to herself as she fired a cluster of rockets at one of the remaining turrets’ guns, obliterating them and rendering the turret useless.

As for Skywarp, just to prove Starscream wrong, he began spraying his Jet Machine Gun at the last turrets canons, disarming the turret mode for good.

“Hah! It’s not so tough!” he scoffed in satisfaction at destroying the machine further.

Skywarp wouldn’t have long to celebrate though, as the machine changed into it’s plasma beam form again. Except this time there were more beams than before and it began moving faster than before, forcing the Seekers to react before they’d end up a smoking wreck.

Out of nowhere Megatron radioed in: “Starscream! What is taking so long?!” he asked, oblivious to the peril Starscream was facing at that moment.

“Urgh, just a slight delay” Starscream grunted, as he narrowly dodged a high incoming beam, before having to dodge a low beam shortly after.

“I’m beginning to question your ability to deliver, Starscream. Do not disappoint me!” Megatron demanded, completely unaware of the situation as he signed off.

Starscream could only grunt to himself as he and the others avoided being scraped by the machine.

“God, Megatron’s timing’s as shit as always.” Kallen scoffed.

“He always seems to call right when Starscream is in the middle of a desperate situation.” Ymir observed.

“Not only that, he’s always dismissive of him and only reiterates that failure isn’t an option, with no actual concern for his own. It’s... abusive... even though that’s not surprising to anyone I’m sure. With Starscream it feels like Megatron mistrusts him on purpose, and then takes a cruel pleasure in his misfortune”, Jeanne said, as she thought back to Shin’s treatment of her. Ashely noticed this and place a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

Many could understand what Jeanne was saying. Sure Megatron’s rude and awful behaviour was nothing new: seeing him in the previous chapter was proof of that. But with Starscream, there were elements of a personal vendetta: Megatron was abusing Starscream deliberately. The Black Knights in particular knew of Megatron’s poor treatment of the Seeker commander, and whilst they didn’t feel overly sorry for him, Megatron’s behaviour was duplicitous. As for the Survey Corps, notably Hanji, some of them had heard about this abuse from when Arcee lost her temper with Optimus, and for them it was an unpleasant thing for someone to go through, even for an obnoxious egotist like Starscream.

Once the machine was done rotating, it retracted it’s beams and revealed it’s power core.

“The core is vulnerable again!” Skywarp shouted.

“Now’s our chance! Give it lead!” Slipstream added, as the group began pelting the core. After a flurry of gunfire and explosives, the centre module covered the core again, but instead of immediately going into turret form, the machine remained still for a moment, before emitting an explosion from it’s lower half. The red light in the middle of the centre module began spinning, as did several visible gears on the outside.

“What is it doing NOW?!” Skywarp questioned in alarm.

“Who cares?! Just be ready for it!” Starscream answered.

Before they knew it, the room temperature rose and became extremely hot. Then they saw why. The floor containing the lava had been destroyed by the machine causing the lava to rise up. Fireballs began shooting out from the lava nearly hitting a few of the Seekers.

This put many watching on edge, upon seeing the battlefield change

“Good lord! All of that fire and lava, you’d think they were inside a volcano!” Cornelia exclaimed.

“I don’t even want to think about getting touched by any of that stuff: You’d get a burn that nothing could counter”. Gino looked extremely bothered by the thought.

“Evasive manoeuvres!” alerted Thundercracker, as he barrel rolled to dodge some incoming fire balls.

As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the machine also converted into it’s plasma beam form and began firing it’s beams in the same direction, making it so the Seekers couldn’t dodge either of them now. As they were flying and evading all kinds of dangers, the machine would suddenly change direction, or change it’s moving pattern for the beams, meaning the Seekers had to be alert at all times, or they’d soon be in a fiery grave.

But eventually, after dodging hazards for a few cycles, they saw the machine retract it’s plasma beams once again, revealeing it’s power core, which was showing significant signs of damage.

“It’s time to finish this!” Dreadwing called out, as the Seekers fired upon the core, hoping to finally destroy it this time. Starscream and Dreadwing fired the final rockets which destroyed the core, causing the machine’s top half to explode.

“They did it, they destroyed the machine.” said Niccolo in disbelief.

“Certainly took quite a bit of time and a lot of bullets and rockets.” Dalque was amazed they’d managed to destroy such a machine.

“But that doesn’t appear to be the end, look, somethings happening.” Marrybell pointed at the screen.

Long, mechanical, crane like arms began sprouting from the top of the machine’s destroyed lower half.

“Wait! Something’s happening!” Skywarp exclaimed.

“YES! It’s crumbling before the MIGHT of STARSCREAM!” he boasted arrogantly.

One of the crane arms smashed a hole in the ceiling, providing an escape route for the Seekers

“To the surface Decepticons!” Starscream rallied, as the five of them flew out of the hole.

As they ascended, the crane arms began corrupting their surroundings, causing Dark Energon spikes to shoot out at random.

“It would seem the Det Pack from earlier has taken effect, Dark Energon has corrupted the machine.” Lelouch stared in disbelief at the sheer scale of the corruption.

“It’s done more than just corrupt it, the machine’s crane arms are moving all over the damn place.” Ymir was alarmed by the machine’s sporadic movements.

“The machine is out of control!” Slipstream pointed out.

“It must be a side effect of the Dark Energon!” Starscream announced.

“Avoid the machine arms and Dark Energon spikes as you fly up!” suggested Dreadwing, dodging an incoming spike to his left.

As they kept flying, the machine became more erratic, corrupting the area ever more frantically.

Eventually the Seekers made it to the surface and saw that the crane arm had linked up with the Energon Bridge, establishing a consistent power flow that could fuel the Orbital Station.

“So that’s what the Energon Bridge looks like when functional, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s being used for Dark Energon I’d love to know how it works.” Lloyd said somewhat nervously.

“For the sanity’s sake, it’s best that such technology is not interacted with any further.” Kiyomi dismissed the idea.

“We’ve done it! The Energon Bridge is activating!” Skywarp celebrated.

“Incredible. The Energon Bridge is active once more” observed Thundercracker in awe, as the bridge began moving into place to transfer the energy.

“Well, that was certainly a day out.” Slipstream joked, albeit proud of their accomplishment deep down.

“Quiet! You’re ruining my moment of glory!” Starscream silenced the other three as they transformed briefly on a ledge, to observe the Energon Bridge sending the energy to the orbital Station. “Soon my orbital Station will be at full power!”

But he would soon be interrupted by Megatron: “YOUR orbital Station Starscream? Surely you mean MINE”, he said, as the Energon Bridge began to transfer the energy upward into the sky, to the orbital Station.

“I see you have finally succeeded in the simple task I gave you, perhaps you’re not as worthless as I thought… report back to base - at once!”

“On our way Lord Megatron.” Dreadwing acknowledged as he and the others transformed and flew back to the orbital Station, though Starscream was irked by Megatron’s comment.

“It seems Megatron is capable of giving a compliment, albeit a back-handed one” said Rai, with a dead pan stare.

“Whilst I’d normally say that Starscream’s ego doesn’t need any more stroking, the fact that Megatron was so awful to him earlier and they were in dangerous situations. He probably doesn’t need any more abuse hurled his way.” Nunnally responded.

The screen shows an outworld view of the Energon Bridge firing the energy at a relay, which then moves the energy through a whole series of relays and eventually into the Orbital Stations’ power conduit.

It then cuts to Soundwave working at a terminal and monitoring the energy levels back at the Orbital Station after receiving power from the Energon Bridge, with Megatron standing close by.

“All systems online, Dark Energon manufacturing at optimal efficiency” Soundwave reported to Megatron.

“Now I can introduce Dark Energon into the planet’s core… and as it spreads through Cybertron, my power shall travel with it.” Megatron exclaimed, as he walked closer to a holo table, near Soundwave.

Hearing this proclamation gave everyone a sense of dread, as they realised what was on the horizon.

“This is it. This where Megatron starts with his batshit insane plan”, Kallen growled, as the thought of Megatron dooming his own homeworld infuriated her no end.

“The plan to corrupt Cybertron’s core… all so he can try and bend the planet itself to his will” Armin trailed off with unease. Despite his view of Megatron having changed since they first met, it didn’t change the fact that he’d come up with this plan in the past and acted on it.

“But to even attempt such a thing… it’s beyond belief, it’s more than insane! It defies all reason and sanity!” Diethard uttered, his voice shaking in awe and fear

“Entrance to the planet core is heavily shielded behind the Omega Gate.” Soundwave pointed out.

Megatron already had a solution in mind. “ I will acquire the Omega key. We launch a full scale assault on Iacon IMMEDIATELY and wipe Zeta Prime and his pathetic Autobots off the face of the planet.” Megatron ordered as he grasped the holo image of Cybertron into his hand...before crushing it. And the screen faded to black.

“Well Megatron certainly doesn’t waste time. The moment the orbital Station receives enough power to produce Dark Energon, he prepares to attack the Autobots in their own capital city, to further his destructive plan”, Kaguya said disdainfully.

“No doubt he’ll see to it that Dark Energon is ‘tested’ on Iacon as well, just to ensure he acquires the Omega Key” Cera was also disgusted by Megatron’s vision.

Lelouch couldn’t help but scowl at the reminder of Megatron’s plan. To subject your own planet to the devil’s blood, all so you can control the planet at will… the thought was sickening to him. Combined with the fact he knew of the aftermath to this plan, all of the suffering it would cause and what would befall Cybertron - and that he didn’t even think twice , or demonstrate any remorse for this madness he’d instigated, angered Lelouch further.

Eren wasn’t much better, for he loathed Megatron’s callous, cruel nature. And whilst he didn’t have as much knowledge of what had happened in the past as Lelouch, he knew more than enough, as he’d witnessed how Arcee and Wheeljack acted around the Decepticon Warlord. Even Optimus’s reaction to seeing him arrive on Eren’s planet again gave it away.

The only reason they’d be that way was because Megatron had done heinous things in the past, and the plan he had just heard was likely one of them, if not top of the list. And seeing this vicious display of Megatron’s character only made Eren despise Megatron more than he already did.

Vector Prime appeared at the end and spoke. “That is how the Energon Bridge was re-connected to the orbital Station, and thus would lead to Megatron attacking Iacon in a mass assault to acquire the Omega Key. Are you now ready to see this attack?”

Everyone looked at each other before nodding in agreement, and thus, with the consent of everyone present, Vector Prime began preparing the next screening.

“Very well. So begins the Attack on Iacon”.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 Iacon Destroyed

The Survey Corps and Black Knights sat in anticipation as the screen opened and a voice spoke.

“Hungry for more power, Megatron plans to corrupt the very core of Cybertron itself with Dark Energon, but to do so, he must first find the Omega Key, which will unlock the Gateway to the core.

Megatron launches a full scale assault on Iacon, capital city of the Autobots where the key is protected by Zeta Prime-leader of the Autobots”.

“Iacon… that’s the capital city of the Autobots right?” Jean inquired.

“Indeed, Iacon was a cultural centre before the war and would later become the main stronghold for the Autobots for most of the war” Nunnally answered, as she had asked Optimus about Iacon before, when they’d acquired the Spark Extractor.

“So we’re actually gonna see Cybertron’s surface and the Autbots capital city no less? That’s gonna be pretty cool!” Sasha was excited at the thought.

“I hate to rain on your parade, but remember, this is a war, and the Decepticons aren’t going there to see the sights” said Orpheus, causing Sasha to look down at the unpleasant reminder.

The screen depicts a large Decepticon Transport Ship docking near a ledge within Iacon city. The area is bronze coloured and has numerous fountains and pools of Energon all around, with a small waterfall flowing with Energon on the right side, as if in a luxurious garden. Small foot bridges can be seen crossing the small streams of Energon.

“Wow, look at that! What a beautiful area!” Tian Zi was in awe of what they were seeing.

“You could easily forget that this is a warzone, seeing something like that.” Historia was just as amazed.

Megatron jumps from the ship alongside Soundwave and two other smaller Decepticons. One, who is dark blue and white, transforms into a race car with six exhausts. The other is fully red, with a slick sports car like vehicle mode. These two were known as Breakdown and Knockout

Megatron relays an order to his recently acquired air commander: “Starscream- continue forward and meet Zeta Prime’s armies on the front line!”

Upon hearing this, Starscream flies over from behind the transport ship:

“Have no fear, Lord Megatron! Under my leadership, Decepticon victory is assured!” Starscream responds boastfully.

“Great, this jackass again.” Niccolo groaned.

“Looks like we’ll be seeing more of Starscream.” Chiba agreed.

“I don’t think anyone here is exactly happy about that.” Chigusa added.

Megatron paid Starscream’s boast no mind. “Do not fail me!” he warned, as the seeker transformed and flew off to the front lines.

Dreadwing then appeared in front of Megatron, alongside his brother Skyquake, who looked nearly identical in appearance, except he was coloured green along with tinges of grey. With them was a peculiar looking transformer, who resembled a Shark: Skybyte

“We will be sure to keep an eye on Starscream, Lord Megatron” Dreadwing said. Skyquake nodded in assurance.

“I will be there too, to see that our new ‘ally’ doesn’t do anything rash” Skybyte added.

“See to it that you observe him, closely” Megatron iterated, at which the three transformed into their alt modes and flew off.

The Survey Corps took notice of the bots they had just seen.

“Was that Dreadwing’s brother, Skyquake?” Nile asked.

“I believe so.” Akari confirmed. “We never met him in our world, as he had been dead long before. However, based on his appearance and his accompanying of Dreadwing, it’s safe to guess that it is indeed Skyquake.”

The Survey Corps were surprised to hear this. Skyquake was dead? And the Black Knights had never met him? They seemed to know almost every named or notable bot that appeared thus far. It would seem that the Black Knights knew little more about Dreadwing’s brother than they did.

“What’s with that peculiar Shark-like bot, who is he?” Connie asked, having noted the Decepticon’s unusual appearance.

“That’s Sky Byte.” Misty answered. “He’s another one of Megatron’s top soldiers and one of his most loyal, not far off from Soundwave. The reason he looks that way was because he was experimented on by a group called the Quintessons, a race that the transformers rebelled against before the War on Cybertron, though that in itself is a long tale. He may seem strange, but don’t let his appearance or demeanor fool you, he’s a capable fighter, especially in underwater combat, and he’s fairly smart and intellectual.

“Wow, guess he’s quite the unique package.” Connie replied.

“Why aren’t we joining the main battle, Megatron?” Breakdown asked impatiently as he equipped his Scatter Blaster. Breakdown was around the same size as Barricade, being just as strong and fast. He had wheels on his shoulders, exhausts perched on his back, blade like features extending upward on the sides of his arms, and shins that were like spikes. Notwithstanding his small size, Breakdown could still throwdown with some tough customers.

“While Starscream attacks Zeta Prime’s armies head on, we shall move behind enemy lines and retrieve the Omega Key.” Megatron answered, as some Decepticon troopers, who had been deployed with them began moving into position.

“The Omega what?” Knockout questioned? Knockout was also a small bot, not as strong as Breakdown, but just as fast, if not faster. He had a relatively slender, compact chassis, with his vehicle front serving as his chest. His arms were slightly long and he had wheels with gold coloured hubcaps on his back and on the back of his legs. Knockout was a fast, and witty con to be sure.

“The Omega Key grants access to the Core of Cybertron” Soundwave replied to Knockouts question, as he brought out his Neutron Assault Rifle. Knockout in turn readied his Energon Battle Pistol.

“Once I have access to the core, I will infuse it with Dark Energon and subject the entire planet’s energy supply to MY WILL.” Megatron declared.

“So that’s why Megatron wanted the Omega Key? Because it would open this ‘Omega Gate?”. Kenshin remembered that Megatron wanted it from the last event they watched.

“Indeed, which makes sense, as typically, if you want to get past a gate you can’t push through, you look for the key.” Kaguya elaborated.

“And since we know that the Core of Cybertron is behind the Omega Gate, that explains why Megatron has gone to these lengths. Acquiring the Omega Key will allow him to enact his monstrous plan to rule the planet.” Cera glared.

Just then, Autobots soldiers began appearing from the opposite side of the Decepticons, having noticed the Decepticons attempts to attack around the main Autobot army.

“Decepticon intruders! They’re inside the city!” one Autobot cried out as he stationed himself behind an area with three meta pillars upholding a viewing area.

“Autobots attacking! Hey, wasn’t Starscream supposed to keep these guys occupied?” Knockout shouted, as he moved to cover and prepared to fire back.

“Even the Autobots aren’t foolish enough to leave the Stellar Galleries undefended.” Megatron answered. “Destroy them!”

Megatron jumped down to meet the Autobots in battle, with the others following behind.

Megatron rushed toward the middle and fired his Fusion Canon, obliterating two Autobots. Soundwave attacked from the left, whilst Knockout flanked from the right, using their Neutron Assault Rifle and Energon Battle Pistol respectively taking out one Autobot each, thus eliminating all the Autobots in the area.

The Decepticons went through a door to find three more Autobots in a corridor, preventing them from moving further.

“Anyone looks at me, and they’re done for!” shouted Breakdown, as he used his Scatter Blaster to pelt the Autobots with so much lead, there wasn’t much left of them when he was done.

“Looks like there are some Autobot forces stationed in the area, so the Decepticons can’t just stroll on up to heart of Iacon.” Floch noted.

“I guess, but did you see what just happened? The cons turned those bots into scrap with little effort.” Ryo countered.

“It’s going take a lot more than just regular troopers to stop the Decepticons.” stated Guildford.

The group proceeded to the area the Autobots were guarding; a square shaped room with a metal monument in the middle and various upper platforms/balconies being upheld by metal pillars, and a door on the left side of the room. They found that Decepticons Troopers had already captured the area, and ushered them in.

“Megatron – sensors indicate Autobot energy signatures nearby.” Alerted Soundwave.

“Where? I don’t see anything” Breakdown replied, looking around the area to see if any Autobots were watching them.

“The Autbots are here, no doubt skulking in the shadows.” Megatron insulted the Autobots.

As he spoke, four plasma shots came flying in out of nowhere, wiping out most of the Decepticon troopers guarding the area.

“Looks like the Autobots sent in Cloakers this time.” Toto observed.

“Yeah and, from the looks of the area, the Cloakers have the advantage of higher ground and a few spots for cover.” Ymir added.

“They’re surrounding us!” Knockout shouted, somewhat startled by the ambush.

“Return fire! Destroy anything that moves!” ordered Megatron, as he spotted a Plasma Canon being charged and blasted a Cloaker to pieces with his Fusion Canon.

Meanwhile, Soundwave activated his Remote Sentry ability and with Sentry’s ability to see cloaked enemies, it had no problem spewing lead to clean up two of the Cloakers, with one of the kills being a headshot.

Knockout spotted the final Cloaker preparing to fire, and swiftly brought out his Electric Spear, thrusting it into the Cloaker and discharging a large amount of electricity that short-circuited the Cloaker within a few seconds. Whilst it wasn’t as grizzly as Barricade’s Torture Swords, it still wasn’t pleasant to watch.

“Damn, I would not want to be that guy.” Ashely sweat dropped at how painful that looked.

“Me neither. Electrocution is not a pleasant experience in any sense.” Onyankopon agreed.

With the Cloakers dead, the four Decepticons exited the room through the left side door and transformed to drive outside and into a blown up room with no roof, which allowed them to see a falling Autobot transport ship crash into a building on right side further ahead.

Once the ship had crashed, Starscream radioed in with evil delight: “Megatron! The Dark Energon is proving every bit as formidable as you predicted! The Autobot armies crumble before it!”

“Excellent, Starscream. Continue engaging them, so that I can acquire the Omega Key” Megatron signed off.

“Goodness, so that’s what Dark Energon can do when weaponised...” Kiyomi was disturbed when she saw the destruction it could cause on a wide scale.

“It was already devastating enough, considering what it did to those soldiers on the Orbital Station, and the machinery in Cybertron’s Underground.” Anna frowned.

“The worst thing is that’s not even the full extent of it’s destructive power. There is no limit to the sheer devastation it can cause.” Euphemia grimaced.

“Having seen these instances, I’d be inclined to agree. However, I fear this won’t be the last we see of Dark Energon and the havoc it can cause.” Pixis speculated, much to everyone’s discomfort.

“There’s something off about that Starscream guy, Megatron. I don’t trust him” said Breakdown skeptically, as he equipped a nearby Photon Burst Rifle before following the group as they went up a flight of stairs.

“Oh, I trust Starscream about as far as I can blast him. But he shows a rare cunning that I find intriguing” Megatron replied.

“Intriguing? That’s definitely not a word I would use to describe anything related to Starscream.” Rivalz was baffled by Megatron’s comment.

Mikasa was also confused by what Megatron had said. “Yeah. From what I’ve seen he acts like an arrogant, impatient child who complains about or runs away from any problem too big for his liking.”

“I suspect that Megatron is somewhat impressed by Starscream’s cunning, because its one of the few that could come close to matching his own. Starscream would prefer to have the entire universe under his rule, even if it was in ruins, just so he could be King of the Ashes.” Xing Ke speculated.

“Combined with the fact Starscream is a nefarious schemer, he can come up with plans that are beyond the imagination of most: they are not as ambitious as he is. Megatron likely thinks he can manipulate Starscream’s nature and abilities to further his own agenda.” Erwin continued.

Many found themselves acknowledging or agreeing with the two explanations, as it made sense for someone as cunning as Megatron to capitalise on any advantage he can find, especially the most dangerous and depraved advantages.

Soon the Decepticons encountered more Autobots, this time Snipers.

Breakdown and Knockout used their long range weaponry to kill two Autobot snipers each. With most of the Snipers dealt with Soundwave moved in.

“Autobots, you will be terminated.” he said ominously, as he drew his Battle Hammer along with a purple Shield. One Autobot tried to shoot him as he approached, but Soundwave blocked the bullets, and with one of swing of his Hammer decapitated the Autobot, then swiftly attacked another close by Autobot with a blow to the chest. He transformed to drive up a ramp, leading them to the next area, where three more Snipers were waiting. But Soundwave was prepared as he equipped a Null Ray, which he’d picked up earlier, before attacking. One by one, he managed to out snipe all three Autobot Snipers.

“Wow, he’s just as strong as you guys said he was.” Louise was astonished by Soundwave’s fighting prowess.

“Yeah Soundwave is a powerhouse, having been a gladiator himself. The fact he’s part of Megatron’s inner circle also cements how much of a threat Soundwave is.” Oldrin affirmed.

Eren saw in Soundwave in action and was alarmed by how dangerous the distorted-toned Decepticon was. He was intelligent, he was skilled and from the way many spoke of him, in fact he seemed to one of the most dangerous Decepticons out there. Were Soundwave to come to their planet, as an enemy no less, it would be chaos , and something told Eren that he hadn’t even seen the full extent of Soundwave’s power.

Two Rocket Troopers jumped down to try and halt Soundwave’s offensive but it mattered little as they were blown apart by a shot from Megatron’s Tank Canon, as he and the other two Decepticons had caught up with Soundwave.

“Megatron, the gate to the Stellar Galleries is locked” Soundwave reported as he tried to open the door.

But Megatron wasn’t bothered hearing that. “I anticipated this, a powerful infusion of Dark Energon will bend the gate to my will!”

And so, similar to the time in the attack on the Orbital Station, Megatron drew back his hands, to gather power and then cats them forward to unleash a beam of Dark Energon, and in moments the gate was forced open, as a result of Megatron’s sheer force.

“Seems as though Megatron’s gotten the hang of his new Dark Energon powers.” stated Gino with narrowed eyes, whilst he normally thought such powers were cool, in the hands of Megatron it was anything but.

“Now he can just pry most doors, by corrupting their mechanisms, forcing them open” Nina deduced, though she was perturbed at seeing Dark Energon being used in such a way.

“It’s definitely handy, if it wasn’t Dark Energon providing such a power, I’d love to explore that ability in more detail!” Hanji noted with a weird mix of enthusiasm and anxiety.

With the gate now open, the Decepticons went through, only to find two weakened Autobots, who had been caught in the blast on the other side. Megatron Fusion Cannoned one of them withou t hesitation, whilst Breakdown shot-gunned the other one.

“There they go again, slaughtering defenseless Autobots, just for being near them.” Yukiya glared.

“It is barbaric that is for certain.” Shadis was not impressed by what he saw, despite knowing Megatron’s past and knowing that he was once not like that.

“Whether your standing in their way or just looking for some ‘fun’ the cons will find a reason to shoot you.” Rai gritted his teeth. He abhorred the senseless slaughter of innocents or the defenseless.

As they proceeded further, the Decepticons entered a large electronic room with three battery modules, on the top, bottom left and bottom right. Beneath the battery modules, was a lower floor, which had a door that lead to the Stellar Galleries. Upon entering, an alert rang out: “Initiating defense grid”.

At that moment a security pillar came down and slammed into the centre of the room, activating an electricity field across the floor and preventing the Decepticons from proceeding any further. Furthermore, the room began emitting six red lasers, which began rotating in different heights and directions.

“Look at all them lasers. Wouldn’t wanna get zapped by one them. Reckon it’d sting like a bitch.” Kenny mused.

“Well, if the Stellar Galleries is a key area, it’s logical the Autobots would reinforce and protect it with security measures” Nonette reasoned.

“But for the Decepticons to proceed, they’ll need to disable the security system, and that’s not exactly straightforward” Armin replied.

“Considering this is the Decepticons, they’ll no doubt find a way to get past the system” Cornelia scowled.

Upon examining the room, Soundwave quickly found a solution. “Megatron, those batteries feed the security grid.”

Hearing this, Megatron wasted no time. “ Quickly! Infuse the batteries with Dark Energon!” Breakdown, Knockout and Soundwave moved out to disable the batteries.

Once they had each planted a Dark Energon Det Pack on a battery module, the machine suddenly began protruding Dark Energon, with sparks of purple lightning being emitted instead of pure blue, indicating that the corruption was successful.

“Security measures deactivateeeeedddd...” Hearing the system’s final warnings fade out was the confirmation that the Decepticons could advance onward.

“Those fucking Dark Energon Det Packs are proving to be a pain in the ass” Levi swore.

“Damn if that isn’t the truth. Those pieces of crap just screwed up the security system rendering it effectively scrap.” Kallen was also frustrated by how effective the Det Packs were, as she knew that would be detrimental for the Autobots.

“No doubt those Det Packs will cause more trouble further down the line as well” Kaguya reluctantly agreed.

“Soundwave. Damage report” demanded Megatron.

“Scans show minimal damage” he replied, as the door in front of them opened and they proceeded, to the next room. There they found a circular, vault like door being guarded by three rocket sentries and two Shotgunners, who jumped down from above.

“Now - Time for more strategic slaughter!” Megatron shouted in cruel glee, as he and the others engaged the Autobots.

Knockout switched to vehicle mode, using his Assault Rifle to shred the turrets to pieces. As for the Shotgunners, Megatron activated his Drain ability and began drawing energy from them, depleting their Overshields and eventually their own Energon, causing them to go offline as Megatron sucked the life out of them.

Many couldn’t help but feel awful as they watched the Autobot Shotgunners have the life quite literally taken out of them.

“Uggghh, that was awful.” Sancia felt sick after seeing it.

“When the hell was he able to do that? He didn’t do that during the Orbital Station attack” Sasha observed.

“It could be that Megatron’s infusion with Dark Energon granted him the ability to drain Energon out of other Cybertronians; Dark Energon also allowed him to pry open doors and break barriers, though I can’t say for certain” Rakshata speculated.

“As if that monster wasn’t lethal enough, now he’s gained more ability to inflict death and destruction” Cera muttered in contempt, with others feeling just as uncomfortable at the thought.

“Megatron, our data indicates that the Omega Key is located just beyond that door” Soundwave notified Megatron as Breakdown destroyed a nearby crate, to equip a full Overshield.

“Excellent!” Megatron was pleased. “This venture has proven far less taxing than I had anticipated.”

“Are you serious? I’m feeling pretty taxed myself.” exclaimed Knockout.

Megatron ignored Knockout’s comment and used his Dark Energon powers to pry open the door, resulting in Dark Energon crystals forming around the door.

The group found themselves directly inside the Stellar Galleries. The room had two upward ramps, on the left and right side. Pillars stood near the middle holding the ceiling and in the centre was a large projector showing Cybertron, along with several planets orbiting and circling the projection.

Those watching were amazed by this display.

“Wow, this is….” Ayano was stunned by what she was seeing.

“It’s amazing!” Armin was captivated, seeing the projection of the planets.

“That’s Cybertron’s complete Solar System!” Shirley was beyond excited at the sight of the Stellar Galleries.

“I’ve seen something like this before”. Onyankopon remembered the time Optimus showed him and Yelena a similar projection of space, and how in awe he was of it. So he counted himself lucky to see something similar once again.

“The Autobots maintain these rooms for tranquil contemplation.” Soundwave observed.

“Tranquil contemplation? What does that even mean?” Breakdown was baffled by the sophisticated concept.

“It means the Autobots laze about whining over their inadequacies. What a waste of time and resources” Megatron responded cynically to the perceived weakness.” To vent his frustration he began shooting the orbiting planets around the model of Cybertron. Once he was done, Dark Energon Crystals began forming all over the model of Cybertron. Megatron let out an evil laugh. “Ha Ha Ha Ha! FOR GLORY!” he shouted much to the surprise of Breakdown and Knockout.

This action made many anxious and uncomfortable for it was a dark harbinger of what was to come.

“Well, ain’t that subtle.” remarked Claus sarcastically, though he was bothered by the reference.

“Is that how it’s gonna happen? Cybertron becomes infested with Dark Energon spikes all over?” Floch was almost afraid to ask.

“I don’t think that’s what literally happened. However, this is without question a prelude to what Megatron intends for Cybertron. And it will not be pretty.” Lelouch had heard about Megatron poisoning Cybertron previously.

And so, the enthusiasm present in the room over the marvel of the universe and it’s wonder, was replaced with dread and fear for the approaching calamity.

“Decepticons find the Omega Key!” Megatron ordered as he transformed to tank mode and made his way up whilst the others transformed also.

The Decepticons drove up the Stellar Galleries, with Megatron and Soundwave going left and Breakdown and Knockout going right. Eventually the four would meet up at a small terminal in the centre of the ramps.

Megatron transformed, approached the terminal and saw a small glowing red circular container behind it: “Behold Decepticons! The Omega Key! ”

Megatron interacted with the terminal, opened the container, only to find the container had nothing inside.

“Wowwwww, that is one empty container” Knockout mused in a dry tone of voice.

“What the? Where is the Omega Key?” Connie was confused.

“It would seem that it was ruse. The container was merely transmitting a frequency to pose as the Omega Key.” Sayoko suggested.

“But if the Omega Key isn’t here, then where is it?” Nile pondered.

“Wherever it is, it’ll likely be a lot harder get find and more heavily guarded.” Ohgi suspected.

Suddenly, an unexpected image began projecting from the container: Zeta Prime, the Leader of the Autobots.

“Megatron, I’m warning you right now.” Zeta spoke threateningly. “You are toying with forces beyond your understanding or control.”

“Ah, Zeta Prime. I see you are still afraid to face me in person” Megatron countered, as Soundwave stood guard.

Zeta dismissed Megatron’s reply “Ha! Predictable as ever, right down to the empty words. The Omega key is under MY protection now Megatron.”

Now it was Megatron’s turn to scoff: “Pah, That is hardly a deterrent. I will enjoy taking the Omega Key from your lifeless hands.”

“That answers the question of where the Omega Key is.” Ymir stated.

“Yeah, it’s being guarded by Zeta Prime himself.” Suzaku acknowledged.

“I was wondering when he was going to appear again. After all, there’s no way the leader of the Autobots was simply going to stand back and let Megatron take such a critically important device.” Pixis said.

“It did feel a bit too easy, what with how quickly they found the Key and without any heavy units like Brutes or Ion Soldiers guarding it” Akito pointed out.

“Guess old Megajerk’s gonna have to fight harder! Serves him right!” Tamaki cheered.

The projection of Zeta faded as Autobot soldiers began swarming in, alongside ground troopers and fliers.

“Autobots detected” Soundwave declared, as he fired his Neutron Assault Rifle at two soldiers dropping down from the left of the terminal, killing them before they hit the ground.

Breakdown fired his Photon Burst rifle as two seekers closed in, grounding them with a few bursts to each. However, a number of Autobot fliers were still airborne.

“The Universe is MINE!” Excited by the sight of the model planets, Megatron was reminded and convinced of his destiny to conquer the real thing. With that, he equipped a nearby Thermo Rocket Launcher and blew four Autobot Fliers out of the sky.

The remaining fliers Transformed to robot mode, and began firing their X6 Scrapmakers, but were swiftly taken out by Knockout, who shot the remaining two down with his Energon Battle Pistol.

The Decepticons regrouped to leave the Stellar Galleries, but as they got close to the exit door, it exploded, revealing two Heavy Ion Soldiers.

“At last, the big guns! About time Zeta sent in some heavy duty bots to take on the cons!” Lucretia cheered.

“I wish it was as easy as that, but we’ve seen the Decepticons defeat Heavy soldiers before.” Leila was doubtful that this would be decisive.

“Autobots incoming!” Soundwave exclaimed as he put a Barrier to block the Ion Displacers.

“That’s a lot of firepower Lord Megatron, what do we do?!” Knockout was slightly worried.

“Steel yourself, imbecile. You have proximity mines, do you not?! Use them and stop complaining!” reprimanded Megatron. Knockout did what he was told and deployed two proximity mines, with one each hitting a Heavy Ion Soldier, stunning them.

“Quickly! Destroy them!” Megatron ordered as he fired his Thermo Rocket Launcher at one of the Soldiers, whilst leaning out from behind the Barrier. Soundwave switched to vehicle mode and moved to the side of the Barrier to fire a flurry of rockets as well, bursting the Soldier down, until he was no more.

The remaining Ion Soldier tried to flank the Decepticons, but his sheer weight prevented him from being able to move fast enough. And that wasn’t his only problem.

“Nice!” Breakdown grinned evilly as he took the dead Heavy Soldier’s Ion Displacer and began firing it at the remaining Soldier’s back ,whilst the others fired at him from the front. The Soldier turned to fire back at Breakdown, damaging his Overshield, but was quickly overwhelmed and reduced to nothing but scrap.

With the fight over, Megatron moved to the next step. “Soundwave, trace Zeta Prime’s broadcast signal.”

“Commencing scan.” Soundwave started the trace. After a few moments he responded: “Complete… it’s origin is 12.7 cycles ahead. Scans reveal poor structural integrity surrounding this maintenance access.”

Megatron acknowledged Soundwave. “You heard him, blast the wall!”

At this, Breakdown fired his Scatter Blaster taking the door of it’s hinges. With the door out of the way, the Decepticons entered the maintenance access and the screen went black.

“Guess the Decepticons know where Zeta is now, along with the Omega Key.” noted Marrybell.

“It looks they still have a fair ways to go before they get to him though.” Kenshin replied.

“I’m sure the Autobots will move to intercept the Decepticons at every point they can.” Monica chimed in.

Then a Tech Spech appeared on the screen, with an image of Breakdown next to it.

Breakdown: Keep your optical sensors to yourself.

Strength: 8

Intelligence: 4

Speed: 7

Endurance: 8

Rank: 4

Courage 7

Fireblast 6

Skill 5

“Here’s our first tech spec. It’s on Breakdown.” Shirley observed.

“The info shows that he’s strong and durable, pretty fast and courageous, backed by decent firepower.” said Connie as he looked at Breakdown’s strong points

“On the other hand, he’s not very clever or highly ranked - and his skill is mediocre.” Historia added.

“Breakdown is a simple Bot in essence, he’s a tough fighter who enjoys a good brawl and believes that might makes right, making him well suited for close combat. But he’s not got any other notable talents and his simplicity means he can be predictable, so he won’t be coming up with complex plans.” Suzaku summarised. He knew Breakdown’s mentality and capabilites from when he was still with the Decepticons, and they worked together to try and retrieve the polarity gauntlet. A time Suzaku was not proud of, but he had made peace with his past now.

The group made their way into the maintenance access, with Soundwave leading the way. The area was fairly dark, the only light being from moving fans, along with numerous ventilation units on the left and right sides.

“Megatron – the city subsystems provide a direct line to the broadcast’s origin” Soundwave explained, as he made a right turn to a door which led further down. Soundwave blasted the locks causing the door to fall apart, revealing a deep tunnel area with a large slow spinning fan, with blades big enough for them to step on, albeit to their potential doom.

“Descend here, and have a care… one wrong step and you’re scrap metal” Megatron warned.

“Uh, not that I’m arguing or anything but…, why don’t we just go back to the drop ship and hitch a ride?” Breakdown asked, somewhat nervously as he didn’t really like the idea of descending a moving fan, which could lead to his death.

“This is the shortest distance to travel, Breakdown” Megatron answered dismissively.

“I would not want to be the Decepticons right now.” Floch did not like the idea of having to jump down a treacherous shaft like that.

“A treacherous area to be sure. With the way the blades move, you’d have to be careful with measuring your jump downward, otherwise an early grave is guarenteed.” Tohdoh affirmed.

Gino was actually quite enthusiastic about such an idea. “I’d actually like the challenge! Could be fun!” This, ‘enthusiasm’ earned him a nudge form Monica.

Megatron began jumping down the fan along with Soundwave, with Breakdown casting a nervous glance at Knockout before they both followed, else they face Megatron’s wrath.

As the group made their way down, they soon found a loose door, which Megatron shot aside. This took them to an ascending stair case, which lead to an Autobot railway line and, in particular, a signal box manned by an Autobot trooper.

On seeing the Decepticon, the Trooper tried to raise the alarm: “Decepticon intruders, they’re inside the….” But he was promptly silenced by a shot from Megatron’s Fusion Canon. The group then saw a train whoosh past by them, at a speed that most human transport couldn’t match.

“Did you see the speed and size of that train?!” Shirley was astonished, as the trains on their home planet just couldn’t compare.

“It’s unlike any that I’ve see or heard of.” Kiyomi was just as impressed.

“Imagine riding on one of those...” Nina imagined the sensation with excitement.

“Riding that would be incredible! Shit even seeing it would be a treat!” Hanji exclaimed as they looked in wonder at the speeding train.

It was here Megatron revealed their plan of traversal.

“Into the tunnel Decepticons, and try not to get crushed by the trains.”

“You’re joking, right?” Breakdown asked, wanting to be sure he heard right.

“Yes Breakdown – I am famous for my sparkling sense of humour” Megatron sarcastically replied before screaming “Now GET MOVING, before I dismantle you myself!” This silenced Breakdown, and he transformed to get ready to move.

“Lord Megatron, with the kind of speed and mass those trains have, if we get hit, we’ll be flattened! Not to mention the damage it would do to my paint!” Knockout protested. But the look he got in reply from Megatron made Knockout recoil in fear, as Megatron was clearly not in the mood to repeat himself.

Many in the group felt nervous for different reasons.

“I don’t know what would terrify me more, driving in a train tunnel on tracks with incoming speeding trains, or standing next to Megatron and questioning his orders.” Jean pondered nervously.

“One could argue it’s one of those ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place’ scenarios.” Lloyd commented in his usual manner.

“Well neither choice is exactly more appealing than the other.” Levi remarked, as he couldn’t think of anything worse than taking orders from Megatron.

“One way or another, if the Decepticons want the Omega Key, they’re going to have to take some risks, including driving in a train tunnel.”Anya figured.

Seeing that further protest was pointless. Knockout transformed. Megatron and Soundwave did the same, as the four of them made their way onto the tracks and into the tunnel.

The tunnel was filled with railway lines, with three on the ground and two on the ceiling. Numerous lights were perched on the right side of the tunnel to illuminate the way for trains.

As they went further in, the tunnel’s defences began activating big mines, which if touched, would detonate, meaning the Decepticons would have to dodge the occasional mine as well as the speeding trains. Soon the tunnel interior would change with see-through panels instead of pure metal. The group also noticed laser sensors up ahead, along with a speeding train traveling on the ceiling.

“Whoa! Watch out!” Breakdown managed to dodge the laser sensors and the train, with a swift vehicle jump, though it was closer than he cared for.

Meanwhile Soundwave saw a makeshift ramp. His bigger size, made it harder to dodge some of the lasers, so he had an idea. He initiated his boost ability to gain speed and with the use of the ramp managed to jump nearly the entire sensor system itself, thus avoiding the obstacle altogether. As for Knockout, this was nothing: he prided himself on his driving skills and so something like this, was something he could easily maneouver through.

Megatron, the slowest, simply drove normally as his tank form was low enough to the ground and slow enough that he didn’t have the same problems of hitting the lasers like the others.

“Well they were able to get through most of the tunnel without much issue.” said Louise.

“True, but they still have to be aware. After all, getting zapped, exploded or hit by a train are not things they need to go through.” Diethard pointed out.

“It’s interesting, to see the kind of defenses the Autobots placed in the tunnels.” Cecile noted.

“It was probably for an occasion such as this; should Megatron push deep into Iacon, the Autobots needed a way to repel him.” replied Jeremiah, having also noted the extent of the Autobots defenses, even in an unorthodox area like a tunnel.

Soon the group found themselves having to make a right turn, but just before Breakdown could make the turn, a warning sound blared and a red flashing sign appeared, signaling an incoming train. Breakdown slowed, to avoid colliding with the train.

“Don’t get hit by the train you fool!” chastised Megatron as the rest of the group let the train pass, before turning right down the tunnel.

Once there, they spotted an exit to the tunnel on the left side and made their way out of the subway. The group were now in an area similar to the sub-maintenance area they were in earlier. They took a right turn and found a door. However it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s no use Megatron! The door’s locked!” Knockout reported.

“A simple solution - break the locks?” Responded Megatron. “Breakdown, look for the lock and destroy them!”

“I’m on it.” Breakdown transformed and drove to look down the other path they had just passed. There he found some Stun Grenades and, sure enough, the locks jamming the door on the other side.

“Ha, easy” he said as he blasted the locks with his Photon Burst Rifle, un-jamming the door,. Then he drove back to rejoin the others.

Seeing that Breakdown was successful, Megatron was pleased. “Blow open the door!” Knockout shot down the door this time, which fell over to reveal a deeper area.

The Decepticons jumped down into the new area, which wasn’t much different in terms of appearance, but notably had three batter modules, identical to the ones near the security grid they they had deactivated previously. They saw a large door which likely led further to their destination.

“Quite the technological area, for an underground maintenance shaft.” observed Ymir.

“Likely it’s this technical to control access between Iacon’s subways and manage movement between trains and different stations.” Yukiya suspected .

“It’s quite dark and quiet here though, and for a key area like this, you’d think there would be some sort of Autobot presence.” pondered Jeanne.

“Move to that exit NOW!” shouted Megatron. They got close to the exit only to find it too wouldn’t open. Megatron saw the batteries and realised what needed to be done.

“We need to infuse these batteries with Dark Energon, if we are to proceed.” said Megatron, as he placed a Dark Energon det pack on one of the batteries.

Before they could act further, Knockout heard noises shifting around them.

“Uhhh? Lord Megatron, we may have company” he said as he brought out his Saw and Drill.

He’d be proven correct, when a Cloaker fired a charged blast at him, which Knockout narrowly dodged.

“There’s your Autobot presence!” Niccolo shouted, responding to Jeanne’s point earlier.

“Seems the Autobots had Cloakers waiting nearby. Smart move, considering the room they’re in.” Marrybell acknowledged.

“Hey! Watch the finish, buddy!” Knockout replied angrily, as he equipped his Drill and saw. “ I’m gonna end you.” he said maliciously, as he rushed towards the Cloaker responsible and began swinging his weapons in the area, managing to catch the Cloaker responsible and saw him in half, right down the middle.

Another Cloaker began charging up to attack, but Knockout rushed towards the Cloaker and drilled right through his chest. Knockout then did the same as Megatron, and infused a nearby battery with Dark Energon

“Ok that was pretty visceral” Nile looked away from the violent shredding of the Cloakers. “That Decepticon has multiple Melee weapons and he seems quite… particular, about his appearance.”

“Indeed, Knockout is a bot with a unique character, similar to myself” Lloyd began explaining. “He prides himself on his paint job and finish, and becomes quite upset if people damage his appearance in even the slightest fashion, as you just saw. He also likes to race and is boastful of his speed on four wheels. He’s even a scientist, having worked with myself and few colleagues here on weapons, amongst other things. Needless to say, Knockout has many things going on.”

“Certainly seems like a bot with many facets.” Nile responded.

“Yeah, Knockout’s certainly an interesting bot. He even joined the Autobots near the end of our war, and helped us in our final battle. While he isn’t the bravest bot and a sly showoff, he ended up helping us. And he can be pretty amicable if you have similar interests.” Gino added, much to the surprise of the Survey Corps.

They’d heard about Thundercracker joining the Autobots near the end of the war, but Knockout as well? It would seem that some Decepticons weren’t as bad as others and there wasn’t just a one off instance of a Decepticon growing a conscience last minute.

Meanwhile Breakdown was trying to fight two Cloakers at once, but they kept dodging, due to their agility and the Scatter Blaster’s inaccuracy.

“Grrr, You wanna be slippery? How do you like this?!” he grunted in frustration as he tossed a Stun Grenade towards them, which deactivated their Cloaks and held them in place, conveniently near an explosive cannister. Breakdown smirked, as he shot the cannister and blew the Cloakers to pieces. Now Breakdown was free to infuse the last remaining battery with Dark Energon.

Meanwhile, Soundwave had managed to get close to the last Cloaker, and before he could retaliate, Soundwave swung his Hammer and broke the Cloaker in half.

“Excellent work, Soundwave. Now unlock the exit door”, said Megatron as he, Breakdown and Knockout had infused the batteries with Dark Energon, allowing Soundwave to press a switch and open the exit, which upon ascending a staircase, brought them to another train tunnel.

“Hey Soundwave, you wanna race?” Breakdown asked, as he thought that if they were gonna do something dangerous, why not make it fun?

“Negative.” Soundwave stoically replied.

“I’ll race you Breakdown!” Knockout was happy to partake in a race. “Last one there is a rusted scrapheap !” Knockout jumped down onto the tracks, transformed, and sped down the tunnel, with Breakdown doing the same simultaneously.

Megatron could only groan in annoyance at his soldier s ’ behaviour, before transforming along with Soundwave to make their way down the tunnel.

“Guess those two aren’t as nervous about driving in a train tunnel now, if they’re willing to make a race of it.” said Alice.

“Why Soundwave didn’t join them? They need to get through the tunnel quickly anyway.” Mikasa wondered.

“Soundwave is a serious bot. Not the type to joke around or even party. Shit, if he had a mouth, I don’t think he would even smile.” answered Kallen, though she did think back to when Soundwave crashed his drives before they could interrogate him: if he were to ever smile, it would’ve been then. The thought made her shudder and she stopped that thought right there.

“Another thing is Breakdown and Knockout were partners in our world. While we don’t know how close they are at this point, it wouldn’t be far fetched to say they’re on good terms, and get along well enough that they feel comfortable acting that way with each other.” Chiba added.

Hearing this piqued the Survey Corps interest. Two Decepticons being partners? So far, most Decepticons didn’t come off as friendly or trustworthy, and any Decpticons that did work well, was either because they were teammates (like Onslaught and Brawl) in a group (the Seekers albeit that was debatable), or had history (Megatron and Soundwave). Either way, the Survey Corps noted that Knockout and Breakdown got on pretty well together and were an exception to Decepticon infighting or insults.

Knockout and Breakdown raced through the tunnel, jumping through the security lasers, launching off of ramps over train tracks, all the while avoiding incoming trains and large mines coming from different directions. While Megatron and Soundwave were not as fast as them, they still avoided the obstacles ahead of them fairly easily.

Eventually, after traversing the tunnel for some time, Megatron noticed a ramp exiting the tunnel.

“There! That station – from there we can infiltrate the lower levels of Iacon” Megatron observed, as he and the Decepticons moved up the ramp.

“What, that’s it?” Breakdown asked, somewhat disappointed.

“Shame. I was actually enjoying myself, albeit in a high speed, suicidal sort of way” Knockout joked sarcastically to Breakdown’s amusement and Megatron’s annoyance.

“Well that was quite interesting, seeing the Autobot underground train tunnels firsthand, so to speak.” mentioned Akari.

“If we could ever develop our railways to be like the Autobot’s, that would be some feat.” Anna mused.

“Do we even know who won the race between Knockout and Breakdown?” Sasha asked.

“Nope, though if either of em open their fucking mouths about it, Megamouth will smack em up the head most likely.” Kenny sneered.

As they drove out of the tunnel and transformed to robot form, Soundwave spoke. “Megatron – Omega Key detected. We should proceed through the logistics station.”

“Excellent! The Omega Key awaits!” replied Megatron.

Soundwave began picking up something ahead of them. “Megatron. Sensors indicate approaching Autobot energy signatures.”

“Decepticons, ready your weaponry for battle!” Megatron rallied, as a train pulled into the station right in front of them and Autobot Troopers began exiting out of the train and firing at them.

“Looks like the Autobots found the cons and used the trains to quickly move troops to stop them.” said Dalque.

“Not surprising, considering Zeta will likely have been alerted to their movements in the train tunnels earlier.” Eren speculated.

“And because Megatron is essentially spearheading this operation, therefore being in a more vulnerable state, Zeta won’t miss a chance to try and destroy him.” Erwin concluded.

“Alright, Autobots, stare while you still can!” Breakdown sneered as he brought out two purple, Spiked Clubs and ran towards the four Autobots ahead of him. The Autobots fired as he approached, but his Overshield took the brunt of it. As they closed in, Breakdown began clobbering them with a number of savage blows.

“For a small runt, he’s thrashed those bots good.” Kenny noted, noting Breakdown’s strength against the group of troopers he’d managed to kill so quickly.

“Yeah, Breakdown’s not someone you wanna fight close up.” Rai affirmed as he started giving more info about Breakdown. “He may not be that bright, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. His physical attacks, whether it’s his fists or his melee weapons, hit like a truck and he can take as much pain as he can dish out. You wanna tussle with Breakdown? You’d better be able to hit him just as hard as he can hit you.”

With the first wave dead, the Decepticons jumped to the next platform, where a number of Shotgunners dropped from above the station platform and moved in to attack. But Soundwave had other plans, as he threw a Fuse Grenade, which he had grabbed from the prior station platform. Additionally there were battery cells near the Shotgunners, and the ensuing explosion caused by the fuse grenade and battery cells was so great, the Shotgunners Overshields were wiped out and the Shotgunners along with them.

The Decepticons pushed to the final platform, which had a stair ramp leading upwards. However, four Autobots troopers drove down the ramp in vehicle mode to resist the group.

Megatron equipped his Thermo Rocket Launcher and used it’s lock on feature to target the Autobots with a few rockets. The Autobots were reduced to smoking wrecks, as their armour couldn’t withstand explosives of that power.

With that, the Decepticons exited the station and found themselves at surface level, with a number of terminals leading to different stations, and a path even deeper into Iacon.

As Knockout was walking, a giant piece of debris fell from the sky. “Take cover!” he exclaimed as he moved back to avoid being crushed.

“Steady yourself, coward.” admonished Megatron. “I marked this area for Dark Energon bombers.”

Knockout was alarmed on hearing this “Are you insane?!?” But an angry look from Megatron quickly ended that trail of thought. “I- I mean yes, brilliant Megatron!”

Hearing about Megatron’s orders caused many to look bewildered.

“He’s walking himself and the others through an area that is marked for Dark Energon bombing runs?!” Monica couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“That’s batshit insane! He’s seen what Dark Energon can do, and he’s gonna walk head first into an area which could see him bombarded to ash!” Floch exclaimed.

“The chances of getting hit by friendly fire… why take such a risk? Why not call them off and change course at least?” Pixis couldn’t wrap his head around why Megatron was walking into such danger.

“Because Megatron would sooner see the Autobots destruction at every possible point, than ease up on the bombardments and give them even a moment’s reprieve, for that is who Megatron is, a being without a shred of mercy, and any he may seem to offer, is merely a ruse.” Cera answered.

The group turned to the left of where the debris had fallen, and found themselves on the streets of Iacon. The area had a number of tall buildings and skyscrapers coloured in bronze, along with bridges above the streets to allow citizens to traverse the higher levels. However, what had once been a beautiful city of culture and splendor, was now ablaze and crumbling.

The bronze which once shone was worn and dusted with black and many of the buildings were now no longer in one piece. The Decepticons had arrived in time to see a Dark Energon bombing in person, as a flurry of Dark Energon missiles impacting a building, causing it to tumble downward and crush a group of Autobots fighting against Decepticon troopers.

The sheer devastation was horrific, with the building in tatters and Autobots slaughtered or mortally wounded.

“Perfect! Soon Iacon will be no more than a thick layer of rubble!” Megatron was beyond pleased with the effectiveness of the Dark Energon. Upon seeing some Autobots still functional, though barely so, Megatron began blasting and crushing them underfoot, killing all around as he got closer to the rubble.

The blatant destruction and carnage was awful, causing many to gasp, covering their mouths and glaring in response.

“My god, the entire area… it’s in ruins.” Leila covered her mouth in horror at the sight of destroyed buildings and blazing fires.

“Those wounded Autobots were murdered them without any hesitation...There isn’t a single Autobot alive...” Onyankopon was equally disturbed by the brutal slaughter of the Autobots.

“And to think, there was once a time when this part of the city would have been bustling with life and colour, now it is a smoking graveyard, it’s buildings crumbling and it’s citizens screaming.” Kenshin lamented.

“The worst thing about it is, for Megatron and the Decepticons as a whole, death and destruction is a successful end in itself: they feel no pity for the Autobots or for the devastation they cause. For them, a ruined enemy is to be relished” Suzaku observed: the Decepticons, and especially Megatron’s disregard for life and it’s wonders vexed him to his core.

Lelouch scowled, as he looked at the once illustrious Autobot city being levelled. He felt sorry for the Autobots and their suffering and nothing but contempt for Megatron.

It had been bad enough for Lelouch to see Megatron destroy and oppress his own planet, but for Megatron to do all of this to his own world, without even thinking or caring about the repercussions? It made it all the worse in Lelouch’s mind, for it once again iterated Megatron's dismissal of anything other than his own ambition, even when it came to his own planet, which he was supposedly trying to restore and bring greatness to.

“The wreckage is in our way Megatron.” Breakdown observed.

Soundwave spoke up: “ Megatron - the debris scans as stable enough to support our weight.”

Hearing this, the Decepticons began climbing up the debris, and transformed into vehicle mode to drive down a tunnel like passage. They soon heard a loud noise and spotted a ledge on the left side of the tunnel. The group transformed to perch themselves on the ledge and look below.

“Well, well. The Autobots are off-loading from that train .” Knockout mused.

“Leave no Autobot alive!” Megatron sneered as he and Breakdown jumped down to fight the Autobots up close, whilst Soundwave and Knockout stayed on the ledge to provide covering fire.

Knockout was happy to oblige. “Pain incoming!” he cried out as he shot at two Rocket Troopers from a distance with his Energon Battle Pistol.

On the lower ground Megatron brought out his Spiked Mace, brutally smashing two Autobot Troopers with one wide swing. Another trooper tried to fire at Breakdown but was too slow, as he was punted across the station by Breakdown’s Spiked Club and died as he was flung into an idle train.

A group of Aerialbot fliers flew in to attack Soundwave and Knockout. Knockout got to cover and deployed a Decoy Trap, opposite to where he was positioned and to deceive the fliers. Soundwave, however, was hit by a few stray bullets, as the fliers got closer and began firing as the Decoy Knockout deployed. The fliers became confused as to why the bullets weren’t affecting the red Decepticon. Soundwave and Knockout preyed on their confusion and shot the squadron of fliers down, with their Null Ray and Energon Battle Pistol.

With the battle over. Knockout quickly tended to Soundwave’s injuries. Soundwave then reported to Megatron: “Megatron – I have detected the Omega Key, it lies beyond the train tunnel.”

“Move out Decepticons!” shouted Megatron as he picked up some Healing Grenades from a grenade case and began jumping up a number of platforms to higher ground, where another train line was. Once all of the Decepticons had reached the higher ground they transformed and drove into a tunnel on the train line.

The train tunnel was fairly narrow, just big enough for one train, so dodging incoming trains would be a lot trickier. Whilst the group were driving they saw an alert that a train was incoming. Luckily there were a few siding areas where the Decepticons could pull in to avoid a collision.

“Stay on the tracks, if you want to get smashed to pieces” Megatron sarcastically commented as he pulled into a siding, with the others following suit.

After dodging a few incoming trains, Soundwave turned into another siding on the right, followed by the others.

“Scans reveal poor structural integrity surrounding this maintenance access.” To prove his point, Soundwave stomped on the panel which the group were standing on, causing the panel to collapse and the four to fall into a small room, with a door switch to it’s left.

Suddenly, an urgent transmission broke through: “Starscream, this is Brawl ! Onslaught and I are pinned down outside Zeta Prime’s vaults! We need air support!”

“Very good! Onslaught and Brawl are already near the Omega Key!” Megatron seemed satisfied that progress was being made, though not overly concerned for Brawl and Onslaught

Hearing those names caught people’s attention.

“Those two again? That’s not a good sign.” Zhou speculated.

Ohgi wasn’t too surprised. “Considering how powerful they are, it makes sense those two are involved in the assault on the heart of Iacon”

“No arguments there. Those two cleaned house on the Orbital Station.” Ymir acknowledged.

“All the more trouble for the Autobots.” Euphemia grimaced.

Knockout swapped his Energon Battle Pistol for a nearby EMP Shotgun. And with that the group went through the door and up two staircases, with one staircase leading left to what appeared to be an Autobot outpost. Autobot troopers were firing downward at Decepticon forces.

“The Autobots are so busy shooting, they haven’t realised that we’ve snuck up on them.” Knockout said with a smug grin.

“We can eliminate them before they even have chance to process their demise. All of three of you, position yourselves behind them and prepare to terminate them. You must kill all of them at the same time.” ordered Megatron.

Knockout, Soundwave and Breakdown quietly snuck behind the Autobot soldiers, and before they knew it the Autobots were being hit with the Decepticons Melee weapons, with Knockout impaling one Autobot with his Drill, whilst Soundwave and Breakdown smashed their targets with one swing.

“The Decepticons have infiltrated the Autobots outpost.” Jeremiah observed with displeasure.

“And since the Autobots don’t know about the infiltration yet, it means that Megatron can observe what’s happening beneath, with little issue.” Armin reasoned.

“Suppose that means we’ll get to see the scale of the invasion, this deep into Iacon.” Akito concluded.

With the Autobot troopers dead, Breakdown looked out the window and saw Onslaught and Brawl fighting a large wave of Autobots.

“Look! They got Brawl and Onslaught outnumbered down there!” He shouted as he pointed down to them.

The screen shifts to Brawl and Onslaught’s perspective down below. Brawl is being dog piled by a number of Autobots on a ground based ramp , with Onslaught being encircled by another group of Autobots.

Autobots continued to rush towards the two Combaticons, with them even deploying a proximity mine to try and blow them up, should they escape. However, with a mighty heave and loud roar, Brawl managed to throw all of the Autobots off of him in one go, proceeded to shoot an approaching Autobot with his Neutron Assault Rifle and then bash another aside, after which, he released a battle cry and a burst of energy to keep the Autobots off of him.

Meanwhile, Onslaught was getting pressured by Autobot troopers. But just before they could close in on him, he gave a battle cry of his own, as he swung his Axe in a circular motion to bisect and push back many of the Autobots around him, before pulling out his EMP Shotgun and blasting two Autobots that tried to attack him as well.

“Goddamn, even heavily outnumbered, those two are absolute beasts.” Kenny had to admit he was impressed, which was not very common for him.

“I can’t believe Brawl was able to push all of those Autobots off by himself! And the fact he continued fighting after that as well!” Historia was astonished. She’d seen Brawl’s strength before but, even now, his raw power couldn’t be overstated.

“Onslaught showed he’s just as dangerous when cornered. Cleaving and blasting through those Autobots like it was nothing.” Chiba stared in earnest. She knew Onsalught was a huge threat, but seeing him fight like that, she was relieved she had never had to fight him personally. The fact even Tohdoh, the man she loved and admired, was also wary of Onslaught, said it all.

“Seeing all of this solidifies why the Combaticons were feared by Autobots and Decepticons alike.” said Xing Ke gravely, for he remembered how fearsome the Combaticons had been, both in revolution against the Chinese Federation and the fight over the Red Energon.

“Guess we’d better go down there and give them a hand.” Knockout said, not fond of the idea of jumping into that much danger, but suspecting that’s what they would end up having to do anyway.

As they moved further into the outpost, the group saw a Decepticon Trooper get slammed into the wall of a computer room by an Autobot Bruiser, who was backed up by two Shotgunners. The room had a low elevated and high elevated floor, with a large computer screen and module, which interfaced with it on the higher floor.

“Smash those Decepticons into submission!” the Brute shouted.

“Pah! More Autobots run to their doom!” Megatron mocked. “Breakdown, Knockout, destroy the Shotgunners. Soundwave and I will crush the Brute!”

The Decepticons moved to destroy their given targets.

Soundwave brought out his Hammer and Shield and engaged the Brute in close combat, with the two of them trading blow after blow, swing after swing. Soundwave moved to clash his hammer against the Brute’s. Sparks flew with neither side budging. This clash allowed Megatron to move in from behind and get a powerful blow in, against the Brute’s backpack, which wounded him greatly, but didn’t kill him. As the Brute swung at Megatron to try to create distance, Megatron and Soundwave regrouped. The two stood ready, side by side, and the two gladiators charged the Brute.

As for Breakdown and Knockout, they were in cover, avoiding the Shotgunners, as they knew they had to deal with the Shotgunner’s Overshield first. Knockout came up with a plan.

“Breakdown, you charge at them and use your Thunderblast to wipe out their Overshield, then I’ll follow you. With their Overshields gone, we’ll take them out no problem.”

“Alright, beats running back and forth around them, just repair me after I do this” Breakdown declared. “This is gonna sting!” Knockout nodded in acknowledgement. Breakdown left cover and moved towards the Shotgunners, with Knockout deploying the proximity mine behind him.

Breakdown immediately took two shots square in the chest, but his Overshield took most of the damage, though it soon expired, causing him to take some damage. However, he still ran towards the Shotgunners and when he was close enough, he used his Thunderblast, which destroyed their Overshields and stunned them. Then, according to plan, Knockout quickly moved in and, together with Breakdown, they used their own Shotguns to eviscerate the Shotgunners.

“That takes care of them.” Knockout smugly boasted.

“Yeah, now would you heal me already? This hurts like scrap” Breakdown joked, to which Knockout chuckled and used his Energon Repair Ray to heal Breakdown’s wounds.

Back with the Bruiser, Megatron was now fighting up close, smashing his Mace against the Brute’s Hammer and Shield, and whilst it was more powerful than Soundwave’s melee attacks, it still wasn’t enough to take down the Brute head on.

But that was never the plan, as Megatron was keeping the Brute on the defensive on purpose, and with him focused only on Megatron, the Brute wasn’t expecting for Soundwave to slam his hammer into his backpack. The total damage caused the Brute to explode.

“Wow. Those guys actually worked well together in their respective pairs.” Louise was impressed, considering the only other instance of functional partnership in the Decepticons they’d seen was Brawl and Onslaught.

“Indeed, compared to the Seekers, who often bickered and only worked together begrudgingly, Megatron and Soundwave, along with Knockout and Breakdown seem to work more effectively and, dare I say, even seem to get on well?” Shadis was also somewhat surprised.

“Well, with Megatron and Soundwave being Gladiators and Soundwave being one of Megatron’s first and most loyal followers, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say Soundwave may be one of the few beings that Megatron truly respects and perhaps even cares for?” Tohdoh evaluated.

“As for Breakdown and Knockout, since those two seem to be a rare instance of Decepticons getting on well and became partners later on, maybe it’s no surprise they were able to coordinate as well as they did.” Cecile suspected.

The Decepticons exited the computer room, only to have an adjacent wall explode in front of them and a grenade thrown through the gap, which the Decepticons quickly dodged. Through the gap, the Decepticons saw two more Shotgunners and a Rocket trooper waiting for them on the other side.

“Running in head first would be suicide. How do we deal with them?” Knockout questioned. Growing tried of Knockout’s cowardice, Megatron came up with a ‘solution’: “It is simple, you just move in and eliminate them.”

Knockout was horrified: “But my lord-?”

Megatron was having none of it. “I will not repeat myself! Destroy them or I’ll throw you in there myself!”

Seeing that resistance was futile, Knockout reluctantly prepared to attack the Autobots. The three Autobots sat ready for when the Decepticons attacked. As they then heard a noise they aimed their weapons. But instead of a Soldier, they just saw a circular object rapidly approach them. And upon realising what it was, the Rocket Trooper’s optics immediately widened.

“Scrap! That’s a prox-” The Trooper wouldn’t get to finish his sentence as he was caught in the blast and killed immediately, while the two Shotgunners lost their Overshields.

It was then that Knockout came round the corner and used his Whirlwind ability to quickly slice and dice the Autobots to ribbons with his Drill and Saw.

“Hmmmm, Satisfactory.” Megatron mused, much to Knockout’s inner annoyance at being placed in a dangerous situation. “We can now use this position against the Autobots”.

“That was a shitty thing to do, putting his own soldier/doctor in danger, just for asking a simple question.” Sokkia scowled

“I understand that Knockout isn’t the bravest, but that was completely unnecessary!” Onyankopon didn’t approve of Megatron’s actions either.

“What does he think he’s gonna gain? Throwing his guys into death traps?” Rivalz questioned aloud.

“Do I need to remind anyone of Megatrons previous actions? From these viewings alone , never mind what any of us know about him?” No one responded Erin, for no one needed to be reminded of Megatron’s actions or nature, past or present.

Breakdown was quick to notice that the Autobots had spotted them. “Snipers! Across the Street!” He equipped his Photon Burst Rifle and began shooting at the Autobot snipers, terminating two of them, whilst Megatron fired his Fusion Canon to obliterate the other two.

With the upper areas purged of Autobots, the Decepticons jumped down to assist the two Combaticons and their forces, who had managed to turn the tide of the battle, as very few Autobots remained.

Soundwave spotted the last group of Autobots and quickly slew them with his Neutron assault Rifle.

“Megatron! The area is now clear” Soundwave reported, as he scanned the area and found no remaining Autobot signatures.

“Let us speak with Onslaught and Brawl then. I want to hear how my war is going” Megatron made his way towards the duo, who were standing near a large vault.

“That’s a whole lotta cons, just waiting for their ‘orders’ ” Ayano glared, as she knew what those ‘orders’ tended to be, and what came about as a result.

“No doubt, they’re getting ready to commit some more senseless massacres.” Kallen was equally scornful toward the large Decepticon presence.

“Having seen what they’re capable of so far, yeah, I wouldn’t want to go up against that anytime soon.” Niccolo admitted.

“Lord Megatron!” acknowledged Brawl as he turned to face his leader.

“Waiting for your orders, Lord Megatron.” Onslaught respectfully nodded to Megatron.

“Report, the two of you.” demanded Megatron.

“The Autobots are dug in, and our precious Air Commander won’t provide support.” growled Brawl.

Megatron had little patience for Brawl’s complaints. “Enough excuses! Where is Zeta Prime?”

“He’s just beyond those doors, Lord Megatron.” Onslaught pointed to the large door to his right.

Megatron, along with Soundwave, Knockout and Breakdown, walked towards the tall reinforced door of Zeta Prime’s Vaults. The door was huge, with a silver coloured pattern that seemed to resemble Zeta’s head to some degree, with strong Cybertronian Metal reinforcing it.

“Wow, look at the size of that door! It’s massive!” Oldrin exclaimed.

“It’s certainly a grand sight” Orpheus concurred with his sister. He normally wasn’t too fussed with architecture, but even he had to admit it was incredible to look at.

“You can feel the aura and presence of the Vault radiating from it.” Erwin marveled.

Megatron prepared to unleash Dark Energon to open the door by force. “Witness the power of Dark Energon!” he declared as the Dark Energon began to spread slowly around the bottom of the door. But the process completely failed, as the surrounding Dark Energon was destroyed and the door remained unopened.

“Impossible!” Megatron was surprised and shocked, which was a rare occurrence indeed, especially considering that each time he had used Dark Energon previously to force his way through an obstacle, it had worked.

Many of those watching were also shocked. Something actually repelling Dark Energon? So far they had seen or heard of nothing even capable of doing so.

“Well there’s a first.” Claus commented.

“What the hell?! How come it didn’t work?! It worked every other damn time!” Tamaki questioned.

“I’m not sure. From the looks of it the Dark Energon was… repelled. As if something stronger managed to deflect and purge the substance before it could take effect.” Erwin speculated.

“A reasonable explanation, but I suspect we may get our answer rather quickly.” Akari pointed back to the screen.

A huge spark of electricity shot up from the floor in front of Megatron and with it, a projection of Zeta Prime appeared and spoke to Megatron.

“It will take more than a speck of Dark Energon to breach the armour of my vaults. Surrender now, Megatron, and I will consider sparing your life.”

Megatron was furious at being presented with this ‘ultimatum’. “You dare threaten me!?! ME?!?”

Zeta sighed, unperturbed by Megatron’s furious response. “So be it Megatron, I leave you to your own… futility” Zeta Prime gestured with a clasped hand and ended the transmission. This last comment caused Megatron to snarl furiously.

Knockout and Breakdown could see the seething anger on Megatron’s face and knew that his next action was not going to be pleasant.

“Hoo boy, he looks pretty pissed off.” Ashley commented.

“Well, he was just revoked and effectively mocked by Zeta Prime, a Cybertronian he no doubt despises and has no respect for.” replied Jeanne.

“It’s certainly bold of him to speak to the leader of the Decepticons in such a manner.” observed Kiyomi.

“Zeta has shown that he isn’t intimidated by the savage might of the Decepticons, or Megatron himself, having brushed him off twice now. Whether his dismissal of Megatron is warranted or not, we’ll soon find out.” Euphemia evaluated, ever more curious as to how capable Zeta really was, for all they’d seen so far were projections of him.

“Oh great, here we go.” Knockout groaned.

“Yup, he’s gonna be pretty angry after that .” Breakdown shook his head in resignation of what was coming.

Megatron was livid on two counts: Zeta had managed to counter his Dark Energon power s and had mocked him publi c ly! He was not about to let any of it go unanswered.

“Brawl! Call in the Dark Energon bombers!!”

Brawl was taken aback by Megatron’s command and attempted to question it: “But, Megatron, there’s too much firepower-”

“DO AS I HAVE ORDERED BRAWL!!” bellowed Megatron in response, causing everyone to flinch, except Soundwave.

“Holy fuck, that was terrifying...” Connie looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“No kidding. I mean, we’ve probably all seen him angry before, but that was...” Milly broke off, frightened by the outburst. Even she couldn’t pretend to be as she-devilish as she normally was.

“That right there, is another reason why I wouldn’t want to piss off Megatron, ever .” Jean said nervously.

“His anger truly is beyond monstrous.” Tian Zi shook with fear, with Xing Ke placing his arm on her shoulder in reassurance.

Seeing and hearing his Leader’s fury, Brawl relented. “Yes, Megatron. Bombers! Target these coordinates! Everyone else – CLEAR THE STREETS!”

Brawl and Onslaught transformed to move into a sheltered area on the left side from the vault. Megatron and the others soon joined them, and as they drove in, Decepticon troopers could be heard talking.

“Look it’s Megatron” a soldier pointed exclaimed, as Megatron drove into the area in his tank form.

“About time. W hy’d he show up so late ?” another observed , before he was elbowed by a third trooper.

“Shut UP ! You trying to get us all killed ?” The third Trooper hoped to avoid getting them all killed.

“I don’t know whether to commend that soldier for having the balls to say that, or face palm at him signing his own death warrant, especially with how angry Megatron was earlier.” Alice pondered rhetorically.

“You could probably do both to be honest, odds are the outcome would be the same either way.” Yukiya speculated.

“I don’t see a problem, any shit talking of major asshole there, is a win in my book.” Levi remarked casually, more than happy to hear Megatron being slandered, resulting in snickers of amusement from some.

Once inside, Onslaught activated a switch that opened a door to a staircase that led them to a higher outside floor, and would allow them to see the bombing first hand.

As the Megatron, Soundwave, Knockout, Breakdown, Brawl and Onslaught made their way to the higher floor they saw the bombers flying in.

“Bombers inbound!” notified Brawl, as two large Cybertronian Bombers boosted in their direction to perform a run. Only to hit by two large Anti-Aircraft Guns, with one shooting a Bomber in the back, causing it to fall in a completely different direction, whilst the other Bomber crashed into a building right above the street the Decepticons had been on moments before. Screams of pain could be heard from the ship’s transmitter, before the ship exploded killing all of it’s crew.

“Well THAT was a complete disaster.” Knockout dryly commented.

“Silence! Obviously our bombers are incompetent!” Megatron acknowledged no fault on his part.

This caused people to become either infuriated or baffled.

“Did he miss the part that there was ‘too much firepower’ when he issued that order?” Toto asked with a deadpan expression.

“He sounds like Starscream, passing on the blame like that.” Nonette said in disapproval and frustration.

“All because he won’t admit that he made a hasty decision, in response to a petty insult.” Shadis was not impressed by Megatron’s premature behaviour.

“Well, it’s what he gets for ignoring prudent advice and making a knee jerk reaction” scorned Marrybell.

It was then Onslaught came up with a plan. “Lord Megatron, if I may make a suggestion? Disabling the Anti-Aircraft Guns would open the way for our air support”

Megatron liked the sound of that idea. “An excellent thought Onslaught. Carry it out.”

With that, the six Decepticons jumped down from the high ground, towards the street below once again, only this time in the opposite direction of the vault, on their way down they encountered some Autobots

“Heads up! More Snipers!” alerted Brawl as he and the other Decepticons began firing at the Snipers, terminating them before they could do lasting damage . After that the six of them transformed and drove onto the street below.

As they were driving down the street, a giant energy blast came rushing towards them, nearly hitting both Breakdown and Soundwave in the blast, wounding them. Breakdown looked ahead to find the source of the blast and when he looked up, he found it, much to his dismay.

“Turrets! They’re gonna chop us to pieces!” alerted Breakdown, who was alarmed by such weaponry.

“No one turns back! Destroy those guns by ANY means necessary!”, commanded Megatron.

“You heard Lord Megatron! Decepticons – lay down cover fire while we take the building where the turrets are attached!” Onslaught ordered the nearby Decepticon troops, who began moving to suppress the turrets. “Go! Go! GO!” shouted one Sergeant as his group started firing at the turrets, drawing fire on the general troops, instead of Megatron and his group.

“An Autobot sentry nest. That’s quite a challenge” noted Guildford.

“These kinds of positions aren’t easy to attack and often require a coordinated plan” added Sayoko.

“Well, having seen six Decepticons that seem to function well as a group, that may be more feasible than one may think.” Armin chipped in.

Seizing their opportunity, Megatron and the other five were able to drive in and get closer to the building and the turrets. As they closed in, Onslaught realised something.

“There’s two entry points. We can attack on two fronts, trapping the Autobots at the top”.

“A good suggestion Onslaught”, Megatron agreed. “You and Knockout will join me, attacking from the left. Soundwave, take Brawl and Breakdown and push from the right side.”

With that the six of them split into their groups and prepared to take building.

As they left, Soundwave spotted an Overshield crate in a small area underneath the target building, and since they were about to storm a heavily fortified position, an Overshield would be most useful. Soundwave smashed the crate and equipped the Overshield, then went to join Brawl and Breakdown on the right side.

On the left side, two Decepticon troopers were waiting for Megatron, Onslaught and Knockout , but were killed as the door they were guarding exploded behind them, and a Melee Specialist burst out.

“The Decepticons stop here! FOR ZETA PRIME!” he roared, as he charged at the Decepticons.

Onslaught blocked the Specialist’s Axe swing with his own and engaged the Specialist in melee combat, trading blow after blow, clashing their axes against each other. Whilst they were engaged in the clash, Onslaught managed to push the Specialist back, whereupon Megatron fired at the Specialist with his Fusion Canon, bringing the Specialist to his knees, allowing Knockout to cut him in half from behind with his Saw. This allowed the Decepticons to push further up into the building, where they found more Autobots firing regular weapons down at Decepticon troopers. Megatron, Breakdown and Onslaught fired at the Autobots and another battle ensued.

Meanwhile, at the sentry nest, the Autobots were still trying to fend off the Decepticon troopers firing at them.

“We’ve got to protect the Anti-Aircraft Guns!” one Autobot shouted desperately.

From the right hand side, Brawl, Breakdown and Soundwave had fought their way up the building and were ready to attack the sentry nest.

“Now! Hit the Autobots while they’re distracted!” Brawl cried out. “Decepticons! Take those guns!” Brawl charged in tank mode across a bridge and began demolishing any Autobot turret gunner in his path with tank shots, whilst Soundwave and Breakdown shot at any remaining Autobots.

The three were then reunited with Megatron’s group, who had finished destroying the Autobots from earlier. The six of them proceeded further up the building in vehicle mode. As they drove through the building, alerts from Zeta Prime could be heard, albeit they were cutting out due to the constant attacks the building was suffering.

“Looks like they managed to overwhelm the sentry nest.” said Anya.

“Once again, they split up and pushed from two angles, dividing the Autobots attention.” Mikasa surmised.

“Now they just have to disable the anti aircraft guns to pave the way for the bombers, which will level the streets of Iacon.” Chigusa looked bothered.

As the goup reached the highest floor, they saw a lone sniper perched near a console. The whole ceiling and wall surrounding the controls had been destroyed, making the location a good lookout position. Megatron blasted the sniper from behind with his Fusion Canon, catapulting his body of the building and down onto the street below.

Megatron, on seeing the console, realised they’d found what they were looking for.

“There - The gun controls!”. Megatron approached the console, planting a Dark Energon Det Pack on it. The closest Anti Aircraft Gun became corrupted, firing at another Anti-Aircraft Gun, before becoming enveloped in Dark Energon crystals and ceasing functioning.

“Niiiiice! Takes one gun to blow up the other!” Breakdown exclaimed in satisfaction.

“So Megatron used Dark Energon once more to do the job for him. The guns effectively took themselves out!” Kiyomi was observed on seeing Dark Energon to great effect again.

“It would seem that Dark Energon has more applications than we may have thought, and considering it’s highly dangerous nature, I’m far happier to observe it from a far” Rakshata admitted, unnerved by the corrosive nature of Dark Energon, which was further demonstrated with each use.

Soundwave, however, noticed something was wrong, “Megatron – the controls are overloading”. The console began emitting large amounts of dark electricity, indicating it was going to explode.

“Move Decepticons!” Megatron jumped from the high area, as did the other five, down to the area where the turrets were below them. They all looked behind to see the electricity surge explod, sending out a shockwave and covering the area where they had just been standing in Dark Energon.

“That almost punched our tickets! I thought Dark Energon was supposed to be on our side?” Knockout was worried: T hey could’ve died there!

“Whoa! That was a hell of an explosion!” Ayano’s eyes widened.

“That blast could’ve killed them if they were any slower!” Mikasa was equally alarmed.

“That kind of volatility is all the more reason why Dark Energon should not be meddled with.” Nunnally iterated. The more they were seeing of Dark Energon, it was all the more prudent to highlight how dangerous it was.

Megatron ignored Knockout’s worries per usual. “Brawl. Call in the bombers!”

Brawl was already in process: “Transmitting the coordinates.”

Starscream’s voice could be heard on the transmission. “Brawl! This is Starscream! Your request is denied. I won’t have you wasting more of my ships!”

Megatron cut in. “I see. When did they become YOUR ships Starscream?” he questioned threateningly.

“ Oh Lord Megatron! I didn’t realize you were there!” Starscream coyly responded .

After a few seconds, Starscream spoke again.

“Air support request approved – but it will take a few cycles before the bombers can reach you. I’m afraid you’ll just have to be patient” Starscream confirmed in a smug tone, before signing off.

Onslaught saw something in the distance. “We’ve got Autobot reinforcements heading our way!”

“Typical Starscream, always screwing over his own side at the most inconvenient times” Rai grinned in amusement at the cons predicament.

“He wouldn’t be Starscream if he wasn’t treacherous or coy.” Cornelia smirked along with her half brother.

“I doubt Megatron would appreciate those sentiments, especially in a moment like that.” Pixis speculated.

“Maybe, but it’s still funny watching the cons infighting bite them in the ass.” replied Alice with a smug smile.

“I shall make you pay for this Starscream.” Megatron was angry, but he knew that dealing with the incoming Autobots must take precedence over Starscream’s transgressions. “Decepticons – hold your positions until the bombers arrive!”

The six Decepticons manned a turret each and dug in to fend off the Autobots.

Soon enough, numerous Autobot ground Troopers began driving down the street towards them.

Megatron, Breakdown and Soundwave opened fire, with Breakdown using a Nucleon Shock Canon turret, while Megatron and Soundwave used Ion Displacer turrets. The incoming Autobots were shredded and blown to pieces. The few that did get close didn’t even manage an attack, as they were gunned down mercilessly.

“The Autobots think they can snipe us from the bridge!” exclaimed Megatron. “Show them their error!” Proving his point, he shot two Snipers off of the bridge, whilst Breakdown and Soundwave kept firing as more Autobot ground Troopers approached.

“That’s it?! We beat them already?” Breakdown asked, somewhat disappointed.

Onslaught thought otherwise. “No, no, no. There’s NO way the Autobots would give up that easily.”

“Agreed Onslaught ” Megatron concurred “Everyone hold fast and stay alert.”

“So this is going to be a ‘siege’ of sorts, except in reverse.” stated Zhou.

“Indeed. The Decepticons are holding the sentry nest against the Autobots, in their own city, while no doubt numerous army groups will be approaching to take out the leader of the Decepticons his most notable warriors.” Diethard agreed.

“When you put it like that, it sounds pretty dire.” Floch couldn’t help but feel this was a near impossible situation.

“In almost any other circumstances it might be, but because it’s Megatron and some of his most powerful soldiers, they will have a better chance than otherwise” Jeremiah countered.

A few moments later, Autobots began appearing on the left side of the building being held by the Deceptiaons.

“On the roof. Over there! More Autobots!” alerted Knockout, as he fired his Ion Displacer turret at the descending Autobots. Brawl and Onslaught joined in, firing their turrets as well, shooting the Autobot troopers like clay pigeons, as they dropped dead before even hitting the ground.

As more Autobot soldiers began dropping down from the left side, Brawl saw that yet more Autobots were now firing from large windows on the left side building’s lower floor, where he and his group had pushed out from previously.

“They’re firing from the windows!” he warned, as he fired his Nucleon Shock Canon turret at one of the windows, obliterating four Autobots with one blast.

Not long after, he spotted a Heavy Ion Soldier walking across a bridge that connected the sentry nest to the left side building.

Seeing this threat approach, with the other five already firing at Autobot soldiers and to prevent the Autobots overwhelming them, Soundwave detached his turret, and with an Overshield active, moved in to fight the Heavy Ion Soldier

“Firing capacity at maximum!” he declared, as he fired his Ion Displacer at the Heavy soldier, who returned fire. A large hail of bullets was flew between the two, the question of who’s armour would give out first being uppermost in both of their minds.

Soundwave could see his Overshield was waining from the sheer amount of bullets it was taking, but he saw that the Heavy soldier’s armour was more badly damaged, and so with one last barrage, Soundwave managed to kill the Heavy Ion Solider, just as the others managed to defeat the second wave of Autobots.

They wouldn’t get long to rest, however, as a third wave of Autobots appeared.

“The Autobots are still coming? How many can they afford to send into such a fortified position?” Nile questioned, amazed that they could afford to keep taking such losses.

“Given the importance of protecting the Omega Key, and the fact that the Decepticons are basically trapped in the nest, the Autobots best option is to try and take Megatron and his group out here and now: the war could end right there and then?” Kaguya speculated.

“It’s not like the cons are gonna go down without a fight, though.” said Sancia in reply, to which Kaguya nodded, for everyone knew that this was not going to be a quick battle.

“They just keep coming!” Knockout was becoming concerned about the sheer number of Autobots they were facing, despite their strong defensive position.

This time though, it was a group of Aerialbot fliers that were first to engage the Decepticons.

“Aerialbot Fliers – coming in fast!” warned Breakdown, as he fired his turret and destroyed four fliers with a single blast, but more fliers kept coming in, along with the ground soldiers beneath them.

“Swat them out of the sky!” Megatron fired his turret as well, shooting down numerous Fliers himself.

Soundwave fired at the next wave of Aerialbot fliers, shooting them down with a few bursts of his Ion Displacer, whilst Megatron and Breakdown unleashed hell on the ground troops.

Onslaught then spotted movement on the bridge, where Snipers had been posted earlier. “Blast those Autobot junk heaps on the bridge!”

“I’ve got em!”, shouted Breakdown as he turned his attention to a Heavy Ion Soldier crossing the bridge and fired his turret at the Soldier. The Heavy Ion Soldier tanked the blast, though he was wounded, and he fired back at Breakdown who took a shot or two himself. Thankfully for Breakdown, given the distance, it wasn’t serious. Breakdown kept firing at the Heavy Ion Soldier and, with two more shots, blew him to bits.

Another Heavy Ion Soldier attempted to cross the bridge, but he was double teamed by Brawl and Onslaught the moment he came in range, with both firing on him at the same time.

Seeing the number of waves the Decepticons were facing, many began to question when the bombers would arrive.

“They’ve been taking out Autobots for quite a while now, and there’s no sign of the siege letting up.” observed Jeanne.

“Starscream’s either taking his sweet time, or the new bombers are still en-route from somewhere further away” guessed Niccolo.

“The Cons are stuck like sitting ducks, cause without the bombers, they’re scrap.” said Dalque.

“There’s no end to them! We’re gonna get slaughtered at this rate!” Knockout cried out in distress, as another wave of Autobots appeared on the horizon.

“Stop your whining, or I’ll stop it for you” warned Megatron, silencing Knockout.

Autobots began appearing all around them.

“They’re coming at us from all directions!” Brawl shouted, as he fired at a large wave of Autobots on the left side, trying to fend them off.

“Megatron, they’re everywhere!” Breakdown was just as alarmed now by the sheer number of Autobots moving on the bridge “What do we do?!”

“WE HOLD THEM OFF!” roared Megatron, as he sprayed turret fire down the street at a large group of Autobots. “The bombers will clear the street when they arrive! Rely on that . ”

But no matter how many shots the Decepticons fired, or how many Autobots they destroyed, the assault was relentless. When one Autobot died, two or more appeared to take his place, like a never ending chain coiling around them and threatening to crush them.

Soon enough the streets, buildings and the bridge were flooded with Autobots and not even the combined firepower of six turrets was going to be able to withstand that.

“Holy mother- Look how many Autbots there are!” Ryo exclaimed as he pointed at the sheer numbers closing in on the Decepticons.

“There’s no way the Decepticons can defeat that many, even with their superior firepower and defenses!” Historia couldn’t see how they could continue to withstand such a force.

“The Decepticons would need a miracle to get out of this now.” said Ohgi, as he saw the Autobots closing in.

Knockout could hardly believe his optics, as he took in the full size of the Autobot force. “That’s…That’s the WHOLE AUTOBOT ARMY! We’ll never be able to hold them off!”

Then, in the final moments, just before they were about to be overrun, Brawl received confirmation - the bombers were inbound!

“Bombing run commencing! In five, four three, two…!” he pointed up to the sky, as Dark Energon bombs began dropping down on the street and buildings around them.

The Autobots tried to fall back, but to no avail. Cries and screams could be heard as countless Autobots were consumed and simply vaporized by the blasts.

“Saved, with only seconds to go. The lucky bastards.” Kallen growled.

“The Autobots had the Decepticons right where they wanted them. The war could possibly have ended right there, with Megatron’s defeat...” lamented Leila.

“But it didn’t did it? And now Megatron lives on, to fight his war.” Ymir’s thoughts on Megatron were complicated: she had come to be grateful to the flying titan for helping to reunite her with Historia, but she was also a realist and knew that personal ‘favour’ didn’t wash away all the horrendous things that Megatron was capable of doing. Still she couldn’t help but feel conflicted about Megatron as a whole.

“WOOOOOHOOOO! BOOM! Eat THAT Autobots!” Breakdown gloated as he raised his arms in victory.

“The street looks clear, Megatron” Onslaught reported as he scoured beneath them for any signs of Autobots.

“That should’ve blown the vault doors clean off as well!” reckoned Brawl.

“Good! Brawl, Onslaught – remain here and hold this position. The rest of us will move forward and acquire the Omega Key!” Megatron ordered, as he and the others were quickly healed by Knock Out’s Energon Repair Ray. They then transformed to exit the building, with Onslaught and Brawl staying behind to hold the area.

As the four Decepticons drove down the streets of Iacon, they spotted some wounded Autobots, who were barely functional after being hit by the Dark Energon bombs.

“Help… me...” One Autobot solider uttered weakly, before he was blasted by Megatron’s T ank C anon.

“Must… fight… Must… warn Zeta Prime” Another Autobot tried to crawl towards the vault, in an effort to warn Zeta. He wouldn’t get the chance, however, as Soundwave boosted towards him and crushed him under his wheels.

As for any other wounded Autobots, Breakdown simply shot them with his Vehicle Assault Rifle, extinguishing any last hope of survival.

Knockout didn’t partake in the slaughter, and whilst he didn’t exactly feel sympathy for the Autobots, he didn’t feel any satisfaction in the way the Autobots were being killed either.

Still, the strong get to do what they want; that was the way of the world, and why he had joined the Decepticons. Knockout would rather be on the winning side than the losing one.

Seeing more weakened Autobots being mercilessly exterminated was distressing for many.

“Well, Megatron certainly got his ‘miracle’ and this is the result.” Marrybell glared.

“Seeing this stuff just makes me feel sick. As if watching that building get leveled and those soldiers get trampled upon earlier wasn’t enough.” Connie felt awful seeing this. He’d felt awful encountering Titans and the countless bodies they’d leave in their wake, but this was just as awful to see.

“Those soldiers can’t even defend themselves, let alone warn others or receive help in time. To kill them like that...” Cornelia narrowed her eyes in disgust but also in shame: there was a time she had acted in a similar manner towards Elevens and others under Brtianian’s discriminatory policies, and so she knew first hand how heinous such actions were. And whilst she had changed since then, she could still recall such things and came to loathe any instance like it.

“At least Knockout didn’t take part in the killing himself.” Rivalz piped up, in an attempt to alleviate the tension.

“But he did nothing to stop it either.” Monica grimly pointed out, to Rivalz’s discomfort.

As they were talking, Eren observed the brutal aftermath of the Dark Energon bombings. The entire street was leveled, reduced to a charred wreck. Countless lives were extinguished without mercy, like candles in the wind. And the Autobots who died suffered twice over , trying to defend their home from a faction that sought to kill them, simply for resisting.

Seeing this grim outcome made Eren feel… sick.

He had seen Dark Energon used before, and knew how volatile it was. It was not only shock that this was the result. This time it was so much more… widespread and cruel. Seeing unaffiliated soldiers working for a snobbish air commander/scientist die at the hands of the vile substance was bad enough. But watching countless Autobots perish, when they did not deserve such a fate, was even more harrowing. Eren did his best to hide his discomfort, for he did not want to alarm anyone, especially Mikasa, and he could only hope this awful feeling would soon fade.

As the Decepticons approached the vault for the second time, a huge Autobot came barreling through the top left side, landing on the ground with a huge thud. The Autobot had tall shoulders with strong shield plating on the sides, big legs plated with armour and treads on the back, and a large Twin Barrelled canon on his right arm. This was a Destroyer class Autobot.

“Engaging Decepticons at the Iacon vaults.” he said resolutely, as he slowly began walking to fight some Decepticon troopers, who tried to fire upon him, but to little avail as the Destroyer shrugged off the bullets.

“Fall back! Fall back-” One Decepticon soldier tried to run away, but was trampled upon before he could get away.

Then the Destroyer began transforming and, when he was done, his alternate mode was revealed to be a large, two barrel l ed tank!

“Now that is one large bot! And look at that Tank Mode! He could probably take out a small battalion all by himself!” Gino shouted in amazement.

“He’s bigger than every other Cybertronian we’ve seen so far!” Nile was take aback by the Destroyer’s size.

“Oddly enough, that’s not even the biggest Transformer out there” mentioned Misty, as a certain Transformer or two came to her mind.

This blew the Survey Corp’s minds. Who could possibly be bigger than this type of Transformer?! Meanwhile the Black Knights had a few private thoughts of their own as to who could be bigger than the Destroyer.

Breakdown’s optics widened at seeing the behemoth in front of them “What the?!? That guy is huge!”

“Split up and flank him! Use the debris as cover!” shouted Megatron, as he fired at the Destroyer with his Tank Canon to draw the Destroyer’s attention.

The Destroyer fired both his Tank Cannons back at him, but Soundwave transformed in front of Megatron and activated a Barrier to block the incoming shots, before firing alongside Megatron to draw the Destroyer’s attention further.

Meanwhile, Knockout and Breakdown flanked around the Destroyer and found a glowing power core on the back of his tank mode.

“Hey look! There’s his power core. That might be a weak spot!” Breakdown called out to Knockout.

“Well, well, you may be right! Why don’t we break it and see what happens?” Knockout nodded as much preferred an attack from the back than front. He and Breakdown fired their EMP Shotgun and Scatter Blaster at the power core, damaging it and causing it to spark.

Sensing that he was being closed in upon and attacked close up, the Destroyer emitted a Thunderblast to push back the two race car bots and stun them somewhat, preventing them from running or using their abilities. “Back off” he said threateningly as he continued to keep pressure on Megatron and Soundwave.

“Agggh, my head.. he’s given me a right processor ache!” Knockout groaned in frustration.

“Same here, but I can still fight!” Breakdown transformed into vehicle mode and, although he couldn’t boost, he could still move and he hovered towards the Destroyer’s power core.

“Come and get me you oversized rust bucket!” he goaded, as he fired his Vehicle Assault Rifle at it, destroying the power core and forcing the Destroyer to transform into robot mode.

“We’ve breached it’s armour, now DESTROY IT!” Megatron fired his Tank Canon at the destroyer’s chest, damaging it, then transforming to robot to blast the Destroyer with his Thermo Rocket Launcher, with Soundwave firing his Neutron Assault Rifle as well to chip away at the Destroyer’s armour.

The Destroyer fired a large charged shot from his Twin Barreled canon, which Megatron and Soundwave avoided. This gave Breakdown and Knockout the opportunity to get close and fire their Shotguns at the Destroyer from behind.

At this, the Destroyer began rapid firing a series of fire blasts from his Canon, spraying the blasts in an 180 degree angle, forcing the Decepticons to evade, although each of them was hit by a blast, damaging them somewhat.

“Damn, and here was I thinking this guy was cool in tank mode alone, but he’s got quite the arsenal in robot mode!” Hanji was ecstatic at observing this powerful Autobot.

“Destroyers are pretty sick! They can cause a shit ton of damage and can take just as much, with both modes being able to blast most things to bits! You gotta pack a helluva punch to take them out!” Tamaki punched his fists together for emphasis. He remembered encountering a Decepticon Destroyer in the Mt.Fuji mines, when the Black knights began their comeback.

Megatron threw a Healing Grenade between himself and Soundwave to repair the damage the Destroyer had just caused, then activated his Hover ability and began pelting the Destroyer with damage boosted Rockets, which dealt quite a bit of damage to his chest armour, exposing some of his insides.

With his chest exposed, the Decepticons all fired at this new weak spot, with Soundwave throwing a Fuse Grenade at the Destroyer’s chest, which detonated head on. This caused the Destroyer to begin stumbling, before falling on his back and exploding.

“Megatron – the tank like Autobot, has been rendered non-functional” notified Soundwave.

“You see that? I did that! ALL me!” boasted Breakdown.

“Hey now, I did my bit in breaking that bot as much as you” Knockout added, causing Breakdown to smirk at him.

“Not even that Destroyer could stop the Decepticons...” Sokkia said, somewhat in disbelief that such a large Autobot was taken out so relatively quickly.

“Considering the Decepticons were able to hold off an entire army of Autobots, one large one is just a roadblock to be smashed through” Lelouch replied, as he stared once again at Decepticons, reminded of their power.

“Onward Decepticons. Into the Vaults!”, Megatron planted a Dark Energon Det Pack on the broken vault door and blew it apart, allowing the Decepticons to enter the Iacon Vaults, as the screen faded out.

Soon after, another Tech Spec appeared, with an image of Knockout.

Knockout: I like the way I look in steel plated radiums.

Strength 6

Intelligence 8

Speed 8

Endurance 5

Rank 7

Courage 4

Fireblast 5

Skill 6

“So, we’ve got Knockout this time.” Louise noted

“Based on these stats, intelligence and speed seem to be his best features. He’s also a high ranked Decepticon and his strength and skill are more than decent.” mentioned Milly aloud.

“His problem though, is that he’s not courageous. Which doesn’t surprise me, since he’s been complaining so fucking often and keeps mentioning his goddamn appearance.” Levi scoffed at Knockout’s attitude, before continuing. “He’s also not too durable or destructive in terms of firepower, both of which are square in the middle.”

“Knockout’s speciality is not in direct combat, rather, it’s when he’s in the lab working on technological or scientific matters, or when’s racing his foes in a chase or just for his own satisfaction in proving he’s faster, as that’s where his skills and abilities are most prominent. To be honest, it wouldn’t be too outrageous to say he comes close to Starscream in terms of cowardice, as he is not the best fighter and is far too concerned with his paint job getting damaged in battle.” Cecile elaborated. She had been acquainted and had decent knowledge of Knockout, having interacted with him early on along with Lloyd, when Knockout would occasionally help out tinkering with machines.

The screen then changed to the Decepticons inside the Vaults. The Vaults were dark and in tatters, with very little light and bits of debris lying all around, as a result of the Dark Energon bombing having shaken the area. In the centre of the room was a projector and, upon the Decepticon’s entering, a projection of Zeta appeared and spoke to them.

“Megatron. My, you are a persistent one! But, breaking into my vaults?!? You’ve over stepped yourself.”

“I won’t waste words with you Zeta Prime. Give me the Omega Key and I may spare what’s left of your city.” offered Megatron.

“If I gave you the Omega Key, Iacon would be dust by the end of the day and my soldiers would be slaughtered or subjugated to your tyranny. No Megatron, if you want the Omega Key, you’ll have to take it”, Zeta proclaimed.

“You have just made a fatal mistake Zeta, for nobody summons Megatron!” proclaimed Megatron, as the projection faded.

“It seems the only thing standing in Megatron’s way now, is Zeta Prime himself” stated Leila, concerned about how far the Decepticons had gotten and the number of Autobots they had killed in doing so.

“Well, with Megatron tearing through most of the Autobot armies sent to stop him, it’s not surprising Zeta’s all that’s left” Kaguya surmised, equally worried about what was to come.

“The Fucker’s been talking down to Megatron since we saw em first speak. Guess we’re gonna see if he’s actually got some skill or if he’s all talk and full of shit.” said Kenny.

The Decepticons scanned the area to find how to proceed through the damaged vault. Megatron spotted a large, loose hanging power conductor, which had been dislodged due to the bombing, and blasted it with his Fusion Canon, causing it to fall and crash through a weakened section of the floor, allowing the Decepticons to go deeper into the Vaults.

When they landed, another projection of Zeta appeared to the right of them from a device in the floor. 


“The Omega Key will NEVER be yours, Megatron!” he declared.

“I look forward to debating that with you IN PERSON.” Megatron flashed a wicked smile, as the projection disappeared once again.

Suddenly the Decepticons heard a voice call out. “Lord Megatron! Help!”

The Decepticons made their way to where the voice came from, and found it came from a room on the opposite of a see through wall.

“Zeta’s got one of our guys trapped!”, said Breakdown as he and the others saw

a single Decepticon Trooper waving to them from a hallway. Then, strangely, the floor beneath the trooper began glowing.

“Look at the floor! What’s Zeta up to?” Knockout wondered rhetorically.

All of sudden, the trooper looked upward and saw a large metal compressor was about to crush him, he dived forward, avoided being smashed and began waving to the Decepticons in relief.

“Hey – I’m still functional, I’M STILL F -” But unfortunately for him, he’d failed to notice the area he was now standing on was also glowing, and was swiftly crushed underneath another compressor.

This swift ‘karma’ made a few snicker or grin at the oblivious solider and the gag like nature of his death. Other’s just sighed and were exasperated at his stupidity.

“Well, that guy celebrated way too early.” Rai grinned at the soldier’s hasty relief.

“He thought he was clear and safe. Too bad he didn’t look up.” Lucretia chuckled.

“He should’ve remained aware of his surroundings.” chastised Anya, as she shook her head in disapproval.

“Serves that dipshit right, for not paying attention.” Levi felt little sympathy for the Decepticon trooper, especially after what they had seen throughout this viewing.

“ Idiot ” Megatron groaned as he shook his head in annoyance, before moving on without wasting another second. “Decepticons! Onwards”

The group moved through a door on the right hand side, with Knockout equipping a close by Magma Frag Launcher before leaving. They found themselves in a hallway similar to the one they saw the Decepticon Trooper in, and they saw that the floor glow the same way as it had then.

“You cannot hope to overcome my defenses Megatron!”, Zeta’s voice rang out over the intercom in the hallway.

“Your pathetic machinery won’t stop me stop me Zeta Prime!” Megatron replied.

“A trap room, interestingly, it appears to be similar to the one that Decepticon trooper was in. When the floor glows, a compressor comes down.” Nina observed

“But there are ‘gaps’ between the glowing floors, and the compressors take a moment before they drop. So you can avoid the compressors and advance if you have the patience or the speed.” Akito added. “The question is, do the Decepticons have enough of either to get past this?”

“That’s great Lord Megatron, but how do we get past this? I’d rather avoid getting smashed by those compressors, I don’t even want to think about the damage those things would do to my finish.” Knockout shivered at the thought.

“Spare me your empty concerns over your appearance.” Megatron had no sympathy for Knockout. “The solution here is simple. There are gaps and delays when the floor lights up, meaning it is possible to identify when the compressors will fall, so as long as you are fast or time it right, you can avoid being smashed. Is that doable for you?”

“Well, if speed is the key, then I, most certainly, am your bot!” Knockout transformed into his Cybertronian sports car mode and raced across the floor before any of the compressors could come down, before transforming back to robot mode as he reached the end.

Seeing this, Breakdown and Soundwave sped across in their vehicle modes, once the compressors had all retracted to the ceiling, with Soundwave using his Vehicle Boost to get across.

Megatron, who wasn’t as fast, had to do it the old fashioned way, but since he knew how to avoid the compressors, it was hardly a difficult matter for him.

Once all four of them had made it and were in robot mode, they were faced with a large triangular door. Zeta Prime appeared before them once again.

“Come no further, Megatron! The Sacred Vaults are no place for your tainted spark!” He warned.

Megatron brushed off his warning. “Nothing is sacred to me Zeta Prime. You should have realised that by now. Decepticons! Advance!”

“Is he just going to keep threatening Megatron, or is he actually going to do something himself?” Nonette was becoming frustrated with Zeta’s attitude and approach, for it had done little to prevent Megatron from proceeding further.

“At this point I agree. With Megatron this far into the vault, the time for talking is over. He needs to do something serious if he wants to keep the Omega Key out of Megatron’s hands.” Orpheus had also had enough of Zeta’s proclamations.

Megatron used his Dark Energon abilities to force open the door. Beyond it was a large, circular, open room. There were compressors planted into the floor. In the middle of the room was a large pad, with a circular piece of machinery hanging above it.

And right in front of the pad was a small podium, and in it was the device that Megatron had been searching for; the reason he had laid waste to Iacon, and massacred hundreds, if not thousands of Autobots, the device that would grant him access to Cybertron’s core, and enable him to infuse it with Dark Energon and ultimately control the planet.

The Omega Key.

“There it is…it’s… a little smaller than I was expecting.” Toto eyed the key intently, finding it to be rather… underwhelming. Regardless of it’s size, there also wasn’t any sense of power radiating from it.

“I get that it’s called a ‘key’ and they don’t tend to be very big, but for something so crucial, it doesn’t look that impressive to be honest, especially considering the trouble Megatron’s gone to get it.” Louise was also less than enthusiastic about seeing the device.

Sayoko, however, had her own thoughts. “Whilst it’s appearance may not be anything spectacular, it’s precisely because Megatron has gone out of his way to acquire it, and Zeta is resisting so strongly, that the Omega Key’s importance is without question.

“Megatron wouldn’t waste time going after something that was of little value to him, for he only ventures for what can benefit him most.” Suzaku agreed, which didn’t surprise the Black Knights, for they knew how much he loathed Megatron, nearly as much as Lelouch himself.

Seeing his quarry ripe for the taking, Megatron began walking towards the Omega Key, and with the other three not far behind him, he went to claim what was his.

“Finally the Omega Key is within my…”


But just before he could reach out to grab it, the podium shifted and the Omega Key flew out of it.

“What?!?” Megatron exclaimed in shock.

The Omega Key flew backward towards the large pad, and into the right hand of Zeta Prime himself, who rose up from a lift in the pad.

“Looks like he finally decided to show up,and face the cons personally.” Alice noted, peeved that it had taken him so long.

“I suppose we’ll finally see how strong he is and if he’s any match for Megatron” said Mikasa.

“Well he’ll need to be incredibly strong and at the top of his game to face Megatron and his group all by himself” Cera noted grimly.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?” Zeta Prime taunted, as he held the Key in his right hand.

“Come down HERE Zeta Prime and I will give you the answer!” Megatron goaded back.

But Zeta had no intention of fighting in close combat.

“I shall remain where I am – this vantage point will provide an excellent view of your destruction”

As he said this, the room began shifting, the compressors that were in the floor began rising into the ceiling, a force field generated around Zeta Prime’s pad and, most notably, a massive projection of Zeta Prime’s top half manifested from the top of the spherical machine that was above his pad.

“My will control s this entire chamber Megatron. I need only close my hand to crush the life out of you!” Zeta boasted.

With that, Zeta Prime began moving his arms, which in turn caused the room to glow red in some areas and compressors in the ceiling to begin moving as well.

“Oh my! What incredible technology and weaponry!” Lloyd was ecstatic at seeing the Autobot’s machinery come to life.

“I’d have to agree with you there, my dear Earl. That’s impressive. I‘d love to inspect them in person.” Rakshata concurred.

“The more I see of Cybertronian technology, the more impressed I become.” Kiyomi couldn’t help but be astonished, for Cybertronian tech far eclipsed that of her civilization, or any she knew of.

“That happens a lot, and I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see it” Anna added with a smile, to which Kiyomi smiled back.

“Well, the Cons better be ready, because Zeta is about to utilise this high tech to stomp them into the ground” stated Ohgi, as he watched the compressors move, drawing everyone’s attention back to the fight.

“The floor is glowing! It’s everywhere! He’s trying to smash us to bits!” Knockout shouted in fear, as he transformed to vehicle mode and got ready to outspeed the compressors.

Sure enough, with a swing of his arms, Zeta brought down four compressors, all forming a row of sorts as they slammed into the ground with great force. The Decepticons had to move quickly to avoid being crushed, with Knockout and Breakdown driving in vehicle mode, speeding away to avoid becoming pancakes.

Zeta then brought the compressors back up, and swung down four others in different spots to the first set. He repeated this process two more times, nearly circling the entire room, with the Decepticons managing to evade his attacks, albeit with a few close calls.

Zeta could see that he had put the Decepticons on the defensive, and with all of them back in robot mode he spoke.

“Do you see now Megatron? This is my domain.” He proclaimed arrogantly.

But Megatron was not intimidated by Zeta’s proclamation. “Your theatrics don’t frighten me Zeta.”

On hearing this, Zeta decided to fully demonstrate his power.

“Here I have the power to control… and create.” Zeta raised his hand upward and then, like a wizard casting a spell, he conjured a number of Energon Clones of himself into the room.

The Clones were each equipped with a Regal staff pole weapon, in reference to Zeta Prime’s own weapon, and they began charging towards the Decepticons.

“He can make Clones of himself too?!” Chigusa was amazed, for cloning was a difficult process to master, yet Zeta’s machinery was able to do it instantly, without any issue.

“That is so AMAZING! Imagine what could be done with cloning tech!” Hanji gleefully imagined, though many others were not so enthusiastic to see a mad scientist experiment with cloning.

“The Energon composition of these clones is remarkable” acknowledged Soundwave, as he scanned one of them.

“You can be SUCH a nerd Soundwave!” Breakdown was not as impressed by the clones, he was more interested in breaking them apart. He dashed towards one clone and sw ung at t it with his Energon Clubs, destroying the Clone with two strikes. He then dashed up to another Clone and bludgeoned it with a nasty swing.

Knockout was dealing with another of the Clones, during which, he thought it would be a suitable time to test something.

“The Energon Repair Ray can heal others through firing Energon, but it’s also capable of doing the opposite, as the weapon comes with an alternative fire mode that drains Energon out of it’s victims. And with these Clones being made of Energon, well...” he muttered to himself.

Although the Ray could be used offensively, it was often impractical due to its poor range and low damage. But in this case, the Clones could only fight close range, and with Knockout’s curiosity getting the better of him, he fired his Energon Repair Ray in lethal fire mode at the Clone and sure enough it, Knockout’s suspicions proved correct: since the Clone was made of Energon, he crumbled within seconds upon making contact with the Ray’s beam. Knockout grinned mischievously as he proceeded to evaporate two more Clones with the Energon Repair Ray.

“There is nowhere to run Decepticons!” Zeta announced, as he made more Clones.

Soundwave transformed into his armoured car mode, and boosted towards three incoming Clones, ramming into them and deconstructing them in a few nano-clicks.

Megatron, adopting a similar train of thought to Knockout, decided to use his Drain ability on the remaining Clones, sapping of them of their energy whilst replenishing his own.

With the Clones eliminated, Megatron was not impressed by Zeta’s efforts.

“Is that all Zeta?” he taunted. “A pathetic army of Energon Clones? Is that the best you can do?”

Zeta merely laughed proudly in response. “HAHAHAHA! You have NO idea! Here, I have limitless power!

“Well, he’s not exactly modest about his power is he?” Oldrin was put off by Zeta’s boasting.

“A true leader should not need to boast of their power, only demonstrate and administer it wisely. Zeta has done neither.” Xing Ke was also critical of Zeta, for he had seen such conceited pride before from Britannia, The High Eunuchs, even the Decepticons. But Zeta was also showing himself to be a prideful individual. The fact Xing Ke had heard from some of the Black Knights about the caste system Zeta imposed on Cybertron, worsened Xing Ke’s opinion of Zeta further.

“With his sense of strength and pride stemming from his technology rather than his own inner core and spirit, it is clear that the power controls Zeta rather than him controlling it.” Erwin added, as he also realised that Zeta was acting arrogantly.

But whilst he found that behaviour distasteful, Erwin couldn’t help thinking about when Optimus and Megatron had spoken to him in the past.

How Optimus would not follow him should he use his comrades in the Survey Corps for his own selfish purposes, or when Megatron had threatened to kill him early on, if he took advantage of Optimus in the wrong way. Was this why they both now felt this way? Because the leader they had lived under was conceited and failed to recognise the consequences of his actions, the caste system that Megatron had mentioned being such an example?

Erwin felt he understood why those two felt they way they did a little better, and kept the thought in his mind.

It was then Zeta raised his arms once again and the spherical machine above him opened up, revealing a power core.

Soundwave scanned the machine and realised there was a weakness to Zeta Prime’s power. “Megatron, we may be able to damage Zeta’s machinery during it’s recharge cycle” he reported.

“Excellent! Zeta is not nearly as omnipotent as he may believe. Open fire at the core!” Megatron shouted as he fired his Fusion Canon at the exposed machine core, with the other Decepticons firing their ranged weapons (Neutron Assault Rifle, Photon Burst Rifle and Magma Frag Launcher respectively) as well.

After a myriad of gunfire, the recharge cycle was interrupted and the spherical machine closed. Despite this interruption, Zeta was not perturbed.

“A valiant attempt Decepticons.” he commented half-heartedly. “But Autobot machinery is more resilient than you realise.”

“It would seem Zeta’s machinery is not as impermeable as he may think, though” observed Onyankopon.

“Perhaps, but his machinery is still functional and will likely require more damage than that to be destroyed.” Kiyomi pointed out.

“Then the Decepticons have a longer battle ahead of them, for while Zeta may be boastful, he has shown that he is a threat not to be estimated.” Jeanne continued.

Zeta motioned his arms, and suddenly the outside layer of the floor began glowing red as the compressors above that area began falling, one by one in circular pattern.

“In this chamber, MY will reigns supreme Megatron!” Zeta declared as he brought the compressors down.

“Ceiling’s coming down get away from the mashers !” Breakdown said as the first compressors came down.

“Then let’s stop talking and start driving!” suggested Knockout, who was first to transform into vehicle mode, with others doing the same, as they drove away from the approaching compressors, almost going in a circle, before they had to go into the inner layer, as the entire outside area was blocked off by the compressors.

Shortly after they entered the inner layer, the floor started glowing there also and the Decepticons found themselves having to drive and evade even more compressors coming down. Eventually the compressors on the outside layer rose back up into the ceiling, allowing the Decepticons to jump out of the inner circle before they ran out of places to go.

After the compressors were finished with, Zeta began spawning more Clones, only this time there were a much larger number than last time that the Decepticons would have to destroy.

“More Zeta Clones. Destroy them!” shouted Megatron as he opened fire.

“More of these things? They’d better not put a dent on me” Knockout groaned, as he brought out his Electric Spear to pierce and shock a few Clones who attacked him.

Meanwhile, Breakdown threw a Stun Grenade at a group of Clones chasing him, holding them in place. Then he transformed into vehicle mode, to gun down Clone after Clone with his Assault Rifle.

Whilst the Clones were attacking, Zeta was occasionally dropping up to four compressors on random parts of the floor, ensuring the Decepticons had to watch where they stood, having more than one thing to worry about.

“Do you see how futile your struggle is Megatron?” Zeta mocked.

“Megatron, we need to find a way to destroy the Control Center” Soundwave suggested, as he deployed his Remote Sentry and alongside his Neutron Assault Rifle, shredded a group of Clones to specks of Energon.

“We need to deal with Zeta’s Clones before we tear his Control Center apart.” Megatron replied. “I suspect that in order to move the compressors and create these Clones, a lot of energy is required. When Zeta tries to recharge that will be our chance.”

Once they’d destroyed the wave of Clones, the compressors retracted to the ceiling and Zeta’s spherical machine core opened up, commencing a recharge cycle.

“Shoot the big glowy thing! SHOOT IT!” shouted Breakdown as he fired at the machine core, w ith the others fir ing the ir weapons as well . Upon interrupting the recharge cycle a second time round, the impact was far more noticeable than last time, as the lights dimmed and the room shook heavily.

“Your machinery is failing you Zeta Prime, where are your boasts now?” mocked Megatron.

Zeta, to his credit, was still fervent and defiant. “The battle is far from over, Decepticons! Prepare for Destruction!”

“I’ll grant him this. Zeta’s no coward. Unlike some leaders and commanders, he didn’t cower when the odds turned against him.” Cornelia had to admit that Zeta had a strong will and would not falter easily.

“I get ya, but, even though he’s standing up to Megatron, which most people are too scared shitless to do, so credit for that, he’s just not the same as Optimus.” Many couldn’t help but agree with Sasha.

“Yeah, he may have the same title and similar power, but he’s nothing like Optimus. Not even close.” Nunnally affirmed. From the moment she first saw Zeta Prime, she knew that he wasn’t really a true leader, like Optimus, who was more inspiring and caring; a real leader that people could rally behind, whereas Zeta needed to brag of his power, even resorting to imposing a system of inequality to further enforce his ‘superiority’.

“I couldn’t agree more. Zeta may come off as powerful, but Optimus is actually strong in every sense of the word. He doesn’t even need to say it, he just does it. His strength comes from who he is, not because he’s thinks he’s powerful.” Tian Zi affirmed, having seen Optimus for the first time during her forced wedding, when he’d offered to give his freedom in exchange for hers, should he lose, even though he didn’t know her.

From then on, anytime she interacted with Optimus, she saw kindness and strength in his optics. But when she looked at Zeta, she saw only the same arrogance and complacency that had plagued the High Eunchs, and so, in her mind, Zeta could never come close to Optimus.

Kemsin chimed in: “I may not have known him as long as many of you, but from my brief interactions with Optimus, and from the way people spoke about him, Optimus is a leader unlike any other, for he is not malicious, conceited, but a noble spirit who only wishes for the world to be at peace and for any being, regardless of who they are, to be free and to prosper.” Kenshin had previously sent Optimus a gift as a goodwill gesture, and had been more than pleased to hear that Optimus had appreciated the gift, and had enjoyed talking with him.

This unified discussion of Optimus’s virtues compared to Zeta’s made many realise the further common ground between them, for while they had not known each other long, they each knew Optimus . They knew his character, what his motives and actions were, and based on that, it became clear that each group was close too or had shared experiences with Optimus that had allowed them to understand him only too well. This made many smile: intrigued to know that they all had come to know Optimus and interact with him.

“Well it would seem that we have found further common ground amongst ourselves.” commented Armin with a smile.

“That we have and to have found it in relation to Optimus especially, well, I’m sure he himself would be happy at such a notion” responded Euphemia, with a smile.

“If we get a moment, it’d be cool to talk about our experiences with Optimus, as I’m sure he’s had a big impact on your world.” Sasha offered.

“He most certainly did have an impact.” Nunnally smiled. “I think that sharing our experiences is a wonderful idea. You mentioned that Optimus told you stories? I would be very interested in hearing about that.”

Lelouch was very happy on hearing all this, as it was exactly the type of interaction he and Optimus were striving for in their universe: understanding and serenity between others, even among complete strangers. And the fact his sisters had managed to partake in the exchange, with Optimus as the subject over which they were all able to find common ground, only made him happier.

He also had to admit he was curious about the influence Optimus had on the Survey Corps, because if his own experience was anything to go by, Optimus was always able to positively touch the lives he interacted with, no matter how small an influence.

With that, many were looking forward to discussing and exchanging stories later on. Keeping this thought in the back of their minds, they returned, seriously, to watching the fight.

As Zeta began moving, the room shifted and shook with his movements.

Seeing the outer floor glowing, and sensing the energy spikes in the room, Soundwave sensed extreme danger.

“Alert. ALERT. Zeta Prime is modifying the room.” Soundwave transformed, and quickly drove to evade the compressors, which were dropping at an even faster rate than before. The others had to transform into vehicles as well, if they were to avoid a smashing demise.

After circling the compressors once again, Zeta prepared to dispatch more Clones.

“I can easily create more Energon clones, you WILL be Destroyed!” Zeta declared, as he spawned the largest number of them thus far.

Upon seeing that Zeta was repeating previous patterns, many were starting to sense the momentum may have turned against Zeta.

“No new attacks or tricks? He’s gonna need to do something new here or else the cons are just gonna run circles around him.” Kallen scoffed, annoyed by Zeta’s unoriginality.

“This shows that Zeta isn’t as great a fighter as he may think. He’s just doing the same thing over and over, hoping that will win the battle, ignoring the fact that the Decepticons have beaten this strategy twice. He’s not using the tools at his disposal creatively, nor is he adapting to the Decepticons and how they respond” Eren surmised, also disappointed with Zeta’s lack of effective tactics.

“Megatron brought out his Spiked Mace and began smashing his way through them, smashing any Clone that dared challenge him.

Knockout was firing sticky grenades from his Magma Frag launcher to demolish a big group of Clones, as most of his other weapons and abilities were unable to contend with such a number of foes singlehandedly.

“Wow! And here was I thinking ONE of this guy was annoying” Knockout grumbled, as he was growing tired of dealing with the Clones.

Whilst they continued fighting the hordes of Clones, Zeta was bringing down more compressors from the ceiling, this time dropping two: one in each of the inner and outer lanes, hoping to ensure any con underneath would be crushed with little chance of escape.

Breakdown was firing his Scatter Blaster non stop with the close range being suitable for his weapon, whilst dodging any attack as he had to reload.

As for Soundwave, he had brought out his Hammer and Shield and was smashing the last of the Clones, blocking any attacks they tried against him.

Eventually, after dealing with the last wave of Clones. Zeta had to initiate yet another recharge cycle. And Megatron saw his chance to finally finish Zeta Prime.

“He’s recharging - fire at the core!” The Decepticons reigned bullets upon the core, this time determined to destroy the core for sure. To seal the deal, Megatron transformed into tank mode and fired a shot, destroying the machine. At this, the room began shaking violently, red lights and errors blared across the room.

“No! Systems failing - This cannot be!” Zeta exclaimed in disbelief , as he looked at the malfunctioning machinery around him.

Seeing Zeta Prime’s defeat, many were dismayed. Despite leaving much to be desired as a bot and having acted in ways which many disagreed with, both in the past and present, Zeta Prime was still the last hope and Bulwark against Megatron getting his hands on the Omega Key.

“He’s lost... The Decepticons have managed to destroy his machinery and crush his pride” Diethard shook his head in disappointment. Not only had Zeta failed to stop Megatron, he had proven himself an unworthy leader when it truly mattered.

“He was too arrogant, too pre-occupied with talking down to the Decepticons, humiliating and underestimating them, when he should have remained on guard and focused on the battle.” Tohdoh reasoned. Zeta’s behaviour during the battle, reminded him of Sawazaki in some respects.

“Indeed, whilst Zeta’s willingness to stand up to Megatron was commendable, had he been more prudent, instead of posturing to prove his superiority, he might not have over taxed his machinery so quickly.” Shadis added.

The room continued to fall apart. Compressors became dislodged and, soon enough, the spherical machine core above Zeta began falling apart also, lowering his force-field. Pieces of the machine core dropped right on top of him: one hitting his right arm before another knocked him to the ground as more pieces fell, with one piece slicing into his right leg.

Unable to move, Zeta looked upward to see Megatron standing over him. Megatron reached down and grabbed Zeta by the torso with a single arm.

Zeta was battered, his chassis sparking. And yet he remained undaunted, only saying. “Finish it!”

Everyone watching was forced to acknowledge that in spite of his arrogance, Zeta remained defiant against Megatron, right up to the last moment, and that was worthy of respect, in spite of everything else they disliked about him.

Upon hearing Zeta’s defiance, Megatron began squeezing and crushing Zeta’s left side, causing him to contort and writhe in pain.

This violent act was difficult to watch, with some averting their eyes or cringing at the painful punishment Megatron was inflicting.

The unbearable pain forced Zeta to let go of the Omega Key, as it flew upward from his right hand and into Megatron’s left hand.

Megatron let go of Zeta, throwing him to the ground, having no further need of him. He gazed on the Omega key with evil delight.

Everyone could only watch in dread and anticipation for what they knew must be about to happen.

“The Omega Key is mine! The Core of Cybertron is mine!” Megatron pronounced, relishing his moment of victory.

But even as he looked and gloated over the Key, the middle part of it began flashing red, sounding an alarm like noise.

Breakdown and Knockout looked at each other in confusion. They looked back at Soundwave to see if he had an explanation, but, in a very rare instance, Soundwave simply looked back at them blankly, as he too had no idea what all this meant.

“Uhhhmmm, is it supposed to do that?” Ashely asked, somewhat confused.

“I’m not sure? It wasn’t beeping earlier, what caused it do so now?” Guildford wondered.

“Well, flashing red lights normally aren’t a good sign” Claus commented with a serious look: even he couldn’t guess what that red light meant exactly.

Seeing their surprise, Zeta began laughing, causing Megatron to look back at him in astonishment.

“Your spies were misinformed Megatron. That device only activates the key to the core.” Zeta smiled, despite being in extreme pain and having numerous wounds. “But don’t worry , t he Omega Key will come to you ” he alluded ominously , as the screen went black momentarily.

“So it’s just an activation switch? All that - for that?” Ryo questioned.

“It was a trick all along. Megatron didn’t know what the Omega Key actually looked like, having only his spies’ reports to act on” Lelouch deduced. “Relying on this misdirection, Zeta drew Megatron’s attention onto him, by claiming he had the Omega Key, so Megatron would commence an assault that would ultimately yield him nothing.”

“So Zeta actually duped Megatron? Cant’ say I saw that coming.” Jean was surprised by this revelation, as were many others.

Zeta may have been a proud bot, but it seemed he was far from incompetent. Zeta had been playing Megatron from the very beginning of the invasion, goading him and baiting him to retrieve a device that instead of granting him access to the core, merely activated the real Omega Key. And whilst everyone had to admit it was a clever trick, that left them with one question. If neither Zeta or Megatron had the real Omega Key, where or what was it?

They soon got their answer, as the scene shifted to the face of a giant Autobot, which one of the Black Knights instantly recognised, with many of them smirking or grinning when they saw who it was.

“Omega: activated” said the giant Autobot, as his eyes lit up an orange glow.

“Power: Optimal” he stated , as his left arm began turning. His chest then began shifting, showcasing the large Autobot symbol which adorned it.

“Mission: Destroy Megatron.” The giant Autobot transformed into his rocket-like vessel vehicle mode and launched upward to terminate Megatron…

…and the screen faded out entirely.

The Survey Corps eyes widened upon seeing the massive Autobot, with many thinking back to earlier, when Misty said there were larger transformers out there. Now they had seen just such an example. Whilst they didn’t know his full size compared to a regular Transformer, there was no doubt that he was big and from the sounds of it he was powerful too.

“What the hell was that?!” Ymir couldn’t even begin to comprehend what she saw.

But the Black Knights had a completely different reaction. Whilst they were surprised and excited to find that Omega Supreme himself was in fact the true Omega Key, they also felt extremely satisfied that Megatron had unwittingly invited one of the most powerful Autobots in existence to hunt and destroy him.

“What you just saw is big trouble for the Cons.” Milly smirked, not wanting to ruin the surprise of what was to come.

“Got that right!! Megadick and the cons are in the shit now!” Tamaki joined in, excited that they would now be seeing one of the most powerful Autobots in action.

This made the Survey Corps all the more intrigued to see more of this ‘Omega’ for themselves, especially Hanji, who was becoming giddy at the thought. Considering many of the Black Knights also looked excited, whilst they had yet to see what the True Omega Key was capable of and how big and powerful he truly might be, everyone could only wait with baited breath to find out.

With the viewing over, Vector Prime appeared and spoke to all present.

“And so, the Attack on Iacon appeared to succeed, only for it to fail in outcome, foiled through a ruse by Zeta Prime. however, Megatron’s ambition was far from finished. Are you ready to see where his ambition leads?’

Everyone present confirmed that they were anxious to see more. The Black Knights knew that Omega had battled Megatron to protect the Core of Cybertron, and were eager to see the battle for themselves.

The Survey Corps wanted to see what Omega Supreme could do in general, to see how big and powerful he really was, because for such an important task to fall into the hands of one Autobot meant that bot must be unbelievably strong.

“Very well, it is time for you to see Megatron’s next move in his quest to claim the true Omega Key.”

(I've had to put my Author's end notes here, as the actual section isn't big enough lol)

And with that, Chapter 3 is done!

Megatron and his team were able to reach the heart of Iacon, slaughtering countless Autobots to reach that point, (along with some complaints from Breakdown and Knockout). We also saw some of Megatron’s main circle in action, with Soundwave, Breakdown and even Knockout showing their lethal capabilities, showcasing why they’re some of Megatron’s most go to soldiers (despite the occasional setbacks later on in canon lol.)

However, the Omega key they were chasing was not the real thing, and now Megatron must pursue the real thing, though that will be even harder this time considering that Omega Key is in fact: Omega Supreme! And he’s gonna be a real challenge to face, even for the cons.

In this chapter I added Knockout to the group, as he’s partners with Breakdown in TFP and in Code Prime, making it fitting to have the two work together. And considering he’s not as brave as his partner, combined with Breakdown’s differing character interpretations (I’ll touch upon that in a moment). It made sense to give him some of the more scared dialogue, whilst also giving him dialogue that fitted with his other characteristics.

As for Breakdown, I’m trying to reconcile and balance his WFC counterpart with his Prime one. The balance I’ve gone for shows him still asking the occasional nervous question and being shocked at things (like the destroyer). But I’ll be toning down his nervousness in the next chapter, as some of those lines are better suited for Knockout, (especially because some later lines have more comedic effect with Knockout being the one to deliver them, as he had some funny moments akin to this idea in the show.)I Hope this makes sense.

I also added Onslaught to appear alongside Brawl, again for the same reason as in Chapter 1: they’re both Combaticons, so it’s convenient to have them appear together. Also it makes the cutscene with Brawl outside the vault a little more interesting, as it’s not just Brawl fighting off Autobots but Onslaught too, and it again shows why the Combaticons were so feared.

I even gave Dreadwing and Skye Byte cameos. Whilst it was brief, I have plans for both of them later on, so they’ll be getting more time in the spotlight.

On a particular note, I wanted to try and give some characterisation to Zeta Prime in this chapter, even if it’s relatively brief and not the most fleshed out. I tried to combine his character in WFC with some elements of his aligned novel version, to create the impression that Zeta is a mixed bag of a character. He’s not incompetent, nor is he outright evil: hell he’s brave enough to shit talk Megatron and goad him, even when he’s literally in Megatron’s hands.

However, he is a boastful, complacent individual who believes in the sheer force of his power and importance, as evidenced by his behaviour in his boss fight and even the fact he played a part in establishing a caste system on Cybertron and was content for that to be the way of Cybertronian society for a long time (if not indefinitely). Furthermore, Zeta has no doubt been responsible for many dubious or even morally questionable actions himself, both before and during the war, so he is not a figure to be totally admired.

In summary, my thoughts on Zeta are that he isn’t outright hate-able, compared to the likes of Charles Zi Britannia, let alone Megatron, Bearing in mind, Zeta must be respected to some degree, or the Autobots would not go to such great lengths to rescue him from Kaon Prison later on; and they do mourn his perceived and then actual death, meaning that he isn’t entirely insufferable and has some decent qualities.

However, on the flip side he’s a leader who made many mistakes and even did quite a few messed up things (the caste system being one of them.) Also his pride isn’t exactly subtle, and as the saying goes ‘pride comes before the fall’, and boy did Zeta fall.

In a sense, he’s a foil for Optimus Prime and Megatron. Compared to Optimus, he’s nowhere near as kind or inspiring, while compared to Megatron, he isn’t nearly as ruthless or power hungry.

Also I didn’t have the characters discuss the fact he played a part in the caste system in detail here, with some of them only thinking about it. Also his role in it wasn’t heavily touched upon in Prime, Code Prime or Attack on Prime, only discussed in relevance to the past as a whole. Add on the fact they were mainly pre-occupied with watching him fight the Decepticons and it would’ve been too much to have both his involvement and the fight being discussed at the same time.

However I do plan on mentioning this in a much later chapter, so this won’t be forgotten.

For the tech specs, I used a mix of the G1 (1986) and the Takara (2012) tech specs for Breakdown, and the Prime RID (2012) Knockout.

On the matter of Breakdown, I felt his stats would likely vary between his WFC form and his Prime form.

I went with the Takara version for most of his stats, as those would be closer to his base abilities in the aligned continuity as a whole, whilst comparing them to the G1 version, since they’re closer to his smaller form at the time of this chapter.

Any underlined stat has been modified to reconcile the two tech specs, the rest are based on the Takara 2012 stats, hope my process was clear.

As for Knockout, I modified his skill slightly to reflect that his skill comes from his scientific and tech knowledge, as well as his repair abilities, which I think warrants him a better than average skill stat, with his lesser combat skill bringing down his overall rating.

Anyways, with that long authors note finished, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time!

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 Death of Hope

The viewing begins with a narration: Zeta Prime is conquered, but the device Megatron believed to be the Omega Key, simply activated the real key – Omega Supreme.

Megatron quickly discovers he can use the original device to track Omega Supreme and races above the skies of Iacon in pursuit of his quarry.

The scene opens with a trio of warships flying in the sky. Megatron’s flagship leads the group with two cruisers following behind in a triangle pattern.

Megatron stands in the ship near the front of the deck with the tracking device in his hand; Soundwave sits to his right, Breakdown to his left and Knockout in front of him.

“Maintain this heading! The device shows the Omega Key is directly ahead!” Megatron shouted, as he points ahead of them.

Breakdown was somewhat confused. “I thought Zeta said it was gonna come to US!”

Nile was surprised. “He’s trying to hunt down the Omega Key, even though he has no idea what it is or even what it looks like, or the fact that supposedly it will ‘come to them?’ ”

“With the lengths that Megatron went to find that device in the first place, it’s no surprise that he isn’t gonna wait around for the Omega Key to just suddenly appear in front of him like magic.” replied Marrybell.

“We are being intercepted!” Soundwave interrupted Megatron, as he pointed to a large Autobot vessel approaching them at high speed.

The vessel in question was Omega Supreme! He was a large Rocket-like vehicle, with a big moving circular component at the front, four wing like boosters on the back, and two large weapons attached on the left and right sides of the rocket.

Omega fired his weapons at the Decepticon’s ships, shooting Rockets and Plasma Blasts at them, shooting down the two other Decepticon cruisers, leaving only Megatron’s ship intact.

The Survey Corps couldn’t believe their eyes! This large vessel had just taken out two cruisers in an instant! Heck, the vessel appeared to be bigger than Megatron’s own ship.

“Did you see that?!” Connie shouted.

“How could I NOT see it?! That vessel blasted those ships out of the sky like it was nothing!” Jean meanwhile wasn’t yet over his shock.

As for the Black Knights, they were not as surprised, many of them having witnessed Omega’s awesome power for themselves, despite him joining their war in the late stages.

“Yeah! Now that’ll show the cons!” cheered Ryo.

“Megatron’s in for it now!” said Gino enthusiastically.

“It’s coming right at us!” Knockout exclaimed as the Autobot vessel raced closer towards them.

“Stay your course!” Megatron cared little and urged them to fly straight at the Autobot vessel.

“We’re gonna dieeeeeee!” Knockout turned the ship at the last minute, just before the two vessels could collide.

With the collision having been avoided, the giant vessel began shifting, before the view shifted back to Megatron’s ship.

“That was close! Any closer and they’d have been turned into a pancake!” said Niccolo.

“They might have avoided a collision, but they are not out of danger.” reminded Sayoko.

“Turn around and… where did it go?” Megatron looked around and ahead, but the Autobot vessel was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s gone!” Knockout was also surprised. How could something so large just suddenly disappear?

“What is this guy? You think he knows about the Omega Key?” wondered Breakdown.

As they were flying, a large foot suddenly slammed down on a bridge in front of them, and a large behemoth of a transformer grabbed the ship with his right claw hand.

The force of such a move caused the ship to shake and Megatron to fall on his knees, with the tracking device bleeping at a frantic rate. Megatron came to a crucial realisation.

“No, Breakdown, he IS the Omega Key!”

The view then panned to a shot of Omega Supreme holding the ship, transforming to robot mode, with his shoulders and chest plate, along with his wing like features on his back, fully formed upwards. It was only now, that his size was truly apparent. Even Omega Prime’s hand holding the ship was larger than the ship itself!

The Survey Corps couldn’t help but feel their eyes widen and their mouths drop at the sheer size of this giant. He might as well be a Colossal Titan when compared to regular Transformers! Hell, he seemed to be twice the size of the Colossal Titan!

“Holy shit! HE’s the Omega Key?! He’s ENORMOUS!!” Floch’s eyes widened as he took in the size comparison of Omega and the ship in his hand.

“He’s….. INCREDIBLE!! Is this one of those giant transformers you guys were alluding to?! Ohhh… I want to examine him so BADLY!!” Hanji couldn’t contain their excitement at seeing the giant Autobot’s robot form in it’s full glory.

“I can understand your enthusiasm. Omega Supreme is one of the most powerful Autobots there is. His sheer size towers over many Cybertronians and vehicles alike” Misty affirmed, as she remembered when she saw Omega transform for the first time, and how in awe she was of his size.

“He’s also got immense strength and firepower in that big chassis, allowing him to fend off nearly any army that comes his way. And that’s not counting the fact he’s as tough as a starship!” Toto added excitedly.

It was then the huge Autobot spoke: “Identity: Omega Supreme. Enemy status: TERMINATED.” he wound his arm back and threw the ship with great force into the side of a building, seemingly destroying the Decepticon ship, in a big explosion.

The scene cuts to the Decepticons inside the ship, having miraculously survived Omega’s attempt to destroy them, albeit they were not exactly in a good position, with the ship being mostly wrecked, inside and out.

“What are we gonna do NOW Megatron?” Breakdown asked, unsure of what they could do after something like that.

“Silence!” Megatron roared, not caring for Breakdown’s tone. “This merely modifies my plan. If Omega Supreme IS the key, then I shall FORCE him to open the planets core.

“Wow, it’s a miracle the cons survived, considering their ship got flung into the side of a building!” Dalque commented.

“I know. Megatron has survived being in a ship and crashing twice. If I had a coin for each time that happened I’d have two, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.” Ymir noted in a humorous manner.

The group noticed a hole in the ship leading outside to a ledge, where a few other Decepticons were standing. They exited the damaged ship and moved onto the ledge, as the ground began shaking and they ship they were once in, fell over from the shaking.

Soundwave suddenly picked up a signal. “Megatron - there is a Decepticon Drop Ship across the bridge below us. They appear to be scanning for survivors.”

Just then, Dreadwing began transmitting. “Come in Megatron! This is Dreadwing, do you read me?”

“Dreadwing! I am seven clicks north of your position!” replied Megatron, as he and the other three began making their way down to the bridge where the Drop Ship was.

“Megatron! I watched you crash and burn” Starscream rudely interrupted, with dramatic exaggeration.

Megatron was not in the mood for Starscream’s games. He and his team made it to the bridge, where many other Decepticons survivors were. “Enough! Meet us at the bridge!”

“Roger, Lord Megatron!” Sky-Byte acknowledged as the three of them signed off.

“Seems some other cons survived getting shot down? How fortunate for them.” Ayano snarked.

“They’re trying to evacuate the area. It would seem they’re avoiding a fight with Omega Supreme, not that I blame them to be honest.” commented Onyankopon.

“Add on the fact Starscream’s being a bother for no good reason. The Decepticons aren’t in a good position right now.” Monica surmised.

As Megatron and his team got closer to the Drop Ship, Omega Supreme suddenly dropped down from above in robot mode, right behind the Drop Ship!

“Identification: Decepticons. Action: Terminate.” Omega said robotically, as he raised his left arm and pierced through the grounded Drop Ship, before raising his left arm and throwing the destroyed ship backwards behind him.

Megatron and his team began firing at Omega Supreme, with many other Decepticons Troopers doing the same, as Omega Supreme began using his right hand to magnetically draw in any nearby Decepticons, starting with the four Decepticons who had been standing nearest to the Drop Ship.

“He’s got me!” a Decpticon cried out, as he and the other three were gathered to Omega’s right.

“Help us! Megatron!” another called, as Omega flung him and two others into a wall, killing them all on the spot.

The Decepticons continued to fire in the hopes of harming Omega, but to little effect.

“He just dropped in out of nowhere! You’d have thought something as big as him would’ve made more noise!” Mikasa exclaimed.

“Stealth or not, he’s found Megatron along with the other surviving Decepticons and he means to see them terminated.” Jeremiah responded.

“Well I don’t see how Megatron and the cons are gonna beat Omega like this: their weapons aren’t even making a dent!” said Ohgi as he watched Omega tank the incoming fire, without even flinching.

“Our weapons are ineffective.” Soundwave reported.

“We can’t fight this thing! We’ve got to get out of here!” Knockout shouted.

In the midst of the firefight, Megatron saw that there were two supports holding the bridge together, and Omega Supreme was standing on the other side of those bridge supports. As such there might be a way to deal with him outside of firepower.

“Stand your ground, Decepticons! Destroy the bridge supports!” he ordered as he fired his Fusion Canon at the bridge support on the right, blowing it up in two shots. The others fired at the left side support and destroyed it after a few bursts of bullets.

With the bridge supports gone, the ground beneath Omega Supreme began to collapse, causing him to fall forward onto his hand servos. He tried holding on, but it did little to help. The bridge he was on then crumbled completely, causing Omega to fall with the collapsing bridge.

“Well, that was unceremoniously easy.” Louise said with a somewhat disappointed tone.

“Yeah! Surely the big bot would put up more of a fight than that!” Tamaki was frustrated by how brief Omega’s attack seemed to be.

“That did it alright – but there goes your Omega Key!” said Breakdown, somewhat perplexed as to how Megatron could now proceed with his plan.

Megatron did not seem bothered by the idea of Omega falling from a great height. “We can salvage the wreckage for what we need.”

What no one counted on was Omega flying back up in his rocket mode, having appeared to have taken little to no damage at all!

“Target: Acquired. Mission: Destroy.” said Omega, as he began priming his weapons to fight again.

“Did they just forget that he can fly?” Marrybell narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

“It would seem so. They may have assumed he couldn’t transform mid air in time.” speculated Pixis.

“Maybe, but they do look rather silly now, by assuming that they’d bested such a threat that quickly.” said Kaguya with a cheeky smile.

Realising that fighting Omega now was fruitless, Megatron knew it was time to retreat - for now.

“Fall back! Inside, quickly!” Megatron transformed into vehicle mode, as did the other three and the group drove off the bridge, just as Omega fired a large beam of energy at the remnants of the bridge, causing it to start breaking apart.

“The bridge is rapidly disintegrating.” reported Soundwave.

“Yeah I can see that! Considering it’s disappearing right behind us!” Knockout replied, somewhat irritated that Soundwave was stating the obvious in the middle of a perilous situation.

“The cons really are good at stating the obvious at the worst times.” Rai smirked.

“It’s starting to piss me off, how often some of them do that. You do don’t need to point out the forest is on fire when you’re in the fucking forest.” Levi said irritated.

The four Decepticons made it to large door leading inside. Breakdown tried opening the door but it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s no use Megatron, the doors locked!” he shouted, alarmed by the fact they would be toast if they couldn’t get in.

Soundwave, however, had a solution in mind. “Suggestion. Use Dark Energon to open the door.”

“An excellent idea Soundwave” complimented Megatron, as he began using Dark Energon to force the door open, which allowed him and the other three to get inside, just as Omega fired one last blast at the bridge, causing debris from it to fly towards the entrance they’d just walked through, sealing it off.

“Well, that went south fast.” said Orpheus.

“Yea! Omega wiped out nearly all of the cons there, meanwhile they couldn’t even scratch him! Even destroying the ground beneath him did nothing! He really is as strong as you guys said!” Sasha said, astonished by Omega’s formidability.

“For Megatron to battle a being as powerful as Omega Supreme, he will need to find a means of evening the odds, otherwise he and the rest of his team stand no chance.” Tohdoh concluded.

“Now what? How are we gonna beat this guy, Megatron?” asked Knockout, worried by how extremely dangerous and invincible Omega seemed.

“During our approach to this sector, my scanners detected Ion Turrets near the top of the chasm wall” Soundwave offered, as he equipped a close by Magma Frag Launcher.

“I see. So we could lure Omega Supreme up there and use the Autobot guns against him!” Megatron was on board with the idea.

“I’m down for that! Lets see if the big lug can take that kind of firepower!” Breakdown exclaimed in excitement, as he picked up some Fuse Grenades.

“That’s their way of evening the odds” Jeanne noted grimly.

“We’ve seen how powerful Cybertronian Turrets are. The Deceptiocns were able to fend off a massive Autobot assault with them, so there is a chance that those weapons would be able to damage Omega.” Erwin noted.

“Well, they’ll most likely have to fight their way through to the Turrets, as they are still in Iacon and Omega is likely still out there too.”

“I don’t like this... it’s too quiet, how come all the firing has stopped?” Knockout pondered, sensing that it was too easy for them too have gotten away altogether.

Knockout’s wariness would soon prove warranted, as a number of Autobots began storming the room: a Brute and an Autobot Trooper appeared from the right side of where they’d entered.

Soundwave quickly fired his Neutron Assault Rifle to kill the lone Trooper, whilst Breakdown and Knockout went to fight the Brute.

Breakdown was the first to attack, dodging a strike from the Brute, before dashing behind him and smacking the Brute’s backpack twice with his Spiked Clubs. The Brute then turned around and moved to attack Breakdown again, forcing Breakdown to defend against the Brute’s Hammer with his Clubs.

Whilst the Brute had his back turned Knockou t struck the Brute in the back with his Electric Spear, and activated it’s electrical shock at maximum power, severely damaging the Brute’s back pack. The Brute stopped attacking Breakdown, and turned to face Knockout, who looked at the Brute awkwardly, having garnered the anger of the hammer-wielding warrior. But before the Brute could attack, Breakdown swung his maces into the Brute’s backpack, causing it to spark. The Brute tried reaching his backpack to stop it exploding, but failed and was blown to pieces.

The attack wasn’t over, however, as a Heavy Ion Soldier then appeared on the Left Side.

“Looks like the Autobots have found Megatron and his group. How did they know to look there?” pondered Odrin.

“Omega Supreme may have seen Megatron force open the door and alerted nearby Autobots to that location as being the Decepticons last whereabouts.” answered Armin.

“That would make sense. If so, that means the Decepticons don’t have the element of surprise anymore, so getting to the Turrets undetected isn’t an option.” added Cornelia.

Megatron activated his Hover ability, and began blasting the Heavy Soldier with his boosted Fusion Canon to wither him down.

The Soldier fired back at Megatron, wounding him a fair amount, but Megatron kept firing in spite of the pain. Meanwhile Soundwave swapped to the Magma Frag Launcher and fired his own set of explosives at the Heavy Soldier, with the combined ordinance weakening the Heavy Soldier, allowing Megatron to hover closer and blast the Heavy Soldier to bits with a shot to the chest.

With the Autobots destroyed, Soundwave began healing Megatron, as he and Knockout had swapped medic duties. He began picking up a frequency.

“Megatron, I am receiving a Decepticon transmission.” Soundwave shared the transmission with the others.

The transmission had Starscream speaking “To all the Decepticons who fight for the glory of Cybertron! Megatron has fallen. I, Starscream, have taken my rightful place as your leader!”

This ‘bold’ statement made many laugh.

“The balls on this guy! I mean seriously!” Connie was holding his stomach as he laughed.

“Megatron’s gone for less than a few minutes and he just jumps right into his seat?” Sokkia found Starscream’s opportunism comedic at this point.

“Classic Starscream! Never wasting an opportunity to stake his claim as leader.” Shirley giggled.

Megatron was outraged at the this proclamation, which he was more than ready to clarify to Starscream. “Starscream you halfwit! I still function! A fact you will soon regret, when I choke THE LIFE OUT OF YOU! Now- I order you to deploy ships for immediate evacuation!”

“Starscream cannot hear you, Megatron. All communication to the surface has been jammed.” Soundwave clarified, much to Megatron’s frustration.

“Grrr! Lets head for that lift, before that idiot Starscream causes irreparable harm. Hopefully Dreadwing and Skybyte can manage the imbecile in the meanwhile.”

Megatron’s reactions made people laugh even more.

“Wow, from the look on his face, he must be fuming at Starscream!” Rivalz laughed.

“Whilst an angry Megatron is something to be avoided, I must admit, that little moment was quite humorous” Kenshin smiled in amusement.

“That’s the weird thing with these two. Most of the time you hate them for their awful personalities and the atrocities they’ve committed, but when they interact, you get moments like this, where they’re like a slapstick comedy pair.” observed Milly, laughing.

Megatron began moving towards a door from where the Heavy Soldier had entered, as that was where the lift was, along with Soundwave, Breakdown and Knockout.

The group found themselves in a hallway that curved to the right, with see-through windows on the left side. As the Decepticons moved down the hallway, they could hear a loud noise outside, and looked through the windows to see Omega Supreme flying through the air.

“Uh oh, here he comes!” alerted Knockout, as he could see Omega had spotted them.

“Keep moving, Decepticons! We need to reach that lift!” shouted Megatron as the four of them began rushing towards the lift and out of Omega’s line of sight.

“This lift will provide passage to the surface when activated.” stated Soundwave, as he pressed a switch to activate the lift.

The lift began shifting, with metal panels moving all across as if it was going to move. However, the lift stayed still.

“What’s wrong with this thing? Why can’t we get it to move?” quizzed Breakdown.

“The elevator is locked down.” replied Soundwave, as he motioned to the three locks that were keeping the lift in place.

“A simple solution then - break the locks!” said Megatron as he smashed one lock with his spiked Mace, with Soundwave and Breakdown destroying the other two with their melee weapons. With the locks removed, the lift began ascending.

“It seems that Omega is trailing behind them, like a predator searching for his target.” noticed Xing Ke.

“It’s almost like a game of cat and mouse, with the Decepticons trying to evade Omega Supreme and get to the goal without him finding them.” Akito continued.

“Well in this case, the ‘cat’ in question is a giant robot who can wipe out an army, so he’s quite the ‘cat’ indeed.” Kiyomi jested, to the amusement of some.

As the lift rose up, Megatron tried contacting Starscream.

“Starscream - come in, this is Megatron.” But he received no reply.

“There is too much interference. We must move higher to relay your signal.” Soundwave stated.

“Can this feeble Autobot mechanism not move any faster?!?” Megatron growled impatiently, as the lift rose through the shaft, with the shaft now becoming see-through and the view of Iacon now in sight.

After a few moments of relative quiet in the elevator, it appeared the Decepticons were clear of Omega Supreme.

“It appears we’ve lost that dull witted brute Omega Supreme? Not that he stood a chance against my intellect.” Megatron boasted, with his back to the see-through shaft.

However, he failed to notice what now loomed outside the Elevator shaft.

“Uh, Megatron...” Knockout interrupted sheepishly, his face pale, with others looking equally startled as they looked through of the Elevator shaft glass.

Seeing what was outside, people began chuckling and smirking.

“I can’t believe Megatron hasn’t seen it coming yet” Kaguya smirked mischievously.

“Is he oblivious or something? How can you miss something like that?”Jean tried his best to stifle a laugh.

“What?” Megatron asked, in an annoyed tone as he turned around, only for his optics to widen at what he saw. “WHAT…?!”

It was Omega Supreme! The Decepticons hadn’t lost him, he had been following them the whole time in rocket form! Omega rammed into the elevator shaft causing it to shake, knocking all of the Decepticons down onto the floor.

“Targets: Reacquired. Weapons: Engaging.” said Omega as his weapons began charging to attack.

“Well, well. So much for his ‘intellect’!” Yukiya laughed, as Megatron spoke too soon.

“Fucker’s so big headed, he probably couldn’t see Omega behind his ego.” Kenny remarked with a dry smile, which made many others laugh even more.

“That will teach him to boast before he’s in the clear.” Nunnally gave a smirk similar to her brother, as she smiled in satisfaction at Megatron’s hubris coming back to bite him.

“Wow… he looks REALLY angry” commented Breakdown, somewhat nervous about the predicament they were in.

As he said this, Omega moved his left and right weapons forward, linking them with his front module, which turned out to be a Laser Beam Canon which he had used earlier when destroying the bridge. Omega fired his Laser at the lift shaft, above where the Decepticons were heading, damaging the lift which then stopped moving.

“Identification: Megatron, Decepticon Leader. Recommendation: Complete termination.”stated Omega, as he began charging his laser again, to fire at the lift.

Megatron was not about to cower before this robotic abomination. “ You think you can destroy me Omega Supreme?! You think you can destroy MEGATRON?! Do your worst. ”

Megatron would get his wish, as Omega fired his laser at full power, which impacted the lift shaft, destroying the top altogether and the lift itself began falling rapidly.

A large red warning sign flashed signalling the lift’s damaged condition, and two safety locks activated slowing the lift’s descent.

Everybody was in disbelief at what Megatron had just said and done.

“Did he just goad Omega Supreme to hit him as hard as he could, whilst inside of an elevator, with no means of retaliating?” Euphemia questioned.

“I do believe he did, yes.” confirmed Onyankopon.

After a few seconds passed, many people fell about laughing.

“That crazy son of a bitch!” Hanji couldn’t help but laugh, at Megatron’s ridiculously stubborn and defiant attitude.

“Only he would do something that batshit crazy!” Alice fell backward, laughing at Megatron’s lunacy.

“I don’t know whether to compliment his ‘bravery’ in the face of certain death, or groan at the near stupidity of inviting a war machine to obliterate you inside a slow moving elevator” agreed Guildford.

Knockout had covered his optics before the blast hit, and when he opened them again, he found that he was still functional. “We’re still alive? We’re still alive! - What happened?” he asked.

He wouldn’t get an answer, as Megatron knew they were still in danger, trapped in an immobile lift and easy targets. They had to get out fast! “Open fire on the emergency locks! Destroy them!” Megatron blasted one lock with his Fusion Canon.

Seeing that Omega Supreme was about to fire again, Knockout quickly did the same, destroying the other lock with his Energon Battle Pistol.

The lift then began descending quickly again, but another set emergency locks activated as they fell. Breakdown and Soundwave shot these locks and the lift once again fell into free fall, slamming back into the ground with enough force to knock the Decepticons over.

Knockout saw the exit floor and realised what the plan was likely to be, much to his dismay.

“Megatron, all due respect… but are you CRAZY?! If we go out there he’ll melt us into scrap!”

Megatron was in no mood for Knockout’s objection. “Would you rather face his wrath or mine? Now Jump!”

“These guys are just plain ridiculous sometimes, I can’t- hahaha!” Sancia fell about laughing at the Decepticons antics: even in a time of near death, they somehow managed to be so dysfunctional.

“I thought the Seekers were funny, but Megatron and his group make them look like amateur comedians!” Ashely was laughing just as hard.

“Between Omega Supreme and Megatron, I think it’s pretty obvious which is more threatening.” Chigusa teased.

“Yeah, one is far away but the other is right within breathing distance and renowned for his poor temper. I think I whose wrath I’d rather face.” Nonette jokingly replied.

The Decepticons jumped from the lift onto a ledge, to avoid getting vaporised by Omega. The group then traversed a number of ledges, jumping downward to get out of the open. Once they’d reached the bottom they found a large door that led to an Iacon road tunnel.

There they encountered two Autobot Troopers. Soundwave transformed into vehicle mode, and fired four rockets at the Autobots, killing them, before driving down the Iacon tunnel, with the others transforming and doing the same, trying to get distance from Omega.

As they raced the down the Speedway, they ran into a group of Decepticon Troopers and the four of them transformed to speak with the soldiers, who were relieved to see their leader still alive.

“Megatron – your still functional!” a Decepticon Sergeant said. “Thank Primus we found you-”

His relief would be cut short, when the tunnel behind him and his troops was destroyed by a giant fist, killing two of the Decepticons, before the fist unclenched and began magnetically sucking in the Sargent, crushing him in the giant palm.

The fist withdrew to reveal Omega Supreme again, who was more than ready to re-engage.

“Decepticons: located” Omega then began using his magnetic powers to draw Megatron and his team closer to him.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that. He just suddenly appeared and cut that reunion short.” said Chiba in surprise.

“Indeed, now the Decepticons are within Omega’s range and they can’t flee from him either, thanks to his magnet.” evaluated Cera.

“They’ll need to act quickly if they want survive.” said Diethard, as they saw the Decepticons being pulled towards Omega on the screen.

“He’s trying to grab us!” cried Breakdown.

“Stop whining and start shooting, Breakdown!” rebuked Megatron, who was growing increasingly frustrated with Breakdown stating the obvious. Omega fired a magnetic pulse from his hand, knocking the Decepticons down and slowly drawing them towards Omega.

Megatron fired his Fusion Canon at Omega’s palm, with the others firing their weapons also, in the hopes of disabling Omega’s magnet. Omega’s magnet finally disabled, as he’d taken enough damage to disable it, at least temporarily. Omega sealed the hole he had made, with a piece of debris and left the Decepticons for the moment.

“Omega Supreme’s still on our tails! There’s got to be a way to shake him!” said Breakdown in frustration.

“Move back inside!” ordered Megatron. “Perhaps we can avoid Omega’s tracking systems.” The group went down the tunnel and made a right, where the Decepticon Sergeant and his troops had come from.

They dropped down a broken elevator shaft, wich had an elevator loosely hanging from the ceiling. Once at the bottom, Soundwave spoke.

“Fortified Autobot position located straight ahead. Jamming Autobot scanners now. Our approach should be undetected.”

“Excellent, those fools won’t know what’s coming.” said Megatron, as he and others began walking down a hallway towards the Autobot’s fortified position.

Whilst they were walking, Megatron spotted a see-through wall that allowed him to peer in and see the Autobot forces inside. He hid to one side of the wall and listened for a moment.

“Omega Supreme has lost the Decepticons!” one Autobot soldier reported from inside.

“Where’d they go?” another wondered anxiously.

“They must be co-ordinating with Omega Supreme, trying to locate us” observed Megatron. “Well, we’ll give them what they want - along with a painful death!” Megatron equipped a X12 Scrapmaker lying next to the wall and went rejoin the others.

“That explains how Omega Supreme has been following Megatron and his team.” noted Anya.

“Indeed, but Megatron is about to root out and terminate those Autobots, which will mean Omega won’t have inside eyes on the Decepticons.” Eren pointed out.

“And since they’re inside, there isn’t much Omega can do support them. Suffice to say they’re likely to be slaughtered.” Suzaku grimaced.

The Decepticons found a large reinforced door in front of the room where the Autobots were based. Breakdown jumped up, smashing the outside locks with his Spiked Clubs and causing the door to open. In response, the Autobots began firing at the door.

In order to mount a counterattack, Soundwave placed a Barrier in front of the door, which Knockout and Megatron stood behind and leaned out from to fire at the Autobots, whilst Megatron fired his recently acquired X12 Scrapmaker.

With the Autobots focused on Megatron and Knockout, Breakdown and Soundwave drove into the room via a left side ramp, where a Heavy Ion Soldier was firing down on the Barrier which Megatron and Knockout were shielding behind.

At this, the two Decepticons transformed and began firing at the Heavy Soldier, who returned fire, grazing both with a few bullets. Whilst his back was turned, Megatron began pelting the Heavy Soldier with a hail of bullets, causing him to wince from the pain.

“Operation: Destruction.” said Soundwave, as he fired two sticky grenades at the Heavy Soldier, which detonated, weakening him even more. Then, Breakdown threw a Fuse Grenade at his head, obliterating both his head and most of his top half.

With the Heavy Soldier out of the way, Megatron and Knockout moved in, with Knockout sniping from the high ground, whilst Megatron joined Soundwave and Breakdown on the lower floor.

On reaching the higher floor, Knockout saw the Ion Displacer and thought ‘why let a good thing go to waste’?

‘This is gonna hurt a lot’ he thought deviously, as he began eliminating any remaining Autobots on the higher ground, before going on to blast four Fliers out of the sky.

On the lower floor, Megatron and Breakdown were slaughtering numerous Autobot Troopers, with Megatron gunning through them, and Breakdown bludgeoning them.

As for Soundwave, he was battling a few Autobots himself, whacking them with his Hammer before killing the last remaining Autobots .

“Excellent work, Soundwave” complimented Megatron. “Now, unlock the exit door.”

“At once, Lord Megatron.” Soundwave transformed, and drove up to the top floor, where a computer module was positioned, on the same spot the Heavy Soldier had been guarding.

“More Autobots murdered at the hands of the Decepticons...” Leila looked uncomfortable, even though they’d already seen a fair amount of Autobots slaughtered, it didn’t make it easier seeing such noble souls being continually massacred, and deep down Leila knew they wouldn’t be the last.

“Not only that, but with every area they push through, the Decepticons will be getting closer to the Heavy Ion Turrets, and if they capture those, it’s very likely they could have a chance against Omega.” Nina added.

Soundwave interacted with the computer and opened their exit, only for more Autobots to stream through the door. Namely, a Brute, a Melee Specialist and most notably, a white coloured Autobot Flier, who hovered above the others with two Magma Frag Launchers attached to each of his hands. This was an Artillery Specialist, a quick, short ranged Autobot who could deal large amounts of burst damage.

"Beat those Decepticons senseless!" The Brute called out.

“These guys don’t know when to quit do they?” Knockout commented in an irritated manner, as he readied his Ion Displacer.

“Smash through them!” shouted Megatron as he fired his X12 Scrapmaker at the Melee Specialist.

Knockout rained fire upon the incoming Brute, who blocked most of the bullets, but was grazed by some, causing him damage. The Brute went for a swing, but Knockout was quick to dodge, and fired into the Brute’s backpack before swinging the Ion Displacer itself at the backpack, causing it to spark from the sheer damage it had just taken in such a short span. With this, the Brute exploded.

Meanwhile, Breakdown was trying to hit the Artillery specialist with his clubs, but the Specialist kept dodging constantly to the left and right, too fast for Breakdown to hit, whilst also firing his Magma Frag Launchers, more than keeping Breakdown on his toes.

“Annoying Autobot! Why won’t you just die already?” Breakdown grunted as he kept trying to hit the hovering Autobot.

“Wow, that guy is pretty quick, Breakdown can barely hit him!” Sasha was impressed by the Artillery Specialist.

“He certainly seems to be troublesome, with that speed and firepower he could easily flank or dive a slow enough bot and take them out no problem.” Cecile reasoned.

“I’m just happy to see such a marvellous piece of machinery in action.” Lloyd observed casually, causing Cecile to sigh. Lloyd found that the Artillery Specialist’s firepower and speed in the air, whilst in robot form, reminded him of the old float systems Britannia used to use. He wished that he could analyse one of those soldiers personally and examine their tech in person, but he figured that would be highly unlikely, and so was content to watch and enjoy the demonstration.

Meanwhile, Megatron was dodging the Melee Specialist’s attacks, whilst firing his X12 Scrapmaker in return. When the Specialist tried to rush Megatron, taking a big slash, Megatron side stepped at the last moment, managing to get behind the Specialist. Megatron kicked the Specialist in the back, knocking him to the ground, and then emptied the rest of his mag into him.

Breakdown, by now, had switched his attack plan, trying to shoot the Artillery Specialist with his Scatter Blaster, instead of whacking it. But had little luck as he’d only been able to land a shot or two.

“At this rate, I’m gonna stick out like a sore thumb!” he grunted.

His problem would soon be resolved when Soundwave started shooting the Artillery Specialist from behind with his Neutron Assault Rifle. Drawing the Artillery Specialist’s attention, he began firing sticky grenades at Soundwave, which Soundwave managed to dodge.

Seizing the opportunity, Breakdown quickly jumped into the air activating his Thunderblast and zapping the Artillery Specialist mid air, which finally took him out completely.

With the heavy Autobot force wiped out, the Deceptcions exited the stronghold and drove left along a hallway, where they ran into another closed door. Megatron attempted to use Dark Energon to pry it open, with some success. However, three Energon Turrets immediately appeared and began counteracting the Dark Energon.

“Megatron, the Autobot security systems are countering the effects of Dark Energon” observed Soundwave.

“A futile gesture” Megatron replied. “Decepticons, destroy the sentries!”

In response, Knockout, Breakdown and Soundwave each destroyed a sentry and as they did, the Dark Energon’s corruption became total and the door was forced open, with crystals emerging around the door and on the ground.

“So that’s one way to deal with Dark Energon” observed Kiyomi.

“Indeed, natural Energon is capable of counteracting Dark Energon. By exposing it to equal or greater amounts, Dark Energon is purged and eradicated.” Rakshata explained, remembering when Fixit told them about how to destroy the blood of Unicron, upon discovering it.

“Whilst it’s unclear as to how natural Energon specifically purges Dark Energon, it could have something to do with the fact that Natural Energon is the blood of the Transformers’ God, Primus. And so with Primus being the opposite of Unicron, his own blood would counter his brothers, if that makes sense.” Anna explained.

The explanation made sense to the Survey Corps: they’d heard from Optimus and the others occasionally about Energon,and Primus. If light can dispel darkness, then Natural Energon could do the same to Dark Energon.

The group found themselves outside, on a road leading further towards the Ion Turrets. The road was rather uneven, with a number of ramps, dips and even pillars affecting its level.

The Decepticons transformed into their vehicle modes and began driving down the road, when Omega Supreme appeared above them in the sky.

“Omega’s mining the road up ahead!” exclaimed Breakdown.

Whilst they were driving, the Decepticons also spotted a number of mine deployers to the left side, adding more explosives they would have to watch out for. The Decepticons had to jump, swerve and even blast many mines in order to avoid being blown to pieces.

“Look at the size of those mines! They’re nearly as big as the Decepticons!” Louise exclaimed.

“Definitely wouldn’t want to touch one of those, or else you’ll be in more pieces than a broken jigsaw.” stated Claus.

“Regular proximity mines are lethal enough… Transformers technology truly is impressive” commented Zhou.

The group then made it to a second stretch of road, which was similar to the one they had just come through, with uneven terrain, mine deployers and mines planted by Omega himself, all ahead of them.

Once again, the Decepticons had to remain mobile and maneuver around many hazards, to ensure they weren’t turned into burning wrecks.

As they neared the end of the road, they encountered three Autobots stationed in a building. Knockout opened fire with his Assault Rifle and quickly dispatched the Autobots Soldiers, who couldn’t hit the speeding red sports car.

Once inside building and safe from the mine field, Knockout was quick to revel in the high speed experience and how well he’d done.

“Ha! Did you see me back there? Omega couldn’t touch me!” he gloated.

Soundwave then spoke up “Megatron, scanners indicate a bridge nearby. Crossing it will give us access to a second elevator.”

“Another elevator? I don’t know? The last one didn’t work out so well.” Breakdown was not keen, as he picked up a Plasma Canon that he had found in the area.

“Do not test me Breakdown, my patience is at a critical low.” warned Megatron as he and the others climbed a staircase and exited a door on the right side.

“It’s strange to say, but I actually agree with Breakdown, considering they were helpless and nearly scrapped in the other elevator, why take the chance again?” Shirley wondered.

“Probably because Buckethead is too impatient and insane to care about finding another way up there.” Kallen answered.

A few of the Survey Corps, turned their heads in surprise at the insult, for it was one they themselves used.

“You call him Buckethead too?!” Sasha asked.

Now it was the Black Knights turn to be surprised. “Yeah, cause the helmet on his head is shaped like a bucket! Why wouldn’t we?” Rai replied.

“Right?! I mean doesn’t he look stupid, wearing a bucket on his head?!” Connie affirmed.

“He does! I’m telling you, he looks like an outdated tin can, with that thing on!” Tamaki joined.

“Glad to see we’re all in agreement! Honestly Buckethead really needs to get better fashion sense.” Kallen joked.

This joke caused Rai, Connie, Sasha, Tamaki and even Kallen to start laughing once more, with Jean, Shirley, Milly, Historia and many others joining in.

The group found themselves facing a high ledge overlooking a large area. As they exited, Omega Supreme flew over in vehicle mode and began deploying a large number of Autobot Soldiers, most notably a Destroyer, who fired his arm canon at the Decepticons, forcing them to find cover.

“We’re pinned down!” shouted Breakdown, as he tried looking to see how many Autobots were out there, only to be forced back after a huge number of bullets came flying his way.

Knowing that they needed back up and, more importantly, Omega Supreme off their backs, Megatron attempted to contact Starscream again, hoping that the signal would be strong enough now.

“Starscream, do you read me?” Megatron bellowed impatiently, as a rocket impacted the cover he was hiding behind, forcing him to shield his eyes.

The screen cuts to Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Slipstream, Dreadwing and Skybyte running across a rooftop.

“Megatron? Your alive?” Starscream shouted in surprise, despite the fact it wasn’t the first time he’d assumed Megatron was dead that day. He and the other Seekers transformed into their jet or shark mode, in Skybyte’s case, and began flying.

“Spare your theatrics” rebuked Megatron, as he fired his Fusion Canon back at the Autobot forces. “I need immediate air support! Attack Omega Supreme!”

Hearing this, the Seekers boosted towards Megatron’s position. When they arrived, upon seeing the giant Omega Supreme, the six Seekers fired rockets from behind, causing a huge explosion that appeared to knock Omega slightly, before they flew off in the opposite direction. Omega quickly shook of their attack.

“New targets: Acquired. Initiating: Pursuit.” With that, Omega turned in the direction of the fleeing Seekers, leaving the Autobots forces he’d deployed to face Megatron and the other Decepticons.

“And so ends Starscream’s brief tenure as leader of the Decepticons, with no notable feats to speak of.” said Eren, unimpressed with how Starscream’s leadership ended as quickly as it began, and with little to show for it.

“Thank goodness. To have Starscream as a leader would be terrible, notwithstanding the alternative being Megatron.” Tian Zi was thinking back to when Starscream had held her at gun point during her forced wedding ceremony, revealing his utter cruelty and duplicity.

“Guess he won’t be vying for leadership again anytime soon, especially with Omega Supreme hot on his and the other Seeker’s tails.” reckoned Yukiya.

“That may be one matter dealt with, but Megatron and his team still need to deal with the Autobots below” stated Xing Ke, knowing that this was far from finished.

Megatron saw their chance to counter attack. “Omega Supreme is distracted! Attack the Autobots!”

As Knockout, Soundwave and Breakdown fired at the Autobot Troopers below, Megatron set his sights on the Destroyer, firing his X12 Scrapmaker to chip away at his armour. However, three repair sentries appeared and began healing the Autobots, with two in particular healing the Destroyer.

“The automated repair systems are healing the enemy units” reported Soundwave.

“Target the repair sentries, or we’ll never destroy the Autobots!” shouted Megatron.

With that, Breakdown and Soundwave used their Plasma Canon and Magma Frag Launcher to eliminate the repair sentries, before exploding a number of Autobot Troopers on the lower ground.

Meanwhile, Knockout sniped two faraway Autobot Troopers, who were on a platform similar to their own, located on the other side.

Megatron was about to attack the Destroyer again, when a Shotgunner snuck up a staircase from behind and tried to shoot Megatron. Megatron dodged, activated his Drain ability to absorb the Shotgunner’s Overshield and, soon after, his life energy: all the while spraying his X12 Scrapmaker to finish off the Shotgunner.

After he’d dealt with the pest, Megatron spotted a detached Ion Displacer, and seeing that there was huge Autobot in need of killing, Megatron was more than happy to take advantage of the powerful weapon.

“This! This is a true instrument of destruction!” said Megatron with an evil smile, as he began firing at the Destroyer, who was trying to shoot at the other Decepticons. The Destroyer fired a series of plasma blasts at Megatron, damaging hm, but Megatron kept firing, obliterating most of the Destroyer’s chest armour. Eventually, the Destroyer was no more, for even he could only take so much firepower at once.

“Megatron managed to take out a Destroyer on his own… last time it took the four of them to take one on, but Megatron just tore him to pieces singlehandedly.” Nile was both amazed and terrified by Megatron’s strength and how quickly he’d been able to adapt tactics against such a big opponent.

“Megatron’s ferocity and combat capabilities are monstrous, as I’m sure we’ve all seen. The most frightening thought is, regardless of size or race, very few beings can equal him. Cornelia knew only too well how fearsome the Lord of the Decepticons was, from first hand experience, when he had defeated her during the Black Knights attack on Pendragon. He could have killed her had he wanted to, but he’d preferred to see her suffer, which wasn’t much better. Cornelia could only sigh in relief that she did not have to fight Megatron again.

“It’s bad enough, seeing how strong Megatron is, but look at his team. They’ve shown themselves to be just as strong and quick to adapt when dealing with a vast variety and number of Autobots. Whether one likes it or not, the Decepticons battle prowess is how they were able to maintain dominance over the Autobots” commented Lelouch, following on from his half sister, equally displeased with the Decepticons sheer might.

Having dealt with the main threat, the Decepticons began advancing against the Autobots with Knockout and Breakdown driving to the left side, while Megatron and Soundwave dropped down and pushed upwards.

Breakdown and Knockout sped across the left flank and found themselves on the opposite platform, which Knockout had been shooting at.

“I’m the last thing you’ll ever see, Autobots!” Breakdown jeered, as he fired his Assault Rifle at two Snipers, who weren’t quick enough to return fire as they were shot to pieces.

Two Rocket Troopers tried to lock on to Breakdown, but Knockout quickly activated his Whirlwind ability, slicing the Rocket Troopers to ribbons. With the enemies above dealt with, Knockout helped himself to some nearby Stun Grenades.

Down below, in his vehicle mode, Soundwave shot a flurry of rockets at two Autobot troopers, hitting them directly and killing them, whilst Megatron used his Ion Displacer to mop up the remaining Autobots, who could do little against the Tyrant and his massive weapon.

As the Decepticons approached the exit, Two remaining Autobot Troopers tried to resist them, but Megatron used the last of Ion Displacer’s ammo to rip them apart, thus allowing the Decepticons through the door and onto another roadway.

“Move. Quickly! The bridge terminal is just up ahead!” instructed Megatron as he dropped the empty Ion Displacer and transformed to race towards the lift, with the others not far behind him. The Decepticons drove towards the bridge terminal, but as they were turning left, Omega appeared flying above them again, having dis-engaged from the Seekers.

“Well, well. Look who decided to come on back” Kenny smirked.

“Guess the Seekers managed to give Omega the slip, that or he got sick of chasing them” guessed Orpheus.

“With Omega refocusing his attention, the hunt is back on” stated Ohgi, as he watched Omega fly over the Decepticons.

“There’s Omega again! He’s getting ahead of us!” called out Breakdown, as Omega transformed ahead of their route on the right side, and began smashing debris near the road, blocking their path.

“Omega blocked our route, we can’t go that way – what do we do now?” questioned Knockout.

Soundwave began searching for another way. “Mapping alternate route now.”

“Let’s get off this road and out of the open” ordered Megatron, as he saw an open entrance to a building opposite to the area Omega just cut off. “We will find another way!”

“So. I guess the tour schedule has been changed.” Dalque joked.

“That’s one way of putting it. At least I suppose we’ll be seeing different parts of Iacon now in exchange” Armin speculated.

Just then, an image of Starscream appeared on the screen, with a tech spec as well.

Starscream: Conquest is made from the ashes of one’s enemies

Strength 8

Intelligence 7

Speed 9

Endurance 6

Rank 9

Courage 3

Fireblast 9

Skill 10

“Great, now we have Starscream, though it does make sense, as he appeared only a few moments ago.” Historia couldn’t say she was excited by seeing yet more info about Starscream.

“Well, despite his poor character, he does have high capabilities. Nearly all of his abilities are above average and scoring pretty high on speed, rank, firepower with skill standing out, alongside good strength. His endurance is decent enough, so he won’t get likely taken out in one hit” acknowledged Mikasa.

“Screamy’s biggest problem is that he’s a coward and a weakling. We’ve seen him talk a big game, but once things go bad for him, or if his life is in danger, he just runs away or starts grovelling like a slave. Suppose the only reason his courage isn’t any lower is that he can fight if he’s cornered or when he think’s he’s got the upper hand” Kallen pointed out, having witnessed Starscream’s cowardice numerous times. These viewings merely cemented to her that Starscream had been a snake for a long time.

“Starscream can be a dangerous foe on the battlefield, whether because of his capabilities or his scheming nature. But his lack of courage in nearly any scenario, along with his treacherous nature, prevents him from being a true soldier and warrior” concluded Tohdoh, for he recognised Starscream’s strengths from when he’d fought him in the Chinese federation and also from what he’d heard from others in general, but he’d also seen that Starscream was a craven, and cravens did not fair well in the long run.

The Decepticons made their way inside the building, but they found it was a dead end, and could see Autobots on the other side of them through cracks in the building.

“A dead end! Megatron, we’re trapped!” shouted Breakdown.

“Soundwave, you led us to this place. What is your explanation?” demanded Megatron, as he picked up a set of Proximity mines.

“But Megatron, these are Iacon power maintenance tunnels. Moving through them will lead to the bridge terminal” replied Soundwave.

“Acceptable. Decepticons, onward! Through the tunnel!” Megatron and the others entered the tunnel.

“More underground areas? Can’t say that’s as exciting as seeing the outside of Iacon.” Ayano grumbled.

“Perhaps not, but I’m sure there will be more to these tunnels than just vents. Since this area looks much different from the maintenance shafts the Decepticons traversed previously” suggested Marrybell, as she suspected there was more to this area than met the eye.

Whilst they were going walking through the tunnels, the Autobots they saw through the walls earlier began attacking them.

Megatron transformed to tank mode, and demolished an Autobot Trooper in front of him. He then turned to his left, and saw Autobot Snipers on the ridges opposite.

“Soundwave, Knockout you two push forward and get close enough to destroy them. Breakdown, you and I will fire from a distance to keep them distracted, now go!”

Knockout and Soundwave transformed and drove to other end of the tunnel, whilst Breakdown got into cover and fired his Plasma Canon at a Sniper, blowing him up in one shot. Megatron remained in tank form and fired a charged shot at a bigger sniper nest, vaporising two snipers in the blast.

Meanwhile, Soundwave and Knockout reached the end of the tunnel, and could see a connecting platform to the other side, where two Autobots were stationed. They had sniper cover.

“Prepare for damage” said Soundwave as he and Knockout opened fire on the unsuspecting Autobots, killing them in the blink of an optic, allowing them to move and attack the Snipers.

Soundwave spotted a Sniper at medium range, and fired his Neutron Assault Rifle to deal with the Sniper. Meanwhile Knockout drove over the platform across to the other side, where Megatron and Breakdown were shooting to serve as a distraction.

Knockout saw a Sniper further ahead and decided to try something. He deployed a decoy trap, which looked exactly like him and emitted gun fire sounds, as if it was the real deal. The sniper fired at where the sound was coming from, only to find it was a decoy. He realised too late, as Knockout sped towards him in his car mode!

The Sniper tried to take aim, but Knockout quickly transformed and knocked him to the ground. Knockout then rammed his foot down on the Sniper’s chest to keep him from getting up.

“Lights out!” he shouted, as he skewered the Sniper with his Electric Spear and ended his life right there.

With the area clear, the other Decepticons joined Knockout at the other end of the room, where there was a small door. Breakdown kicked the door down, and the four made their way up a large ramp, where a number of Sentry Turrets lay in wait for them.

“Look out! Sentries above us!” warned Knockout as he shot a Sentry, with Megatron and Breakdown destroying the others.

At the top of the ramp they came upon another door on the left, which Megatron pushed over with his brute strength. Upon doing so, an alarm sound rang out.

“Caution! Any contact with the energy beams will cause severe systems damage” warned Soundwave. His warning proved valid when a number of Autobots in the power conduit, including two Heavy Ion Soldiers, were caught in the beam and disintegrated.

“My god! Those Autobots were disintegrated in a flash!” Toto was taken aback by their sudden deaths.

“If it wasn’t so toasty, I actually wouldn’t mind inspecting that power conduit, seems like it could be fun.” said Lloyd, paying little mind to the Autobots who had just been killed in there.

“I second that! Such a machine must be incredible to inspect!” added Hanji, also enthusiastic about the thought of seeing the power conduit.

Many could only sigh or shake their heads at these ‘enthusiasms.’

“Again with this? Do they not realise how dangerous some of this stuff is?” Niccolo groaned.

“I don’t think they particularly care if its’ dangerous; their fascination with Cybertronian technology is eclipsing any sense they may have.” Cecile sighed, resigning herself to listening to more obsessed ramblings about weapons and tech.

“Unfortunately, I suspect we may have more moments like this, as we continue.” said Sayoko.

“You want us to go through that power conduit? No way! The Energon flow is off the charts, we’ll be fried!” protested Knockout.

“Get moving, Knockout.” ordered Megatron agitatedly, forcing Knockout to comply with yet another dangerous order. The four Decepticons transformed and raced through the power conduit to avoid getting fried, just as it was about to activate again. They made it to the other side of the conduit as Soundwave rammed through the exit.

There, they were happened upon by a fleet of Fliers, but Megatron transformed and used his X12 Scrapmaker to eviscerate two of them, while Knockout equipped a Thermo Rocket Launcher and used it down the last. Unfortunately for Knockout, that wasn’t the last of his problems, as he saw another power conduit ahead of them, much to his dismay.

The group entered this next power conduit, but upon seeing it’s length, they reasoned they would not be able to make it to the exit as easily as they had the previous time.

“Look at the length of that tunnel. There’s no way they can make it in one go!” Floch exclaimed.

“Wouldn’t matter how fast they go, that power conduit fire’s up faster than they can get out either side!” Rivalz was unsure of how they’d make it to the other side.

“Their only chance would be to find somewhere in the tunnel where they can avoid the beam, almost like a middle ground, that allows them to close in on the exit.” surmised Akito.

“Tube temperature will soon be fatal” alerted Soundwave, as he realised they need to get out of the tube quickly, or else they would be reduced to ash.

Luckily, Soundwave spotted a door on the right side, halfway through the conduit. He blasted it open with his Rockets, which allowed the group into a small room that served as a safe zone from the power conduit.

Whilst they waited for the power conduit to fire and then cool down, Soundwave found a grenade case, opening it to find some Healing Grenades.

Once the power conduit was on cool down, the Decepticons drove out of the safe room and into the tube, before making it to the exit, leaving the power conduits behind.

“The bridge is just ahead. It may be necessary to extend the tube by accessing the bridge controls” notified Soundwave, as they found themselves in a labyrinth like area, with numerous rooms littered with small crates and explosive canisters.

The group made a right, per Soundwave’s instructions, and found themselves in a large room, which appeared to contain the bridge controls. However, it was silent, and there were numerous explosive canisters around.

“They managed to make it through the power conduits in one piece.” noted Monica

“I guess, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the shit.” said Levi, as something about the room the Decepticons had just entered felt off.

“Yeah, this room just screams ‘ambush’? The cons are walking into a trap” agreed Ryo.

“I don’t like it Megatron, it’s too quiet.” stated Breakdown.

“Still preferable to your incessant chatter” Megatron sneered. “Now get to those controls!”

Just then, the group heard some familiar shifting noises, as they saw red spheres floating in the air, which meant only one thing: Cloakers.

Soundwave immediately spawned his Remote Sentry, which locked onto a Cloaker and fired, taking it out before it could fire back. The sentry then took out another Cloaker with a clean shot to the head.

Megatron deployed a Proximity Mine to hunt down the Cloakers and destroy them. Soon enough, one of the Cloakers began charging his Plasma Canon, but the sound of his weapon drowned out an approaching Mine. The mine blew up from behind, and in doing so, ignited two nearby canisters, exploding them along with two other Cloakers who were caught in the chain of explosions.

Knockout brought out his Thermo Rocket Launcher and upon seeing two red spheres, fired all two rockets in their direction, leveling the Cloakers.

With the Cloakers dealt with, Knockout pressed a switch, which opened the door to the bridge controls. But the room was heavily guarded by Autobots.

“They’ve survived the Cloaker ambush and made it to the bridge controls.” Anya observed.

“But it’s being guarded by more Autobots, which is to be expected.” added Shadis.

“As with the Iacon vaults, the closer the Decepticons get to the Ion Turrets, the more resistance they’ll encounter.” concluded Diethard.

“Here’s one just for you!” Knockout threw a Stun Grenade into the room, incapacitating two Shotgunners inside and disabling their Overshields. Then Megatron charged into the room, and clobbered the helpless Shotgunners with his Spiked Mace.

Two machine gun Turrets appeared and fired at Megatron, forcing him to roll into cover. With their focus on Megatron, Breakdown was able to charge his Plasma Canon and with a single charged shot, blow up the Turrets.

The group advanced further into the room, to find a Heavy Ion Soldier standing guard over the area where the controls were. The Decepticons fired as one at the stalwart solider, who in turn fired back, grazing Breakdown and Knockout in the process.

“Gah! That left a mark.” grunted Knockout as he saw Energon leak from his side.

Megatron and Soundwave continued to pile on the pressure, firing explosives at the Heavy Soldier, eventually pushing him back towards two explosive canisters. Realising they had a kill-shot, Megatron and Soundwave each fired at a canister, and the combined explosion engulfed the Solider in a burst of flames as he was completely vaporised.

“The area is ours, now activate the bridge!” ordered Megatron, as Soundwave healed Breakdown and Knockout, before interacting with the Bridge controls. Ahead of them, the group could see a road bridge expand across to other side.

“The bridge is extended. We now have access to the other side” stated Soundwave.

“Finally” said Megatron in an annoyed tone. “Decepticons – move quickly. We must reach those guns!”