Chapter Text
The sun was just setting on the horizon. The night was around the corner as Cybertron’s surface became covered in darkness. The street lamps around Iacon had already turned on, lighting the way for its citizens back to their homes. It was the only time the planet ever felt empty nowadays.
However, that particular day, two vehicles were speeding through the empty roads of the city - a dark blue Earth-styled truck accompanied by a black and yellow sports car. They charged past the random onlookers who couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve gotten them in such a hurry.
After a few minutes of their quick and frankly tense ride, they arrived at a tall bulky building with medical initials on the front. Before they even stopped, someone came out of it to greet them.
“Bee! Magnus! So glad to see you guys!” Smokescreen greeted as the two began transforming.
“We came as soon as we could.” Bumblebee said, stepping towards him. “Is everything alright, Smokescreen?”
“It’s, uh…” The yellow Autobot noticed a sudden shift in his friend’s expression. The welcoming warmth became strained and he appeared to be troubled. After a second, he stepped back, inviting them inside. “It’s easier to show than explain.”
The Autobot visibly shrunk when he heard the bigger footsteps approaching.
“Lead the way, then.” Ultra Magnus commanded.
The three of them walked through the endless hallways of the facility. Ultra Magnus and Bee quickly noticed the unease in the air. The medics and their young proteges were murmuring among each other. Some of them spared them a glance, but then quickly looked away.
“Is something wrong with the Well?” The atmosphere around them was getting to the yellow Autobot, so he decided to strike up a conversation.
“It’s complicated…” Smokescreen began hesitantly. “Remember how a few weeks ago Ratchet was comparing the Allspark’s readings before and after the war?”
“He reported that its density has changed.” Ultra Magnus remembered.
“Yeah, that. We wrote it off as a side effect of being revived and all. Didn’t seem like a big deal at the time… Now?…” Before the Autobots could prod any further, they finally found themselves in front of the giant doors. Smokescreen held his breath before pressing his palm against its console. The doors automatically opened and they were let in.
They found themselves in a large medical office. Someone was already waiting for them inside. Arcee, Knock Out and Bulkhead were all present. Ratchet was standing by a medical berth where a young Cybertronian was sitting. As soon as the three entered, all eyes turned to them.
“Finally!” Bulkhead cheered, unfolding his arms from his chest. “I thought we were gonna stay the whole night here!”
“What is the situation?” Ultra Magnus got straight to the point.
“See for yourself.” Arcee said, gesturing at the youngling. Ultra Magnus glanced at her and she immediately tensed. For some reason, he couldn’t see any indications of her alt-mode. She had no wheels or wings or even vents that would give away what kind of form she was given by the Allspark. All he could see was gray paintjob and unrecognizable plating lines.
“Am I in trouble?” She asked meekly, gripping her knees.
“No, you’re not.” Ratchet assured and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We just want you to show our guests what you can do. You can go back to your friends afterwards.”
“Okay…” She ex vented. After a second, she hopped off the table and stood in front of the Autobots. She was taller than Arcee, but shorter than both Bumblebee and Smokescreen. The yellow Autobot and his leader waited patiently, still not understanding what this was about.
The youngling shook her hands nervously, then stepped back. Right on cue, she began transforming. It was a quick process, just like always. The mass and plates shifted as it created a new form. Everything was going swimmingly…
Then, Ultra Magnus saw eyes.
The changing finished and the two newcomers gasped at the sight before them.
The youngling didn’t transform into a car, or a jet, or any other vehicle. Instead, she transformed into a gray razor snake. To present herself to them, she rattled her spiky tail and let out one of the gentlest hisses.
“A Predacon?!” Ultra Magnus couldn’t believe his own words. The youngling decided to transform back. “How is this possible?”
“We don’t know. There were more like her in the newest batch.” Ratchet said, walking up to her. Seeing that the medic was close, she hid behind him.
“If she’s a Predacon…” Bumblebee tried to take a closer look at her. This time, Ratchet prevented him from doing so. “Why does she look so… small?”
“Thank you! I asked the same thing!” Knock Out finally joined the conversation, putting down a datapad. “None of them are even half the size of Shockwave’s Predacon clones! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, it just feels…” He circled his hands in the air while trying to find the right words. “Anticlimactic.”
“How many have found out about them?” Ultra Magnus asked.
“Well, there’s us… You…” Smokescreen counted. “The staff, the newest batch-!”
Without any warning, a commotion was heard from the outside. At first they thought it was thunder, but then something large hit the roof like a bomb. The ceiling shook for a second, and then, the whole room went silent.
“What was that?...” Bulkhead asked. Ultra Magnus scanned his surroundings. Everyone seemed just as confused and even scared of what was happening. Everyone, except Ratchet.
“What did you do?” The Autobot leader demanded. The chief medic frowned, but kept holding the spooked Predacon in his arms.
“I figured he should know, too.” He simply replied.
“You called him?!” Knock Out cried. “Are you nuts?! He’ll tear us apart!”
“I will not lie to his face about something like that!” Ratchet shouted back.
Suddenly, the room began shaking again. It was caused by something they all managed to recognize as a roar. Outside, they could hear the personnel starting to panic. Something had to be done fast.
“All of you, stay here!” Ultra Magnus commanded. “I will handle this.”
“I’ll help.” Bumblebee offered. “Trust me. You don’t want to talk to him on your own.”
There was a flicker of something in Magnus’ eyes for just a moment. Concern? Sadness? Regret? Nevertheless, it was gone as soon as it appeared and he was back on the task.
Soon, the two Autobots were taking the elevator to the roof. While they were inside of the small capsule, they began preparing their weapons. Bumblebee quickly checked if he had his stinger ready. Ultra Magnus held the Forge of Solus Prime in his hand and his claw. It was just a safety precaution, but they were ready for any eventuality.
Finally, the ping signaled that they reached their destination. The Autobots quickly pulled away their weapons as the doors began opening.
The first thing that greeted them was a huge bronze Predacon. When Predaking finally saw them, he gave them the most intense glare of their entire lives.
MANY YEARS LATER
Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap.
“Hm…” The guard tapped his fingers against his desk while reading a datapad. Judging by his armor, he was some kind of Cybertronian stallion. There was a green insignia on his chest that resembled a feline head.
“Your name is… Optimus Primal.” He began after a second, looking up. There was someone on the other side of the electric barrier separating them. The individual was dark grey with a similar insignia on the top of his spark chamber. He looked a bit nervous. “Like that Optimus?”
“Yes, like that Optimus.” The one named Optimus chuckled. “It’s actually a really funny story-”
“Great.” The guard cut him off and scrolled down. “Born 4506th cycle in Iacon. Maximal. Assigned captain of the Axalon’s space exploration.”
“Recently promoted.” Optimus grinned. The guard scanned the rest of the datapad for a few more minutes before finally sliding it on the counter back to its owner.
“Please step to the next station for a mandatory scan.” He requested.
“Of course!” Primal said, collecting his item and leaving.
As the Maximal walked to his destination, he couldn’t help but take one last look at the building he was in. The research facility he was so well-accustomed to, even grew to love, now he had to leave it for who knew how long. He made sure to burn the image into his memory - the tower-like structure with multiple levels, including the ones he used to work at. The Maximals, his old co-workers, flying or walking around doing their jobs like it was just another day. For them, it was.
Finally, Primal reached the scanning station. He entered a small podium and stood in a marked neon red circle. Seconds later, the floor opened and a drone flew out of it.
The robot got to work right away and released a green laser from its single optic sensor. It started with Primal’s eyes, then his whole face, followed by the rest of his body. He found it hard not to twitch by accident, he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible, but he used that opportunity to exercise his patience.
Finally, the drone flew right in front of him and stopped. He knew exactly what was coming. The Maximal suddenly gave the drone a big smile and a peace sign. He managed to do it before the flash came. The machine had snapped a picture of him.
The drone paused, processing the data it had taken. Finally, a red lamp on its head blinked.
“Welcome, captain!” The machine said. Its bottom suddenly opened and something fell out of it. Primal quickly caught it and then took a closer look. It was a holographic card of sorts with the picture it just took. He checked the information to confirm that everything was alright when he suddenly noticed the board he was supposed to report to.
“50th floor?!” He said in shock. Looking up, he saw just how far away his target was. Turning his head to the side, he searched for the elevator. It was too crowded for him to take at that moment. Then, he glanced at the stairs which were unsurprisingly empty.
“Well, that’s just Prime…” He mumbled and his face scrunched in distaste. He really didn’t want to take them. Thankfully, his woe didn’t last long because an idea came to his mind.
Two Maximal scientists on just a level higher were entering the room only meant for the staff. They were deep in conversation until they stopped under a wall with jetpack stations. After a second, one of them noticed that the last one was empty. He stepped towards it and then noticed a holographic note attached to it. It read ‘I.O.U.’ with a doodle of Optimus’ smiley robot head under it.
By that time, Primal was already on the move with the jetpack installed to his back. He flew up, passing one level after another. After the 11th floor, he began having trouble with keeping balance. He yelped as he unwillingly flew to the side all of a sudden. Another Maximal was just about to pass and they froze upon seeing him coming in fast. Optimus managed to dodge them just in time.
“Sorry!” He shouted on the passing. After the 30th floor, he seemed to get a hang of it. He began flying more confidently. He passed the 45th floor. 46th floor.
The jetpack began puffing after he passed the 47th floor.
“Ah…” He murmured.
He managed to pass the 49th floor and then the fire went out. Primal transformed and threw his whole body at the barriers of the 50th floor. His alt-mode was a ro-simian, which was very handy at the moment. The Maximal managed to grab onto the barrier with both arms, preventing him from falling all the way down. A huge sigh of relief escaped him.
After a second, Optimus swung back and forth, and then pulled himself up onto the 50th floor. He skillfully rolled on the steady ground and transformed back. He finished his little acrobatic show by landing on his knee with minimum wobble to his posture.
Primal quickly noticed while looking down that he was kneeling in front of a pair of massive gray boots. Despite himself, he glanced up. Almost instantly, he was met with a startled expression of the enormous Maximal before him. Judging by the head parts on his chest, he was most likely a nosoron.
“By Inferno!” He stumbled back on his feet, immediately making space between them. “I’m so sorry!”
“No harm was done.” The gray and green Maximal gave him a charitable smile. After a second, he looked over Primal’s shoulder and glanced at the barriers. “Did you climb all the way up here?”
“Oh no, I didn’t-! It was just this one!...” Optimus stuttered, gesturing wildly at the edge and at himself. To stop himself from doing it, he crossed his arms over his chest. When that didn’t work for him either, he cleared his throat. “Busy day we’re having, don’t we?”
“Quite.” The stranger spared him further embarrassment and let him change the topic. After a second, Primal saw him pulling out something from the bag on his stomach. It was a holographic card. “The Axalon ship, I presume?”
“That’s right!” Optimus said and patted his sides. He pulled out his own and gave it to the other. The green Maximal paused to read it.
“Ah, so you’re the captain.” He said, handing it back and offering him a hand. “It’s an honor. I’m Rhinox.”
“Optimus Primal.” Primal accepted it.
“First time as a captain?” Rhinox asked.
“Is that easy to tell?” Optimus sighed.
“A little.” He shrugged. “Most of my speculation comes from experience. I’ve been on many intergalactic voyages in my time.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll have to work hard to make a lasting impression.” Primal stated.
“Don’t sweat it. It’s hardly possible to impress me nowadays.” Rhinox claimed. The two of them began heading towards the assigned board. With the formalities out of the way, the bigger Maximal patted his captain on the shoulder.
“Nervous?” He asked.
“Maybe a bit.” Optimus nodded. “Running my own ship is a huge responsibility. Not sure if I’m prepared for it.”
“No captain ever seems to be.” Rhinox stated. “It’s alright. It’s an exploration, not a space crusade. Just keep it cool and make use of that radiant personality of yours. I’m sure the crew will be as charmed as I am.”
“I will try my best!” The new captain chuckled. “But… Maybe you should avoid telling them about our little introduction.”
“My lips are security locked with seven different codes.” The green Maximal said, making a sliding motion across his mouth. He then smiled and gave his captain a wink. Nobody could blame Optimus for returning the smile as they disappeared behind the corner.
The Maximal’s Science Ministry was usually a calm place. Today, it was under attack.
Inside of the facility, fire was being exchanged between the guards and unknown perpetrators. Despite the Maximals’ advantage in numbers, their blasters weren’t as powerful as the ones of their enemies.
“We’ve got wounded!” One of the guards shouted through a comm link. “We need backup! I repeat, we need backup!”
Simultaneously, the shipyard of Vos was overtaken by explosions. The personnel were running around in panic as armed intruders were wrecking the place. The giant spider drones were crawling around, shredding everything that came too close. They were accompanied by two Predacons who kept firing at the ships.
Some of the workers hid in the guarding booth. One of the spider drones noticed them running inside and began chasing after them. It began clawing at the window which cracked from its sharpened limbs and steel fangs. The group stepped back. They raised their weapons, but were too afraid to fire.
The spider was about to break the window when suddenly it was shot from the side. It was blown away by the destructive shock which completely deactivated it. The civilians relaxed, but then heard a roar of an engine.
Looking outside, they saw a white car driving into a few spiders and crushing them. It transformed into an enormous figure, an Autobot in a battle mask. Wheeljack wasted no time and began blasting the incoming spiders with his arm cannon.
Seconds later, his entrance was followed by multiple roars, shrieks and snarls. A group of Maximals charged in and began fighting off the intruders as well. Among them were other Autobots, one of them was Arcee. She covered them as they began their offensive.
“Nightglider! Take the civilians out of here! Hubcap, clear their path!” She shouted orders at her squad.
“Yes, commander!” Nightglider and Hubcap replied, the Maximal took to the sky while the Autobot rushed into action. Arcee avoided being shot with a green laser and hid behind one of the ships.
The Maximals and Autobots appeared to have dealt with most of the spider drones very quickly. They seemed to be getting the upper hand until they heard a terrifying roar.
The air around became unnervingly still as their enemies’ shots ceased. The smoke and the fire surrounded them. Suddenly, they saw a big shape piercing it and coming straight at them from the sky.
The soldiers scattered and avoided being hit with a laser breath of the flying enemy. It was the most traditional looking Predacon they had seen in their whole lives. It was smaller than its ancestors, but the brown and blue scales, the wings for its front claws and the wide maw with multiple sets of teeth really reminded them of such. His partner in crime was flying behind him, the green injector, threatening to impale them on his giant sting.
The two scattered and the flying Predacon returned to the ground. A Maximal pneuma-lion suddenly jumped at him with a battle cry. The Predacon took them down almost instantly. Another small Autobot tried to get him from the back. He transformed, caught them, and then slammed them against the ground.
The Predacon immediately pulled out two objects, one was a segmented sword and the other - a spinning shield. He raised the latter and it deflected the bullets that Arcee shot at him from her position. The Predacon’s optics suddenly turned green and she had to evacuate before his laser eyes destroyed her along with her now former hiding spot.
“Yo, Arcee!” As if this wasn’t enough, her comm link suddenly came to life. “You’re readin’ me, killer two-wheeler?”
“I’m here, Rattrap! Where are you?” She said while firing at the enemy.
“Just above the danger zone!”
Another ship momentarily blew up, causing a huge explosion in the area. It could be seen all the way from the roof of the facility where someone was standing. A small gray and brown Maximal was observing the situation through the field glasses.
“The Preds damaged five ships and it don't look like they’re gonna run out of their toys anytime soon!” Rattrap reported.
“Do you see what they’re after?” Arcee asked. He looked back through the field glasses.
Skimming closer, the Maximal took a better picture of the Predacons’ targets. He analyzed where they were firing and how intensely. For some strange reason, one of the ships was under the least fire. It was a warship with a Predacon insignia on its side. Rattrap lowered the glasses and tapped his left antenna.
“I need to take a closer look at that big warship! Keep their optics off me!” He finished and disconnected.
“Oh boy…” He murmured, looking at the battle under his feet. After a second, he took a few steps back and lowered his body. He began running towards the edge, and as he did, he transformed. His second form was a glitch-mouse.
Rattrap hopped off the roof and turned into a ball. He fell all the way down and bounced off the ground without taking damage. He uncurled himself and immediately began running.
Arcee transformed and left her hiding spot as a motorcycle. The drones immediately started chasing her and she led them away from the Maximal’s path.
Rattrap managed to slip past any physical confrontations. He slid there, avoided being stomped there, even jumped over a couple of obstacles. He charged straight for the warship, when without any warning, a spider drone jumped out of nowhere at him. It wasn’t a problem for long because it was blasted away by an unexpected shot.
The Maximal looked to the side and saw Wheeljack standing nearby with his blaster still smoking.
“Keep up, junior! I won’t be here to save your tail forever!” The Autobot opened a private comm link and told him. Rattrap grumbled under his breath and continued running, leaving Wheeljack to deal with the situation.
Finally, he arrived at his destination. Just as he deducted, there was way less chaos around it compared to the rest of the shipyard. He began searching the place, trying to figure out what was so special about it.
For the longest time, he found nothing. Then, he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. Something small and glowy.
Rattrap scurried to the furthest part of the ship and finally made a discovery, albeit one he couldn’t explain. There were some small light bulb drones on the scene. They were skittering in a perfect row up the warship’s construction. They were getting into its plating, disappearing inside.
“I’ve got somethin’!” He wasted no time and called Arcee. “I need to hop onto that ship!”
“Be very careful, Rattrap! Who knows what’s inside!” The Autobot replied.
“When aren’t I ever?” Rattrap asked. Quickly, he jumped and grabbed onto the ship’s lower deck. He started climbing along the tiny robots and following their lead.
Optimus and Rhinox finally found the right dock. The Axalon wasn’t the biggest, but it was a considerable size for a civilian vessel. Its gray walls and circular build made it stand out from any other ship from Cybertron, making its intended purpose very clear to other space travelers.
Stepping onboard, Primal saw that the rest of the crew was already present. There were about twelve people inside, all with Maximal insignias. Some were hanging out in the back while others were chatting among themselves. After a second, Rhinox walked down the stairs and blended into the crowd.
Optimus stayed on the upper level, staring down. Nobody but Rhinox even seemed aware of his presence. He felt awkward standing like this, almost like he was alone at the top. Finally, the Maximal cleared his throat with some volume to it.
“Attention crew! This is your captain speaking!” He shouted, finally gaining everyone’s attention. The captain was caught off guard by how fast they turned to face him, but he didn’t want to be intimidated by that.
“I would like to give you all a warm welcome!” He began more confidently. “Today marks the beginning of a very special chapter of our lives! Fellow researchers, engineers, xenobiologists… This is a great opportunity to make new discoveries and go down in history of Cybertron! It’s a lot of work, and frankly, not all appreciate what we’re doing, but as your captain, I’ll make sure your time onboard this ship is spent!”
He didn’t expect much enthusiasm from his crew, but none of them reacted in any meaningful way to his words. It seemed like they were expecting more. Optimus didn’t have anything else and all the attention made him more unsure with every second.
“Y-yes!...” He said after a second. “So my first order of business is, let’s get this ship started!”
And with that, the crew scattered across the bridge. Optimus finally walked down the stairs and was immediately greeted by Rhinox.
“How was that for a speech?” Primal couldn’t help but ask, hands on his hips with fake bravado.
“Eh… Not the worst one I’ve heard.” The Maximal said, giving him a ‘so-so’ gesture. “Could use some more work.”
“I practiced it for three days…” The captain said, a little hurt.
“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” He said, then added: “You’re far from the worst motivator thus far. I was on this one expedition where the crew left their captain strained on an asteroid after just a week.”
Primal laughed at that, but then noticed that the other wasn’t laughing with him.
“... Wait, really?” He asked, suddenly worried for his life.
The tiny light bulb drones got into the ship through the crates of the vents. One by one, they were popping inside and continuing their march.
The crate unexpectedly twitched. Without any warning, Rattrap pushed it out of its place with a grunt. He quietly placed it to the side and jumped into a narrow tunnel he recognized as a vent. After a second, he resumed following the light bulbs.
It took some time and many turns for them to get anywhere. Rattrap was beginning to get sick of the maze-like tunnels surrounding him from every direction. Finally, after a few minutes, his journey had come to an end.
The bots left the vents and the Maximal followed them out. He was immediately met with pitch black darkness. The glitch-mouse transformed back to his robot form and pulled out something from his hidden pocket. It was a blowtorch. Rattrap cautiously lit it around, detecting no Maximal or Predacon activity. With that, he began his investigation.
The chamber he’d found himself in was spacious. He had to make sure not to trip on anything by accident. The sounds of muffled fighting kept it from being completely silent. Eventually, he spotted something by the nearest wall. He tip-toed his way to it and raised his blowtorch up. The slick metal rifle was reflected in the light.
“Rattrap again.” Rattrap opened his comm link, but kept his voice hushed. He moved his arm and revealed similar equipment standing in a row. “I’ve found a very colorful collection of homemade weapons.”
“What kind?” Arcee asked.
“Photon cannons, snare guns, quasar rifles, some fancy lookin’ grenades… Hope you’re taking notes. I’m giving ya a lot of ideas what to get for my next birthday.” The Maximal grinned, despite the situation.
“You sure you don’t wanna sign for the Wreckers, RT?” Wheeljack chuckled as he joined the call. “Pinky promise your aunt won’t know about it.”
“Won’t know about what, Wheeljack?” Arcee teased, making the Wrecker shut up. Rattrap felt his grin turning into a genuine smile.
Without any warning, another flash appeared in the room. The Maximal mumbled a curse and quickly put out his blowtorch. He crouched next to a crate full of grenades and waited.
A turquoise blur of energy spawned some distance away. Seconds later, a shadowy silhouette emerged from it. They were holding a light of their own. Rattrap saw them reaching back into the whirl of energy and then let out a labored groan. It didn’t take long for them to pull out a big kart after which the portal disappeared.
The figure pushed the kart towards the wall across from the hiding Maximal. Unexpectedly, something began extending from the intruder’s back and arms. The eight nubs kept growing until the spider-like limbs completely unfolded themselves. Rattrap shivered at the sight.
The figure used all of their arms to unload the kart’s contents. Big build, rectangular shape. They were most likely some capsules. After the mysterious individual finished, they paused and faced one of the objects now neatly placed by the wall. They ran a claw down its surface, cooing almost affectionately.
It was hard for them to do so, but eventually, they peeled themselves off. They turned towards the object for the last time before heading to the other side of the room. Their causal pace was in complete contrast to the mayhem that was happening outside.
Finally, they reached the end of the room. A pair of automatic doors opened, letting some light from the outside through, before the silhouette passed and there was darkness once more.
Rattrap waited for a bit before turning his light back on. He left the safety of his hiding spot behind the grenades and rushed to see what the spider had brought in. The kart was still there. The Maximal decided to climb on it and then shone his blowtorch before him. He immediately regretted that.
“Uh… ‘Bots?” Rattrap felt pressure in his own voicebox. He was standing eye-to-eye with a stasis pod. On the other side, there was a peaceful expression of its occupant. A new, still shiny face he had no delusion who it belonged to. The Maximal’s light allowed him to see only three of them, but he had a feeling the row was longer.
“I think we’ve got a little problem…”
At last, Optimus found his way to the captain chair. He felt a weird tingle the moment his back touched its surface. It was just a chair, but to him, it felt like so much more. After a second, he looked down at his crewmembers. Each one of them occupied a seat on the ship, if not at the front, then at the back. He decided to focus his attention on the winged Maximal sitting at a pilot’s seat.
“All ready, captain!” She turned around and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Then let’s punch it!” He ordered. The pilot turned the panel online and tapped on the console.
Everyone worked together to activate the launching procedure. One of them sent a command to activate the hangar’s doors. The other checked the systems and confirmed they were good to go.
The engines burst with flames, making the whole ship rumble. The Axalon finally began going up. It carefully floated out of its resting spot before flying out of the entrance. The higher they went, the smaller Iacon was becoming. It was an incredible sight to witness.
“We’re activating the transwarp technology in three!...” The crewmember on the pilot's side warned. Everyone hanged on.
“Two!...” Optimus gripped the handles of his chair.
“One!” They said and pushed the lever.
The Axalon’s surface surrounded a mist-like barrier and it began flying faster. Faster. And faster.
Finally, a portal opened and the ship disappeared into it in a blink of an eye. Just like that, their exploration began.
“Protoforms?!” Arcee shouted through the comm link. “What do they need the protoforms for?!”
“I’m just sayin’ what I’m seein’!” Rattrap replied, pacing back and forth. “They’re stuffed inside stasis pods and put on standby! What am I supposed to do, release ‘em?”
“No, they’ll be disoriented!” Arcee said. “Are you sure they have a groundbridge?”
“No, I’m just hallucinatin’! Of course I’m sure!” Rattrap’s nerves were getting to him.
“I'll let the tech team know! You need to find a way to temporarily ground the ship!-”
“-We can’t let these Predacons get on board!” Arcee said, finishing her call.
The brown and blue Predacon kept destroying everything with his laser eyes. He was so focused on the task he didn’t notice a pair of grenades that suddenly landed under his feet. They exploded, but they were more of a warning than anything. Wheeljack jumped at him, swords raised. The Predacon quickly parried his attack. The Wrecker was pushed back, but he dug one of his swords into the ground and prevented himself from sliding too far.
The Predacon’s mouth twisted into a smirk when he saw him. He braced himself, before charging at Wheeljack with a battle cry. Arcee tried to aid her friend, but there was too much going on to focus her full attention on him.
Meanwhile, the gunfight at the Maximal’s Science Ministry was raging on. The attackers were holding their ground fairly well, even with the newly arrived Maximal back-up aiding the guards.
At some point, the two smaller intruders began attracting most of their fire to themselves. It was enough for the biggest purple one to step back, lower his weapon and slip into one of the rooms unnoticed.
The intruder seemed to know exactly where to go. A turn left, the right door, it didn’t take long for him to reach his destination - the vault. He quickly walked up to the safe’s entrance and placed a silver box on top of the panel. Almost instantly, it was fried off the wall. The doors opened, but the alarm was triggered. The guards were occupied anyway.
Stepping inside, the individual turned towards a display glass behind which was standing a flat golden dish with symbols engraved on it. The flickering lights managed to reflect his orange Predacon insignia in it. As his crimson optics stared at the object, he couldn’t help a sinister smirk forming on his face.
The rest of Arcee’s squad ganged up on the injector Predacon. He tried to fly away, but they had him surrounded from all sides. One time he got too close, he was instantly swatted in the head by one of the Maximals.
The spider drones kept causing chaos when suddenly their biolights turned green. Arcee shot at one, but suddenly, it disappeared in a blue flash of energy. She gasped, looking up. One by one, the spider bots began blinking in a similar way.
“Everyone! Shoot those spiders, quickly!” Arcee ordered, trying to desperately get as many of them as she could. The Autobots and Maximals lost their focus on the injector and did what she told them. They didn’t notice that one of them slipped past and pounced on the ambushed Predacon.
“Laterrrr, Maxi and Auto lozzzerzzz!” The injector stuck out his inner mouth at them which hissed as if blowing a raspberry. Seconds later, he was gone.
Wheeljack cried, rolling onto the ground. His right shoulder was bleeding. The Predacon was about to go after him when he took notice of what was happening.
“No…” He whispered as he saw the spider drones teleporting away.
A hint of panic appeared behind his eyes. He suddenly noticed one of them glancing at him. It didn’t waste any time and began crawling his way.
Wheeljack tried to stand up, but the shadow soon loomed over him again.
“No!” The Predacon shouted, making a slash at the Wrecker. Wheeljack covered himself with his swords, preparing for an attack that never came.
The spider bot jumped on the Predacon’s back and activated the groundbridge. The Autobot felt a tingle on his body as his opponent’s blade disintegrated before his eyes. Then, came the deafening silence.
The guards at the Maximal Science Ministry managed to get the injured out of the way. They kept firing until one of them noticed something.
“Hold your fire!” He raised his arm and others listened. Their enemies had ceased shooting at them. One of the bigger guards readied their blaster as they carefully stepped out of the barricades. Slowly, they looked around the corner to see what was going on.
Their attackers were gone.
Rattrap was running through the vents. He was trying to find his way to the engine room of the warship.
“Rattrap! Rattrap, come in!” Unexpectedly, Arcee’s urgent voice came through his comm link.
“Haven’t located the target yet, Cee! I need more time!” He told her, panting.
“Abort mission! Get out of there, right now!” She shouted, catching him off guard.
“Listen to her, kid!” Wheeljack joined. To Rattrap’s horror, he was just as desperate. “The ship’s about to-!”
Suddenly, the Maximal felt a violent quake. Before he knew it, he was falling.
“Gah-hah!” He cried, bumping the walls and then crashing hard on the end of the vent.
When Rattrap’s systems rebooted themselves, he felt immense pain all over his body. Groaning, he carefully returned to his paws. The Maximal heard a concerning buzz in his audial.
“Jack-Jack?” He tried calling. Nobody picked up. “Cee?... Auntie, do you copy?!...”
Rattrap removed the comm link from his left ear and looked it over. It was completely busted.
“Oh no…” He murmured to himself. The bumps and turbulations in the vent continued, serving him as a grim reminder of where he had ended up.
“I almost had him!”
Meanwhile, all of the Predacons met on the bridge. The group consisted of six members in total. Two of them, a purple spiderformer and the injector bot, were piloting the ship.
The brown and blue Predacon argued with the purple one. Despite being slightly shorter than him, his calm demeanor made him look like a bigger person. Especially when he was met with an angry scowl of the other.
“If you had let me finish the job, I would’ve avenged the Predacons who were slain by his hand!” The Predacon declared.
“I’m afraid we couldn’t afford any holdups, dear Dinobot.” The purple Predacon said, placing a hand on the taller one’s shoulder. He quickly shook it off.
“The most important thing is that we achieved our goals. We got the Darksyde, we caused some trouble, and of course…” He pulled out and showed him the golden object from the vault. “We have this.”
“Yes… Goals achieved through trickery and deception.” Dinobot snarled, getting in the other’s personal space. “Unlike you, I do not intend to be remembered as a lowly conman!”
“Speaking to Lord Megatron like that is treason!” The gray Predacon joined, threatening the other with his pincers and two stingered tails. “I should have your head for that!”
Dinobot suddenly distracted himself from the purple Predacon and turned towards him. He stepped closer and growled in his face. The gray Predacon’s posture faltered.
“Choose your battles carefully, Scorponok.” The bigger Predacon said slowly. “You don’t want to face me in combat.”
Little did they know, a pair of red eyes appeared in the vents. Rattrap managed to find his way to the bridge. He took a look around, and tragically, the two active pilot consoles confirmed that the warship was on the move.
“Wazzzpinator for one izzz happy Mega-bot ended the mizzzion.” The injector Predacon said. He whined, rubbing his helm. “The Maximal gave Wazzzpinator a big ouchie on the head…”
“Remind me again why we’re dragging this crybaby with us?” The red one asked.
“Because, Terrorsaur…” The spiderbot purred. “He makes for a fine distraction… and an entertaining test subject at times.”
“That’zzz right!” Waspinator pointed at Terrorsaur. “Wzzpinator uzzzeful to the cauzzze! What can’t be zzzaid about Terror-bot!”
“For your information, bug! I’m your superior! And I’m going to squash you on the windshield if you say that to me again!” Terrorsaur transformed into a sonicondor. Waspinator was about to rise from his seat as well, when their leader, Megatron, stepped between them.
“Gentlemen, please!” He interrupted. “I understand we’ve all been a little tense lately, but let’s keep it civil, shall we?”
Terrorsaur and Waspinator looked between each other and then Megatron. Despite his smile and calmness, there was something else buried deep in his expression. Something that made them second guess the confrontation.
After a second, Waspinator turned back to the holographic report screen. Terrorsaur hesitated. After a second, he snarled in defeat and transformed back.
"How long until we reach our destination, Tarantulas?” Megatron asked the second pilot.
“Approximately four deca-cycles.” Tarantulas said.
“Excellent! Soon, my friends. Soon, we’re going to bring a new era to Cybertron! With the Golden Disk, finally within my grasp, we shall write the first chapter in the history of the Predacons’ new empire! The one we truly deserve!” He said, raising the stolen object high.
Rattrap wasted no time. He tapped the side of his beast-mode’s head and took a picture.
“Mega-bot!” The Maximal quickly checked the picture before he heard Waspinator. He looked back down and noticed that all Predacons turned towards the piloting console. He couldn’t see what they were seeing from his position.
“Would you look at that!” Terrorsaur sneered as they all stared at the screen. Behind them, the crate disappeared into the vent. Rattrap began hanging from it upside down by his tail.
Through the screen, the glitch-mouse saw that they were inside the unspace. Wherever they were going, they were using the transwarp technology. While they were traveling through the tunnel of light, they were receiving another signal just ahead.
Rattrap’s eyes widened.
The Axalon was peacefully flying through the unspace. Its crew was distracted by their own activities, preparing their stuff and making sure they had everything in need. Optimus was sitting in his chair, watching in amazement the scenery outside.
Suddenly, the scanners in the front of the panel started picking up something. The Maximal responsible for them quickly saw it.
“Captain!” They called. “Someone’s entered the unspace with us!”
And just like that, Primal was pulled out of his serene state. He looked out of the other window and-
”Whoah!” He rose from his chair and stepped back.
The Darksyde finally caught up with them. The two ships were flying side by side.
“Is this one of ours?” A crewmember asked as the rest became aware.
“It looks like a Predacon warship.” Another replied.
“Why are they here?” Yet another one asked. Optimus couldn’t help but keep staring, questions multiplying in his mind.
“Maximals.” Megatron said with distaste.
“They’re after us!” Scorponok panicked.
“It looks like a research ship more than anything.” Dinobot said, looking closer.
“Nevertheless, we’ve come too far to have any witnesses.” Megatron said, glancing down at Tarantulas. “They’re all yours.”
Tarantulas cackled concerningly, beginning to type.
Rattrap scanned the area. He noticed something on the side of the room right next to the main panel. It was one of these manual floating platforms the big ships were using to effectively transport crewmembers from point A to B.
The Maximal quickly remembered about the broken comm link. He pulled it out and then began messing with it even more.
Tarantulas locked their cannons on the Axalon’s sensitive spots. His taloned fingers twitched on the triggers in his hands. He was waiting for the right moment to fire. Megatron was getting impatient from the anticipation…
Rattrap’s efforts finally paid off. The comm link began shortcircuiting. The glitch-mouse swung his arm, aimed, and then threw it as far as he could.
The comm link hit a bull’s eye and landed on top of the platform’s control tower. The electric shock spread onto the device like a plague. Its lights flickered wildly and it left its post without being summoned.
The Predacons noticed it too late and it crashed on them. Terrorsaur accidentally tackled Tarantulas, making him fall on the ship’s console.
Without any warning, the Darksyde headed towards the Axalon. The two ships collided.
The Maximals fell out of their places upon the devastating impact. The alarms blared, causing them to scream in terror.
The platform was out of control. The Predacons ran away from its chaotic trajectory, trying to avoid being hit. Everyone, except Megatron and Dinobot. The warrior was watching it carefully, then, he used his laser eyes when it was just above his head. He hit it, making it fall onto the ground but also slicing the vents in the process.
The cut tunnel titled downwards. Unexpectedly, something small and screaming tumbled out of it. Before Dinobot’s brain processed what was about to happen, it was too late and Rattrap hit him like a cannon ball. The mighty Predacon stumbled back, letting out a startled noise, before the gravity took him and he slipped.
Tarantulas tried to take control of the ship, but it was too late. The Axalon as well as the Darksyde were too close to the edge. The warship pushed the other out of the unspace and the darkness of deep space greeted them.
Rattrap felt his head spinning after the fall. He didn’t have time to recover because after a second a bunch of heavy footsteps approached him. He didn’t really want to look up, but he did anyway. Immediately, he noticed the Predacons’ furious scowls. He suddenly became very self-conscious about his Maximal insignia.
“... Wait a minute, this ain’t the church...” The glitch-mouse tried, looking around and performatively scratching his head. “My bad, guys! Friend’s gettin’ hitched and the lovestruck goof gave me the wrong address! Whatever he’d do without his best man, am I right?-”
The illusion of humor faded when he heard growling underneath him. Glancing down, he was met with Dinobot’s burning hot eyes glaring daggers at him.
Simultaneously, the Axalon was in complete disarray. The alarms blared and the crew lacked directions on how to act in that situation.
“Nobody panic!” Optimus’ stern tone was a facade and a pretty bad one at that. He needed to make up for it by acting. “Make some space between us and then open communication! This could’ve as well been an accident!”
The Maximals weren’t sure about that order, but there was too much going on to give it a better thought. They did as they were told.
After a second, the Axalon flew to the side, getting away and making a circle around the Darksyde. They distanced themselves, but kept close enough range to get in contact with.
Back on the warship, the Predacons began chasing Rattrap around. The Maximal managed to escape their ambush and kept avoiding everything they threw at him - claws, hands, projectiles. In a moment of clarity, he noticed a red lightbulb on the control panel. Someone was trying to reach them.
Tarantulas finally seemed to stabilize the ship. Before he noticed the incoming transition, he let out a pained shout as Rattrap jumped on his head. He immediately smashed the button with his tail and grabbed the mic.
“Help me!” He screamed.
The Maximals got startled by the sudden desperate plea.
“I’m on board the warship and these maniacs are trying to kill me! There are stolen protoforms with me! I repeat, there are stolen protoforms with me!”
“... Rattrap?!” It took Rhinox a second to recognize the voice, but once he did, his mouth went agape.
“You know him?” Optimus asked.
“Yes, he’s a Maximal soldier serving under the Autobots.” He said, turning to him. “What in the stars is he doing on a Predacon warship?”
“By the looks of things, he’s not there voluntarily.” The captain said. “And did he say there were stolen protoforms involved?”
“What do we do?” One of the researchers asked.
“We should call Cybertron!” Someone else said.
“What about Rattrap?” Rhinox said, beyond concerned. “He said he’s in danger!”
“There goes my space crusade…” Primal murmured to himself. With a deep breath that helped him calm his nerves, he became much more determined. He chose to follow his gut.
“Activate the Sentinel program! There are Maximals in need and we’re not going to abandon them!” He ordered to the dismay of his comrades.
“Can anyone read me?!” Rattrap continued shouting. Without any warning, Tarantulas pushed him off himself. The Predacon used one of his limbs to pierce through the panel, destroying the communication line. He cackled, leaning dangerously close to the fallen Maximal.
“Nobody’s coming to your rescue, you juicy little- Ack!” Without any warning, he was grabbed by his head from the back. Dinobot raised him all the way up, making the snarling spiderformer kick his legs and try to free himself.
“The rodent’s mine!” The Predacon growled, throwing Tarantulas across the room. Without any warning, he swiped at Rattrap but the Maximal dodged and scurried away.
The glitch-mouse headed for the exit, but then Terrorsaur and Scorponok stood in his way. Rattrap suddenly stopped and ducked. They didn’t realize their mistake until Dinobot accidentally pounced on them.
With the road freed, the Maximal jumped over them and immediately booked it through the doors.
Dinobot growled, transformed, and followed him out.
Megatron soon regained his balance. Seconds later, the ship shook again.
“Oh, what now?!” He snarled.
Waspinator looked at the holographic screen. The Axalon had activated its own cannons and began shooting at them.
“The Maximalzzz are attacking uzzz!” The green Predacon reported.
“Ha! What fools!” Terrorsaur laughed. “What do they think they’re gonna do?!”
“Instead of waiting to find out, get back to your post and help to take them down!” Megatron ordered. Terrorsaur yelped and did just that. After a second, he turned towards Scorponok.
“Go after Dinobot and silence that spy!” He shouted. Scorponok saluted and rushed out of the bridge.
“Now...” Megatron clenched his fists and walked over to the controlling panel, looking at the enemy ship. “Let them be the first to witness our might. Yes.”
The Axelon was not giving up. After a few minutes, they saw the towers on the enemy warship coming to life.
“Brace yourselves!” Optimus warned. Without any warning, a hailstorm of lasers and missiles rained at them. The Axalon managed to avoid some, but its back section took damage. The whole ship quaked, making the researchers’ time harder.
“Activate the shields!” Primal ordered, realizing that he should’ve done it sooner. The shields were raised, but the prior damage stayed. The onslaught continued.
“The south section of Axalon’s down!” A crew member reported. “We have to be careful from now on!”
Rattrap was running as fast as his feet allowed him. He decided to head towards the only place he knew. The Maximal took a sharp turn and then found himself in front of two gigantic doors. They automatically opened and he skittered inside. This time, the hangar was lit up.
There they were, the protoforms. He counted about twelve full stasis pods. Before he figured out what to do with them, he could already hear the Predacons catching up.
Seeing no other option, he transformed back. The Maximal’s arms opened and he began searching their insides hurriedly. After a second, he pulled out a bunch of tiny silver orbs.
Dinobot didn’t bother waiting for the automatic doors and instead pushed them open with his own claws. Scorponok immediately barged in after him with a blaster in his hand.
“Hey, ugly! Think fast!” Without second guessing, the Maximal chucked the orbs at the two. They began beeping in the air.
Dinobot stepped in front of Scorponok and opened his maw.
“Wait, no!” Before the pincered Predacon could stop him, the warrior shot them mid-air with a powerful laser breath.
Without any warning, Dinobot was splashed with some thick oily substance that was released by the explosion he’d caused. It splattered all over his snout, including his eyes.
The Predacon roared in surprise, trying to shake it off. Opening back his optics, he saw only a bunch of blurs. More specifically, the gray and brown blur before him.
Dinobot snarled and his maw lit up again. He fired another blast of energy directly at Rattrap. The Maximal cried and jumped out of the way. He started running around the hangar as the Predacon was shooting where he felt his opponent was. Every time he missed, a new hole appeared on the wall.
“Stop it, you idiot! You’ll destroy the ship!” Scorponok warned. Like a bolt from the blue, one of the laser discharges hit under hit feet and exploded. He was sent flying back, screaming. The pincered Predacon hit his head against the outside corridor and went limp almost immediately.
“Ha!” Rattrap exclaimed, continuing to run away from the frantic attacks. “Nice own goal, chopperface! Does it come naturally to be so bad?!”
Dinobot held his next attack, letting out a low growl.
“Come on, try again! I wanna see you shootin’ yourself in the tail next! Or what, did evolution kick in and make ya too much of a chicken by now?!” The spy kept mocking gleefully.
The Predacon finally pinpointed his location via his voice. Abruptly, he spinned around and breathed the most powerful beam yet. However, he was still lacking in precision.
Rattrap squeaked, stopping before he ran into the attack. The time seemed to slow as he remembered one crucial thing. The Maximal’s face overcame fear as he saw the laser coming for the arsenal of weapons, including the grenades.
Megatron and the other Predacons were still fighting on the bridge. Suddenly, they heard a very loud commotion followed by a huge quake. They had to hold onto the nearest objects to avoid collapsing.
“What just happened?!” Terrorsaur shrieked.
The Axalon crew saw a huge explosion at the east portion of the Darksyde.
The hangar was met with suffocating and pulling lack of gravity instantly. A gigantic hole formed in place of the wall that used to stand there. One by one, the stasis pods began falling out of it. Rattrap quickly grabbed onto a loose cable sticking out of the ship and held on for dear life. He couldn’t see where Dinobot had ended up but he was sure he was still there.
The Axalon was about to attack again when they saw the drifting pods.
“Look out!” Optimus alerted and the pilot yanked the wheel. They went up, right in the range of the warship’s cannon. They were immediately shot with a powerful charge of energy. Their defences shattered.
“System failure!"
“Engine’s functionality is down to 60%!”
“The shields are down for good! I can’t turn them back on!”
“We’re not gonna make it!”
A choir of terrified Maximals sounded across the bridge. The Axalon continued taking damage. Not a single moment went on where there wasn’t a new alarm going off or the ship being thrashed around. It was a difficult decision, but Optimus felt like he had to make it.
“Everyone, listen closely!” He said, pointing at the blue planet behind the window. “Get to the emergency stasis pods and evacuate! Your target is that planet! We’ll come get you!”
They didn’t have to be persuaded for long. The explorers got up from their seats and ran from the bridge. Outside of Optimus, only Rhinox and the pilot remained.
“You should get in the pod, too!” He told her.
“Not a chance!” She replied. “A pilot goes down with her ship!”
“Doesn’t the saying usually concern captains?”
“You can stay too if you want!” She grinned. Primal was too stunned to speak. Instead, he faced Rhinox.
“I need to make sure Rattrap’s okay!” The other Maximal stated.
“The three of us, then!...” Optimus nodded hesitantly. “In that case, all power to the thrusters!”
The pilot rolled her shoulders, gripping the controls tightly.
“Nooo!” Tarantulas shouted in distress. The Darksyde’s bridge had a perfect view of the stasis pods drifting away towards the planet’s atmosphere. “My protoforms! My beautiful canvas!”
“You can collect them later! Get back to work!” Megatron spat.
The last stasis pods had left the Axalon and headed for the blue planet. The vessel immediately seemed lighter as it soon picked up the pace. All of the power was concentrated the thrusters.
When the Darksyde sent out other missiles, the ship barrow rolled, avoiding them. Rhinox and Optimus tried very hard not to fall off their seats.
“What kind of academy teaches to fly like that?!” The captain asked.
“The Maximal Flight Academy!” The pilot said. “And a few arcade simulators!”
“Aerialbot Aces IV?” He guessed.
“Oh, I’m gonna like you if we get out of this alive!” She said, making him laugh.
“The pleasure is all mine, pilot!” He stated.
“You can call me Airazor! Now, hold on!” She told him. The pilot moved the ship away, made it do a flip, and then returned fire to the Darksyde’s tower. She managed to take out three guns at once.
“There! I see him!” Rhinox pointed after a second. Rattrap was still hanging onto the cable, dangerously close to the hole.
“Fly us closer, Airazor!” Optimus requested. “I have a very dumb idea!”
Rattrap barely kept holding on. He made one poor attempt at pulling himself up, but that was it. The Maximal suddenly heard an incoming ship and looked behind himself. The Axalon flew by, preparing to come back.
Glancing to the side, Rattrap suddenly noticed something. One of the pods got stuck in the wall. It was hanging on the edge, swaying, but not enough to be fully pulled into the abyss. The spy decided that instead of going up, he’d choose down and try to free it.
Unfortunately, his earlier suspicions were correct. Dinobot was in the far corner, digging his claws deep into the floor. When he saw Rattrap going down on the cable, his rage returned to him. As the last attempt at getting back at him, he charged one last laser breath. Due to his lack of focus, it was a small one, but it did its job.
The cable was suddenly cut. The Maximal immediately started getting sucked in, but before he fell out, he desperately grabbed onto the pod. It was the final push it needed to free itself and leave the ship.
As the Axalon was diving back, its hatch opened. Optimus was standing on it, a rope tied around his waist. The Maximal captain ducked and braced himself. The ship was under heavy fire, but it was too late to turn back.
Close…
Closer….
Suddenly, the Axalon changed its trajectory and flew up. Optimus jumped out, immediately activating his jets. The force yanked him right towards the pod and Rattrap who was still hanging onto it. The captain grabbed onto the other side of the capsule, and before the smaller Maximal reacted, they were being dragged back.
Inside of the ship, Rhinox was holding onto the rope. As soon as he saw that Primal had his friend, he started pulling back.
The Maximal spy screamed at the top of his vocalizer as they were thrashed in every direction like ragdolls in a wind. The turbulent ride finally came to an end when Rhinox managed to return them all the way in. Immediately, the hatch closed and they were back on the bridge.
“Rattrap!” Rhinox cheered, relieved.
“Rhinox?!” Rattrap shouted, shocked. Their reunion didn’t last long, because suddenly, the lights went off.
Airazor tried to use the wheel but all of her screens went black.
“We’ve lost power!” She reported. “We’re being pulled in by the planet’s atmosphere!”
Without their power, the ship couldn’t move. The Axalon was stuck mid-maneuver she had been trying to make. However, the worst part of it all was entirely different.
The Darksyde was in their way.
Megatron and his crew saw the Axalon spinning out of control and heading dangerously close to them. The Predacon captain watched it with dread.
“Move the ship! Move it, now!” He ordered. Waspinator and Tarantulas tried to, but they were too late.
Airazor ran to the back as the front of the ship hit the Darksyde. Everyone crashed on the floor and walls due to the impact.
“We’re going down!” She shouted. Primal and Rhinox tried to shield the pod.
The Predacons abandoned their seats, trying to find some hiding spot. Megatron was kneeling, still as a rock. He was holding the disk close to his chest protectively. All of them almost went deaf and blind due to the flashing lights and noises all around them.
The planet’s peaceful dawn was interrupted by two burning dots falling from the sky. One of them headed south, and the other, west. When they both hit the ground, the impacts could be heard on the entire continent.