#ignore the Megatron killing Optimus bit lol

[dancingundermoonlight101]

The times I've thought about you have been plenty. It's a never-ending cycle, for you see, I am falure of a Prime.

Megatron, as you stand before me, blade stabbing through my spark, through the pain and sorrow, I can't help but feel relief. Relief that between the two of us, you are the one to remain alive. With the war over, you having won, I would like to make one final request of you old friend.

Don't kill my comrades.

No matter how much you hate them, what threat they may pose, I beg of you. Leave them alive. It pains me to say, but without me, they won't interfere much with your plans anymore. I can only hope you remember your roots. The kindness and hope for something better your spark held when I was but your archivist, and you, my warrior. It might be selfish to think this in my final moments. But I've always loved you, Megatron.

Perhaps in death, will these feelings finally meet their end.

I love you. I loved you. I never stopped loving you, even in my final moments. I hope to Primus we meet in our next lives and I hope again that it's a much kinder life. One without war or inequality or corruption. One where I can hold your servo in mine without shame. One where you are not Lord Megatron and I Optimus Prime. Leaders of the Decepticons and Autobots respectfully.

Until we meet again in the well of all sparks...

------

Megatron glared at the body of the deceased Prime. A dark pit in his spark. A black hole threatening to swallow all its light. He had thought it a good idea to have Shockwave and Soundwave make a machine that would make the last moments and thoughts of anybot visible and audible. He thought maybe he'd see the Prime's thoughts pleading him to not kill his comrades, as well as fear. Something to explain why Optimus in his final moments commed him ".: Spare them:."

Megatron didn't spare them, of course. He was frankly going to enjoy killing them one by one. But they had all escaped.

How bothersome.

He'd find them someday. He's sure of it. And just to spit in Optimus's last wish, he will torture them, too.

The Prime's face in his last moments echoed in his mind. He growled at the useless longing in his spark, squeezing a random object and breaking it.

He still couldn't believe it. Optimus Prime in love with his arch nemesis. How foolish. How stupid. Ridiculous!

Megatron clawed at the chesplates just over his spark. He could not cry, for his tears had run dry long ago. Foolish indeed. This is not what he thought he wanted. Ruling over Cybertron, having cyberformed earth into a second world for his species.. He had thought he wanted it. Now that he had it, Megatron found it empty. His ambitions were gone, no longer did he have a true equal in this whole galaxy.

None would ever be Optimus Prime.

No, he had to set things right. A world without Optimus is not a world Megatron can live with. Where's the fun in getting everything he wants without a little bit of a constant challenge?

.

. .

. . . .

Megatron, a true Decepticon, able to deceive even himself. Primus mused at this. Silly child, went on to kill his other half. This just won't do.

Their short story won't end like this. Primus will not allow it. He Who is Forever Tainted by Unicron, you will live life anew. You shall only know when the time is right, and your debt to Primus has been paid off of what they have done. Do not make the same choices that lead you to make your biggest regret. Make no mistake, this wish is not for you, but for he who is favored by me.

Make the child of Primus, he who was once Orion Pax and later one of Primus's true Primes enjoy a life worth living.

This is your one and only chance. Make it count.

. . . .

. .

.

M—

—atr–n

Meg-tron

"MEGATRON!"

Megatron woke up with a jolt. He tried to online his battle protocols, and they hummed loudly, ready to come out. But something stopped him. A servo, two, actually. Each cupped his cheeks and wiped away his tears. He turned to look at the bot whose servos they belonged to and found none other than Optimus Prime. "You're alive?"

Optimus looked bewildered for a moment, he could feel it through their bond. Bond? He felt affection, worry, and love from the Prime.

"I am very much alive, Megatron." Optimus leaned in to press their forehelms together. Megatron's servos easily reached to hold the Prime's waist as if they'd done so thousands of times. Maybe even more than that. "You must have had a nightmate."

"A nightmare.." It seemed so vivid. A world without Optimus, one where he had..

Megatron doesn't even want to think about it. His spark was still beating wildly in its chamber, and he recognized he still felt fear. A few well placed kisses from his bondmate further eased his worries and sorrow that still felt fresh in his processor and spark. Right. He and Optimus were Conjuxed now. Megatron greedily leaned into the kiss, but one small playful bap from his beloved made him huff and smile. Softening the kiss that would have become more desperate had it continued.

Megatron held Optimus for a long moment. His helm burrowed on the Prime's neck, the action mirrored by his other half. Small comforting kisses are being pressed on Megatron's neck along with quiet words of love. Primus, Optimus was a soft fool. But he was Megatron's soft fool.

They had layed back down at one point, still as close to one another as they could be. And they remained like that. Optimus having fallen asleep again at one point.

Megatron knew Optimus was a blessing, he just hadn't realized how much of one he was until he had that dream. No. The fragmented memories of his past life. Megatron had never seen them before, and even now they were hazy. But the feelings had persisted and carried over. He realized this now. It was thanks to them he reacted rather irrationally at many points in this life, but his longing for Optimus to be by his side remained the same. It had just taken a much, much more romantic turn than his other self would have thought.

Megatron had no regrets though. None at all. As he pressed a soft kiss on Optimus's audial, he smiled soft. "I love you." He wispered. He had said it so many times already, yet somehow this felt like the first.

[transformers-autobotsrollout]

Cybertron. A planet that has been embroiled in war seemingly since its creation. This is the stage on which our story is set. 

We open on a gladiator named “Powered Convoy” getting whaled on Strong-Bot. While he manages to get the upper hand and wins the match, as he leaves, we can tell that he doesn’t enjoy what he does for a living. He drives back to the docks where he lives, which are in pretty bad shape, but his face lights up when he sees Ratchet and she tells him about her new job.

The next day, Ratchet asks Optronix what paint job she should have on her first day working at Iacon City’s science guild (Oppy's got his arm covering his eyes, he is polite) and Magnum comes in asking Optronix how his last match went. Typical wholesome, slice of life robots. When Ratchet drives up to the citadel, Optronix takes a sharp left to talk to his... correspondent. It's not Megatron, but Sentinel Prime who was a like-minded 'Bot who believed in his words.

Sentinel explains that while he can’t directly bring petitions to Alpha Trion, he has gained an audience with Megatron, who’s most certainly the closest and most powerful they’ve got to someone who approves of off-planet exploration. While Optronix is nothing but firm in his beliefs, he’s unable to articulate what he wants in front of a crowd (in his words: “I’m bad with speeches��), so he asks Sentinel to speak for him. 

Sentinel agrees, and then we hard cut to Megatron in a testing facility, currently watching Doubledealer and Shatter show off the destructive capabilities of a massive fusion cannon. A little on the nose, but I think it’s good.

Ratchet’s first day doesn't go as well as she’d hoped. She gets mocked for being lower-class by the elite guard, ignored and pushed around by the more experienced medics and scientists, and by lunch she’s wishing she never left home. And then she meets Ariel Pax, a cadet in the Elite Guard. Ariel treats her with kindness that she’s endlessly grateful to finally get from these city-bots, and she spends the rest of the day with her.

The summit is treated more like a daytrip for Megatron. Megatron only talks to Sentinel, period, and he spends most of the time talking about his own opinions wherever Sentinel tries to discuss the content of Optronix's words. Optronix still doesn't talk much due to his fear of speaking in public, but he does his best to keep up. 

Anyways, they have lunch at a typical fancy place with 56 forks and Megatron is still only talking to Sentinel. Sentinel's trying to recall Op's words as best as he can, but Optronix has had enough and finally speaks his mind, shocking them both.

Megatron and Sentinel both leave for the train, but Optronix realizes that Megatron... "forgot" to tip, so he sticks behind. On the train, Sentinel admits that it was Optronix who had a solid plan on societal reform, but Megatron has his own opinions on Optimus... namely that he's "too naive" to be a leader and that it'll take a miracle to convince him otherwise.

The train suddenly lurches forward without Optronix on it. Poor guy has to cling to the caboose just in the nick of time as Sentinel and Megatron inside try to figure out what's going on. A masked individual suddenly jumps the two, and while they outclass him physically, he's able to use magnetic fields and well-placed knockout gas to take them out. 

Optronix pries his way into the train and finds it full of explosives that he has no idea how to defuse... so he calls out for Sentinel and Megatron, and gets no response. They're a little tied up at the moment (HA).

Megatron isn't amused and dryly asks how much the intruder plans on ransoming them for. The response he gets is that they're not getting ransomed at all; they're going to be blown to smithereens from the dozens of EMP bombs he's planted all over the train. 

Significantly more freaked out, Sentinel tries to reason with him. But the intruder says that there's nothing that Sentinel or Megatron or any of those hoity-toity bluebloods can do to stop this, and that they've had it coming for a while. Megatron laughs and tears into the bot.

“My fault? You think this is my fault? Oh, that is rich!

You’re one of those bots, aren’t you? Let me explain something. I’ve worked my way to the top with everything going against me, with everyone I’d known being sent offline or segfaulting their RAMS to the point of inoperability, and I’m still standing. I struggled for my position in life, and you have the audacity to accuse me of being undeserving? 

Think about it. Real hard. What have you done to deserve your lot in life? That’s what I thought. You’ve done nothing. Nothing at all! You’ve lazed away in your rusting husk of a chassis and decided to punch up for the fun of it. That's why you blame me, you blame everyone that’s actively tried to be an operating member of society out of your own jealousy and guilt. You sat as you were, a worthless lay-about, and you take it out on people you deem your 'oppressors'.

It isn’t my fault that you’ve gone nowhere, it’s the fault of an ill-mannered, ill-tempered, functionless, underdeveloped cog with nothing better to do than to beg for scrap metal instead of-!”

The stranger tapes his mouth shut and is like “lol figures” while Sentinel tries to be all “you’re never gonna get away with this, Optronix is gonna getcha” and the guy noticeably freezes up. Optronix is about halfway to where they are when he’s ambushed. 

Thankfully, he manages to knock the guy out of the emergency door, and they have your typical battle atop a train. Optronix notices something familiar about the magnetic attacks he uses and breaks the mask he'd been wearing. It’s his old friend Windcharger, who’s quite unhappy about Optronix "becoming Megatron’s new bodyguard."

Optronix explains that it’s a misunderstanding, and Windcharger goes on about how people like Megatron are the reasons that Optronix was forced into fighting in the first place; Optronix’s spark is in the right place but he aims too high. Understanding Windcharger’s frustrations, he at least tries to talk him down from destroying the train as it’ll not only kill him, but it’ll kill all the innocent bots waiting at the station. Just as Windcharger seems like he’s about to relent… Megatron blasts him in the chest.

Sentinel’s sentries aided in their escape and defused all the bombs. Optronix soberly brings Windcharger’s shell back inside as Megatron thanks him for the rescue. As they pull into the station, Megatron spins his tale about Optronix’s genius and his defeat of a dangerous terrorist, all the while he’s really in the back, stabilizing Windcharger. 

He asks why Optronix didn’t leave him to die, to which Optronix tells him that it’s his second chance to make a change that involves less mayhem. He can tell that Windcharger is passionate about his cause and he hopes he’ll make the right choice. Windcharger flees through a trap door and Optronix steps outside to face the reporters.

Megatron’s busy talking about how his life was saved by Optronix and Sentinel Prime and how whomever was responsible for this is in custody (HA). Except this bit's on a screen that Magnum is watching, and he asks Optronix how much of it's true. Sentinel answers for Optronix that Megatron greatly exaggerated a lot of it, but the basic gist is true.

Optronix says that he feels uncomfortable at the amount of "deception" that's being used to fill in the gaps, even with Sentinel reassuring him that " it doesn't matter if he agrees with us or not, just as long as our message has a platform".

Evidently Optimus isn't too jazzed about that. He mumbles something under his breath about how blunt honesty is more effective than convincing lies. Magnum, Optronix, and Sentinel get off the shuttle and arrive at the Dancitron. Sentinel insists that "Primes don't party" but he's dragged in by a delighted Ratchet, who's celebrating her first week as a proper doctor. 

At the Dancitron, Ariel Pax and Ratchet dance together while Optronix talks more about his beliefs with Magnum and wonders if he's aiming too high. Yes, he wants Cybetronian culture to branch out and share with the universe, but Sentinel's words have made him worry if he should be trying to fix their society first and focus on other planets later. Optronix tells Magnum "I never wanted this vision of mine to be a transaction".

The next day, Optronix meets Jetfire and his envoy of Protectobot Elite guardsmen for the first time. He was Ariel Pax's commanding officer in the Elite Guard and a brash, overconfident jerk that didn't really mesh too well with 'civilians' and was very blunt and vocal about his opinions. Optronix could NOT stand him at first and their first meeting ended with Optronix calling him a "brute".

Megatron talks to Flipsides and Shockwave about what really happened in his massive garden. He admits that while he is impressed with Optronix, he'd "prefer to keep my business partners at arms' length" and that gives him an idea. 

Megatron calls Sentinel and requests a meeting with him. When he arrives, he offers him a job at Tarn Industries and tells him he'll upgrade all his sentries free of charge. Sentinel refuses because he already has his job as a Station Master and he doesn't want his sentries tampered with. Megatron's pissed but concedes.

Ratchet learns to fight from Ariel and confides in her that she’s always hated violence from first hand seeing Optronix’s injuries from the gladiator matches and patching up her fellow dock workers. 

Magnum is in Metroplex, trying to get their leader Gravitas to back Optronix's words. He never really trusted Megatron or his company and he just wants the best for his best friend. But Gravitas won't listen; he's clearly preoccupied with something else. Whatever Magnum tries to say, he's shut down or blocked off with xenophobic statements that he knows'll only drag them offtopic if he tries to contest them. 

Gravitas at least has the decency to tell Magnum that he clearly has a good head on his shoulders... which is why he's been chosen to be the next leader of Metroplex. Turns out Gravitas has a week to live because of the noncommunicable rust plague inside his body, yaaaaaaaaay. 

Magnum takes this poorly and panics to Optronix that he doesn't think he'll be ready for all the power that comes with this position. Optronix, equally stressed, proceeds to become even more stressed.

Optronix and Sentinel finally get Alpha Trion and the rest of the Cybertronic Alliance to hear them out. Sentinel hasn't told Optronix anything about Megatron offering him a job nor what he heard when he was tied to him (remember Chapter 1 where Megatron was a jackass to Windcharger?)  and Optronix is incredibly nervous about speaking in front of a crowd. Megatron has made it clear through pretty much everything he's done that he's got something else planned for Optronix's idea, but they've no idea how he's going to spin it.

Megatron opens with the basic gist of Optronix's ideals; their culture is stagnating and their world needs a cultural reset. All's good so far until Megatron unveils his idea: to colonize and conquer other planets. Using their resources and spreading the name of Cybertron far and wide, establishing trade centers for partners, becoming stronger and stronger through political allies and bringing Cybertron into a new Golden Age. 

Optronix's worst fears have come to light. Megatron's made it all about himself and is treating the entire thing as a business proposition. Worse yet, the members of the council and even some bots in the crowd are agreeing with him. 

So he puts his foot down and tells Megatron that this wasn't what he'd intended, that he's spinning this concept wildly into something that benefits only him and not the whole of society.

Megatron responds thusly. "You came to me and asked if I could help you speak. I strongly suggest you recall why you couldn't do it yourself."

Optronix is silent.

Megatron asks "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Yes."

With that, Megatron takes a right hook to the face and goes sailing into the wall. Now that he's been sufficiently silenced, Optronix tells the council his ideas. 

Cybertron should branch out with peace and support, not with ideas of conquering and monetary gain from these people. They can share their cultures and learn new things from alien lifeforms without forcing their ways of life onto them. How every sapient being in the universe deserves freedom and the right to education.

"Don't you see? There's no need for senseless violence-" 

He's cut off when Megatron tackles him to the ground. 

As the two of them begin to fight, the entire house devolves into chaos, with verbal and physical blows flying left and right. Everything has gone to hell, and it's not made any better when Alpha Trion calls order in the court with his "equalizing staff". Alpha Trion declares the two mentally unfit on the spot and orders them both to have "system purges" in order to “calm their circuitry.” 

Megatron is royally pissed at having his name dragged through the mud, and as the two are taken away by Elite Guardsmen, loudly blames Optronix for the whole thing. Jetfire outright refuses to perform a system purge on them despite what Alpha Trion says, taking Optronix by surprise. While the alternative treatment (a nanite bath) isn't exactly enjoyable itself, it's far less invasive than the former.

A month passes. Optronix feels horrid. All his intentions blew up in his face and this, if any, is a good time for Sentinel to tell Optronix the truth. Optronix isn't shocked at all, but he asks why Sentinel didn't tell him sooner. Sentinel tells him that he didn't want to discourage him because Megatron was the closest thing they had to a foot in the door. This leads to an argument where Optronix asks Sentinel if it was worth siding with a xenophobe just for the sake of popularity. 

After quite a bit of nasty insults are lobbed back and forth, Sentinel leaves and Optronix folds in on himself.

Megatron visits one of his own subsidiary factories in Velocitron. He's eerily serene as he speaks with the head engineer of the building, Dirt Boss. Once Dirt Boss tells him everything he needs to know and asks him why he's in such a good mood, Megatron smiles and tells him he's got a new lease on life. 

He proceeds to shoot Dirt Boss point blank and rigs the building to explode, knowing fully well that the radius will decimate the nearby train station and send one hell of a message. As Ratchet and Magnum lead Optronix outside to try and cheer him up, they see a massive billowing black smoke cloud in the distance…

Optronix and Magnum aid in the horrible aftermath of the meltdown on Velocitron. Megatron is being shady and keeps making references to an “ ideological terrorist attack” with roughly zero proof. Magnus and Override have a sweet little moment of romantic tension as they knock into each other. Optronix remains cautious about the attack as Ratchet snarks about how Megatron is still bitter about having his brain waves scrambled… which never actually happened since you know, Jetfire’s gayness saved Optimus and also Megatron by proxy.

Optronix and Ratchet enter Iacon’s Hall of records and read up on Cybertronian history to try and figure out how to get their own movement off the ground. Optronix discovers information about some of the primes and realizes that a lot of them share the same morals and views that he does. He's beside himself as he keeps scampering back to grab more and more datapads about all the primes as Ratchet watches. Optronix is overwhelmed with joy that he's not alone... and then he sees a symbol emblazoned across one of their chests.

An ancient symbol, one that means "quick-thinker”. Autobot. And this gives Optronix an idea. Optronix throws a match for the first time in his career, and everyone can tell. He uses the assembled crowd to better discuss his beliefs and explain the future he wants for Cybertron. And surprisingly enough... he gets someone that listens to him. Namely, his OPPONENT, Impactor. This little spark of hope is enough to convince him that he's still got a fighting chance.

A few days later, Magnum is getting ready for the official announcement that he’ll become the next leader of Metroplex, following Gravitas’ death. He’s distracted from these proceedings when an episode of Andromeda Explains It All airs with Megatron as its special guest, a mere half-hour before he’s scheduled to appear. Magnum immediately tells the guards to cancel the announcement out of fear for the pro-Autobot civilians in the crowd.

Optronix is having his own problems with being an Autobot as he has to help an Autobot supporter being hounded by two punks calling themselves Decepticons, one of which accuses Optronix of being “pro-invasion”. They quickly shut up and book it when Jetfire and Sentinel appear. Still burned by Sentinel’s betrayal, Optronix is cold towards the both of them, but Sentinel begs Optimus to hear them out. Namely, Jetfire thinks that Megatron intentionally sabotaged his own factory to incite violence towards them and their supporters. So Optronix and Sentinel put aside their annoyances towards each other and focus on the true villain, Megatron.

The Decepticons proceed to cause more chaos across multiple cities as the Autobots clash with them. Ariel and Ratchet argue about the rising tensions, with Ariel refusing to spur the wrath and endanger more people by outwardly supporting the Autobots as an Elite Guard member, and Ratchet contesting that Ariel knows that standing up for what she believes in is more important.

Jetfire and Sentinel (who is entirely unwilling) burst into Megatron’s private airship with all their evidence. Jetfire threatens to arrest Megatron right there on the spot. The two Autobots are promptly dragged out of the ship by reactionary Decepticons. The Decepticons take Sentinel hostage and attempt to execute him where he stands, but The Elite Guard is there to stop them.

Iacon is set ablaze by the Decepticons and the heroes rush to the citadel. Alpha Trion's all like "oh okay huh looks like the incredibly invasive mental reprogramming backfired, who'da thunk". We and Optronix of course know that they never were reprogrammed because Jetfire saved them, but being that Jetfire is unconscious, he can't exactly explain that to him.

Alpha Trion then begs Optronix to protect the Matrix, thinking Megatron's going to steal it and use it's power against him out of vengeance. Optronix agrees, on the condition that Alpha Trion doesn't hold himself up in the citadel and helps his friends get innocents inside.

So Megatron shows up a little later on, Alpha Trion begs for mercy and apologizes for what he did to them both, but guess what! Megs doesn't care! He's just here to kill Alpha Trion and leave because he can blame it on the riots exploding across the city. He doesn't give two damns about the Matrix.

"I'm not going to kill you. Gravity should do most of the work."

But Optronix shows up to save the day, the Matrix around his neck on a chain. Megatron weighs his options on who he wants to kill more and Optronix quite literally has a target painted on his chest, so he takes the bait and chases him away from the citadel, in turn protecting everyone that was packed within.

The Elite Guard and Ratchet successfully get a barrier around the citadel, only for Inferno to suddenly reveal his true colors as a Decepticon double-agent. He stabs Ariel’s optic out and tries to off her while she’s wounded. Ratchet snaps. She not only tackles him to the ground, but she successfully tears his arm out of its socket and beats him with it. Windblade is barely able to get her off him, but the damage is done in more ways than one.

Once they're well and far away from the center of town, Optronix tries to open the Matrix and blast Megatron into next Tuesday. This fails and Megatron mocks him before blasting him (and the ground beneath his feet), and Optronix falls through an entire building, seemingly offlining him. Jetfire's second wind comes in and he starts whaling on Megatron as Optronix lies in the basement of the building quietly pleading for the Matrix to open.

His grip falters, he slumps over, and in true LIGHT OUR DARKEST HOUR fashion, the Matrix transes Optronix's gender and boosts his lightning powers, giving him the strength to soundly body Megatron. Megatron falls in front of the Decepticons and has to be carried away by Strikha, who orders a full retreat.

Optronix returns to the citadel with both Jetfire and the Matrix in his possession. Alpha Trion is shocked, but his friends are nothing but overjoyed. It's Jetfire who comes up with the name Optimus by way of calling his transformation "an optimal solution".

Ariel awakens missing her optic and berates Sentinel for not knowing what he was doing, only to change her tune when she hears Ratchet's the one that saved her life. Ratchet weakly smiles as Ariel thanks her.

Alpha Trion is all set to set up a grand ceremony, but Optimus tells him to read the room and says there will be no celebrations until the city is rebuilt. He wonders to himself if he's deserving of this power and if he's just as culpable of starting this mess as Megatron is. He looks around and sees the company he's kept... and reassures himself that there's still goodness in the world, and the best they can do right now is pick up the pieces.

[amosbrittany]

Shattered Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I don’t own Transformers Animated or any characters for that matter.

Notes : I haven’t done fanfiction, let alone TF based, in ages. And never for TFA, So I don’t really know what the hell I’m doing but what the hell, I’m going for it. lol I took quite a few liberties, pulling bits from various continuities to build this sucker.

Warnings : I have a tendency to put characters through hell. Violence and character death this chapter. Eventual Optimus/Sentinel, Megatron/Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee/Blitzwing, Jazz/Prowl and Ratchet/Pharma.

Summary : The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but Sentinel’s latest stunt might just kill them all...or worse.

The Fringes had to be the worst possible place to put a space bridge. On the very edge of Autobot territory, it took a regular beating from the Decepticons and even anti-Cybertronian organics. Crews came and went during its construction and maintenance, at times never making it back to Cybertron at all. For the most part, the disappearances were blamed on the Cons. It was a dangerous assignment that wasn't helped in the slightest if the crew assigned were full of incompetent or delinquent workers,  which was typically the case as no one with a whole procoessor would settle for the post.

Sentinel Prime knew Alpha Trion  sent him out here in particular as punishment, pure and simple. After the unmitigated fiasco Megatron's trial had been, he'd not only lost his position as Magnus but as second-in-command as well. He was bumped all the way down to repair duty with a group of fools and sent off to the Fringes. Naturally, he was angry. He was angry with the Decepticons for living up to their cursed name, at Alpha Trion, and at Optimus for not only upstaging him with the Powermaster armor but for taking his job afterward. He was humiliated and bitter. His team didn't help make the situation much better.

There were four other bots on the large rockbound base with him. Broadside was one of few triple changers in their ranks who could turn into a plane and a sea craft...but he was deathly afraid of both heights and water. Sentinel had no idea how that was feasibly possible, but he imagined the bot would have a spark attack on Earth when the rain came. Second was Landfill, and despite being a decent soldier and overall nice guy, he lived up to his name. Quite literally. Sentinel had no idea where the stench was emanating from on the mech's person and it was almost insulting that the mech couldn't pick it up himself. The whole team kept a wide distance from him at all times. Sentinel knew he could be whiny at times himself, but Huffer took the oil cake. He took the oil cake and complained the whole time he ate it at that. He avoided literally everything difficult, whining about it for good measure and he was the most likely bot Sentinel was going to throttle one day.

The only member of the team worth anything was the medic and truth be told, Sentinel had major concerns about the mech. Dark rumors from Delphi on Messatine followed this bot after his experimental jet upgrades following the success of the twins. Pharma had apparently glitched in the processor and hard from the procedures, not only setting a plague loose on the facility, but sawing a Decepticon defector that recently joined their ranks in half. Length ways. After some orbital cycles under intensive therapy, the doctor was cleared for limited duty and shipped off with him out to the Fringes, away from the good people of Cybertron in case he lost it again. There were a few times the Prime caught his medic giggling in an alarming manner and even talking to himself, so Sentinel wasn't entirely comfortable with his presence. But Pharma was the best in the field, so he prayed it panned out well for them.

"Can you not figure out why Landfill stinks so bad? What kind of doctor are you?" Huffer whined, shaking Sentinel out of his thoughts rudely. They stood gathered at the base of the space bridge, surveying the damage recently wrought by an agitated Deception that had attacked in passing.

"Last time I checked, it was my job to make sure you don't offline and continue to function optimally...Not help you smell like fragging rosewood." Pharma hissed, brandishing an inactive saw in place of his left hand at the minibot. "And if you don't shut up, I will ram this up your tail pipe and turn it on!"

Sentinel snorted. At least he didn't have to babysit the doctor.  He glanced up at the patchwork space bridge, the south pole smoking the hit and run. It happened frequently and it was damned annoying. "Could you all just pipe down so we can fix this and get it over with?" He scowled at the rest of the team.

"But...But that's so high up..." Broadside frowned.

"Oh for frag's sake..." Pharma rolled his optics, hands thrown in the air. "You have a plane alt-mode. What is your malfunction?!"

"At least it isn't as bad as yours-" Sentinel could appreciate Huffer's brave attempt at snark, but the screaming that followed it as the jet transformed and proceeded to run the minibot down in retaliation just ground further on his nerves.

Landfill called from a few yards away. "Permission to come closer?"

"Permission denied." Sentinel grumbled. "Go, I don't know...Scout the area or something, make sure the Cons don't set anything unwelcome up."

"SIR YES SIR!" Obviously happy to have his orders, the truck changed forms and drove off to scout around. The asteroid was sizable, so it would almost be a mega cycle before he swung back their way.

After knocking Huffer violently into a hole that would likely take him a few cycles to climb out of, Pharma returned to the pair, gracefully transforming as he dropped down. If the slagger wasn't so crazy, Sentinel would be tempted to talk him into a casual frag or two. He was quite the piece of optic candy, the only piece available really. But the jet prattled on in the worst way about Ratchet of all people, so he doubted he would have much luck. "Enjoy yourself? Because we have work to do." Sentinel grumbled.

"I'm a medic, not a mechanic." Pharma groused back, examining his fingertips.

"It's the same damn thing." The Prime held up his hand as his comment almost earned him a scathing lecture about the differences. "I don't want to hear it. Get this scaredy-bot up there somehow and take care of it while I get Huffer! And that's an order if you need clarification!"

He ignored as Pharma acted like he asked him to move the moon, turning away in favor of fishing Huffer out of his hole so they could get to work at the base of the structure. Beyond the upkeep of the space bridge, which would be their way home in case things went south where they were, he couldn't be bothered with improvements to the troops. They were good soldiers, for the most part, but personality flaws were a pain in the aft to try and work over. Besides, he didn't necessarily mind so long as the work got done, his mind was elsewhere anyway. All he could think about were his recent failures and how he was going to get back up in the ranks, at least enough to get positioned back on Cybertron. It was glaringly obvious Optimus would be following in Ultra Magnus's footsteps and he doubted the golden mech was going anywhere any time soon.

Sentinel sighed to himself, crouching at the edge of the hole for a moment. He was finding it hard to stay angry at Optimus, at least a little. Of course, the business with Elita-1 was always at the heart of his ire, but somehow seeing what she had become and the horrible things she was out there doing like what happened to Wasp had tempered it. When Optimus had taken Megatron down and brought the remaining Decepticons back to Cybertron, he had to admit his old friend looked like he had been dragged through the slag pits. He found it hard to imagine what it was like in that battle and he sometimes wondered if he would have had as much mettle to duke it out with the tyrant in the fragging air as he had. The disgraced Prime wasn't exactly a slouch in combat simulations, but he wasn't nearly as battle-hardened as Optimus. His optics flickered thoughtfully, coming out of his musings when he realized he wasn't absently listening to Huffer complain. "Huffer?"

The hole was empty. Turning on his headlights to examine the small pit better, it looked to turn into a tunnel that dipped down after a solid foothold. He could even see where Huffed had hit the edge and likely slid his way deeper into the asteroid. Sentinel let out a long, suffering sigh. Now he had to go searching for the little pest.

<Good job, Pharma. You knocked him Primus knows where.> Sentinel scowled as he climbed down into the hole.

<Well, I say good riddance.>

<That tower better be patched by the time I drag him out.> His threat was answered with some mild grumbling. After reaching the foothold, he slid down into the tunnel, sliding for several yards before he was struck by an odd sense of vertigo. His HUD exploded with warnings on a somewhat muffled and unknown energy reading that was turning his systems on their head. Sentinel grimaces, digging his fingers into the rock to stop himself. 'Woah, that's not right...' His knees shook as he tried to collect himself. He noticed there were spidery veins of glowing violet embers visible in the cracks and further down, there were large chunks of what reminded him of raw crystallized energon that grew in abundance deeper in. Tank churning, Sentinel hurriedly climbed his way back out, thankful that getting topside cleared up his readings.

"Ugh..." Sentinel shook his head, glancing back. <Pharma, what the hell is underground in this rock?>

<How am I supposed to know? I'm a doctor. DOC-TOR. Not a digger. Landfill is the geologist specialist. Why?>  After Sentinel explained what he ran into, Pharma sounded far too fascinated for his taste. <Odd. I don't suppose you brought a sample back out with you, did you?>

<Frag no. You think I want to touch that stuff?> Sentinel made a face. Of course, now they had a new problem. <Huffer, come in.> There was silence from the minibot. <We can't leave him down there...Whatever is down there.>

<Well, I'm not going down there and getting my circuits fried. They're already bad enough as it is...>

The Prime ran a servo over his face, sighing. No, he didn't need Pharma going postal on them. Resting his elbow into his servo, he gently tapped the knuckles of his free servo against his chin as he considered what to do. There weren't many reports on the innards of the large asteroid they were on, the ones there were mostly belonged to the teams who never survived their assignment and even then, there wasn't much to them. The reports got progressively more erratic prior to their stopping completely. Given what he felt when he was down there, Sentinel mused whether the energy from the crystals had been a bigger problem than realized. It was a suspicion he was going to have to put in his report.

Pharma and Broadside returned to him. "...Well?" The medic crossed his arms, head tilted.

"...I guess we're leaving him down there." Sentinel frowned. It wasn't a great call, but he didn't want the whole team to be the next crew to go MIA. That wouldn't look good for him. "If he's all right, he'll find his way out."

"And if he's not...?" Broadside didn't look pleased.

"Then...we'll...send a report he went missing. If we find him, we find him...But I'm not sending anyone down there and don't even think about arguing with me about it. I don't know what the frag is down there and I don't really want to. It felt all kinds of wrong."

"But you're just going to leave Huffer down there?" The triple changer pressed before he glowered at Pharma. "And what about him? This psychopath was the one who knocked him in there in the first place!"

"In my defense, I thought it was a simple hole." Pharma sniffed.

Sentinel shook his head. "No one is going down there till we have more information, now let's deal with the rest of these repairs. And Primus willing, the Cons will let us call it a solar cycle."

~+~

Sentinel returned to the Axalon after sending Broadside and Pharma out to hunt for Landfill when the truck never returned to the post. They'd never had an issue with someone patrolling around alone until now. It left the Prime uncertain if it was at all connected with Huffer's disappearance...or those of past crews. It was possible the bot could have been picked off by the Decepticons, but then Sentinel was sure Landfill would have called for backup if that were the case. He went digging into the base's old files as he compiled his own report, pausing when it sounded like company had joined him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Pharma.

And only Pharma.

"...Please tell me you didn't kill Broadside." Sentinel muttered flatly.

The medic gave him an offended look. "No. I did not. He ran off on his own, thank you very much."

"And why did you not stay with him?" He demanded in exasperation.

"Because the daft fragger decided to take a cave tunnel down to go look for that idiot Huffer. That's why." Pharma scowled back at him. "I started to follow him in, when I started to feel what you described and heard voices so I decided to backtrack and report in. This infernal rock is probably layered with particular metals and stone that keep the underground contained below because he wasn't responding to his infernal comm-link after I backed out of the cave."

Well, that explained why Huffer hadn't answered him. But something was bothering him about this situation. Something was putting a bad twist in his tank. "...Lock down the Axalon." Pharma gave him a perplexed look before he shrugged and the two of them set about doing so. Once the ship was sealed off, he felt only somewhat better.

"What is with you...?"

"Not sure...I just have this feeling there is something weird going on and it's bugging the hell out of me."

Pharma frowned, scratching his chin thoughtfully. He supposed his Prime had a point. There was something unsettling about their team's disappearances. He had a feeling even a brief exposure to whatever was below ground had helped unnerve them. "You know..." Pharma began thoughtfully, looking out the bridge window. "The Decepticons never really touch down here or properly engage. It's always passing aerial strikes. Do you suppose they are wary of the asteroid?"

Sentinel's optics flickered with surprise at how he had never considered that. "That...would make sense. I mean if anyone would know these parts...It would be the Decepticons. But..." He frowned. He didn't want to try and communicate with a Con again. It would look bad, especially after the last time he had struck a deal with one. Of course, losing three of his four team members was pretty bad too. But maybe he could get answers without completely damning himself. He pulled up the communications array and started to ring up Cybertron. Pharma gave him a curious look but stayed quiet as the line was opened with high command. Sentinel sighed as he found Optimus staring back at him.

"Sentinel...?" The SIC seemed a little surprised to be hearing from him since all of his reports were in file format and he generally let Pharma deal with the talking. It was hard enough just looking at him and seeing just a bit of the Elite Guard badge on his shoulder.

"I'm going to cut to the chase, Optimus." Sentinel completely skipped over pleasantries. He hadn't wanted to make this call but he had little choice. "Earlier this solar cycle, one of my men took a tumble down a tunnel. When I attempted to retrieve him, my systems were assaulted by a strange energy source, so the retrieval was aborted. Landfill who was sent out on a scouting assignment has not returned. I sent Broadside and Pharma to look for him, but they found nothing and Broadside decided to venture underground to find Huffer. Pharma attempted to go with him, but was assaulted by the same queer energy and reported back. We can't contact them and they've-"

"Oh look, there's Huffer!" Pharma piped up cheerfully.

"Uhh..." The Prime's faceplate heated up as he glowered at the jet, paying the amused look Optimus gave him no mind. He stood to look over the console, seeing the minibot. But his gait was...off and he had an odd, distinct violet glow emanating from his biolights. Pharma took his pedes off the console and leaned forward for a better look himself.

The SIC called to them. "Sentinel? Is it Huffer? Is he all right?"

"Well, he looks kind of funny-" Not that he wasn't built funny for a minibot to begin with but something was quite off now. But neither of the bots had much time to contemplate the differences as the short mech launched himself into the air and threw himself into the windshield. Pharma shrieked, falling back out of his seat and Sentinel staggered back in shock. Huffer's faceplate was twisted in a ghoulish visage of hateful rage as he proceeded to pound on the thick glass, quickly causing the material to crack under his blows. The Prime cursed as he accidentally dented his leg on his chair to get back, drawing his shield and lance out while engaging his face visor. "Pharma, behind me!"

"SENTINEL! What's going on?!" Optimus looked alarmed, unable to see anything but their panicked faceplates and their defensive positioning.

Pharma scrambled to get behind him as he backed further along the bridge. The windshield gave out under the minibot's assault. Sentinel tensed as the small fragger charged them, faster than he thought Huffer capable, if that even was Huffer. As the minibot lunged at him, mouth open wide with gnarled denta, the Prime struck out, driving his lance straight in. The smaller bot went rigid and twitched, speared through on the energy lance, momentarily stunned. Sentinel relaxed slightly before tensing anew as Huffer tried to drag himself towards him along the lance, as if it was a mere inconvenience at worst. The roar of a chainsaw made him jump as Pharma darted forward and pressed the saw into the minibots's head, tearing the helm apart. Violet goo spattered everywhere as the body finally went still, limbs dropping. Sentinel threw his lance down, stepping back from the speared body in horror.

"Good lord..." The medic murmured, his plates shaking. He turned off the saw, shaking off the foreign fluids. They looked over at the communication array where Optimus was just gaping at them in shock. Pharma turned to Sentinel. "He broke through the bloody window..."

That blatant observation jarred him out of his stupified state. "YA THINK?!" Sentinel sqawked back at him.

"What the hell did I just see..." Optimus's optics flickered.

Pharma crouched by Huffer, nudging him onto his back for a better look. Shards of violet were embedded under several cables, his denta were shattered as if he had been chewing on something hard and volatile, and violet goo oozed from the wounds they had inflicted to his frame. He could, however faintly, pick up on that same wrong energy they had felt from the caverns below. That feel of unease returned anew. "I don't know, Optimus Prime...But I think you should send us back-up. Immediately. Because I have a feeling Broadside and Landfill might be returning much the same way very soon."

It looked for a moment that he had lost his ability to process let alone vocalize, but Optimus regained his wits as he nodded grimly. "Understood. We'll be there asap!"

[black-strike-otp]

quid pro quo au part 1

They never end I swear. I’m consumed by a fuckton of aus.

Under ‘read more’ becuz I hate long posting, it feels rude! 👍 this’ll be issued in parts or sections; with a special tag labeled quid pro quo AU among other tags but ya know- you’ll know it’s interconnecting if it has that tag.

Stationed in one of the Autobot’s bases during the height of the war, Novastrike is a simple lackey. She follows orders; doing as she’s told, from running errands to fighting on the battlefield and all sorts of inbetween. She’s not important or high-ranking, but likable.

Blackout, as always, is a high-ranking General in the Deception army. He’s often sent on solo missions, or on the frontlines. If he’s sent out, you know it’s going to be a massacre. Few escape him and his partner. He’s a legend of Death.

Or, was.

The ‘story’ begins with no explanation of how, but Blackout and only Blackout (where is Scorponok u useless butt) has been detained in a prison cell where Nova is staying. It’s suggested this is not the best prison the Autobot’s hold, as Blackout is expected to be taken elsewhere in time, but it’s reliable and there’s an assumption that the surrounding area is not safe to transfer this prisoner of war.

A bit too soft-sparked for her own good, Novastrike finds out that the prisoner is being tortured through eavesdropping with those big ol’ ears on some of the Autobots. Being both a gullible stupid femme and pile of mush that finds torture wrong and immoral by Autobot standards, she tries sending in a report to the higher ranking Autobots; Optimus and his crew.

Unfortunately, a message can not be sent. There’s too much chance of Decepticons in the area getting the message before the Autobots do. Nova tries to drop it, hoping things will pass, but she becomes more concerned after overhearing things levels below the one she’s on... There’s no shouting, but there’s indistinguishable yelling and unpleasant sounds of metal tearing and grinding.

After a few days, frustrated at being unable to get out a message and hearing the faint sounds levels down, she decides to do something about it.

Sweet child, you are stupid and too sympathetic.

So, she manages to sneak her way down levels partly through the elevators, sneaking through air vents, sneaking along with folks with clearance, and basically being a ninja. Novastrike follows someone into a room and notices that indeed, a handful of mechs have been torturing this strange Tall Giant Black Mech. Not for information either, they’re jeering and sneering and spitting on him like he’s trash.

Very bad conduct. Nova is displeased, this is not Autobot behavior. The Tall Mech has his head down, so it’s hard to tell how hurt he is, but to her all the missing, damaged, bloody armor should hurt??? Right??

Being the smart-mouthed naive bby Nova is, she lets herself be known- much to the surprise of the Autobots in the room. They immediately turn aggressive with her berating them; snapping and growling how a stupid young femme like her doesn’t understand. This mech is a killer, a destroyer, a literal piece of literal slag and she needs to go, now.

Nova refuses, and says if they don’t stop she is going to report them.

Truly pissed now, someone goes to snatch up Nova but she ain’t having none of that bs. While the Autobot bends over Nova hops up on his shoulder, and as he teeters with shock and tries to slap at her, she jumps off him and to where the Giant Mech is restrained.

A collective “bitch don’t u dare” goes through the mechs in a hushed whisper. Nova ignores them, she tries fiddling with the restraint.

Blackout raises his head. Everyone suddenly flinches; he hasn’t moved at all pretty much since being placed in this room, tortured, and has been silent during the commotion of Nova entering.

Someone makes a gesture to Nova, starts to say something like “you better move” but the damage has been done. Ya’ll fucked.

Almost as soon as Nova shifts away from Blackout’s restraint it snaps and he curls his servo into a fist.

Collective screams from everyone in the room.

Someone tries to advance quickly to restrain Blackout before he breaks free but he just unfurls a set of blades and starts breaking free and swinging at anyone approaching.

More screams, now with Autobots scrambling for cover or for weapons and torture devices, literally anything in the room to defend themselves with.

A bloody fight begins. Damaged, probably lacking in energon, Blackout starts hacking mechs up as he goes. A frightened and shocked Nova darts around pedes, up until Blackout finds a pattern to her weaving and manages to snatch her up while taking names. And limbs. And heads. Whatever is most convenient.

Why am I downstairs, Blackout wonders. I want to go upstairs, but there is no stairs.

He just makes his own variation of ‘stairs’ in a mcfucking giant hole that exits the building nbd

Giving the ‘icy glare of execution’, Blackout pretty much bids farwell with an added. “If you try shooting me down just know you’re killing one of your own Autobots. I don’t think Optimus Prime would approve if you did that.”

Shit he right OP gonna hear bout this and if he hears we tried or did shoot down this guy and hurt a fellow kidnapped Autobot he gon be pissed so lets not.

Cue the Great Escape of Satan yoloing out the building.

Excuse me femme I hope U don’t mind restraints and by that I mean when I transform into alt mode and we go fly I’ma redirect some armor to pin ya so ya don’t blow up my innards k??? We cool???

Small banter. Mostly concerning a “You have to be the most clueless Autobot ever do you know who I am??? You pitied me??? Primus you are a fool.” as well as “Giant McFuck if you are so important isn’t your leader gonna wreck ur ass for being kidnapped in the first place??? Lmao u failure.”

Nervous sweatdrop on Blackout’s behalf. Don’t judge me bitch shit happens. That was low. Damn bitch cool it.

As thanks for ‘rescuing’ him, Blackout does let Novastrike go- in Decepticon territory but hey, at least he ain’t delivering her to the Cons. A weenie soft-spark like you wouldn’t survive lol. How have you survived this long.

More irked than worried about her situation Nova pretty much gives him a ‘good riddance and frag off’ as she starts heading off in a random direction. Primus knows if she makes it back to ally territory she’s going to be in hecka trouble with the Autobots for this mess but she hopes at least not as much trouble as the mechs may be.

Already musing a semi-honest but white lie nevertheless (okay a big lie- it’s a big lie but the truth is sad) a lie to tell Megatron about where he’s been for the last UNKNOWN amount of days, Blackout takes off again. He got places to be. Probably.

End scene.

How can folks fuck up so much in one go tho guys..... really....

[amosbrittany]

Shattered chapter 4

Disclaimer : I don’t own Transformers Animated or any characters for that matter.

Notes : I haven’t done fanfiction, let alone TF based, in ages. And never for TFA, So I don’t really know what the hell I’m doing but what the hell, I’m going for it. lol I took quite a few liberties, pulling bits from various continuities to build this sucker.

Warnings : I have a tendency to put characters through hell. A bit of Bumblebee/Blitzwing this chapter. Eventual Optimus/Sentinel, Megatron/Ultra Magnus, Jazz/Prowl and Ratchet/Pharma.

Summary : The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but Sentinel’s latest stunt might just kill them all…or worse.

After fourteen million years of conflict and politics, of strife and sorrow, with limited joy and pleasure...He had been ready. The light of the Well of Allsparks had been at arms length, its warmth inviting. It promised the peace he craved, the serenity he longed for. Any moment soon, he would be free. He would be rejoined with friends lost long ago, comrades in arms and even the odd lover. He let himself bask in the warm glow as he waited, knowing it would be all too soon-

Before it all fell apart right before him.

Without warning, he was suddenly, violently ripped from that idealic paradise. The light was snuffed out, engulfed in a stifling darkness. Liquid fire suddenly exploded through his lines before a deathly chill wrapped around him. He found himself awake again, wildly aware and alert. It felt like his spark was smothered in something thick and heavy. Optics focusing, the darkness that surrounded him grew thin and he could see the living world again.

And in front of him, the bane of his new, damned existence.

If Ratchet hadn't arrived when he did, he would have torn Sentinel apart. Plate by plate, component by component. Or maybe he would have returned the favor, killing him and then ramming some insidious object into his spark chamber. For now, Sentinel could rot in Trypticon until he decided on a proper and brutal punishment.

Ultra Magnus snarled to himself as he navigated the deep catacombs of Cybertron, searching for the fountainhead of the Well. If he had to, he was going to throw himself into it and be done with this life. Some time ago, the techno-organic girl had returned the incomplete Allspark to where it came from, restoring its ability to birth new life unto their home world. With any hope, it would guide him to the afterlife. If it didn't...Well, Sentinel had better start praying and hard if he wasn't already.

Ignoring every other noise that echoed along the halls, he registered a consistent skittering sound that followed after him. He had a suspicion who it was, given the reports from Earth and the trial fiasco. It was curious that she would see fit to follow him. Either she wanted to know what he was up to or she was looking for an opening, whether to strike or talk. He had no interest in talking, not to her or anyone. If she had complaints about his not sending troops to retrieve her, he had no reason to bother defending the decision. Smart tactitians didn't send troops into hostile and structurally unstable territories for shells where foolish cadets shouldn't have been treading in the first place.

He came to a large, open space, finding the centurion drones resting in their rank and file. The ominous guardians of Vector Sigma were as imposing as he remembered them. Looking past them, he eyed multi-faceted dome behind them. If he approached, it was likely they would react and attack him. The juggernauts were fierce, powerful. Even he would have some difficulty fighting his way through.

"Dead end?" A female voice purred.

Ignoring the trans-organic femme, he studied the chamber as he began to consider his strategy. The Drones had always been fairly simplistic, one track minded machines. As he devised what he would do about them, he moved forward, slow and wary. Blackarachnia watched from the entrance, somewhat eager since these were legendary mechanisms and it wasn't often one saw the Magnus in action. But as he walked, the Drones simply stood. Ultra Magnus strode on, watching them to his left and right, waiting for something. For whatever reason, they weren't invested in his presence.

Maybe corpses just weren't that much of a threat.

With a wide and triumphant smile, he ascended the steps and threw wide the doors to Vector Sigma, the sight of the softly glowing blue light of the Well greeting him. He stared in hope at the font, giddy for a brief klik. Quickly, he moved forward...and found himself repelled by the light. It forced him back a step, much to his surprise. "What...? What is this!" Hammer discarded, he slammed his hands forward only to feel pushed back. He tried to claw at whatever invisible force was holding him back to no avail, incoherently screaming as a figure began to appear before the light. It was Yoketron's successor, Prowl. "Why am I not allowed?! What is this?!"

"I'm sorry, Ultra Magnus..." Prowl murmured, his voice heavy with grief. "You can't...What flows through you...What's consumed your spark...It's anathema to Primus. When your spark goes out, I'm afraid only the void awaits you."

"WHAT! I didn't do this! This isn't my sin, why am I being the one punished?!" The Magnus roared with fury. The ninjabot simply shook his head sadly, returning to the Well of Allsparks. He stared at the light, dumbstruck.

Blackarachnia observed the exchange from the doors, quickly slinking away. Following and watching the Magnus had been a mistake, this felt like something she nor anyone else should have been witness to. She could feel a dark storm brewing and she intended to have a safe distance between her and him.

As the spider made her escape, Magnus numbly picked up his hammer before he began the slow trek back for the surface. He stared ahead blankly, but his processor was racing. It was going through every possible torture method conceivable he could inflict on Sentinel. It was imagining every sordid, terrible thing he could do to the young Autobot. Finally, in the end, there would be no sweet release for him either. He would damn Sentinel, kill him, and when he eventually joined him in the void...Eternity was going to be a long, wretched ordeal for the Prime to say the least. His plates quivered with his burning hatred and rage.

'That sounds appealing.' An old, dark voice rumbled.

Ultra Magnus growled, hefting up his hammer and whirling around, prepared to bludgeon anyone foolish enough to bother him to death. There was only shadow. "..."

'But...perhaps I can suggest something else.'

He flinched, turning again. Still, there was nothing there. At first he wanted to say his audials were malfunctioning, but the voice was strong and as clear as one could be that sounded like stones grinding together. It felt like they pulsed through his very spark. "Who are you...?"

'Who I am...It is unimportant right now. What is important...is what I can offer you. If you do as I bid.'

The room spun briefly, the darkness creeped in. As much as he tried to see, there was nothing his optics or sensors could pick up. Slowly, he lowered his hammer. "And what exactly is it you want?" There was hardly any harm in hearing out a proposal he supposed, though he had a feeling this one would be a heavy burden to take on.

'Go to Earth. Gather what remains of the Allspark. Fuse it with my blood. REVIVE ME...And you will be free.'

"Your blood."

'That which flows through you, sustains you...that which lies scattered in deposits across the Fringe...'

Ultra Magnus looked down at his own chest, touching at his worn and grey badge. Anathema to Primus. There was only one name in the records that came to mind. The Uncreator. The Chaosbringer...

Unicron.

It all made sudden and terrible sense. And yet...He didn't care. For a brief moment, it had stunned him, but the shock melted into apathy. What did it matter now? He was doomed and for some reason, the thought of taking everyone with him was oddly satisfying. He could probably blame it on the Dark Energon coursing through his lines, corrupting his spark and his processor, generating dark thoughts and emotions. The dead mech who walked laughed grimly. "Of course. Why not? It isn't like Primus is offering me salvation from oblivion..." Was Primus even paying attention? Did he even care?

The silence was telling.

~+~

Ultra Magnus returned topside, formulating what he would do. The Council would not assist his endeavor, even if he told them a half lie. They would not permit him to leave Cybertron and this was a mission he needed to do himself. He couldn't trust anyone else and once the cat came out of the bag, there would be opposition. The greatest obstacle in his way would be Optimus Prime. He was no fool. Anyone who could rise up and defeat Megatron twice was a force to be reckoned with. Even with the power of a Dark God pumping through him, he was not going to take any chances. Unicron whispered to him, telling him all he could do with his new dark gifts.

Determining what he needed in order to succeed, he mentally went over the list he compiled. He needed soldiers. Loyal and completely bound to him, so that he could count on them when the time was right. For what he planned, he needed those capable of stealth. Grunts to provide distraction would also be useful. He would need to disable Cybertron's warp capabilities except for one point, which he intended to use for his own purposes. Last, he needed a base of operation, which he already had his optics set on-

"Ultra Magnus!" He ignored the small voice as he made his way to the mausoleum halls of Iacon. The vast majority of the dead were entombed on Luna 2, but the Halls of Iacon provided the resting places for some of their most memorable heroes. Tiny pedes raced to keep up with him though, showing him the small bot would not be deterred. When he finally huffed in exasperation after the tenth time his name was called and looked down, he stared at Bumblebee. The minibot grinned sheepishly, "Hey there. Audials not working?"

"They are." Ultra grunted, stopping to stare up at the archway leading into the halls where their dead were stored. "I was ignoreing you...What do you want? I'm busy."

"Sure you are-I mean, I was wanting to check on something with you!" Bumblebee began at a mutter under his breath before quickly changing his tone at the way the Magnus glowered at him. "You see, Alpha Trion offered-"

"No."

"But you didn't...He offered-"

"No."

"He offered-!"

"No."

"DAMN IT, HE OFFERED BLITZWING A PARDON IF HE DEFECTED!" The yellow bot screamed before he was cut off again.

Ultra Magnus gave him a bored look. "The mech who destroyed Kappa Supreme and served Megatron for nearly as long as I have been Magnus wants to defect. Is that what you're implying?"

"Yeah. And he warned me, so you know, that the other Cons were hopeful he would free them at some point."

"That doesn't strike you as suspicious?" Another idea began to form, a dark and terrible one.

"Well, he didn't have to warn me. But he did. He could have just went with it. Anyway, he says if you give the green light and he can be with me, then he'll go for the deal."

The massive mech arched an optical ridge. "'Be with you'?" He repeated those words suggestively.

It seemed to take the minibot a moment, but his face plate suddenly went red with heat. "Wh-WAIT! That's not what I meant! That's not how it is!" Although that had been the way Blitzwing had phrased it, and he had an odd tone as he said it...Bumbebee was certain that was not how it was meant. However, when he thought of it like that, it wasn't unappealing somehow. But Ultra Magnus didn't need to know something like that!

"I will consider it. When I visit Trypticon, I will have my decision on the matter. Now if you will excuse me, I have something to do." He tried to dismiss the small bot by stepping forward, but Bumblebee got in his way again.

"Oh yeah, Alpha Trion and bossbot are looking for you too. Urgent and stuff."

The thread on his patience snapped. He swung his hand, backhanding the minibot out of his way harshly. Bumblebee cried out, landing to the side. Ultra Magnus sneered. "I will deal with them in my own time. Next time you get in my way, I will rip you limb from limb." He bared his teeth at the cowering mech who stared back at him in terror. It was a little gratifying, seeing how scared the cocky little bug was. His intense violet optics lingered menacingly on Bumblebee for a klik more, then he turned and headed into the mausaleum. There was the sound of tires squealing in the distance, telling him the minibot was off to report what just happened. No doubt they would come rushing his way once they heard where he was and what he had done since they seemed suspicious of him as it was, so he quickened his pace.

The first tomb he was after was Prowl's. Carefully, he pulled it open, revealing the ninja's prone form. He grabbed a pede, throwing him out of the coffin before pushing the slab back in carefully in an effort to make it look undisturbed. Such care would buy him a little time until someone either looked inside or took note on the security footage. Jazz would most likely be the whistle blower, if not another member of the crew. By then it would be too late.

Dragging the corpse with him, he raided several other tombs for intelligence and stealth agents they had lost in the past. Once he had them, he lined them up and opened each of their chassis to reveal the empty spark chambers of their protoforms. Carefully, he opened his own. The shard Sentinel had implanted was now a cluster that had eaten into the 'flesh' of his protoform. He wondered morbidly how long it would be before it all consumed him. With a grimace, he extracted several shards. One by one, he planted the dark seeds, letting them drag the sparks back from the Well and revive the dead. He hovered over Prowl for a moment, smirking with dark pleasure. It was almost vindicating to do this to the soldier.

'Deny me, will you? How do you like trying this on for size?'

The shard was pushed into Prowl's spark chamber and his chassis closed. Ultra Magnus stepped back as the process repeated itself, lighting up the visor with the same eerie light as his and the others. His smirk faded, hearing a truck drawing closer at a dangerous speed. Just as he expected. As Prowl silently and unsteadily rose, the Magnus turned to his chosen agents. "Hide out of sight, keep to the shadows. Let no one find you. I will give you your assignments before long." The living dead regarded him quietly before they bowed submissively, scattering themselves into the darkness of the halls. Prowl lingered, as if his processor was trying to act on its own, but failed. He darted away, disappearing with the rest.

Satisfied, he turned as Optimus came veering into the sector he stood. Hot on his heels was Bumblebee of course. Transforming, the young Prime stormed towards him, looking ready for a fight. Ultra Magnus simply watched him calmly. "What are you doing here, sir?" He demanded firmly. It didn't go unnoticed how he strained the word 'sir'.

"I'm paying my respects. Or is that a crime now?"

"No...But striking Bumblebee, let alone threatening him like that, was absolutely unnecessary."

"Well...Maybe you should educate him against harassment then. Now, he mentioned something 'urgent' you insist on pestering me with?" Magnus sighed.

Optimus sighed angrily. How could he brush aside his callous behavior so readily? "Alpha Trion thinks that you're strained from...what happened and that it might be too soon for you to resume your position so soon. They feel-"

"A leave of absence is necessary so I am to hand over my hammer and let them run things. Yes, yes, I expected as much." At first, he was prepared to tell them all to slag off...But he realized such a course would work best in his favor. His access would still be in play, he simply wouldn't be on their radar. He glanced briefly at his hammer. "I will step aside and let the lot of you deal with matters then...But I want to keep my hammer. I feel...safer with it in hand. I fear Shockwave's attack has left me feeling somewhat...vulnerable."

His newly appointed Second seemed to falter there. His face softened a little and Ultra Magnus could practically hear him reasoning in his head that the stress was simply making the old mech lash out and act up. Not an entirely wrong assessment of the surface, but it all went so much deeper. But the poor lad would be none the wiser. "I...guess that makes sense. I don't know how Alpha Trion will feel about that but I'll check with him and get back with you."

"Lovely. As I told your little...friend...I'll be heading out to Trypticon here shortly for a bit of personal business. Since the matter will now be in his hands, I will let Alpha Trion decide what to do about Blitzwing."

"Thank you, sir." Optimus gave him a crisp salute. Bumblebee's was less respectful as the minibot glared at him.

Ultra Magnus smiled. "No, Optimus, thank you."