Echoes and Fragments
Echoes and Fragments is a 2016 science fiction story in the GoBots and Transformers series written by Jim Sorenson and illustrated by Christopher Colgin. [1]
Contents
Summary
Part 1
On the eve of a momentous confrontation between the Autobots and Decepticons, Sideways encounters Gong in Maccadam's Old Oil House. The two strike up a plot to merge the reality they are currently inhabiting with a Gargent stream, to see how mixing GoBots into the equation changes things, prompting the bartender to get in touch with his brother, Vec-Tor, to ensure the safety of reality. Their machinations cause the Battle of Autobot City to be fought between Autobots and Renegades, with Sideways later changing it to a battle between Guardians and Decepticons. Despite some minor changes, events unfold as expected, with Leader-1 and Megatron gravely wounding each other and the Decepticons in retreat.
Part 2
Further machinations from Sideways destabilize reality even more, resulting in hybrid crews of Autobots/Guardians and Decepticons/Renegades participating in the aftermath of the battle. Megatron, Crasher, and Spoons are jettisoned from Astrotrain and encounter Unicron. They are subsequently upgraded into Galvatron, Fracture, and Deadlift. They first interrupt Zero's coronation and later attack Major Mo's forces on Earth. Kup and Hot Rod crash on Antares III, and Major Mo and his crew limp to the planet of rock to repair their damaged ship. On GoBotron, Sideways is captured.
Part 3
Vector Prime learns the source dimension interfering with his own and sets off for it. Hot Rod and Kup encounter the Master Renegade and his Monster GoBots on Antares III, while the Dinobots meet the RoGuns. Hot Rod and Kup learn about Unicron from Crank, the last survivor of Planet Zi. Galvatron tracks Major Mo and his crew to Quartex, retrieving the Guardian Matrix of Leadership and leaving the Autobots and Guardians stranded without a ship, surrounded by hostile Rock Lords.
Part 4
Sideways escapes his captors and makes his way back to Gong on Cybertron, where they ambush Vector Prime. With the help of the RoGuns and Dinobots, Hot Rod and Kup defeat the Master Renegade and depart Antares III. The Rock Lord attack on the wounded Autobots and Guardians is thwarted by the timely arrival of Hot Rod, Kup, and friendly Rock Lords. The combined forces set forth for Cybertron, only to encounter an enraged Unicron intent on dismembering their entire world. Hot Rod confronts Galvatron, but is unable to open the Guardian Matrix until Vector Prime can drive off Sideways and restore the universe to its natural state. Unicron is defeated, Vector Prime is relieved... and Sideways ends up being menaced by an enraged Gong, unhappy at being used as Sideways' pawn.
Full text
Part 1
Part 1 - The Gathering StormIt was the year 2005. The treacherous Decepticons had conquered the Autobots’ home planet of Cybertron. But, from secret staging grounds on two of Cybertron's moons, the valiant Autobots prepared to retake their homeworld.
As both factions planned their plans and schemed their schemes, a different sort of confrontation was brewing in Maccadam's Old Oil House. Sideways, dimensional scoundrel extraordinaire, had spilled his oil when bumped from behind. Irked, he turned around, only to spy a mechanoid who did not belong in this region of time/space. That Sideways himself did not belong was neither here nor there; his optics locked on the rather blocky white-and-blue mech before him. "You're a bit far from, what is it, the Gargent Cluster?" he asked.
The boxy mech arched a mechanical brow, his face more expressive than most Cybertronians could manage. But then, he wasn't Cybertronian, was he? "One could say the same about you, hehehehe. You're from, what, Level 44... oh, I'm sorry, you prefer to call it the Viron Cluster, don't you?"
Sideways smirked. "I admit nothing," but the tension was broken. The two pulled up stools and began to talk shop, under the wary eye of the mustachioed blue bartender. It soon became apparent that both were slumming it in this Primax reality, waiting for an opportunity for mischief. Gong, as the Gargent-native called himself, soon began boasting about how well the natives of his timestream would deal with the upcoming challenge. Sideways scoffed, but Gong was undeterred. "Care to make it interesting?" Soon they settled on an amount, and the parameters of the contest. They would synch the Primax stream they were inhabiting with a Gargent stream via Omega Lock manipulation, and compare results. Sideways set forth for Gargent 186.0 Gamma, and Gong began the trek into Cybertron's interior.
The bartender sighed. He had known that Unicron would soon be impacting local space/time, but hadn't expected a pair of interlopers to exacerbate the situation. Their actions placed themselves outside of his purview, but there was another more suited to the task. He left the bar and folded himself into a lotus position, mentally seeking out the protector of all of space and time.
- * * * *
Inside the Autobot command module on Moonbase 1, Optimus Prime walked about nervously. The time was close, he only needed a few more days before he could initiate his big push and finally liberate Cybertron from the scourge of Decepticon tyranny. "Ironhide, report to me at once!"
Ironhide was no more patient than his commander. "Every time I look into a monitor, Prime, my circuits sizzle. When are we gonna start bustin' Deceptichops?"
Optimus intended to use that. "I want you to make a special run to Autobot City on Earth--" Ironhide protested, but Optimus continued. "Listen, Ironhide, we don't have enough energon cubes to power a full-scale assault. Ready the shuttle for launch."
As Ironhide transformed and drove towards the shuttle, Optimus turned to his second-in-command for confirmation that it was safe to launch. Jazz affirmed that there was no Decepticon activity, then checked in with Moonbase 2. Bumblebee and Spike gave the all clear, so Optimus ordered a countdown. As the ship blasted into the void, Optimus reassured his men. "Now, all we need is a little energon, and a lot of luck."
Unbeknown to him, Laserbeak has observed the entire exchange. The Decepticon spy launched into the endless night, bound for Megatron.
- * * * *
Deep in the core of Cybertron, Gong stretched forth his senses, connecting to the Omega Locks that kept Cybertron's place in the cosmos stable. He mused on Cybertron's unique nature, a stable axis upon which a universe spun. No wonder Unicron in all its incarnations sought its destruction. Gong favored no such carnage, merely seeking mischief. He found the frequency at which the one-dimensional strings that make up all of this particular reality vibrate, then, ever so gently, he nudged them towards that of his home dimension. The change would be invisible to the natives. As far as they were concerned, the conjoined reality would be their history, their reality. He giggled to himself, wondering what changes were taking place on the surface of Cybertron and beyond.
- * * * *
Unseen by all, unfelt by all, the universe wavered, and a new history imprinted itself on all inhabitants. The war between Renegade and Autobot was at a critical turning point, and Cy-Kill hoped his spy's mission would prove fruitful.
Fitor peered out into the Cybertronian gloom, the two Autobot moons an ominous dagger pointed at his lordship's accomplishments. He spied the flare of a returning jet, then smiled. "Snoop returns, Cy-Kill."
A smirk filled Cy-Kill's face. "Welcome, Snoop!" He glanced pointedly at Zero. "So nice to have warriors I can actually rely upon." Zero looked hurt at the barb, but quickly covered it up.
The gentle whir of Snoop's conversion filled the base as she landed with aplomb. "I aim to please." She flipped a cartridge to Cop-Tur. "Hey, rotorboy, play this."
His claws nearly missed, and he fumbled with the cartridge for a moment before catching it. "Oooo, kaaaaay."
Cy-Kill's frown at his subordinate's clumsiness soon turned to undisguised glee as he watched Optimus Prime order a shuttle to Earth. As the Autobot muttered about needing luck, Cy-Kill gave a huge laugh. "More than you imagine, Optimus Prime!" The rest of the Renegades joined him.
- * * * *
On board the Autobot Command Center, Ironhide and his crew manned the instruments as they made their way to Earth. Suddenly, it shuddered, and a huge hole was blown in the side of the ship. Brawn was the first to react as Cy-Kill mangled his way onto their ship. "Cy-Kill... RENEGADES!"
"Let's finally put an end to this tired dance!" Energy flared as Cy-Kill's fist shot a bolt of energy directly into Brawn's shoulder, toppling him. Cy-Kill aimed at the remaining three Autobots, his fist swaying back and forth as they took what minimal cover they could from their chairs. Renegades poured into the ship; Sky-Jack, Zero, Twin Spin, Gunnyr, and Blades.
Prowl made his move, standing up and firing an acid pellet without aiming. It whizzed by Twin Spin's face, who took aim and unleashed a blast that caught Prowl directly in his throat. Flames poured out of his mouth as his eyes dimmed.
The remaining Autobots made their last stand, firing blast after blast at the Renegade intruders. Cy-Kill and his five Renegades took the occasional glancing blow, but their superiority in numbers and position proved overwhelming. Shot after shot rocked Ironhide and Ratchet, and they soon fell. As they did, Slicks, Psycho, Crasher, and Cop-Tur flew in and took their seats at the Command Center's controls.
Cy-Kill surveyed the scene. "This was almost too easy, Zero," he noted.
His sub-commander looked upon the bodies with disdain. "Much easier, almighty Cy-Kill, than attacking the real threat. The Autobots' moonbase!"
A deep laugh was Cy-Kill's answer. "Don't be such a wet blanket, Zero. When we slip by their early warning systems in their own Command Center and destroy Autobot City, the Autobots will be vanquished forever!" His triumph was interrupted, momentarily, by the dying Ironhide attempting feebly grapple with Cy-Kill's boot. Cy-Kill just shook his head with contempt. "Such Autobot idiocy. Crasher, lock him in the hold. I may yet have use of him."
- * * * *
At an idyllic lakeside just outside of Autobot City Hot Rod and Nick Burns sat fishing. Nick had a dejected look on his face, though Hot Rod was as enthusiastic as ever. "Fish are jumping today, eh, Nick?"
Nick sighed. "I guess so." He looked up, seeing the Autobot's optics wide with concern.
"Hey, what's the matter?"
Human and Autobot sat side by side. They'd known each other a long time. Nick fidgeted a moment longer, then gave in. "I guess I just miss Matt and Anya. I'm not used to staying behind."
The red Autobot nodded with understanding. "Hey, don't worry, those two will be back soon--oh, hey, I caught something!" Indeed, the line had gone taut. Hot Rod reeled him in with steel sinews and hydraulic musculature.
His consternation forgotten, Nick admired the catch. It was enormous, at least a foot long. "Wow, that's quite the catch!"
Hot Rod nodded in agreement, although the fish was miniscule compared to his missive metal frame. "Yup, it's a whopper all right."
A beeping noise interrupted their exchange. Nick pulled a scanner from his pocket. "Oh, hey, the Command Center's coming down. Wanna watch it land?"
The Autobot considered for a moment. "Sure, why not?" He tossed the fish back into the lake and converted to his Cybertronian sports car configuration. "Hop in!"
The pair rode back towards the city, only narrowly avoiding a roadblock being erected by Kup when Nick warned Hot Rod to dodge around it. To the top of Lookout Mountain they ride, Nick eagerly hopping out of Hot Rod as he skids to a stop near a high-tech pair of binoculars. The human's excitement quickly turned to icy fear. "Hot Rod, look, there's a hole in the ship!"
A magnification package slid over Hot Rod's optics, confirming what he was starting to fear. "Renegades!" He began to open fire, aiming for the hole in the Command Center and catching Zero off-guard.
From below, Kup looked up at Hot Rod blasting into the ship. "What's that darn fool doin'?" he wondered, but soon his question was answered. A hit on the Command Center's engines prompted Cy-Kill to fly out and begin his assault on Autobot City before he was quite inside the city's defensive envelope.
The Renegade commander beckoned with his arm theatrically. "Come, comrades, now is the time. Our assault commences!" Renegades spilled forth from the smoking vessel, firing blasters at Autobot City. Two turned their attention to the Autobot who had spotted them, Destroyer and Fly Trap.
Destroyer landed with a heavy thud and raised his fists at Hot Rod. "Come on down, ya mug!" He fired, damaging the platform and sending Hot Rod and Nick into freefall. Hot Rod caught Nick and landed, squarely in Destroyer's sights. The Renegade converted to his tank mode and took aim... only for Kup to leap onto his turret and yank the Renegade's barrel aside. Destroyer's shot caught Fly Trap and the damaged mech collided with Destroyer's tank mode, flipping it over.
Hot Rod was impressed. "Not bad for an old timer!"
Kup was not amused. "Old timer? That's something you'll never be if you don't get back to the city."
At that moment, Stallion flew overhead, strafing them both and causing them to dive for cover. "Save it, Kup! Let's burn rubber!" Both Autobots converted to their car modes and made haste for the city.
- * * * *
Inside the city, Perceptor converted to his microscope configuration to get a better look at the oncoming horde of Renegades. It wasn't good... it appeared that Cy-Kill had brought nearly 40 of his troops with him on the assault. The scientist switched back to his humanoid form, spied Ultra Magnus, and ran to the City Commander. "Ultra Magnus! A cursory evaluation of Renegade capabilities indicates a distinct tactical deficiency."
The commander clearly didn't have time to decode all that. "In other words, Perceptor?"
Springer got there first. "We're outnumbered!" He raised his arm and fired off a shot at Water Walk, zooming by overhead and firing wildly. The shot went wide, and the Autobots were forced to dive for cover.
The Autobots rallied under an awning, and Ultra Magnus took command. "Springer, you and Arcee transform Autobot City. Perceptor, tell Blaster to radio Prime for reinforcements." Blurr babbled something about wanting to help, and Magnus told him to help alert the rest of the Autobots.
Springer grabbed Arcee's hand, hurrying her towards the transformation circuitry. "Come on, Arcee, let's go!"
She resisted, for a moment. "But Hot Rod and Kup are still outside the city." She pressed a button on the side of her head and lowered a magnification lens, spying her friends dodging blasts from Stinger.
He renewed his effort. "We can't wait, they'll have to take care of themselves. Come on!"
Frantically, they rushed to the controls to initiate the transformation from energy-gathering metropolis to hardened battle fortress. Gears whirred, sprockets turned, and the city began to fold in on itself. They rushed to the next station, even as the ground under their feet shifted and reconfigured. Zero caught sight of them and fired several shots, pursuing them into the bowels of the reconfiguring superstructure. "Autobot wimps! You can't escape Zero!" They ducked into a hatchway as it sealed, and he realized that he was about to get caught in the mechanism. He launched himself vertically, but his left foot snagged on a closing panel. He quickly shut off his pain receptors and blasted at the panel, catching his ankle with the backblast but otherwise escaping the city unharmed. "You'll pay for that."
The city, meanwhile, completed its transformation, Autobot workers scurrying behind massive plates of armor and huge artillery pieces snapping into position. Cy-Kill realized that he had lost the element of surprise, but still had the Autobots off-balance. He fired several blasts into a bulkhead, to little effect. "Screw Head, Crain Brain, Spoons... breach their pathetic excuse for shelter," he majestically commanded.
His Renegades set to their task, with Screw Head drilling through a plate, Crain Brain lifting the debris away with his crane arm, and Spoons hauling it away in his forklift mode. "Tote that barge," began Crain Brain. "Lift that bale!" replied Spoons enthusiastically. Just then, a bridge connecting the bulkhead they were attempting to breach with the land beyond the river powering much of the city's hydroelectric works began to retract, and Spoons found himself awkwardly pulled to the other side with it. He converted back to his humanoid mode and tried to catch his balance.
Kup and Hot Rod approached the chaos at full speed. "Those Renegades are in our way," Kup worried.
"Wrong," declared Hot Rod with confidence, "they're our way in!" He slammed into Spoons and, incredibly, used the Renegade as a ramp, jumping the river with ease and even sending Crain Brain tumbling into the river below. Kup, with considerably less aplomb, attempted to duplicate the maneuver, though he crushed Spoons beneath his treads and landed squarely on Screw Head in the process. As the Autobots entered the safety of the fortress, a secondary plate of armor closed the breach.
The battle raged in earnest. Renegades swarmed about, utilizing their flight to good advantage and unleashing shot after shot at any Autobot who dared poke his head out from the safety of the city's ramparts. Spoiler, Decker Decker, Tank, Loco, Stretch, Vain Train, and Geeper-Creeper could all be spied flying in, firing a blast, then darting to safety out of the range of the fortress' guns.
Crossword flew close to the city's communication pod, fired a shot, then dodged the response. Inside, Blaster returned fire. "Look out and shout, ow!" He noticed Perceptor had climbed into the room. "Hey, Perceptor, what's shakin'? Other than this fortress?" Perceptor quickly informed him that he was to call to Cybertron for backup, and he complied, converting to his boombox mode and sending a directed tachyon signal to Cybertron. " Optimus Prime, do you read me? The Decepticons are blitzing Autobot City. We're really takin' a pounding. Don't know how much longer we can hold out."
Cy-Kill spied the active tachyon relay. "Dr. Go! Jam that transmission."
Go nodded. "Jawohl, Herr Cy-Kill." He turned to the Dread Launchers nearby. "You drei, destroy ze mechanism!"
Re-Volt, Chaos, and Traitor launched at the pod. Chaos and Traitor grabbed the dish and tore it from its mounting, while Re-Volt took aim at the transparent aluminum separating him from Blaster and Perceptor. "Autobot buffoons! Time to eat beak!" He converted to his twin alt modes, a launcher platform and a mechanical hawk. The hawk pecked at the protective covering several times, making a filigree of cracks. Then the launcher opened fire, blowing a huge hole in the pod. Re-Volt converted back to his humanoid form as he and his two companions leapt into the room. He grabbed Perceptor and put him in a headlock, prompting traitor to punch the scientist several times.
Chaos made a run at Blaster, who initiated a roundhouse kick that sent the Dread Launcher flying. "Not this time, Renegade slime!" He touched a button on his chest and Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw burst forth. "Sic 'em!" Ramhorn charged into Traitor, knocking him to the ground, while Eject and Steeljaw circled Re-Volt, who released Perceptor, eyeing the cassettes warily. Rewind jumped on Chaos as he tried to get to his feet, hanging off the neck of the much larger 'bot.
Perceptor got unsteadily to his feet, adjusting his neck. "Do you think you got through to Prime?"
Blaster steeled himself to aid his cassette companions. "Let's hope so. 'Cuz if I didn't, we're all gonna look like burnt out toaster ovens!"
- * * * *
In another reality, Sideways made his way past Van Guard and Defendor, guarding an entrance to Old Gobotron. It was here, in the most ancient part of the planet, that Sideways would find what he sought. The Omega Locks, ancient artifacts predating the evolution of the GoBeings, were in reality a small part of the essence of Primus, that ancient--he supposed 'god' was the only apt descriptor--ancient god who had inhabited their world, subtly guided the GoBeings into the forms they had at present, that they might one day be able to battle the Chaos Bringer. Sideways had felt this reality's substrate waver and grow insubstantial as it was tapped by the Primax reality Gong was currently toying with.
Well, two could play at that game! He dodged the ancient, shambling GoBot Wrecks and some pitiful mutants, then entered the chamber and allowed himself to become one with the Locks, intent on disrupting the new reality equilibrium Gong had established. "Time to make things interesting!"
- * * * *
The uneasy fabric of reality again shifted, as a constant in the distant reality imprinting itself upon this universe flipped a sign. In an instant, the inhabitants became participants in a never-ending struggle between heroic Guardians and evil Decepticons! A crucial battle raged in that war, one whose fate might determine the fate of their entire reality, though none present knew the stakes were quite so high.
It was twilight, and the Decepticon attack showed no sign of slowing. Tork, Tri-Trak, and Throttle each manned one of three windows, firing down at the Decepticon advance. "We're getting overrun," noted Tork morosely.
Tri-Trak took aim and fired, winging Dirge. "Don't let it get you down, Tork. We can hold!"
In a bunker nearby, Bent Wing and Super Couper took shelter from the onslaught, dragging with them the bodies of Sparky and Professor Von Joy. Super Couper, normally an irreverent prankster, took a moment to mourn his fallen comrades. Bent Wing had no time for it. "Come on, Super Couper, we need to get this Boomer into place. Megatron's on a rampage, and it's up to us to stop him!"
At that moment, Tailpipe and Raizor joined them, with Daniel in tow. "Keep at it, guys," encouraged Raizor, "the Robo Rebels are together again!"
The four of them put their backs into pushing the Boomer into position, and even Daniel lent a hand. Bent Wing glanced over at the newcomers. "I was afraid you'd be trapped outside the city."
Tail Pipe gave an exaggerated gulp. "Me too!"
The damaged Boomer finally slid into position, and Daniel climbed a ladder build for being much larger than himself. What he saw filled him with dread. Megatron and a large number of troops had gathered below one of the artillery pieces, including... he counted... all six Constructicons. "Constructicons, merge for the kill!"
He swiftly called for his Guardian companions. Super Couper got there first. "We're hosed."
Indeed, the six Constructicons united into the massive form of Devastator, and began advancing menacingly upon a Hitch Hiker drone. The drone's weapons cast about, attempting to get a lock, but the massive Decepticon warrior shattered it effortlessly.
Bent Wing rallied the Robo Rebels. "Come on, Guardians, we can do this!" They fired shell after shell into Devastator, knocking him back but causing no real harm. He tore off a huge armored plate from Guardian City and hurtled it at the Rebels, who scattered lest they be destroyed with the Boomer.
The battle raged through the night. Though the Guardians fought valiantly, the Decepticon advantage was too great. More than a dozen Guardians fell before Megatron's remorseless assault. Dirge strafed Dive-Dive; Astrotrain demolished Apollo; Starscream obliterated Ace, Royal-T, and |Spy-Eye; Soundwave and his cassettes tore Hi-Way apart and blasted Street Heat into oblivion; Thundercracker and Skywarp cornered Man-O-War and annihilated him; Ramjet knocked Spay-C out of the air and into Good Knight, leaving both critically injured; Thrust caught Wrong Way outside of the shelter of the city and threw him into a turbine; and Megatron himself personally accounted for Beamer, Sky Fly, and Guide Star when the neophytes were foolish enough to engage him. When added to the three deaths in the shuttle, Pumper, Hans-Cuff, and Dart, with the injured Dumper trapped in the wreckage of the shuttle Megatron had commandeered, the Guardians were down nearly half their total combat strength. It was a dark day indeed.
As dawn broke, things seemed hopeless for the Guardians. Megatron smirked, confident in victory. The last of the automated defenses had fallen, leaving Guardian City ripe for plunder. The Guardians' will had, at long last, been broken, and he meant to press his victory. "Their defenses are broken, let the slaughter begin!"
But he had spoken too soon; at that moment, a Guardian shuttle from Cybertron arrived, piloted by Leader-1 and Jack Attack. Leader-1 observed the carnage below him with concern; the biggest threat seemed to be the combined form of the Constructicons. "Bolt, Scratch, Dozer, Staks... form Courageous and cut that Decepticon down to size! I'm going to deal with Cy-Kill."
The four Guardians donned their Power Suits and exited the craft, alongside Leader-1. They quickly initiated the combination protocol, combining with the shuttle to form the arms and legs of the mighty Courageous. The massive Guardian flew into Devastator and punched him back several steps, but the Decepticon quickly recovered his equilibrium. The titan unleashed a savage blow that sent Courageous reeling, following up with an uppercut that knocked the Guardian combiner to his back. He planted his foot on his stunned adversary and bellowed to the heavens in triumph.
Flying above the scene, Leader-1 witnessed the defeat of his combiner and the bodies of his men below. "I've got to put a stop to this, now!" he vowed. He swooped down, crashing the nose of his F-15 Eagle configuration into Thrust and knocking him aside effortlessly, then bowling Shrapnel over and forcing Blitzwing to dive out of the way.
By this point the Decepticons had spotted him and unleashed a fusillade of energy. He summoned his force field to deflect it, then converted to his humanoid mode even as one last burst from his jet engines propelled him into the sky. He fired off blast after blasts, striking Ramjet, Thundercracker, and Soundwave before coming to a landing. Before Kickback or Dirge could react, he mowed them down as well before turning to face Megatron, casting a long shadow in the dawn light.
"Leader-1!" exclaimed Megatron.
"Your tyranny comes to an end, Megatron," the Guardian declared.
"Why throw away your life so recklessly," inquired the Decepticon.
"The only thing I'm throwing anything will be the key, after I lock you up for good," retorted Leader-1.
Megatron started to raise his fusion cannon, then checked himself. "No! I'll crush you with my bare hands!" He leapt at the Guardian, and they fell together in a shower of sparks.
Tri-Trak rushed to help, with Major Mo close behind him. "Leader-1 needs our help!" His mentor shouted after him that this was Leader-1's fight.
The silver Guardian hurtled Megatron into a wall. Ever adaptive, the Decepticon picked up a sharp piece of debris and hurtled it at the Guardian, piercing his side. Tired of the brawling, Megatron lifted his fusion cannon and unleashed its fury, prompting Leader-1 to again activate his force field before returning fire from his clenched fists. Megatron was struck dead-center in the chest and hurtled back against a wall, his cannon shaken loose and buried in debris. Leader-1 took a moment to pull the chuck of metal from his side, a tactical error that Megatron took advantage of by summoning an energon saber and striking the wound, causing Leader-1 to back away while clutching his injured side. He nearly stumbled off a ledge but caught himself. Meanwhile, Megatron threw himself into the air and came down, sword first, but incredibly Leader-1 sidestepped the blow and unleashed a savage uppercut, knocking Megatron to the ground. Megatron quickly reversed things with an expertly-timed kick from both feet, and then they were grappling.
"I'll rip out your optics," he growled. Leader-1 worked a hand around Megatron's neck and threw him to the ground, causing him to skid to a rest next to a pile of debris.
Torq and Tri-Trak rushed up. "Great work, Leader-1!" enthused Torq, "Let's get this villain behind bars."
Leader-1 nodded. "Good call, Torq." He raised his fists, covering Megatron. "Let's get some energy cuffs on that blackguard."
For his part, Megatron was not ready to concede defeat. A laser pistol lay on the ground just a few paces in front of him, concealed from Guardian view by the damaged landscape.
"No more, Leader-1. I concede defeat. Allow my Decepticons to go honorably into exile." He crawled forward as he did so, eyes pleading, inching ever closer to the weapon.
"Decepticons, honorable?" asked Leader-1. "I've fallen for too many of your ruses, Megatron."
Megatron knew he had to act. He snatched the weapon and began to take aim. He hadn't counted on Tri-Trak, though. The Guardian raised his fists and unleashed twin energy blasts. Megatron instinctively raised his left arm and activated an energy shield, deflecting the bolts into Leader-1. The Guardian leader was pushed back several steps, but still managed to raise his fists. He and Megatron fired simultaneously, and energy lanced into Leader-1's wounds and Megatron's chest. Megatron fell backwards, off the nearby precipice, bouncing off of the wreckage of the level below before slamming, hard, into the metal ground below. Leader-1 attempted to stay on his feet, but collapsed.
Tri-Trak ran to his fallen leader. "Leader-1... I'm sorry!"
Decepticons gathered around Megatron's shattered body, energy freely sparking about his wounds. Starscream, dripping with contempt, inquired as to his health, before unleashing a brutal kick to his sovereign. Several Decepticons winced. "Astrotrain, transform and get us out of here."
Megatron looked to his most loyal subordinate, Soundwave, and begged him to carry him to safety. Soundwave acknowledge the order and gently, ever so gently, picked up his fallen commander.
Astrotrain converted to his train mode, expanding as he did, and the Decepticons scrambled aboard, many carrying their damaged brothers. Bent Wing could barely believe it. "The Decepticons are retreating!"
Torq fired off a blast as they withdrew. "Leader-1 did it. He drove them off."
Starscream, the last aboard, ordered Astrotrain to take off. His rocket engines fired up and he converted to his space shuttle mode, flying back to Cybertron in defeat.
Part 2
Part 2 - To the Death—and Beyond!On Gobotron, in another reality, Vec-Tor played a game of Tadek with Zeemon. The politician's moves were subtle, and his windshield unreadable. Vec-Tor thought he saw what his opponent was driving towards, but it was difficult to be sure. Best to play it safe, he thought, and pushed a small stack of tiles into a defensive position.
"Ah, Vec-Tor, I've already half beaten you, haven't I?"
The Guardian of Space and Time laughed. "I suppose you have, old friend. No one sees all the angles like you do." They both chuckled, but then the moment was interrupted by Vec-Tor's chest panel flashing. "Sorry, friend, I need to take this."
Zeemon stood. "Quite all right. Besides, the game is over now anyway." With that he gently slide a stack of three tiles into the center-north square, causing holographic towers to appear all over the map. He had indeed won.
Once Vec-Tor was alone, he pressed his chest. "What is it, brother?"
"Bad news... you have a dimensional visitor intent on altering Omega Lock frequencies."
Vec-Tor nodded. "Understood. He won't get far, not on my watch."
Vec-Tor transformed to his Gobotic ship mode and flew off, towards Old Gobotron and the ancient Omega Locks few Guardians or Renegades had ever heard of.
- * * * *
Inside the ruins of Guardian City, the Secret Riders and Robo Rebels gathered around Leader-1. Tail Pipe finished his examination and looked at his companions. They could see it wasn't good news.
"How bad," asked Major Mo.
"Bad," whispered Tail Pipe. "Maybe the Last Engineer could save him, if he were still with us, but I can't."
Tri-Trak, feeling guilty, stormed out of the room. Tork went to follow him, but Throttle put a hand on his arm. "Let him go, eh? He needs to work through this himself."
Bent Wing put a hand on Leader-1's shoulder. "How long does he have, Tail Pipe?"
Tail Pipe shook his head. "I'm not sure. Honestly, I'm surprised he's even still with us. There must be something sustaining him that most Guardians don't have."
Leader-1 weakly raised an arm. "It's... it's called the Matrix. The Guardian Matrix of Leadership."
The Guardians were stunned. They had heard of such an artifact, but never seen it. Leader-1 struggled to continue. "Major Mo, I pass command of the Guardian forces to you, and with them, the Matrix."
The Major clutched Leader-1's hand. "If that's what you think best, Leader-1"
He coughed, then brought his hands to his cockpit chest. "I do." The chest cracked open, and a blue light spilled forth. The assembled Guardians stepped back instinctively. "It is prophesied that one day, a Guardian shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix... to light our darkest hour." He reached into his chest and removed the artifact, handing it to Major Mo. He whispered as he did so. "Until that day... till all are one." With the Matrix removed from his chest, his vitals began to flatline, and the Matrix tumbled from his hand and dropped to the floor. Raizor picked up the crystal and handed it to Major Mo, who opened his own chest and inserted it, readjusted it, and then closed his compartment.
All optics turned to Leader-1, whose lifeless body turned grey. Daniel clutched his hand and allowed himself to cry, the unselfconscious grief of the very young.
Elsewhere, a cosmic god adrift in the night observed this exchange. When the Matrix passed into view of his sensors, it unleashed a mighty roar of frustration.
- * * * *
Sideways observed the events a dimension away with great amusement. So far, not much had changed. The details, sure, but big-picture, things were still proceeding according to script. He wondered if he couldn't shake things up a bit. Maybe tune in a Uniend Cluster reality, get some Predacons in the mix. He allowed his senses to open, prepared to access the Locks, but instead noticed another presence... Vec-Tor! He cursed out loud, then allowed the Locks to reset to their equilibrium state. No need to advertise his presence, only... there were a few sticking points. The analogy was starting to break down. No matter, it gave Vec-Tor more of a mess to clean up. He converted to his motorcycle configuration and roared out of the Omega Lock chamber, moments ahead of Vector Prime.
- * * * *
The tortured fabric of the universe again shifted, attempting to find an equilibrium position... and failing. Guardians and Autobots now coexisted, as did Renegades and Decepticons. The implications of this new development were ominous, for those few who had the perspective to understand, or even observe, such things.
On board Astrotrain, the Renegades licked their wounds, miserable in their defeat. An unexpected bit of gravitational interference showed up on Astrotrain's scopes, and he burned his thrusters to compensate. It was no good... there was too much mass aboard. "Jettison some weight, or we'll never make it to Cybertron."
Zero wasted no time. He stood up, and spread his arms wide. "Fellow Renegades, Decepticons... Astrotrain has suggested that we lighten our burden. Do I hear a second on that?" The healthy, relatively undamaged Renegades voiced their assent.
"And against," asked Zero, smirking. The damaged Renegades raised a feeble cry of protest."
Zero smirked. "Well, well, well... looks like we're in for a culling." The Renegades too weak to fight were pushed out into the void, their bodies tumbling end-over-end into the void. Zero picked up the battered and broken body of Megatron and carried him to the door. His voice was a study in sarcasm. "Oh, how it pains me to do this!"
The Decepticon pleaded with his Renegade subordinate. "Wait... I still function!"
Zero released his body, which floated helplessly away from the ship. "Not for long!" Megatron cried his betrayer's name even as Astrotrain's thrust carried him inevitably away from Megatron's grasp.
The atmosphere in the room turned tense. Megatron had been the Renegade leader for millions of years, and now he was gone. Zero took no time stepping into the void. "Well, as we've finally gotten rid of that Decepticon deadweight, I nominate a new leader... ME!"
Tic Tac stepped forward. "Wait... my troopers form Puzzler, the most powerful Renegade... I should rule!"
Dr. Go snorted in laughter. "You fancy yourself quite ze thinker, Tic Tac, but compared to my intellect you're nothing."
Tank scoffed. "Who'd follow an egghead like you? Any of us could break you in half with our pinkies... and a lot of us don't gots pinkies!"
Tic Tac had had enough. "Form Puzzler!" The six GoBots united into one enormous Renegade, straining Astrotrain's mass-shifting abilities to their limits. But Dr. Go was having none of it, pulling forth a shrink ray and knocking them back to normal size. Before he could take advantage the now shrunken gestalt, Snoop tackled him, and soon the Renegades were in a free-for-all, even as Astrotrain inched ever closer to the safety represented by Cybertron.
- * * * *
Consciousness flickered in Megatron's optics. He... he wasn't dead. A booming voice echoed in his head and he felt himself pushed backwards in space. "Welcome, Megatron."
Megatron looked about... he was in the gravitational grip of a small planet, and the voice seemed to be coming from some sort of raging inferno of energy on the surface of the world. "Who... who said that?"
The reply again knocked him backwards. "I am Unicron." Megatron demanded Unicron to show himself, but the voice proceeded undaunted. "I have summoned you here for a purpose." Megatron was enraged, but the voice ignored his objection. "This is my command: you are to destroy the Guardian Matrix of Leadership. It is the one thing, the ONLY thing, that can stand in my way."
This I could live with, thought Megatron. He was planning to do that anyway. Besides, the deed might already be done. "You have nothing to fear, I have already crushed Leader-1 with my bare hands!" The voice scoffed, called him on his bluff. Megatron continued, undaunted. "The point is he's dead, and the Matrix died with him!"
The booming voice intensified, and the energy waves buffeted Megatron about. "No. The point is you are a fool. The Matrix has been passed to their new leader, Major Mo. Destroy it for me."
"Why should I? What's in it for me?"
"Your bargaining posture is highly dubious! But very well. I will provide you with a new body, and new troops to command."
Megatron waited a beat. "...and?"
At this point, the voice seemed to get angry for the first time. "AND NOTHING! You belong to me, now."
Megatron allowed his own rage to build. "I belong to nobody!"
The voice, "Unicron," became resigned. "Perhaps I misjudged you. Proceed on your way to oblivion." Mighty teeth the size of mountains opened, and Megatron found himself staring into oblivion.
"No, no, I accept your terms! I ACCEPT!"
The world turned inside out. Megatron found himself reduced to his barest essence, and rebuilt. "Behold... GALVATRON! And these shall be your minions."
Galvatron looked on as Spoons was deconstructed and rebuilt. "Deadlift, the tracker, and his huntsmen, the Sweeps. Crasher underwent the same metamorphosis. "Fracture, the warrior, and her armada."
A panel in the side of the planet slid open and a purple vessel emerged. "And this shall be your ship. Now go, destroy the Autobot Matrix."
Galvatron reveled in the new power coursing through him. "I will rip open Ultra Magnus, and every other Autobot, until the Matrix has been destroyed! To Cybertron!" He fired his plasma cannon, using its backlash to propel him to the nose of the ship, and set forth for revenge!
- * * * *
On Cybertron, at the Renegade Hall of Heroes, the surviving Renegades and Decepticons gathered to witness the literal crowning of their new leader... Zero.
Zero looked out over the assembled crowd of Renegades and Decepticons with pride. Yes, he thought, I'm going to do great things. Perhaps first I'll hunt down the traitor Steamer--trumpets blasted in his audio receptors, interrupting his train of thought. "Get on with the ceremony," he groused. The six members of Puzzler looked to each other, then continued their playing. Zero raised a fist and destroyed their instruments with a blast of directed energy.
"My fellow Renegades, as your new leader, I--" At that instant, three Decepticons flew violently into the open space hosting the ceremony. "Who disrupts my coronation?" he demanded.
The purple Decepticon glared at him. "Coronation, Zero? This is bad comedy."
Zero's eyes widened. "Megatron? Is that you?"
Galvatron converted to his cannon mode. "Here's a hint!" He unleashed the fury of Unicron upon the upstart Renegade, and energy sizzled through the night. When it faded, Zero was drained of all color. He crumbled to ash, obliterated, and his crown bounced to Galvatron's feet. He glanced down and crushed it, a meaningless bauble beneath his contempt. "Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"
Clutch turned nervously to Warpath. "What did he call himself?"
Their new leader raised a fist. "GALVATRON!"
The Renegades swallowed their fear and cheered this new Decepticon, wondering what if any relationship he had to Megatron and what his presence meant for their future.
- * * * *
At Gobotron's Omega Locks, Vec-Tor tried to understand what his senses were telling him... they were set to their normal resonant frequency, but his finely-attenuated sense suggested that they had, until recently, had several key terms inverted. Worse, some of the variables were stuck. Vec-Tor tried returning the Omega Locks to their previous settings, to see if he could clear the jam. He'd give it a few moments, then attempt to return to default. The controls were jammed, though, resistant to change. He redoubled his efforts.
- * * * *
At Moonbase One, Turbo and Night Ranger turned to the sky. A planet had intruded at the outer edge of Cybertronian space, closing in fast.
"Aww, where'd that pesky planet come from," asked Turbo?
Night Ranger shrugged. "I'd be more worried about where it's going... straight at us!"
The planet's mandibles tore into the moon, crushing huge parts of it, and the gravitation field caused debris to rise towards the intruder. Turbo grabbed the controls, hoping to warn Earth.
"Come in, Earth. Leader-1, you copy? Anyone?"
In Autobot City, the Autobots and Guardians were starting the slow, tedious process of rebuilding some part of the defenses. Though the Renegades and Decepticons had been driven off, they wouldn't stay gone forever. Blaster dropped a relay tube as his instruments, tied to the city's damaged but functional sensor grid, picked up a message. "I'm picking up a faint signal! Maybe in my tank mode I can tune it in more clearly." The Guardian converted to his missile-tank mode and Turbo's voice boomed through it. "This is Turbo. Some kinda funky planet-monster just came outta nowhere and it's turning our moonbase into a buffet!"
Unnoticed by all, the universe rippled and personalities shifted, Autobots and Guardians shifting places.
Cliffjumper chimed in. "And it's attacking Moonbase One!"
The universe wavered again, as Vec-Tor's efforts altered the fundamental constant of the universe bleeding into the current dimension. Rapidly it oscillated, though none within save Gong, or perhaps Unicron, could possibly have noticed
Ultra Magnus cried out in concern. "Jazz, Night Ranger!" It was too late, the signal was gone.
As the moon around them disintegrated, Jazz and Cliffjumper fought their way to a Space Hawk. Night Ranger's hands danced across the controls. "Got to blast free, if we can," cried Jazz.
Cliffjumper fired up the engines. "Ignition, and--"
"Time to go!" declared Turbo, and the Space Hawk tore free of the planet's surface...
...only for the engines to stall in the focused gravitational field.
Night Ranger tried to keep the edge of panic from his voice. "Jazz, we're not gonna make it!"
The engines finally failed, and the Autobot frigate was pulled inside the vortex.
Back in Guardian City, Major Mo had managed to find a working video monitor. Moonbase 2 reported on the destruction. "This is Spike and Scooter, up here on Moonbase 2."
Scooter chimed in. "You guys aren't gonna believe this... Moonbase 1 was just swallowed whole by some kind of mechanical planet!"
"And it's heading this way," Spike added.
"We'll try to slow it down," noted Bumblebee.
Matt got the last word in, with Anya held nervously in his arms. "But you'd better get here pronto, because we're not gonna--" and the signal cut out again.
Nick and A.J. looked at the static-filled screen, askance. "Matt!" they both cried, in unison.
On the moon, Matt, Anya, and Bumblebee did their best to initiate self-destruct. Anya plugged in a final connection, then gave Matt the thumbs up. "We'll either destroy it, or give it the worst case of indigestion in history."
Scooter motioned for his friend to follow him. "Spike, the explosives are live! We gotta get outta here!" He converted to his motor scooter configuration, and Spike hopped on. They rode to a crescent-shaped Autobot frigate and flew free, headed towards Earth. The three occupants watched, silently, as the planet's enormous pincers impaled the moon, pulling it inexorably into the "mouth" of the world. The moon was halfway inside when the countdown ended, and a world-shattering explosion blanked out all their sensors.
The Space Hawk was buffeted by shock waves caused from the destruction of two worlds, sending it tumbling. Bumblebee managed to regain control. He and his two human companions enjoyed a moment of revelry, until Anya spied a monitor... the planet still existed, was still in Cybertron's orbit. "Nyet, is not possible!"
Spike and Scooter looked at where she pointed. "There's not a scratch on it," the Guardian whined.
Then the gravitational field expanded, and the frigate was pulled backwards towards the maw. As the ship was sucked inside, Matt cautioned his companions. "Hold on to your hats, guys, looks like we're going in."
From Cybertron, Galvatron observed the proceedings with rage. "How dare Unicron. Cybertron and all its moons belong to ME!" Suddenly, his world was awash in red agony, and he tumbled to his knees.
"Yes," opined Deadlift, "but remember, WE belong to HIM."
Galvatron held onto his defiance for a moment longer. "I belong to nobody..." The agony became unbearable. "I will obey, Unicron." He stood, taking a moment to recover his equilibrium. "Renegades, Decepticons, to Earth!"
- * * * *
Vec-Tor gave up. Whatever damage Sideways had done, he couldn't fix it... here. He'd need to travel to the source universe, and correct the Omega damage there before he could heal his own universe. But he couldn't leave Sideways here, free to do harm. His old adversary was close, he could feel him. He set off through the maze that was the most ancient part of Old Gobotron, hunting a trickster, as the reality tapping into his own ceased its oscillations and settled into a resonance frequency.
- * * * *
Major Mo looked out over the assembled faces. "Autobots, Guardians, this new menace is more dangerous than every Decepticon and Renegade put together. Somehow we must destroy it before it devours Cybertron."
Nick and A.J. shared a glance. A.J. gave voice to their shared concern. "But what about Earth? We can't leave it undefended."
Major Mo attempted to be reassuring. "We'll leave Blaster behind, and there's always General Newcastle and UNECOM."
Springer wasn't so sure. "And what are we gonna do when we get there? That thing crunches moons it'll make short work of us."
Major Mo did his best to keep a calm tone of command. "Maybe the Matrix can stop it."
"You're right, it can!" Hot Rod blurted.
Kup looked at him questioningly. "What do you know about it, lad?"
The youth started to answer. "I just got this feeling--" but was interrupted by Springer, pointing into the sky and shouting. Laser fire rained down on the assembled Autobots and Guardians. The Decepticons and Renegades had returned!
Major Mo pointed towards the landing pads on the east side of the city. "To the Command Centers!"
Galvatron, Deadlift, Fracture, and a number of Renegades watched in delight as the Autobots and Renegades below them scattered. Galvatron spied the target of his wrath and let loose a blast, which Major Mo managed to dodge. "I, Galvatron will crush you just as Megatron crushed Leader-1"
Major Mo raised his fists into the air and fired off a blast, striking Galvatron but causing little damage. "And you'll die trying, just like Megatron!"
Galvatron shook a fist at his opponent. "Guardian scrap!"
Deadlift flew next to his leader. "You want me to gut Major Mo?"
Galvatron shook his head. "There are plenty of Guardians for you. Major Mo is MINE!"
At the Command Center, Motosan and Bullseye struggled to convince the Dinobots to board one of the two ships available to them. Major Mo arrived, exasperated. "You two, get the Dinobots on the shuttle!"
Bullseye threw up his hands in exasperation. "These beasties are impossible!" Motosan nodded in agreement.
"Fine, you two with me. Kup, Hot Rod, you guys get the Dinobots aboard and get out of here!"
The Dinobots were no more cooperative for the Autobots than they were for the Guardians. They destroyed several of the green Deadlift clones before intensifying laser fire forced them into the ship.
Meanwhile, Springer ran towards the second Command Center, alongside Nick and A.J. "Looks like we're shipmates, guys."
A.J. laughed. "The more things change..."
"...the more things stay the same," finished Nick.
The Autobot picked up his two companions, one in each hand, and ran into the ship. Major Mo followed them on, then ran to the controls next to Springer. "Hurry," he urged. And the Command Center's engines started to power up.
A.J. glanced out the hatch, then shouted. "Hang on a second, guys, we're down one!" Indeed, Arcee was running for the hatch, which was starting to lift off-the ground. Springer abandoned his controls and reached out, urging her to jump. She crouched and maxed her hydraulic systems, propelling her into the sky just high enough for him to catch her and drag her in. Nick hit the button to close the hatch, smiling at the two Autobots as they flirted with each other despite, or perhaps because of, the danger.
The Command Center joined its fellow in slipping the bonds of Earth's gravity well, and they set course for Cybertron.
- * * * *
Darn that Guardian, thought Sideways. He was closing in, making Sideways feel claustrophobic among Gobotron's ancient tunnels. Vec-Tor had unusual powers, and the Decepticon had no desire for a straight confrontation with the Guardian.
Sideways looked left and right, hoping for inspiration. Then, unexpectedly, it came! He heard voices from a grill above his head. Could he be that close to the surface? He removed a panel and crawled into the ductwork, seeking a path up. The ancient dust clogged his filters, causing him to suppress a cough. One passage seemed promising, but narrow, so he wormed his way up, slowly but steadily gaining ground. Once he got to the surface, he could trans-phase to Cybertron and team up with Gong.
Finally, he came to the top of the shaft he was in. He braced both legs against a panel that looked loose and kicked with all his might, knocking it forward. As he started to squirm out, two Guardians stepped into view, Bullet and Mach-3. They raised their fists and powered their blasters. "Vec-Tor warned us to watch out for you. You're coming with us!"
- * * * *
In space, the Autobots and Guardians tried to relax into the voyage through hyperspace. On board Command Center 33, Kup amused the Dinobots by spinning tall tales of Zod and Scales, while Hot Rod honed his skills, battling a Ridge Runner drone for practice. Their respite soon ended when the hull shook, impacted by laser fire from what appeared to be a highly augmented Thruster.
Kup yanked the controls, attempting to dodge an incoming spate of moleculon missiles, and Hot Rod took his place as co-pilot. "They're closing on us!" he remarked.
"Yup," agreed Kup, "Like the Quick-Steps of Zeeros!"
To Hot Rod, that observation offered a thin strand of hope. "How'd you beat them?"
Kup cast his mind back. "I'm trying to remember, we lost a lot of good Autobots on Quartex... oh, yeah, we re-routed the gravity dampeners!"
Fingers dancing across the controls, Hot Rod did what Kup suggested, creating an artificial gravity field directly aft of the ship. The missiles slammed into them, detonating prematurely, though the explosion rocked the Command Center.
"All right," sighed Hot Rod with relief, "we survived that!"
"Yeah," observed Kup, "but will we survive THIS?"
Inside the Thruster, Galvatron worked the controls. The Command Center was damaged, and would be easy prey. "Fracture, finish them." Fracture launched herself from the Thruster and closed with the damaged Command Center, even as the Thruster engaged the undamaged Command Center.
Fracture closed with the Command Center and unleashed blast after blast, each one causing more and more damage. Warning lights blared, and a collision alert sounded. He wrestled with the controls, trying to drop from hyperspace, or change trajectories. The ship was completely non-responsive. "I can't control it!"
Hot Rod yanked the motivator from the controls, and the ship finally dropped from hyperspace... too late! They smashed into an asteroid orbiting a dangerous, rocky world with an angry atmosphere.
In Command Center 09, Springer turned to his leader. "Kup and Hot Rod just bought it."
Major Mo nodded. "We shall grieve for them later. Right now, survival takes priority.
Springer glanced at Motosan, who shrugged. Neither saw a way out. "You have big plans for that, boss, I suggest you share them with us."
The Guardian commander steeled his nerves. "Springer, prepare for emergency separation."
"That's too dangerous!" Bullseye objected.
"It's not a suggestion, it's an order. Initiate on my mark... now!"
Even as the control module separated from the rest of the ship, moleculon missiles honed in on their quarry. As one, they slammed into the hull, and the superstructure of the ship erupted into a short-lived new sun.
Deadlift smirked. "The Autobots and Guardians have been terminated."
Galvatron shared in the sense of triumph. "Excellent... and the Matrix with them." His satisfaction was short lived, for blinding red agony returned. In that instant, he vowed that, no matter how powerful Unicron was, Galvatron would bend the mysterious being to his will... and then terminate him. He ordered his subordinate to take him to Unicron as soon as Fracture was aboard, and the agony subsided.
Meanwhile, on board what was left of Command Center 09, Major Mo ordered Motosan to find a nearby planet to set down for repairs. They were in luck... the planet of rock was only a few light years away.
Part 3
Part 3 - Terror on Two Worlds!
Vec-Tor smiled in satisfaction at Sideways, now safely behind energy bars inside the Gobotron Fortress. The guard, Twister, looked worried, but Vec-Tor knew Sideways' abilities perhaps better than Sideways himself did. As long as he was constrained thusly, he was little threat to anyone.
"Ah, Sideways, mischievous imp of the multiverse. How unpleasant of you to drop in on this corner of time/space."
Sideways spat. "I have nothing to say to you, Vec-Tor, and sooner or later you know I'll get free."
Vec-Tor gave a shrug. "Of that I've no doubt. But not before I correct whatever little game you're playing. Tell me where the other reality is?"
Sideways played dumb. "What reality?" Vec-Tor pulled up a chair and sat, waiting patiently. For several hours, he merely sat and watched, his senses focused on the Decepticon before him.
Finally, his serenity was rewarded. A button on Sideways' left arm glowed, and Gong's voice emerged. "What's going on at your end, partner? You giving up --" Sideways quickly clamped his right hand over the button, terminating the call, but Vec-Tor had been ready.
"Ah, I see. Gong. Of course. I need to repair BOTH universes to repair either." With that, Vec-Tor converted to his ship mode and flew out of the detention facility. His Critias Gateway glowed, and he exited reality.
- * * * *
On Antares III, Hot Rod found himself under some sort of fluid, ammonia perhaps, tangled up in some mechanical vines. The more he struggled, the more he seemed to be tangled up. He cried for help, but got no answer. A small purple mech took notice of him, a sort of purple submarine-thing, and edged closer. "Who is it that has intruded upon Odd Ball's domain?" the mech asked as it converted to a humanoid mode. He approached Hot Rod and opened a fanged mouth. "Dinner, perhaps? I'm in the mood for robo-fingers!"
The monster grabbed at Hot Rod's hand, but the Autobot was quicker. He retracted his fist and extruded a spinning saw, catching the creature by surprise. Hot Rod waved his arm about wildly, driving Odd Ball back while simultaneously freeing himself from the vines. The small creature decided easier prey existed elsewhere, converted back to his travel mode and swam off.
Hot Rod's work wasn't done. A feeble cry, Kup maybe, reached his audio receptors. Hot Rod converted to his car mode and sped towards the danger unflinchingly. He arrived in time to see Kup clutched in the hand of an enormous combiner. "More food for Monsterous!" cried the beast.
Hot Rod took aim with his exhaust weapons and fired. The beast roared, then tore Kup apart and threw the pieces away. Hot Rod kept up a steady stream of fire, causing the enormous monster to flinch, then grab Hot Rod with his right hand. Hot Rod immediately activated his saw blade and cut the creature on the wrist several times, severing a hydraulic line and causing the fist to involuntarily release the Autobot. Hot Rod wasn't done, though. He took aim and shot the creature directly in the slightly-too-small head, causing it to separate into six component parts. The leader, a blue mech with a bizarre featureless ovoid for a face, sounded the retreat, and the creatures withdrew into the ammonian depth.
Kup lay face-down on the ocean bottom. He looked terrible, his right arm and left leg torn completely free. Hot Rod turned him over and cradled him in his arms. "Kup... talk to me!"
There was no light in Kup's eyes for several long seconds... then a faint blue glow came into them. "Fix me," he weakly commanded.
"Sure, Kup. Right away!" Hot Rod gathered up Kup's pieces, and gently carried him until he reached a silicon shore.
- * * * *
The control module of Command Center 09 approached Quartex with few working controls. The Autobots and Guardians aboard had done their best to patch things, but it was a futile effort. Major Mo hoped they could somehow salvage the ship if they--ONCE they--landed. "Brace for collision," he ordered.
It did little good. Without functioning retro-thrusters, they slammed into the rocky ground at full speed. Some portion of his mind observed Arcee shielding A.J. from impact with her body, and Bullseye stashing Nick in his cockpit. The ships bounced several times before the various collisions caused it to skid to a halt. The Autobots and Guardians lay on the floor or slumped over consoles, and Major Mo gave a silent prayer he hadn't killed them all. "Sound off."
There were several groans, then a bit of debris fell on Springer. He pulled himself to a sitting position. "Remind me to give the Autopilot a raise." Arcee lifted herself up, and inquired after A.J., who was mercifully unhurt. The other got to their feet. Incredibly, there were no serious injuries.
Sadly, they couldn't rest on their moment of triumph. Trying to... somehow... get the ship spaceworthy enough to get to Cybertron took priority. One bright spot was outfitting Nick and A.J. with exosuits belonging to Matt and Dr. Turgenova, giving them enough protection to help with the dangerous job of ship repair.
As they got to work, several seemingly ordinary boulders a few miles away transformed into humanoid configurations. The lead one, a quartz creature called Tombstone, idly petted a Narligator while surveying the scene.
One of his two subordinates, Rock Shot, had a profound mastery of the obvious. "Magmar won't appreciate intruders on his territory."
Tombstone glowered at the Shock Rock, until his bauxite underling mumbled an apology. Tombstone couldn't help but acknowledge that Rock Shot had a point. He turned to his other minion, a small silver Rock Lord. "Slimestone, go to Stonehead and inform our lord that we have intruders. He'll want to deal with them... personally!"
- * * * *
On the shore of the ammonia sea of Antares III, Hot Rod put the finishing touches on his repair job. Filled with pride, he inquired as to Kup's status. Kup, naturally, grumbled about the quality, though he soon acknowledge that, under the circumstances, it was an amazing job. They set off to find the Dinobots, but were soon confronted by several strange monstrous vehicles.
The lead vehicle, a treaded scorpion, rolled close to them. "What do you think, Bladez?"
The blue wheeled tank, with front-mounted black claws and five angry tines on either side of him, snapped his talons menacingly. "I think we're going to have an excellent meal, Scorp!"
Hot Rod raised his fists, ready for a fight, but Kup interposed his arm. "Don't act hostile," he whispered, "I'll use the Universal Greeting." Hot Rod was skeptical, but deferred to his more-experienced companion. "Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong," Kup gravely intoned. Hot Rod repeated it in disbelief.
Much to their surprise, the creatures glanced at each other, then repeated the phrase themselves, in confusion as much as anything else. Two more of the bizarre vehicles edged closer, a blue-and-yellow wheeled ship shaped vaguely like an arrowhead, and a blue and purple winged craft with twin silver missiles. Still, none of the creatures had opened fire yet. Kup seemed to take that as a good sign. "See! The Universal Greeting works every time. Now, without making any sudden moves, offer them an energon goody." He and Hot Rod did so, handing out for potent energon strips. Each of the bizarre vehicle/creature amalgams took one.
Hot Rod groused that the endeavor was becoming expensive, but Kup waved off his concerns. "Don't worry, they'll reciprocate." The creatures crowded around them, eager for more, but the Autobots' stock was depleted.
"I thought they were supposed to reciprocate," remarked Hot Rod. He spread his hands. "No more."
Kup tossed the empty dispenser over his shoulder. "Sorry, that's it."
"You hear that, Bugsie," asked the blue and purple mech.
"Indeed, Hornet," his companion replied. "After you?" As one, the monster creatures converted to humanoid form and swarmed over the two Autobots, quickly overwhelming them.
Unseen behind an outcropping, two small robots witnessed the proceedings. They trailed the Monster GoBots and their prisoners at a discrete distance all the way to the mighty fortress of the Master Renegade. "What do you think, Squirt?" asked the larger of the two. "Shotgun," replied the smaller, "I think those mechs are gonna need to find some help. Let's go find the others!"
Inside the fortifications, Kup and Hot Rod were pushed along by the four Monster GoBots, bound with energy chains. Their complaining was interrupted when they came to a huge central chamber, dominated by a pit in the center. A lonely outcropping extended forth over the pit, with a hapless grey-and-blue mech with a huge spinning saw mounted in his chest standing upon it. High above the proceedings, a single cyborg sat in an ornate chair, a human or humanlike alien with a cybernetic eye and shaggy white hair.
Another Monster GoBot stood by a large lever, a grey/green beast with prominent horns jutting forth from either side of his head. "Has the Master Renegade reached a verdict?"
The cyborg stood, a grim look on his face. "I have."
The GoBot, with an air of formality, asked, "Guilty or innocent?"
"Guilty!" the Master Renegade declared.
The Monster GoBot pulled the lever and the platform under the condemned mech collapsed. "Feed him to the Dactyls!" he declared with evident glee. Surely enough, the end of the platform dropped and the blue pterodactyl-like mechs below tore the hapless victim to pieces. The Master Renegade bellowed in laughter.
Hot Rod attempted a joke, but it fell flat. Scorp, Hornet, Bugsie, and Bladez pushed them into a cell and locked the door, mockingly repeating increasingly abstract iterations of the universal greeting as they did so. They looked about their cell, strewn with debris that had once been robotic life. "What is this place?" Hot Rod wondered.
Unexpectedly, a voice from the shadows of the adjacent cell answered. "The world of the Monster GoBots, and the cruel Master Renegade. I am Crank. My planet was destroyed by Unicron."
The mech stepped forward. He was a brown, with purple limbs, and dominated by a large drill in the center of his chest.
Kup and Hot Rod exchanged glances. "Unicron?" asked Hot Rod. "Who's Unicron?"
Crank's voice cracked. "A planet that devours everything in its path."
"So that's the monster's name," whispered Kup reverently.
Sadly, no more information would be forthcoming from this alien mech. The mech who had been manning the lever appeared at the doorway, with a blue and gold Monster GoBot behind him. "Pincher, Klaws, please! I'm the last survivor of Planet Zi!"
Hot Rod rushed the bars, but the instant he made contact he received a huge jolt and was knocked backwards. The mech called Klaws snorted. "Don't worry, you'll get what's coming to you soon enough."
The blue mech, Pincher evidently, pushed Crank to the end of the platform, while Klaws resumed his gruesome position as executioner. The trial was over in seconds, and then Crank was rent asunder.
Kup and Hot Rod bowed their heads in sympathy. "Not the end I'd wish for, lad."
- * * * *
Elsewhere on Antares III, Swoop returned to the other three Dinobots, his scouting mission a failure. "Me Swoop no see nothing."
Grimlock was undaunted. "Me Grimlock positive Hot Rod and Kup close."
He and Slag got into a brief argument, which was interrupted by voices from behind a ridge. "You'll never find your friends going that way!"
The Dinobot leader growled. "Who say that?"
Five diminutive mechs emerged. "I'm Pistol, Iead the RoGuns. We crashed here--"
Grimlock took a menacing step forward. "You no tell Grimlock how to find friends!" He lifted a powerful leg and stamped down, causing tremors that knocked Pistol and Shotgun to the ground. Pistol was unperturbed. "Rifle, Scope, combine and show them what-for!" Rifle and Scope formed a single powerful weapon, which Squirt caught. The fired off a low-powered warning shot, hitting Grimlock square in the face.
"Why RoGuns shoot my nose," he whimpered.
Pistol had gotten to his feet by this point. "We don't have time to fight, your friends are in trouble. In trouble... back that way!"
Grimlock was convinced. "Me Grimlock say, time to rescue Kup and Hot Rod!"
- * * * *
At the fringes of Cybertron's orbit, Unicron prepared to receive a visitor. Galvatron returned, to discover how he had displeased his 'master', and was none too happy about it.
Vector Prime observed this from behind a bit of the planetary wreckage of the two moons Unicron consumed. With Unicron this close, it was dangerous for one such as he to approach Cybertron. He had had to waste hours, watching, waiting for Unicron's attention to become divided. That time, at last, had come, and so, ever so cautiously, Vector Prime made his way to the surface of the planet.
If the Chaos Bringer and his herald acted according to script, Galvatron was about to be dispatched to the planet of rock, Quartex. Vector Prime couldn't believe how foolishly, foolishly and recklessly, Gong and Sideways were behaving. Cybertron was one of the axes on which the local multiversal sector spun. To link two realities where one was threatened by Unicron risked not just a single reality, but vast reality swaths. True, Unicron was fated to be destroyed, but who knew how the Gargent influx would change things? At any moment, the Autobots and Decepticons could go careening off-script.
Vector dodged the small Renegades Breez and Pow Wow, guarding an entrance to Cybertron's interior. Soon, he thought, he would confront Gong and return things to their proper path... before disaster struck!
- * * * *
On Quartex, the repairs proceeded at a glacial pace. The Autobots and Guardians would be lucky if they had their craft spaceborn in less than a month. Still, they tried their best.
Just over a hill, Magmar surveyed his assembled forces. He had no idea who these intruders were, and no desire to learn. He just wanted them of his planet, or better yet, smashed into rubble. He had quite an army... his Action Shock Rock drones, Dragon Stone type, were moving into position. The Snarlie-Narlie, mighty king of the Narlie beasts, had agreed to keep his Narlielizard, Narlkierhino, Narlielions, and Narliebaboons out of the fight, and even allow Narliebats to serve as scouts. Tombstone had half of Magmar's forces, the Shock Rocks called Stone Hook and Rock Shot, and the Rock Lords Slimestone and Spearhead, ready to flank from the south. Magmar had with his the two-headed lieutenant, Sticks 'N Stones, along with Stoneheart, Brimstone, and Sabrestone, covering the intruders from the north. It would be a short battle indeed.
From inside his Stone Wing jet, Magmar raised his fist, about to give the order to attack, when he spied a large force descending from the sky. He quickly shifted his gesture to indicate a hold... he would see how these new arrivals interacted with the old ones.
Major Mo felt his oil go cold. He turned to face a vast armada of Renegades and Decepticons.
"It's Galvatron! We've got to draw them off, and double back to the module!" The Autobots and Guardians shifted into full retreat mode. It didn't matter, Fracture had spied the prize she sought. She landed and lifted her heavy foot, deliberately allowing it to fall. The powerful arc of energy shot forth, snaking along the ground until it met its target and the tortured craft exploded.
Springer converted to his helicopter mode. "There goes the shuttle!"
The Autobots and Guardians followed suit, converting to their vehicle modes that they might have some small chance of eluding their pursuers. Motosan and Arcee ran alongside Nick and A.J., still in their exosuits. "We'll never outrun them," voiced Nick, as their allies converted to vehicle modes and sped away.
"Sure we can, Nick," encouraged A.J. We just need to convert!" A.J. shifted into a small car form and sped away.
Nick had never performed this operation before, so when Pocket and Jigsaw landed before him, he started to panic. Jigsaw raised a fist and prepared to fire, taunting him. "Guardian lapdog!"
He focused his mental energy on the process, urging his mech suit to transform... and it did! He sped past the two Renegades, knocking them out of the way.
Galvatron, however, only had eyes for Major Mo. The Guardian commander realized the strategy, and ordered his followers to withdraw. "Make a break for cover, I'll try to unleash the power of the Matrix!" He fired off at some boulders behind him, causing a landslide that cut his followers off from the Decepticon/Renegade onslaught.
As Galvatron advanced, with Deadlift and Fracture close behind, Major Mo grappled with the Matrix. "Open... curse you, open!" The artifact remained stubbornly inert. "Leader-1, you promised the Matrix would save us when things seemed most grim."
The purple Decepticon stretched out his hand. "Major... I want the Matrix."
Major Mo looked at the three Decepticons before him, and the dozens of Renegades he had brought with him. The fight was hopeless. "All right... on one condition. Spare my men."
Galvatron nodded. "Agreed." He stepped forward, and Major Mo, with the greatest of misgivings, handed over the most sacred Guardian relic. Galvatron grinned a wide grin, then punched Major Mo in the gut. The Guardian doubled over in pain. Galvatron grabbed his defeated adversary, steel hands tearing great gashes into Major Mo's superstructure. "Always remember, Guardian... you are nothing compared to Galvatron. Nothing!" He hurtled the battered Guardian over a hillock, then glanced down at his new prize. "Unicron, my master. With this, I shall make you... my... slave!"
And, light years away, Unicron unleashed a roar of frustration, fearing that he had drawn focus to the one thing in the entire galaxy that could cause his defeat.
Part 4
Part 4 - Matrix Quest!Back on Gobotron, Twister stared at the strange mech Vec-Tor had asked him to guard. "Don't take your eyes off," was the exact phrasing the mysterious old Guardian had used. Sideways didn't look like any GoBot he'd ever seen before. Something about him gave the Guardian the willies. Fortunately, his shift was over any minute.
The door chime announced that his relief was here. He turned to let Heat Seeker in. "Got a live one, I hear," his relief remarked.
Twister nodded, and gestured to the energy cage with his thumb. "Yeah, really creeps me out too. Good luck!"
Heat Seeker looked baffled. "What really creeps you out... an empty cage?"
Twister turned, and sure enough, the energy cage was empty! "Oh, no no no!" He ran over, but there was no sign of Sideways. "How could he have gotten out? I only took my eyes off him for a minute!"
Heat Seeker entered the security office. "Maybe there's a clue in the cage." He reached for the controls.
At the last instant, Twister realized his error. "Nooooo!" he cried out, but Heat Seeker's fingers inevitably made contact with the power button, de-energizing the controls.
Sideways dropped his trans-phase mode and reentered perceptible reality. Unpowered, the bars of the cage were simple steel, and he battered them aside as if they weren't even there. The two Guardians fired off bolts at him, but he grabbed Twister and slammed him into Heat Seeker, knocking both unconscious. Then he slipped out of the Gobotron Fortress, enveloped himself in trans-phase energy, and transited to another universe.
- * * * *
Kup and Hot Rod stood at the end of the platform over the Dactyl pit, having been led here by two more Monster GoBots, Vamp and Creepy. Klaws stood ready to drop them to their doom, but took the time to explain that they could beg for their lives if they liked. Kup whispered to Hot Rod that he couldn't transform, a side-effect of the energy bonds no doubt.
From his platform, high above the proceedings, the Master Renegade looked down on them. "If you won't play the game, little Autobots, I'll have no choice but to terminate you now."
"Game?" Hot Rod's reply was pregnant with contempt. "I'll give you games! Let me go and we'll see how tough you are!"
The Master Renegade gave a deep laugh. "I suppose we will! Klaws... destroy them!"
Klaws pulled the lever, and the platform fell out from under them. As it did, their bonds released, but they were now surrounded by countless hungry Dactyls. Hot Rod converted to his Cybertronian car mode and began to drive the perimeter of the pit, using centripetal force to drive up the very walls themselves and escape the pit. Kup, meanwhile, landed on the back of a Dactyl, infuriating it. The Autobot hung on for dear life as the beast followed its fellows in climbing each other's backs to escape the pit and pursue their escaping prey.
As the battle spilled into the absurd parody of a courtroom, the Monster GoBots did their best to flee the ravenous beasts. Hot Rod derived some small satisfaction from that, but didn't see how he was going to escape becoming Dactyl chow. He fired off charge after charge at the beasts, driving them back or destroying them, but more kept coming. As his weapon ran out of power, he converted to car mode, smashing into Dactyl after Dactyl. Sooner or later, he knew, he'd get the angle wrong and cause himself serious damage, and that would be that. Kup, meanwhile, had learned to direct his Dactyl by creating two small wounds on the creature's carapace, one on either side, and applying a mild pressure. His beast was proving quite effective against its fellows. "I think I'm starting to like this guy!"
Hot Rod converted back to his robot form and picked up a piece of a Dactyl's leg, using it as a makeshift flail. "Glad you're having fun. May as well go down swinging!"
Hot Rod backed away from a Dactyl whose beak got within a fraction of an inch of decapitating him, only to get jumped by several Dactyls who had maneuvered behind him. "DESTROY THEM!" bellowed Klaws, only to get crushed by the enormous door of the compound bursting inward.
The Dinobots, each of them ridden by a RoGun, tromped into the melee. Slag took a moment to apologize to the pinned Monster GoBot. Grimlock also had Squirt in his undersized tyrannosaurus rex arms, and was firing indiscriminately at the Dactyl horde. The Dactyls immediately turned their attention from Kup and Hot Rod to these much larger intruders. The Dinobots used their bulk to good effect, kicking, stomping, smashing, and burning any Dactyls that got near.
From atop his dais, the Master Renegade shouted down at the suddenly recalcitrant Dactyl swarm. "What are you waiting for, mindless beasts? Obliterate these Cybertronians!"
Grimlock roared, and stamped his foot, sending tremors throughout the compound. "Me Grimlock say obliterate HIM," pointing to the scrawny cyborg. The Dactyls looked left and right, their tiny processors weighing this new option that had suddenly presented itself. With a shrill CAAAW, they started swarming the walls, climbing the bodies of their fellows to get at their form master and current target.
Kup, still on Dactyl-back, smiled with satisfaction. "I think the problems on this planet will be solved very shortly."
Hot Rod looked up. "Yeah, cowboy, but what about our problems? We need a ship."
Pistol jumped from Grimlock's back. "That's where we can help each other. The Master Renegade has a craft close by. We can take you there, if you get us off this planet."
Hot Rod leaned down to get a better look at the diminutive mech, hands on his knees. "Who are you guys?"
Grimlock answered, proud to know something Hot Rod didn't for a change. "Them RoGuns. Them friends!"
"Great," quipped Hot Rod. "Any friend of Grimlock's is a friend of mine. This ship, it'll get us off this rock?"
Scope nodded. "I've scouted it out. It's a bit, um, grungy, but it'll do."
Kup urged his Dactyl towards the ship. "To the Grungy!"
- * * * *
In the bowels of Cybertron, Gong was bored. He had expected more movement from Sideways, more alterations to the Omega Locks. OK, sure, there were a few minutes there where things were in crazy flux, but Sideways hadn't touched them since. Gong had half a mind to just completely overwrite the reality Sideways was inhabiting with this one and see how the two-faced Decepticon liked that.
Then Gong heard Sideways urgently cry his name. "Well, speak of the devil! I was just wondering what was up with--"
"Save it, Gong! Vector Prime is onto us."
Gong froze. "Oh, scrap!"
- * * * *
On Quartex, Bullseye managed to locate the battered and dented form of Major Mo. The Autobots and Guardians gathered around him. Arcee was the first to his side. "He... he's alive, thank the Last Engineer. But... but he's lost the Matrix."
Motosan's head fell into his hands. "Without the Matrix, we have no chance against that planet smasher."
Springer bent down next to Major Mo. "Well, I guess we start by repairing our leader, and--"
Nick interrupted him, pointing at a ridge which was now festooned with living rock. "LOOK!"
Magmar, realizing he'd been spotted, sounded the battle cry. "Rock Lords... ATTACK!"
The Autobots and Guardians were in no shape for a fight. Wordlessly, they began to flee, Springer hosting Major Mo's battered form onto his shoulder. They were surrounded, though, with two camps of Rock Lords on either side of them and hordes of treaded rock drones cutting off their retreat down the valley.
With little choice, they stood and fought. Arcee fired off several shots, hitting Brimstone and Saberstone, but they merely converted to their boulder modes and rolled backwards with the shot, before converting back to their humanoid configuration and advancing again.
"It's not hard to knock em down," observed Springer, "it's getting them to STAY down that's the trick!"
More boulders converted to humanoids, and soon Rock Shot and Stone Hook were grappling with Motosan and Bullseye.
"They're indestructible," worried Arcee, as Spearhead managed to snag her blaster.
"And they've got us surrounded," observed A.J, who had to take several steps back, lest Sticks N' Stones grab her. At their failure, they began grumbling at each other.
Springer spied Magmar, directing the battle from atop his Stone Wing jet, and charged with his sword, knocking aside Stoneheart on the way. Magmar barely had time to raise an axe, and the two engaged in a brief but savage melee.
Things seemed hopeless... until three huge bestial shapes rode over a hillock. Two were rock creatures, the Rockasauruses Terra-Roc and Spikestone, the third was... Kup, riding his pet Dactyl.
"I'm thinking I'll name this guy... Gnaw," he said. They weren't alone. With them came half a dozen friendly Rock Lords, charging into battle, three Jewel Lords, hanging back and directing the Rockasauruses, and the enormous Fossilsaurus. Boulder directed the battle, riding his Rock Pot vehicle. Action Shock Rock drones, of Blast Rock and Stun Stone varieties, rounded out the reinforcements.
Magmar wasted little time in sounding the retreat. The Autobots and Guardians looked at the new rock faces before them, stunned. Hot Rod hopped off of the Rock Pot.
"Autobots, Guardians... allow me to introduce Boulder!" He gestured up at the tungsten Rock Lord. "We tracked your Command Center module to this planet, but had to put down on the other side of it. Luckily, when we bumped into Boulder and his pals, we decided to try out the old Universal Greeting. Boulder had been wondering what drew Magmar out of Stonehead in such force. Turns out, it was you."
Boulder stretched forth a hand, and Springer took it gladly. "Never been so glad to shake hands with a rock!"
Boulder introduced his fellow warriors. "I'm the leader of this tribe. This is Granite, Nuggit, Marbles, Pulver-Eyes, Crackpot, and Rock Roller. The Fossilsaurus up there is Rib Cage, Jaw Bone, Hip Bone, and Tail Bone. And the Jewel Lords are our trusted allies, Solitaire, Flamestone, and Sunstone." At that moment, a narly jumped into Arcee's arms. She was startled for a moment, but then stroked its soft fur. "Oh, and that's our pet Narlihog. Unlike most of the Narlies on this planet, he's tame."
Grimlock stomped forward, Pistol still riding him. "Me Grimlock bored of handshakes. Me say we need big party!" The Autobots, Guardians, RoGuns, and Rock Lords laughed, happy to be able to take a moment to catch their collective breaths. Crackpot converted to his boulder mode, and Pulver-Eyes began to play him like a drum. The Dinobots began dancing with Fossilsaurus, who soon separated into his component parts. Rib Cage waltzed with Grimlock, Hib Bone boogied with Sludge, Tail Bone tangoed with Swoop, and Jaw Bone broke it down with Slag. Flamestone took Arcee's hand and Springer took Sunstone's, before they traded partners. Nuggit tried to imitate the breakdancing style of the RoGuns. Kup was somehow able to make his Dactyl, Gnaw, do a two-step, and Hot Rod spun Rock Roller around. Motosan and Bullseye showed off their moves to Granite. Marbles even kissed Grimlock on the nose, much to his consternation.
The moment was soon broken, though, as Major Mo returned to a weak consciousness.
"You... you're all alive."
Hot Rod asked the question on everyone's minds. "The Matrix?"
Major Mo confirmed their fears. "It's gone."
Kup shook his head, sadly. "And with it, all hope."
Autobots and Guardians bowed their heads in grief, convinced that their world was forfeit. Only Hot Rod remained defiant. "No. I refuse to believe that. There's only one place Galvatron would take the Matrix... Cybertron. We've got to get to Cybertron!"
Solitaire coughed. "Quartex is not without recourse when it comes to space travel." She pointed to a beautiful, gleaming crystal spire close to the horizon.
"That's a ship," Kup exclaimed?
Hot Rod had a broad grin. "Who cares, as long as it flies?"
And so, four races, Guardians and Autobots, RoGuns and Rock Lords, made their way to two ships to do battle with Galvatron, retrieve the Matrix, and defeat Unicron.
- * * * *
Vector Prime entered the Omega Lock chamber cautiously. Gong may be more a prankster than a villain, but this close to the essence of Primus, he was still incredibly dangerous. "Come out, Gong, you know not the forces you're playing with."
The ancient Autobot attempted to sense Gong's presence, but the overwhelming energy of Cybertron's multiversal frequencies drowned out all lesser noises. The shadowy corridors, dating to Cybertron's very formation, filled Vector Prime with an unaccountable sense of dread. Something was very wrong here.
He turned a corner and spied Gong's back. Perhaps this could end without undue harm. "Gong. You've had your fun. Now, it's time to come with me." Gong remained eerily motionless. Vector took a tentative step forward. "There's no reason to belabor this, Renegade. Come quietly, I promise you fair treatment." No reaction. Tentatively, Vector Prime reached out a hand.
The instant he made contact with Gong's shoulder, Gong's head spun 180 degrees around. "Let's get this party started, hehehehe!" Gong's whole body magnetized, and Vector Prime found himself stuck.
"What are you hoping to accomplish, Gong? You'll have to release me if you want to take any significant action."
At that moment, Sideways stepped from the shadows. "He might, but I won't." Vector realized his predicament, immobilized in the face of Sideways' wrath. Sideways fired off a missile and struck Vector in the side, causing damage and throwing him and Gong backwards.
'I need a miracle,' thought Vector Prime.
Then the world shuddered in the largest cyberquake it had ever known. Instantly, Vector knew what had happened. Galvatron had attempted to use the Matrix and failed, and Unicron was beginning his assault on Cybertron. If the Omega Locks were to be fixed, now was the time.
Fortunately, the juddering walls afforded Vector Prime the opportunity to push Gong into a suddenly-exposed power conduit. The resulting surge shorted out Gong's electromagnet and allowed Vector Prime to wrench himself free. Gong was unconscious, at least for a few minutes, but Sideways still stalked the tunnels. Vector was torn, but opted to head back for the locks. Ensuring Cybertron survived the next few minutes had to take priority!
- * * * *
The Grungy and the crystal ship emerged from hyperspace, confronting the inhabitants with a clash on the scale of the gods. Unicron, now in his humanoid form, straddled Cybertron and was engaged in a pitched battle with the entire Renegade and Decepticon armies.
On board the Grungy, Springer voiced what they were all thinking. "I don't believe it."
Hot Rod nervously attempted to lighten the mood with a joke, asking what this reminded Kup of, but, for the first time anyone could remember, his endless repertoire of war stories had nothing remotely close. A.J. swallowed. "Moonbase 2 is gone... do you suppose Matt--"
"That's what we're gonna find out," Hot Rod vowed. He grabbed the controls and the Grungy engaged Unicron, raining fire on the titanic figure. He retaliated with a huge torrent of energy, blasted from his mouth, which clipped the crystal ship but caused little damage the industrious Rock Lords couldn't repair. A glancing blow on the Grungy proved more damaging, and Hot Rod had little choice but to aim for the eye and hope for the best.
- * * * *
At the Omega Lock controls, Vector Prime forced himself to be calm. Though Cybertron was wounded, the controls still seemed to be responsive. One by one, he eased each constant of this reality back to its nominal state. Seven constants remaining... six... three... one...
Before he could repair the final constant and sever the link between this reality and the Gargent world of Vec-Tor, he sensed and incoming missile and dodged. Sideways wasn't letting him succeed without a fight.
"Sideways, think, if Unicron destroys this reality, he destroys you with it!" Vector's optics darted, trying to catch sight of his adversary.
A voice echoed from the darkness. "And you think I fear death? I WELCOME death! The sweet embrace of oblivion is a nectar most dear to me."
Vector slowly circled away from the controls, "Did Gong realize that was the goal all along?"
The echoing staccato of Sideways' laugh filled the dusty corridors. "Gong was an idiot. He had no clue what the endgame was."
That's it, thought Vector, just keep talking. Out loud, he shouted, "You are too late, knave. Reality is saved. You may as well depart this dimension and hope for better luck in the next world."
"YOU LIE!" roared his adversary.
Vector had moved so he could observe the Omega Lock controls without being seen. He put as much arrogance into his voice as he could. "Try me."
- * * * *
As Sideways and Vector Prime battled deep inside Cybertron, so too did Galvatron and Hot Rod struggle over the Guardian Matrix of Leadership. Galvatron was immensely powerful, and Hot Rod did his best with hit and run tactics, but found himself getting the life choked out of him. "I will crush you with my bare hands," growled the Decepticon. "Die, Autobot." As he felt his life slipping away, Hot Rod found an absurd thought in his head. What's a Guardian?
- * * * *
Above, the Junkions and Dinobots faltered, the last bit of resistance Cybertron had against the Chaos Bringer crumbling. Below, Vector prayed Sideways would fall for his bluff. Come on, he though, you can't risk that I might be telling the truth. Just as he began to despair, Sideways cursed and ran for the controls. Vector summoned the Rhisling from subspace and charged, putting a large gash in Sideways' side. Death he might seek, but pain... pain was another story. Sideways yelped, converted to motorcycle form, and drove away.
Vector ran to the controls, praying he could unlink this reality from the Gargent stream before disaster struck.
- * * * *
"First, Prime, then Ultra Magnus, and now, you," growled the Decepticon. "It's a pity you Autobots die so easily, or I might have a sense of satisfaction now." At that instant, Hot Rod's fingers closed around the Guardian Matrix of Leadership. He tugged at it, but nothing happened, and he felt his spark slipping away...
No, he resolved, one more try, I have to open the Guar--the--the Autobot Matrix! Incredibly, Hot Rod felt the power of the artifact coursing through him, invigorating him, making him invulnerable, filling him with wisdom. From the depth of its interior, he felt as much as heard the voice of his beloved fallen leader, Optimus Prime, urging him to rise as Rodimus Prime.
Galvatron panicked and fired off several shots, shots which bounced off Rodimus Prime's chest but did knock the Matrix from his hand.
Rodimus was undaunted. "This is the end of the road, Galvatron." Rodimus charged to Galvatron and, seemingly effortlessly, lifted him off the ground and hurled him out of Unicron and into deep space. Almost serenely, Rodimus retrieved the Matrix and willed it to open. "Now, light our darkest hour," he reverently intoned. Its cascading energies ripped through Unicron, destroying the dark god from the inside out.
Somehow, Rodimus knew he had only minutes to locate his friends and lead them to safety, and he set forth to his task.
- * * * *
From the surface of Cybertron, Vector Prime observed another death of Unicron with equanimity. What should have been a straightforward battle had nearly turned into disaster, thanks to a nihilist and a trickster. Who knew when or where the next multiversal disaster would arise, or what might precipitate it.
Vector Prime converted to his starship mode and roared off into the night.
- * * * *
With Unicron defeated and the Decepticons in retreat, the Autobots and Junkions pledged their friendship as Rodimus Prime declared victory over a broken planet. It wouldn't stay broken for long, Rodimus vowed. He would take the momentum he had this day and clear the planet of all Decepticons, rebuild, reaffirm the Autobot alliance with Earth, and generally make the galaxy a safer place.
Below the surface, Sideways willed his nanoswarm to repair his injuries, but the bite of the Rhisling was resistant to his normal methods of autorepair. "So close," he muttered, "I was so close to victory. Ah, well, maybe next time."
A shadow fell over him. He glanced up, but it was only Gong. "Hey, Renegade. This was a fun effort. Maybe next time..." He trailed off as he saw fury in Gong's eyes.
"So I'm an idiot, am I? Well, this idiot is going to teach you a thing or two, hehehehe!"
As Gong advanced on his still injured form, one thought flitted through Sideways' processor: oh, scrap.
Cast
Notes
- Although not named in the story, Macadams (a.k.a. Alchemist Prime), is clearly the bartender. The other survivor from the Planet Zi is the Starrior Cut-Up. The Guardian Boomer is Rumble. The leader of the Monsterous combiner is Fright Face.
- Gong identifies Sideways as originating from the Viron universal cluster, which make him Sideways from the 2001 Robots in Disguise series.
- Gargent 186.0 Gamma is universal stream of the GoBots magazine comic.
- When Unicron upgrades Megatron he becomes Galvatron, just as in The Transformers: The Movie. Unique to this story Spoons becomes Deadlift (based on the Revenge of the Fallen toy), while Crain Brain (a recolored Combiner Wars Hook) and Screw Head (a recolored Unite Warriors Nosecone) become the Sweeps (based on Revenge of the Fallen Dirtboss). Crasher (a recolor of Robots in Disguise Daytonus) becomes Fracture (based on the 2007 Transformers film toy), while Slicks (a recolor of Generation 2 Double Clutch) becomes her armada (based on Classic Mirage colored like the white version of the Crasher toy).
- Having Staks piloting a Power Suit is probably a nod to the time he did it in the Challenge of the GoBots episode "Auto-Matic", despite the Staks toy being a Super GoBot which would never fit inside a Power Suit.
- Kup mentions the planet Zeeros, a planet first seen in the Challenge of the GoBots episode "Et Tu, Cy-Kill?".
Errors
- Crank is described as having purple limbs, not brown.
- In the initial Facebook posting Gong is described as being yellow/black, but no Gong toy was released in those colors. This was edited to say white/blue, which is accurate to one release of his toy.
- In the initial Facebook post of the story had Swindle at the battle of Guardian City in the place of Shrapnel. This was later corrected.
- In the initial Facebook post of the story Tic Tac attacked Blaster in the Autobot communications tower. This was later edited to say Crossword.
- In the initial Facebook post of the story Hot Rod turned into a pickup truck instead of a car. This was later corrected.
References
- ↑ Jim Sorenson (w). "Echoes and Fragments" Ask Vector Prime (February 10th, 2016), Fun Publications
External links
- https://www.facebook.com/AskVectorPrime/posts/785714904893815
- http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Echoes_and_Fragments
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