by Bill T. Taylor - a.k.a. Gemini5181

Adam was laying on his back with Obsidian right on top of him.  His new nemesis had out a deadly set of blades, spinning about like a buzz saw and just inches from his neck.  Sweat beading out of his pores was evaporating into space as he was forced there, unable to do anything.

“Wait!” Adam cried out, a last desperate plea, “Why are you doing this?  I’ve never done anything to you!”

Obsidian’s response was cold and methodical.  “I know you are my master’s enemy, and the enemy of my master is an enemy of my own....”

The blades were coming closer and closer to Adam, threatening to sever his body from his head.  His heart pounded deep within his chest, his eyes searching.  Adam saw something in the shadows, a piece of metal, shrapnel of some sort.  Whatever it was, Adam reached his right arm out, attempting to grab it.  Fingers were just within reach, just a little bit further....

“Time to die...human-mongrel.” said Obsidian.

A blur of blue-gray swept past his optics.  His propellers jammed, his blades grinding to a halt.  “What?!”  Obsidian looked, and saw that Adam’s hand had raised up a thick piece of piping to his rotor.  Obsidian narrowed his eyes and scorned Adam.

In the next moment, Obsidian was thrown off of the human-hybrid.  Adam, not willing to be anyone’s victim or quarry, threw off the hefty Vehicon with a hard kick from both legs.  In another moment, Adam jumped to his feet and yelled to Obsidian, “Keep your knives to yourself!”

Obsidian got off the ground in a nano-click, vengeful as ever.  With little other choice, Adam started to run again.  He shifted forms, becoming a technorganic fox dashing off on four paws.  Adam ran as quickly as possibly, turning a corner.

“Let the fox hunt begin!” declared the Vehicon.  He followed Adam, blasting firebombs off every other minute, giving the fox all the more reason to keep moving.  Adam found a tunnel just large enough for him, and went for it.  Obsidian halted just as his tail vanished from sight.

“Run while you can,” Obsidian muttered, “I can track you down anywhere....”

Botanica, Kaye, and Rattrap were deep within the bowels of Metroplex, heading in only what Rattrap presumed to be the brain vault.  His visor was down, trying to obtain an internal scan of the structure, but continued to come up with nothing.

“I don’t get it!” Rattrap said in a fit of frustration, “My scanners can penetrate quantum shielding and ten inches of solid lead, but I can’t get a lock on the brain vault!”

“I think I understand,” said Kaye, “Perhaps your settings are on Autobot spark signatures, no?”

“What difference does that make?  His energy signature should still lead us to his central nervous system.” flatly said Botanica.

“The problem is,” Kaye stated, “Metroplex’s spark has been off-line for nearly sixty of what you Maximals call ‘stellar cycles’.  That was the one part of Metroplex we couldn’t reactivate when he was brought here.  Your sensors will be confused without a spark to lock onto.”

“Great,” muttered Rattrap, “We’ve got to do this the hard way....”

Outside, Cheetarus awoke to find an empty landscape around him.  Both Obsidian and Adam were gone.  He hoped that Adam was not dead...but if he was, then why would Obsidian leave him alive.

“Ooow....” he groaned, the pain in his leg swelling immensely.  It was terrible, his leg feeling so numb and so sensitive at the same time.  It was enough to make Cheetarus black out....

“Cheetor....Cheetor....”

A white light appeared in the midst of a darkness.  Cheetarus Prime was having another dream, possibly a vision.  The voice was coming from the same point as the light, and sounded very familiar to him.

“Cheetor....Cheetor....”

A blue pinpoint appeared in the distance, a spark.  “Optimus?” Cheetarus called out to it.  Sure enough, a ghostly image of his mentor appeared, but one that shifted. Optimus appeared to have two bodies, two differing forms, one that was technorganic, another that was highly metallic and with wings.

As he confronted his old leader, Cheetarus’ faith wavered.  “I can’t believe it.  Is it really you...or just a vision...a dream?”

“Cheetor!” Optimus cried out urgently, “I need your help!  Omegracon...captured me.  Imprisoned...within...need your...heeeelllllllppppp!”

Optimus Primal disappeared from view, becoming a figment of his imagination.  Cheetarus called out to him over and over again.  “Optimus!  Optimus!  Optimus!”

Cheetarus awoke again, this time in better shape.  His leg had healed itself completely, and his whole body felt rejuvenated again.  The Matrix’s influence perhaps? thought Cheetarus.  Then he remembered everything once again.  “Optimus...we’ve got to rescue him!”

Inside the central complex, Botanica, Rattrap, and Kaye struggled to force open an airlock.  Rattrap has his whole body pressed against one panel, putting all his strength into it.  “Ugh!  Got to...(ugh)....open this!  The brain vault is clearly...(ugh)...inside!”

“Mind if I help?” a friendly voice asked.  Caught off guard, the three turned around and found a tall and stately figure behind them.  It was Cheetarus Prime.

“Prime!  I thought you’d never get here!” cheered Rattrap, “We found the brain vault at last!”

“Good!  No to turn this bad boy on.” said Cheetarus.  The Maximal leader marched straight up and put both hands on a single panel.  With one strong grunt, he thrusted it aside, prying open the door at last.

Metroplex’s brain vault was dark and vacant.  Jokingly, Rattrap said it looked full of cobwebs.  Botanica felt exceedingly pale, but decided to chip in at long last.  She saw the giant controls and examined them as best she could.  There was a near-by lever, one ten-fold Maximal size but no different.  She put all four hands on it, forcing it up with a grunt.

Lights started coming on, both above them and on the controls.  “Partial...power is...restored.” groaned Botanica 

“Lemme’ take over, shrubs,” Rattrap offered Botanica, taking her place.  With a little help from Kaye, he got up onto the console.  He spied a large conduit, and plugged himself right in.  “Now to see what we can get from this big fella’....”

Adam reemerged in another section of Metroplex, watching carefully for Obsidian.  Checking both ways, Adam sighed.  “Good...he’s gone...but just in case,” he muttered to himself.  Adam concentrated, transforming to his new body’s robotic form.  “Still too weird to get over.  Now...let’s see if I’ve got any weapons on this....”

“ARRRRR!”  Obsidian jumped from high above, landing on top of Adam.  The two struggled, but the Vehicon was quicker and stronger than Adam could every manage.  Obsidian took his blades out and held them above Adam’s eyes.  “Now...where we were before?” he said.

At the brain vault, Rattrap was working feverishly with the controls.  More and more lights were coming on.  “Secondary systems online...auxiliary servos activating.  Now for primary core functions...”  Rattrap disengaged his tail and jumped onto a large button.  “Phew!  These controls are a pain!” he said, “But just a few more controls...and I should....”

Monitors started springing to life inside the brain vault, all many of programs and systems reactivating with the final flip of a switch.  “Yes!” exclaimed Rattrap, “Metroplex is online and operating!  Now to initiate transformation....”

Obsidian still had his blades out, and went down on Adam.  Defensively, Adam threw up his arms, receiving a large cut that ran deep, but Obsidian didn’t stop there.  As Adam struggled with him, several more slashes were made, most just skin and exostructure wounds, but some cutting into flesh and wiring.

“No!  Will you just...leave me...alone!” shouted Adam.  As he put his hands on Obsidian’s chest, twin sets of panels opened up on his forearms.  Rockets fired and blew a large hole into the Vehicon.

Obsidian moaned in distress, his energon circuits fragged.  Adam got up, hot and beaten up.  Looking at his arms and the hidden missile panels, he said, “Yes!  Finally something useful!”  Adam put up his arms once more, and fired!  The Vehicon was blasted again and again in great balls of fire, until....

His arms clicked twice.  “What?” Adam said, looking down at his hands.  Beneath the deployed panels, his ordnance chambers were empty - he was out of ammo.  “Oh great!”

Then something else came up.  Slowly, but noticeably, a rumble began to build up beneath his feet.  Adam looked down, seeing an Autobot symbol beneath him.  Without warning, it lifted up, taking Adam with it.  He tripped and fell down on his butt.  Before he had time to say “Ouch!”, a dozen other panels started shifting all around him.  The city was transforming!

Seeing two walls coming together, Adam shouted, “Oh no!”  On instinct, he changed into a fox, then into his vehicular mode.  The blades spun, but nothing happened.  “Dang!  No air!” Adam realized, “Come on you suckers, work!”  They sputtered, then stopped.  Oddly enough, the blades folded into a cone, fusing together.  A burst of fire ignited beneath both rotors, lifting Adam high.

“Sweeeeeet!” he shouted, feeling himself flying into the dark sky.  Below, Obsidian got up just as the walls were about to collide.  He put his arms up - the walls ramming into him.  For a minute, his strength held them at bay, but even Obsidian knew this was a losing battle.  His own rockets fired up, sending him out.

Obsidian say Adam sailing above him, and resumed his pursuit.  “Oh great!  Not this again!” groaned Adam.  Firebombs started going off all around him on all sides.  Doesn’t this guy every give up? wondered Adam, After all, he can’t go on chasing me forever....

A large blast exploded in front of Adam, knocking him out of the sky.  He hollered as he fell downwards, towards the mechanical buildings below.  Obsidian followed, determined to fulfill Omegracon’s command...but a dark mass moved over him, quickly overtaking his flight.

Adam landed on something black and wide.  When he reopened his eyes, he found himself on something metallic, but curved...like a palm.  As he got to his knees, Adam saw that a giant hand half the size of a stadium had caught him!

Obsidian froze in his tracks as a titan arose from the ground.  There was simply the sheer size of it, and then the hundreds upon hundreds of guns, turrets, cannons, and missile launchers attached to this huge creation.

A huge, deep voice rumbled in Adam’s ears.  “Metro-plex...online!  Metro-plex defends Adam!”  Adam saw a giant face with a large helmet and two red antennas gaze at him.  The head turned towards Obsid ian, a frown forming on it.  “Metro-plex...destroy Vehic-on!”

“WHAT?!” shouted Obsidian.  Metroplex’s left arm swung at him with incredible force.  Obsidian barely had time to turn around before it hit him.  Avoiding it was literally like trying to avoid a falling building.  Like a mosquito after being swatted, he was flung out into lunar orbit.

Metroplex raised Adam to his face.  Adam backed away, startled, if not outright terrified.  The Autobot’s mouth opened, and his hand cupped to funnel the tiny human into it.  Adam screamed in the vacuum of space as he plummeted inside....

“Oomph!”  As quickly as he was swallowed, Adam found himself in a very unusual place.  The Maximals, Kaye included, were around him with smiling faces.  “What on Earth?” said Adam in confusion.

“Welcome to Metroplex!” Rattrap greeted Adam.  Picking up a microphone, the rodent made the room rumble.  “Well-come....to....Metro-plex....Ah-Dam!” Metroplex’s voice boomed.

Smiling Rattrap asked, “I think I like this guy already!”

“Neat trick!” said Adam.

As Adam got to his feet once again, Kaye directed their attention to an eminent problem.  Pointing to a sensor read-out of Coral Base, he said, “We need to wipe out that umbilical while our friends are still fighting!  The weapons should be at full capacity and ready for the job!”

“Hey!” sneered Rattrap, “I just got the guy working!  The weapons still need to be tested!  Have you every tried interfacing with a nine-hundred gigaton frankenstein with only a joystick and your own tail to work with?”

Rattrap used Metroplex’s central processor to recalibrate the targeting grid.  Another image appeared on a monitor, this time of the Earth and Omegracon near it.  A red cross appeared, centered on the thin, barely visible umbilical cable.

“Now...just need to calibrate and initialize a few scanners...” muttered Rattrap as he fiddled with the controls.  Two circles appeared, aligning themselves with the center of the cross.  With both circles lined up, the cross turned bright blue - ready to fire.

Metroplex’s limbs obeyed Rattrap’s programming, his arms poising themselves high in the air - the large cannons on the shoulders rotating and lining up as well.  A small wire deep inside them shorted, causing a system-wide glitch.  The weapons froze cold.

“Slag!” Rattrap shouted, pounding his fist into the controls, “His weapon systems died!  Power failure my tin-plated skid plates you stupid Autobot!” For good measure, he gave Metroplex another whack.

“Well if it’s a power failure,” said Botanica, “All we need is just a power boost.”

All eyes suddenly turned on Adam.  He looked, realizing what they thought.  “Uh...un-uh!  I ain’t plugging myself in again!” he said with a weary face, “Besides...”  Sticking out his hands and groaning, only a tiny spark popped out.  “My...power supply or whatever isn’t strong enough.  That number on the shields drained me almost completely!”

“Don’t worry,” eased Rattrap, “I think I’ve located the problem.”  Patching up a schematic of the arm weapons, he found a way around the glitch.  “All I need is just a reprogramming of the power flow and everything should work just....”

An alarm went off automatically.  Rattrap nearly jerked himself out of a socket when a sensor display activated.  In a heartbeat, Metroplex’s sensors identified it as a large battle cruiser - one of alien origin and transmetal composition.

Cheetarus immediately ordered Rattrap to get the weapons online and ready for defense.  “No wait!  We need to sever the umbilical first!” protested Kaye.

Aboard the command carrier, Strika spotted Metroplex standing above the lunar surface.  She initiated an attack, sure that the Maximals and also the human-mongrel were within.  Missiles launched and lasers fired, blasting into the Autobot’s thick armor.

Rattrap, more than eager to press a few buttons, reciprocated.  “Eat this titanium butt!”  A large missile launcher deployed from the left half of Metroplex’s chest.  An array of missiles fired, blasting holes into the carrier with a great deal of force.  The damage Strika did to Metroplex was returned to her four-fold.

“That should keep them occupied long enough,” said Rattrap, “Now for the umbilical....”

The large cannons reactivated, servos moving once more.  Power directly from Metroplex’s core was diverted to them, energizing for maximum blast.  Metroplex took one final aim, then fired.  Roughly a dozen mega-cannons cut loose a wave of firepower greater than fifty megatrons.  They traversed space in a manner of seconds, going straight from the Moon and right at Omegracon.

From Earth, a bright ray of light passed over like a yellow rainbow.  In the skies over turbulent Coral Base, the ray shot through the umbilical towering thousands of miles above.  As a small earthquake rumbled, the umbilical began to sever, the strain of forces at both ends become too great for it.  Over a period of three minutes, it snapped into two, then crumbled apart, huge chunks breaking off and crumbling away into smaller and smaller components.  After burning up high in the atmosphere, nothing was left but dust.

At Coral Base, an overwhelming cheer eminated from all over as the humans celebrated.  The surviving drones crashed into the ground, their source of power cut from them like a crucial artery to the brain.  Silverbolt and his friends raised their arms up and rejoiced as well, Omegracon’s reign of terror over Earth over at long last.

Black Arachnia and Silverbolt embraced one another, coming together for a well-deserved kiss.  ThunderClaw smiled, then turned away to give some privacy.  He looked skyward, seeing Omegracon’s dark shadow disappearing, allowing a crescent of the Sun to reemerge after untold days of twilight, allowing daylight to return at last.

At first, ThunderClaw wasn’t sure if his eyes were malfunctioning, but he swore he saw green stripes running like patchwork over Omegracon’s surface.  Soon enough, he realized it wasn’t.  Rudely, he interrupted Silverbolt and Black Arachnia’s romance, pointing to the sky and saying, “Look!”

Above the Earth, Omegracon was not just floating around any longer.  Green light emanated from clean fissures within his surface.  It became the brightest around his equator, the Northern and Southern hemispheres of his spherical body parting from one another.  Arms unfolded from deep inside, stretching across hundreds of miles.

The bottom portion of Omegracon divided in half, unfolding into legs.  The rings surrounding Omegracon divided into four parts, becoming giant spikes attached to his arms and shins.  From his left arm emerged giant fingers, a thumb giving him five in all.  From right arm emerged a huge weapon, a cannon - the very same one he used on Autobot City a manner of days ago.

A portal opened at the very top, letting out a single great beam of green light.  A cylindrical head emerged, with a single emerald visor for an eye.  On either side large cones unfolded, and a crown of spires extended around his cranium.  At long last, Omegracon, the very child of Unicron himself, revealed his true form 

From the surface of the Moon to the seas of the Earth, Omegracon’s voice boomed.  “Fools...pathetic beings...weaklings!” he said, his voice as powerful as a hundred cyclones, “Your power is nothing...compared to what I have in my possession!”

Omegracon swiveled to face the wide Earth his shadow spanned over.  With his right arm, Omegracon pointed his deadly weapon at Coral Base.  “Now...you shall receive the purity...of chaos...and the gift of oblivion!”

Untamed energy radiated out from the cannon, focusing itself into a single, gigantic, red beam.  Omegracon set it loose upon the face of the Earth with his wicked blessing.  The tranquil skies of Earth turned bright pink, clouds pushed away in all directions as a new wind rolled in.  The blast was directed at Coral Base, destroying it in a flash.

Silverbolt, Black Arachnia, and ThunderClaw saw it coming down at them and started running toward the western edge of the island.  The blast kicked up thousand of tons of rubble, a shockwave of it catching up with them and blasting all three into the air.

Dust settled over the vast surface of the Atlantic...dust, and a single, technorganic feather....

With Coral Base gone, Omegracon looked toward the Earth’s pristine Moon.  “And now,” said Omegracon, “For the interlopers....”  With hardly a movement, Omegracon glided away from the Earth, approaching Luna.

The Maximals saw what was coming, they saw Omegracon’s hand reaching out for them.  It was horrifying enough to witness the destruction of a million soldiers, pilots, commanders, and dedicated souls...in addition to their friends that were left behind.  Now Omegracon wanted them....

“AHH!” Rattrap screamed, “HE’S COMING FOR US!  WHAT DO WE DO?!  WHAT DO WE DO?! 

Botanica suddenly let out a gasp of air, falling to the floor.  Rattrap turned and was ready to leap down to her rescue.  “No!” Cheetarus said, “Work the controls Rattrap!  We need you to move Metroplex out of here!  We’ll worry about Botanica later.”

Metroplex’s big body started backing off.  The cannons were fired again and again, but the blasts recoiled off Omegracon’s armor.  Closer and closer came the titan, reaching out to grab and crush them to their doom.

“Oh!” moaned Rattrap, realizing his efforts weren’t working, “I’m firing with every ounce of energy, but Metroplex’s cannons aren’t making a DENT in that guy’s armor!  Oh man, this ‘bot’s taking everything I’ve thrown at him and coming back for MORE!”

Botanica awakened upon hearing those words.  “All that’s thrown...” she repeated to herself, “Takes all...that is thrown....”

“There’s one chance,” Kaye said.  He ran over to another console, trying to recall something from his training.  He hit his fist against a panel, springing it loose.  Kaye found a series of levers and controls...ones especially perfect for last-chance situations.  He called to Rattrap, telling him to initialize the program to make Metroplex jump.

Rattrap captured the program with a flick of his tail.  As Omegracon was upon the Moon, Metroplex kneeled down, then bolted off in the low gravity.  Automatically, giant boosters ignited beneath his soles, launched Metroplex away from the Moon entirely.

Omegracon’s hand descended not a minute later.  All four of his fingers clawed into the Moon’s crust, then were dragged across the surface.  Quakes rumbled over the Moon’s whole surface down to its core.  Huge canyons were left on the limb of the Moon, Omegracon’s destructive touch.

Metroplex floated in space just a couple hundred kilometers above the Moon.  Upon seeing the huge scars left on the Moon, everyone aboard realized just how lucky they were.

Botanica, weakened by lack of an organic source, awoke in her crippled state.  She started having visions, flashbacks.  Botanica kept repeating a single rhyme over and over again.  “Different forms with a different face, still from the black of space.  Has no beat of a heart, nor the drumming of a spark.  Possesses no power of his own...but takes all that is thrown....”

Adam looked at her with a puzzled face.  “What on Earth is she saying?” he asked.

“Just delirious,” answered Cheetarus, “But we’ve got bigger problems...MUCH bigger problems.”

Rattrap turned to his leader in this dark hour.  “Well, what should we do, Prime?”

Cheetarus’ eyes were on the monitor screens, watching Omegracon drifting near them.  His left hand hovered just above the Moon, his right arm - the cannon, glinting in the powerful sun.  It moved just enough to expose the hollow and deep barrel...one that lead deep inside Omegracon....

“Rattrap, move in there!” he commanded, pointing towards the cannon.  Everyone gasped at what he was saying, but Cheetarus Prime quickly explained, “Optimus Primal contacted me - he’s inside Omegracon!  We have to rescue him at all costs!”

“I dunno about this, Prime,” Rattrap muttered, his mind fogged with doubt.  Still, the rat thought about it, wondering how it could be possible.  Optimus...alive?  Could it really be?  He looked down at the controls, debating with his mind whether he should or shouldn’t.  Rattrap reached out to the lever, making a leap of faith.

Metroplex’s rockets engaged once again, the giant Autobot aiming straight for Omegracon.  But then, all too quickly, the hand of Omegracon stretched out from deep space, snatching the Autobot warrior in his clutches.  Metroplex’s arms tried to force him out, but it was impossible....

“Oh man!  We’re gonna die!” hollered Rattrap.

“No!  Wait!  We’ve still got a chance!  The Discovery!” Kaye blurted out.

Cheetarus waved his arm and shouted, “Well let’s move then!”

Omegracon brought the relatively tiny Metroplex before him, gazing down with his cyclops eye.  “So...” Omegracon said, squeezing the Autobot tighter, “One of the last great warriors from my predecessor’s time.  You are the most powerful...and yet, in my hands...”  The gigantic hand began to crush Metroplex, breaking apart plates and destroying all manner of circuitry.  Small explosion started going off as energon reserves detonated.  “You...are...nothing.” Omegracon said, balling up his fist.

Metroplex exploded in Omegracon’s hand, hundreds of his components flying off into space.  Out of the debris, a tiny candle of light shot out, the fires of the Discovery’s engines.  The Maximals and humans escaped, and now flew the shuttle straight into Omegracon’s cannon without the awesome giant noticing.

Deep inside Omegracon, his ultimate plans were set into play.  The Autobot matrix of leadership, complete with the axis-spark of the Matrix itself, hung like an ornament.  Power flowed from Optimus Primal and Megatron, still chained to the table, both writhing in pain.  The matrix began to glow brighter, illuminating the entire chamber.

“Now...to summon the power...to bring to me my enemies through the gateway.” Omegracon said 

A yellow lightning bolt shot up from the Autobot matrix, blasting into an open conduit above.  Through thousand upon thousands of circuits and cables it was diverted through the very body of Omegracon, stretching out until it entered a giant crystal that formed the base of his cannon.

In the cockpit of the Discovery, the Maximals saw a light far ahead, growing brighter and brighter.  “Holy slag!” shouted Rattrap.  “Turn left, now!” ordered Cheetarus.  With lightning reflexes, Lieutenant Kaye sent the Discovery spiraling to the side just as a giant beam blasted through the barrel of Omegracon’s weapon.

A bolt of pure Matrix energy blasted out from Omegracon’s right arm, shooting out into space.  It went on aimlessly at first, surging through the darkness.  Then, just ahead of it, the bolt of energy stopped, becoming a red-orange ball of light.  It grew brighter and brighter until....

It burst open, a hole forming inside.  The transwarp conduit to Cybertron was forced open, becoming an open gateway to the homeworld of all transformers.  Matrix energy surged into the growing gateway, heading for Cybertron itself.

Inside Cybertron’s infected core, Vector Sigma began to ripple with orange plasma.  NightScream and Ursacon, whose bodies were weak and paralyzed, were barely able to raise their necks up and watch as the megacomputer shot out a bolt of energy that penetrated all the layers of Cybertron above.  As the Maximals began to wonder, the planet itself began to buckle and shake.

Two beams of energy collided over the skies of Cybertron.  A wave of energy backwashed over the sphere of Cybertron, reaching everything that was infected.  Then, very gradually, the planet began to move...inching meter by meter away from its native sun.  The whole of Cybertron, and even its moons, were pulled into the gateway, right into Omegracon’s clutches!

Elsewhere, within the body of Omegracon, the shuttle Discovery hissed as steam vented from its engines.  It collided with a large battery conduit when Kaye piloted it away from the beam, rendering the shuttlecraft immobile.  An airlock opened, out of which emerged the Maximals 

Checking out the damage, Cheetarus Prime said to Kaye, still inside the shuttle, “Looks pretty bad from out here.  None of the primary systems damaged at least.”

Kaye’s head popped out, inside a space helmet.  “Don’t worry, I’ll repair it soon enough.  Wouldn’t recommend staying for long though...” he quoted.

The Maximals struck out on their own, leaving the safety of the shuttle and heading towards the heart of Omegracon.  Metal, cables, and circuits surrounded them all around and below, the buzz of electricity a constant companion.  Cheetarus stayed ahead, guiding them by some strange intuition.

“Five thousand kilometers of tunnels and tubes, and you expect us to find Optimus within an hour Prime?  Sheesh!  I might as well start rooting for Omegracon about now!” sighed Rattrap.

Adam carried Botanica with him.  For some reason, he couldn’t help but give in to her pleads.  “No...I insist...I need to help,” she had muttered before.  But there was the other thing she did - between breaths, she sang to herself a strange song over and over again. 

“Fires of future, seeds of past, no weapons’ fire can ever last....”

“No Matrix light in darkest hour, but in ally’s heart lies....”

After treking for what must of been three miles up Omegracon’s right arm, Cheetarus stopped.  His eyes began to glow white...another vision coming to him.  “I hear Optimus!” he said to the others, “He’s here, not much farther....a way to him near.”  Cheetarus walked to his left, facing a seemingly unimportant blank wall.  Pointing a claw towards one spot, he said, “Here.”

“But...that’s just a wall.” said Adam 

Cheetarus put his hand on it - and it disappeared!  Cheetarus allowed more and more of his arm to penetrate until a rectangular section of the wall started crackling with static energy.  It flashed on and off, then vanishing to reveal a tunnel lined with thick cables.

“Some form of holoprojector.” stated Cheetarus, “This passageway should lead us directly to...something...”  Confidently, the Maximal went through.  The hologram reappeared, temporarily hiding the tunnel.  Rattrap stuck his arm out, feeling for the opening once more.  Sure enough, he found it, and lead Adam and Botanica after Cheetarus.  A light appeared near the end of the tunnel, one that glowed a bright yellow.  It turned out to be a power cell of some sort, ressembling a giant vaccum tube.

“This...is the way to Optimus?” asked Botanica, “Looks like a dead-end.”

“Not just yet.” replied Cheetarus.  He pulled out a spare sword-blade from his back, approaching the vaccum tube.  The light grew brighter and brighter as he approached the power cell, the strange power within dancing like a billion traped fire flies.  He stuck his sword into the glass, carving a large piece out.  The energy blasted out, shattering the glass.

“Prime!  What are you doing?” Botanica shouted.

“This is the way!  Just trust me!” said Cheetarus.  He jumped into the power cell, vanishing like a grain of sand along a beach.  The energy surged for a moment, then dimmed back to its original state.

“Prime...just vaped himself!” gasped Rattrap.

Adam thought for a moment, then stared up at the tube.  He noticed how it stretched over fifty meters into the air, like a skyscrapper.  At the end, it connected to at least a hundred cables that spread outward like the pedals of a flower.

“These connectors, this power cell,” Adam said, “They all stretch out all over Omegracon’s body.  I don’t know much about particle physics...but if Cheetarus’ hunch was right...this could be a transport system...”  In the next moment, Adam jumped into the tube.

White light shined all around him, as if he were inside a Christmas tree.  He caught a brief glance of Rattrap and Botanica before they vanished.  Adam was still intact, including his body, but the outside world around him was what vanished.  He felt himself moving rapidly through all sorts of cables and junctions.  It was like an elevator and a roller coaster rolled into one, but strangely, perfectly still.

The next thing Adam remembered was falling through a hole.  A tube of red metal flashed into existence, and the pull of gravity caused him to fall.  He hollered as he fell, sliding against the sides of the tube as it curved and twisted unit it ultimately ended....

His body thudded against a hard surface - metal.  Cheetarus was right next to him, also regaining conscious.  The Maximal looked to Adam and smiled.  “You’re here!  We both made it!” he rejoiced.

“Yeah,” Adam said, getting to his feet, “But where?”  All around them there was a huge, endless catacomb spanning in all directions.  They could vaguely make out a few cliffs and giant connector cables, but one thing stood out in the darkness: a bright white beacon of energy shining out.

“The Matrix...and Optimus!” shouted Cheetarus.

The ground beneath them began to shake.  Omegracon’s voice rumbled to life.  “Intruders...within me!” he roared.  The very surface Adam and Cheetarus stood upon moved, transforming.  The both of them jumped, trying to make for another cliff, but the landscape around them kept changing, shifting into new forms and features.

“You dare to violate my innermost chambers, metal viruses?” said Omegracon, “I shall eradicate you...like the plagues you are....”  Portals began opening all around Adam and Cheetarus.  Tentacles and claws started emerging, all heading for them.

Cheetarus whacked a few with his weapon, but even the agility and voraciousness in his attacks wouldn’t save them.  Adam concentrated again, transforming into a fox-helicopter.  “Climb on Cheetarus!” he said.  The Maximal quickly obliged, and the two of them flew off just before a pair of claws snapped just inches from them.

A robotic arm emerged from one portal, taking aim at the flyer.  A laser fired, blasting Adam’s left propellar out.  “Agh!” yelled Adam, “Hold on!  I’ll..try to land us!”  His flight was wobbly, altitude falling fast.  Adam crashed against a cliff, throwing Cheetarus off his back.  His claws held onto the metal surface, just barely holding.

“Hang on kid!” said Cheetarus, rushing back to Adam’s side.  A plasma bolt shot the ground in front of the cat-bot, stopping him in his tracks.  Cheetarus Prime glanced to his right, towards the source of the beam.

Out of the shadows, two bulky figured emerged.  The first to emerge was all too familiar: Obsidian.  The second was different, but one that he placed a guess on.  “Strika, long time no see.” Cheetarus greeted.

“Yes, Maximal,” she said, “And now...it is time for you to die!”  She transformed, becoming a mechanized jeep on six wheels.  Her cannons targeted the cat and opened fire.  Cheetarus ran to her left, dodging the blasts.

The Maximal ran right into Obsidian, who caught him with his large hands.  “It is no use to struggle, Cheetor, your time has come at last.”

Suddenly, Obsidian hollered, letting go of Cheetarus.  The Maximal fell to the floor just as a dozen of Strika’s blasts made Swiss cheese of the Vehicon.  Obsidian collapsed to the ground, a large organic spike jutting out of his middle.

A green tentacle shot out from the dark, latching onto the cliff edge, quickly followed by a second.  A motor revved in the distance, and a short Maximal came running like a train on two rails.  “Hang on guys!  Rattrap and Botanica are on the way!” Rattrap called to them.

He landed on the cliff edge, motors running loudly.  A third tentacle shot out, striking the ceiling.  Botanica came swinging in, screaming “Awe-I-I-Yawe!” like a warrior princess.  Despite her weakened condition, she had just enough spirit to enter the fray.

Collectively, the Maximals held both the Vehicons and Omegracon’s internal defenses at bay.  Botanica threw out a seed pod that stuck to Strika’s face, blinding her.  “Cheetor!” Optimus cried out.  Cheetarus turned and saw Optimus Primal laying on a platform, chained alongside another.  He left the battle and came to Primal’s side.

“Hang on big-bot!  I’ll have you out of there in no time at...”

“The...matrix!” exclaimed Optimus.

Cheetarus Prime looked and saw the Autobot matrix of leader hanging in the air by four tentacles.  Immediately Cheetarus went over to it, cutting three of the four tentacles to shreds.  The forth severed on its own, the matrix now hovering there by its own power.  The Maximal tried to reach it, but when he touched it, a blast of energy shot back at him.

Botanica saw this and came to Cheetarus’ aid.  When she ran past the matrix, it hit her as well sending her to the floor.  Rattrap came to her side as well, dragging both his love and his leader away from the corrupted device.

“No!  We’ve...got to get...Optimus’ spark...out of there!” said Cheetarus.

“Botanica!” screamed Rattrap, “She’s dying!  For real this time!”

Adam came to his allies, trying to help out as well.  Botanica was frail like a dry poinsettia plant losing its leaves.  Her spark, before pulsing visibly through her body, started to dim, about to go offline.

“No...” said Adam, reaching out to her.  He held her hand for a moment, unsure what to do.  Botanica gasped for air, opening her eyes.  She looked at the human-hybrid and his blue-green eyes.  Her hand went upwards, to his neck.  It dropped downwards, to the middle of his chest.

“Orrr...ganic....” she said.  

Adam looked down, then realized what she meant.  “My heart!  It’s the only thing organic around here!”  His chest opened up, exposing a very-much organic heart beating amid a conglomeration of circuits and blood vessels.  He grabbed Botanica’s hand and rested it against it.

Unknown to them, Megatron’s face turned to watch the event.  He saw much to his amazement, a pulse of blue energy run through Botanica’s hand and down into her body, down to her very spark.  Instantly, her body’s green color was restored, life returning to her.  

“In allies’ heart...” Botanica said, looking up at Adam, “Lies the power....”

All four of them got up and tried to free Optimus’ spark.  Every time they tried to touch the matrix, energy sparked at them, tossing them away.  “We can’t touch that thing without getting zapped!” said Rattrap.

Adam tried, and like the others the matrix tried to electrocute him.  He growled angrily, his eyes lighting up.  “That does it!” he said.  Adam latched on with both hands and howled.  Energon built up within him, surging through his arms and into the matrix.

The corrupted energy and raw energon reacted with one another, creating a micro-storm sweeping through the chamber.  Adam’s hands becamed locked to the matrix, unable to let go.  Power surged back and forth between him and the device, power unlike any other he encountered before....

A final blast of energy knocked Adam away.  The Autobot matrix split in two, its contents vanishing in beams of red and blue light.  Two sparks materialized above Optimus and Megatron, returning to their owners once more 

Optimus Primal got up, sighing after suffering so much torment.  The first thing he saw was Cheetarus Prime...Cheetor.  His student and soldier was much taller than he remembered, stronger and more mature as well.  Nonetheless, he was happy to see his friend once again.

“Welcome back, Optimus,” Cheetarus said, shaking his hand.

A shadow overcame them all.  Optimus looked up with weary eyes, saying to Cheetarus, “I...have returned...but not alone....”

Megatron loomed over the Maximals with a dark shadow blacker than the blackest night.  He held in his arms the two halves of the matrix.  The Predacon laughed, his red spark shining brilliantly from his open chest.  Megatron fused the two halves together with his spark in the middle.  It glowed a diabolical red glow, the Autobot matrix settling back into his chest as the torso plate slammed shut again.

“Megatron!” the all shouted.

“Back, and ready to terminate you all!” he gloated, “But first....”  He reached out for Adam with his huge black hands.  Optimus Primal stood in his way, refusing him to harm the human.  “Out of my way, Primal!” Megatron said, smacking the Maximal away, “I’ll deal with you later!”

The icon on Megatron’s head started to glow again.  Omegracon was beckoning him again.  “Megatron...destroy the human-mongrel...or you shall suffer under my hand! 

The Predacon groaned in agony as the icon grew bright.  Adam saw this, and decided to make his move.  A ball of energy surged from his hands, forming a spherical energon bomb.  He hurled it right at Megatron’s head.

It exploded, unleashing a wave of energon.  The gruesome Megatron toppled over, energon surges rippling over his body.  Then, Megatron started laughing.  “HaHaHaHa! HaHaHaHa!” his voice echoed.  He got to his feet again, an insidious smile forming on his face.  Above his forehead, the crest with Omegracon’s icon was smashed, nothing more than a blackened dent remaining.

Megatron snatched the small humanoid in his hand, still laughing jovially.  “I must thank you, my dear friend!” he smiled at Adam, “YOU’VE JUST RELEASED ME FROM MY BONDAGE...AT LONG LAST!”

Before the Maximals could react, Megatron lifted up his blaster directly at the ceiling.  He blasted a huge tunnel, one straight through Omegracon’s body.  Continuing to laugh, Megatron flew off, taking with him Adam in his hand.

“Through you, Adam,” Megatron told him, “I shall destroy my former master and conquer Cybertron once again!”

“Maximals!” Cheetarus shouted, “Retreat!  Back to the shuttle!”  Optimus Primal transformed, utilizing his bat-form to carry them to safety.

Moments later, both the Maximals and Megatron had vacated Omegracon’s premesies.  As the tiny shuttle flew away, Omegracon decided to ignore it, despite the threat it poised him...and the great power he lost.

They shall flee, for the moment, thought Omegracon, But soon, they shall realize that my plans have come to fruition...and that my revenge is very near.  Cybertron shall be mine...as it was meant to be.

Inside the Discovery, the Maximals saw the transwarp conduit deep in space.  It was no longer a subtle, barely noticeable ripple in the space-time continuum; but a bright, glowing portal, a gateway to their world.  But that was not all they saw....  

“Look!” exclaimed Botanica.

Something big was coming through the gateway, crossing the infinite distantce between Cybertron and Earth.  A great, green sphere intermingled with patches of silver and blue spun closer and closer, the very fabric of the gateway being pushed further open by its prescene.  Other, smaller spheres followed behind like servants following a king, moons.

Optimus Primal saw what was happening, and knew all too well what would come of it.  “By the code of Primus...the Matrix’s prediction was true.  Omegracon...has now become a threat to both Earth and Cybertron....”

An entire planet came through the transwarp gate - the world of Cybertron.

To Be Continued.....

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