Vector Delta glowed a sinister shade of green, its guardians already upon the transformers. The exit had somehow sealed itself, trapping its victims within. Three Decepticons and three Maximals were now facing four mysterious androids that were guarding the spheroid computer.

The androids mindlessly said, "Protect…Vector…Delta. Eliminate…intruders." They raised up their arms, bristling with blasters and cannons, and aimed them directly at the six "intruders". Bolts of raw energy built up within, preparing to be unleashed.

"Look out!" Coyotek shouted loudly. At that exact instant, he, his fellow Maximals, and the Decepticons jumped. The guardian androids fired, huge jolts of energy streaming out like lightning. An explosion went off, blasting an enormous hole in the wall.

Coyotek, RedStreak, and Scaleblade were flung clear across to the other side of the chamber. Landing with a hard "Oomph!", the three found themselves alive and intact.

"Thank Primus," Coyotek said with a relieved sigh.

"Thank nothing!" Scaleblade shouted, "We’re not out of the frying pan just yet!"

One of the four guardians stood before them. "Eliminate…intruders!" it muttered, aiming its weapons at the Maximals.

"Oh no! Not again!" RedStreak moaned wearily.

On the surface, Optimus Primal, Botanica, Rattrap, and Optimus Minor headed for the far side of Sapphire City, where Minor spoke of something that could save them all from the wrath of a Decepticon giant.

"What is it," Rattrap gasped exhaustively, running in his beast mode, "That’s so important?"

"A special project," Optimus Minor explained briefly, "That we were working on…ever since Omega Supreme brought us to Nebulos."

Huffing and puffing as he flew, Optimus Primal looked to Minor. "How is it that you left Cybertron and came to here? I’m curious to know."

Optimus Minor looked to his flying counterpart as they moved from tree to tree. "Our ancestors, roughly three centuries ago, were sent out on a mission to defend Nebulos. But ever since the Decepticons vanished, we’ve been left with little to do, aside from aiding the native Nebulons."

"What about the, uh, Supreme guy?" Rattrap asked.

"Omega Supreme," Optimus Minor replied, "Was our transportation to here, and our chief means of defense." The chimpanzee then turned to Primal, his own curiosity perked. "But…tell me, why do you call yourselves Maximals instead of Autobots?"

A pair of roots lashed to the branch Minor clung to. Botanica raised herself up, climbing onto the branch. "Our Autobot ancestors," Botanica explained to Minor, "Created a new line of transformers during the great upgrade, while your kind were still on Nebulos. A race of smarter, more efficient, and partially organic transformers…us!"

"Intriguing," Minor commented, "The Autobots here did the same thing…but we’ve always considered ourselves more as Nebulons than either Maximals or Autobots…."

Without warning, the forest ripped apart as a huge green giant appeared. "Devastator…destroy!" it shouted loudly.

In is clutches, a yellow Maximal cried out, "HELP!"

"Gold Blade!" Optimus Primal exclaimed.

Just as Devastator reached out towards Optimus Minor and the Maximals, a huge mass of green vines wrapped themselves around his head. The Decepticon giant moaned and groaned, blinded completely by plant matter. As he wobbled about, a fern-bot popped up, standing on top of Devastator’s head.

"You guys get out of here!" RazorLeaf shouted, "I’ll take care of big and stupid!" The plant-Maximal slid down Devastator’s left arm towards his trapped sister. "Hang on, sis, I’ll free you!" he promised, hacking away at one of Devastator’s fingers with his metallic leaves.

Devastator roared loudly, and with his free hand ripped RazorLeaf’s vines from his head. He then looked to the two Maximals with an angry frown.

Realizing certain doom was at hand, RazorLeaf muttered, "Oh boy."

"RazorLeaf!" Optimus Primal hollered.

With only a fraction of his immense strength, Devastator swung the Maximal off his hand, hurling him into a near-by tree. RazorLeaf, knocked flat-out cold, fell to the ground with a loud thud. Devastator next turned to the other Maximals, his eyes fierce with rage. He took a step forward, shaking the forest floor. The four Maximals, with eyes fixated upon him, stepped back in turn. A devious grin started to form on Devastator’s metal mug.

"Devastator shall crush you all!" he hollered, slamming his right foot into the ground. A massive quake was unleashed, tearing apart the very ground the Maximals stood upon. They were all knocked over, stumbling to their feet.

Gold Blade, still trapped in Devastator’s tight grip, watched as the giant terrorized her comrades. She groaned and tugged, trying to free herself once more. It was useless; fighting against a transformer with two hundred times her strength was futile, but Gold Blade wasn’t willing to give up yet.

"Hey ugly! Leave my friends alone!" Gold Blade shouted to Devastator. When the Decepticon turned his face to look at her, Gold Blade cried out as she unloaded the quiver of arrows hung over her shoulder.

An explosion went off in the Decepticon’s face, blinding him for a brief second. For a minute instant, Devastator lost his grip, and Gold Blade immediately freed herself, but fell from his arm as the giant cupped his hands over his scalded face. She moaned, but looked up a second later to find Devastator pointing his titanic blaster directly at her.

With his shadow engulfing Gold Blade below him, Devastator spoke with his thunderous voice, "You hurt Devastator! Hurting Devastator is a mistake!"

Gold Blade quivered in fear, raising up her arm to protect herself. Then, as she closed her eyes, a huge bolt of energy was blasted from the far end of the forest. The yellow bolt struck Devastator square in his chest plate with such force that he tumbled backwards, skidding across the ground until he crashed into the base of a large tree.

As Devastator struggeled to get up, Gold Blade’s eyes widened as she heard the footsteps of another giant approach. The forest parted, revealing yet another large robot, donned in gray and yellow armor. The Autobot symbol shimmered on the ‘bot’s chest as he stood his ground.

"By the Matrix…Omega Supreme!" Gold Blade declared.

"Omega…Supreme," the guardian robot said in his drone, yet deep voice, "Stop Devastator! Omega…Supreme!"

The Decepticon slowly stood up, the joints of his legs moaning. As the two giants glared at one another, the Maximals as witnesses before them, Devastator let out a chuckle. "Ha! Omega Supreme! Finally a challenge for Devastator!" Glancing briefly at the Maximals near him, he sneered, "Devastator shall destroy you later…."

Omega Supreme suddenly charged at Devastator, slamming into him with the force of a dozen freight trains. Whole rows of trees broke apart in his wake, Devastator’s feet leaving deep trenches in the soil as he struggeled against Omega. Gold Blade, amazed at the sheer intensity of the fight, followed from a distance, watching the incredible battle.

The two giant transformers fought until they came upon the ledge of a canyon, the river below lying nearly half-a-mile below. It was only at the last possible moment that Devastator was able to resist Omega Supreme’s strength, halting the battle just a few feet away from the ledge. Under his heavy feet sizeable chunks of rock broke and fell, echoing between the canyon walls.

Devastator locked his arms against Omega Supreme’s, pushing back against him. Straining his servos, the Decepticon growled. "You…can not…defeat me…Omega Supreme!" he boldly declared, "No more than…you could save…Crystal City…eons ago!"

Inevitably, Omega Supreme lost ground to Devastator, being pushed away from the canyon’s edge. Grunting, Omega Supreme replied to Devastator, "Devastator…betrayed…Omega Supreme! Devastator…obliterated…Crystal City!" Omega Supreme shoved Devastator back, breaking the standoff. Pointing the big cannon at the end of his left arm, he fired on Devastator. "Omega…Supreme…stop Devastator!"

Devastator took the blast in his right hip, exposing crackling circuits. The giant grabbed his wound and yelled, but his lapse of pain was only momentary. Looking back on Omega Supreme, he narrowed his eyes. "You won’t stop us, guardian!"

In the span of a heartbeat, Devastator’s superstructure broke apart. Six smaller Decepticons jumped to the ground, all still perfectly functional. The head robot, Scrapper, raised his blaster into the air and shouted, "Constructicons: attack!"

Omega Supreme was surprised, and soon was overtaken by the numerous Decepticons. Wave after wave of laser fire struck him, pelting the guardian robot’s armor worse than a meteor shower. Unable to raise his weapon, Omega Supreme was forced back into the forest.

As the tide turned in their favor, Gold Blade’s eyes began to tear up. "Omega! Oh no!"

Sensing the giant’s weakness, the Contructicon Scrapper ordered, "Quickly! Fire everything you have! Destroy Omega Supreme Constructicons!"

"No!" Gold blade finally emerged from the woods that camouflaged her presence; unable to stand watching a group of archaic warriors slaughter a transformer so strong and dedicated to protecting a people. She shouted loudly, "Gold Blade! Beast mode!"

In the midst of the battle, a few of the Constructicons turned to see Gold Blade change into a shimmering yellow tree. They thought nothing of it until Gold Blade sunk her roots into the dirt. Moments later, thick vines erupted from the ground several yards away, snapping at the Constructicons and wrapping around their necks. As they gasped, Gold Blade’s vines hoisted them into the air and pile-drived them into the ground.

Scrapper turned to see Hook and Mixmaster being strangled by plants, much to his amazement. "What the slaggn’?" Seconds later, another pair of roots emerged from the ground beneath him and wrapped themselves around his feet. With little more than a tug, they sent him toppling to the ground. "Agh!" Without hesitating, he fired at the vines, slicing them apart. Gold Blade retracted her roots, the attacking vines withdrawing back to her. She stood with her branches outstretched, poised for battle. Scrapper snarled, "Why you little…Autobot-bred…."

Unexpectedly, the Decepticon’s com-link activated. "Scrapper! This is Galvatron! I need back-up immediately!" Galvatron’s voice crackled over the airwaves.

With that, his com-link deactivated, returning him to battle. Scrapper growled to himself, looking at his blaster and then at the annoying plant-Maximal. Reluctantly, he stowed away his weapon. "Constructicons! Transform and withdraw!" he ordered his companions. Scrapper then transformed, becoming a heavy load-lifter. At first the other Constructicons hesitated, but they obediently followed Scrapper, disappearing into the dense undergrowth as the roar of their engines diminished with distance.

Gold Blade watched the Constructicons disappear, glad that they were leaving. Then she turned to the giant that was battered and worn, her face softening at his sight.

Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Botanica, and Optimus Minor soon reappeared. They found Gold Blade at Omega Supreme’s side, trying to help the old guardian off his knees. It was something of an odd site: a tiny, frail-looking Maximal with a huge, massive robot.

"What happened?" asked Primal, noting the thrashed surroundings and Omega’s ravaged frame.

"Devastator and the Constructicons gave Omega a terrible beating, but I they turned tail at the last minute," she briefly replied. Turning her eyes solely on Omega Supreme, she softly asked, "Are you…all right?"

His armor nicked and slashed, circuits sparking on and off, Omega Supreme said in an unfeeling tone, "Systems…optimal. Damage…minimal. Omega…Supreme…within operating parameters."

"Like the Pit you are!" Optimus Minor spoke up, running to the giant. Looking over Omega’s tattered armor, Minor said, "Your exostructure’s received massive damage, your circuits are overloaded, and your weapon systems are completely offline. Omega, you have some major down time coming."

Omega Supreme seemed to ignore Minor’s words. He attempted to stand up, but fell back to his knees. Then, with a grunt, Omega Supreme got to his feet, his motors grinding loudly as sparks flickered from his limbs. Looking in the direction the Constructicons left, Omega Supreme blandly spoke, "Decepticon presence…still detectable. Omega…Supreme…return to prime duty: protect…Sapphire…City."

"Hold on there!" Minor spoke firmly, tilting his head upward as he looked Omega Supreme straight in the eyes, "You are hardly in any condition to fight! The first thing you need to do is shut down and switch to repair mode!"

Omega replied, "Negative,", looking away from Optimus Minor. "Omega…Supreme…protect Sapphire City. Follow…primary programming." The giant then turned away, walking into the forest.

"HEY!" Minor started to chase him, but could hardly keep up with the giant’s great strides. "You can’t! I’m your commander! I order you to stop…NOW!"

Omega Supreme stopped, but only long enough to speak one last time. Glancing toward the Maximals, the giant guardian said, "Orders…irrelevant. Omega…Supreme…protect…Sapphire City! Omega…Supreme!" Not hesitating for a millicycle, Omega Supreme took off, leaving the Maximals, including Optimus Minor, behind.

Optimus Minor sighed, unable to believe it. Rattrap rolled up to his side, watching as Omega Supreme marched off. "Sheesh. What’s that guy’s design flaw?" the rodent asked.

Still staring off in the direction Omega Supreme, Minor said, "He’s a guardian…pure and simple. Centuries ago he was rebuilt by the Autobots to protect and defend, just as he has for us…but there’s something deeper than that as well."

Gold Blade, her eyes also fixated toward the horizon, also came up to Minor’s side. "Oh? What is that?" she asked of him.

Before he could answer, an alarm beeped on Optimus Minor’s arm. Immediately he clicked on his arm, which displayed a grid map with six blips marked in blue and yellow. Speaking more excitedly, Minor said to the Maximals, "Your friends…and the Decepticons! My sensors have finally detected them! They’re both in close proximity!"

"And that means trouble…how far are they?" Primal asked, rushing up to glance at Minor’s arm display.

Minor pressed a few buttons on his display, and then told Optimus Primal, "A little over seven point nine clicks away…northeast. I’m also picking up…some sort of energy source…but I can’t discern it."

"I’m on it!" Primal said, leaping into the air. He transformed into his metallic bat form, hovering above Botanica and the others. He then ordered, "Botanica, Gold Blade: you two help RazorLeaf. Rattrap, you escort Minor to the project area he mentioned." Flapping his wings, Primal flew into the air fast.

"Wait! Where are you goin’?" Rattrap yelled as Optimus flew off.

"To help Coyotek and the others! I can handle it myself!" Primal stated, vanishing from sight.

The three Maximals still trapped inside of Vector Delta’s chamber ran a rat race around the silver-coated room, trying to avoid the huge android chasing them. Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge were each fighting against a guardian android, their great Decepticon strength barely enough to counter that of the androids.

"This is getting monotonous!" Coyotek stated, running in his beast mode.

"Maybe there’s a way to shut them down!" Scaleblade suggested, flapping her dragon wings.

RedStreak bounded along, also in beast mode. He glanced at the glowing Vector Delta, and then realized something. "Hey! I think I know!" Immediately he leaped onto it while the others contended with the androids. As he clung to the sphere, he searched for something. "If this thing’s anything like Vector Sigma, there’s gotta be a key around here…."

Loudly, the ceiling above began to crack. Coyotek and Scaleblade looked up while RedStreak scrambled over the pulsating surface of Vector Delta. The cracks widened, large crumbled chunks of marble and metal crashing down as a pair of giant hands squeezed through. In a grand finale, the dome of the chamber fell apart, crashing down all around the Maximals and Decepticons as the light of day broke through.

Squinting their eyes, Coyotek and Scaleblade saw a dark shadow above them. A green and purple giant hung over them, its giant hands digging through the layers above to reach the chamber beneath. "What the slag?" Coyotek muttered, unable to believe it.

The androids paused for a moment, looking up towards the open ceiling. Galvatron looked on, specifically toward the glowing computer. He saw the fox Maximal clinging to it, making him grow angry. He yelled, throwing an android off of him. "NO! GET AWAY FROM THAT!" Galvatron pointed his cannon towards Vector Delta, aiming for the Maximal.

"No mighty Galvatron! Don’t!" Cyclonus tried to warn him, but he was too late.

RedSteak’s face beamed when he saw a slot built into the device. Grabbing it with his paw, he shouted out, "Hey guys! I found the key!" Just as he started to pull it out, a blast from Galvatron’s cannon hit Vector Delta, throwing him off the spheroid computer.

"RedStreak!" Coyotek howled. He transformed, rushing to his fallen pal in robot mode. Scaleblade did likewise, flying towards RedStreak.

All the while, Vector Sigma’s surface began to spark and pulsate with white and blue-green bolts. Soon it began to hum, becoming brighter and brighter with each passing second. The bolts of electricity jumped from its surface, touching the chamber walls. As the Maximals and Decepticons watched in wide wonder, Vector Delta started to spin as it grew even brighter, until finally….

A brilliant burst of blue-green light blasted forth from Vector Delta, illuminating the chamber like a newborn star. Devastator, hovering above, was hit square in the face with a fountain of raw energy, knocking him away. Soaring just a short distance away, Optimus Primal yelled as a thunderous shockwave threw him back a hundred feet. When he reopened his eyes, he saw a beam of light literally erupting from the ground, flying through the planet’s atmosphere. Optimus’ jaw fell when he also saw little blue, star-like objects flicker out.

"By the Matrix…" he muttered, watching hundreds of sparks fly out of the light, filling the skies above with their tantalizing light. For a minute he was awe-struck, but then he remembered Coyotek and RedStreak and Scaleblade. "My comrades!" Flapping his wings furiously, he fought the current flowing from the fountain’s base and headed towards it, hoping to save three Maximals.

Primal finally landed near the source, but the sheer power of the fountain was equivalent to the winds of a hurricane. He transformed, struggeling to stand up in his robot form. With each step, he fought hard, raw energy pushing him back as he neared the light’s source. He cried out, "RedStreak! Coyotek! Scaleblade!"

At the fountain’s limb, he went down to his knees and dared to peer into the blinding light. Below, he saw the burning green sphere that was Vector Delta, sparks exiting through it and flying around in a surrounding chamber like moths caught in a tornado. Inside he also saw three Decepticons, yelling in pain as they stood in awe of Vector Delta’s raw power. Peering more closely at Vector Delta itself, Primal saw three Maximals.

In a great burst, five brilliant sparks emerged from Vector Delta at once, and amid the chaos, hovered directly before RedStreak, Coyotek, and Scaleblade. For a near eternity, the sparks simply waited there, seemingly observing the three Maximals as they stood frozen in pain. Then, of their own free will, two sparks entered Coyotek and RedStreak, merging with the Maximals’ own sparks. The other three hovered a moment longer, then flew upwards.

Optimus Primal watched as two of the three Maximals slowly transformed, their bodies changing radically, becoming more metallic with sharper angles. RedStreak’s body took on a ruby finish, his fox ears becoming pointier as a rounded helmet took shape over his head. Coyotek seemingly turned into gold, a pair of transparent windows forming on his chest as his head developed a blocky, silver helmet with two rod-like antennas on either side.

The Decepticons were not unaffected either. The constant blast of energy finally got to Scourge, knocking the Decepticon back into Cyclonus. An aura of white light surrounded the two, making them cry out in pain as their bodies mutated. Devastator, caught by the blast as well, started to glow, his armor becoming dark red, weapons sprouting from his arms and legs.

Vector Delta’s storm rapidly diminished, the light fading and the swirling winds dying down. The device itself dimmed until it stopped glowing altogether, becoming as cold as slag.

In the aftermath of the storm, only Galvatron remained conscious. Omegracon’s power protected him through it all, diminishing the pain the others had felt so that he would survive intact. From inside his chest, Omegracon’s voice said, "Quickly, before the Maximals awaken. Take Vector Delta…."

Galvatron quickly complied, wrapping his arms around the broad diameter of the megacomputer. Grunting, he called to his minions. "Ugh! Cyclonus! Scourge! Help me!" Galvatron demanded.

Instead of Cyclonus and Scourge, a different transformer appeared. Its body appeared tattered, made from bits and pieces of the two former Decepticons. The creature groaned weakly, "We…I…am here, Galvatron…."

Galvatron stepped back in surprise, already charging his arm cannon. "What in the universe happened? Where are Cylonus and…." A loud moan came from the direction of the Maximals. Realizing he had to act quickly, the Decepticon muttered, "Never mind! Just help me carry this thing…uh…." Galvatron was at a loss, not sure what to name his new minion.

The Decepticon chuckled, then came forward before Galvatron. "Call me…SkyScourge!" The newly proclaimed SkyScourge jumped into the air and transformed, becoming a sizeable space plane. He hovered before Galvatron, thrusters blasting from his underside to keep him aloft. A hatch opened in his side, a ramp extending before Vector Delta. Immediately Galvatron rolled the spherical device inside, securing him within SkyScourge’s interior.

Jumping into the air, Galvatron declared, "Quickly! Let us take leave of this place!"

The two Decepticons immediately took off, flying towards the dark mountains where Scorpinok rested. Roughly two minutes later, Optimus Primal awakened, finding himself lying on a ledge. He gazed at Galvatron and SkyScourge for a second, but then recalled Coyotek, RedStreak, and Scaleblade. Without hesitating, he got up and jumped directly into the pit below, landing on his feet.

"RedStreak! Coyotek! Scaleblade!" he shouted loudly. Scanning the room, he immediately saw Scaleblade lying just a few meters away beneath a slab of metal. Primal immediately went to her side, reaching for her exposed arm. He grunted, pulling her out and helping her to her feet. Glancing over her, Optimus Primal noted a few scratches on her but otherwise she appeared intact. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Cracking her neck and flexing her freed wings, Scaleblade replied, "Yeah…I will be." She glanced around the chamber, then gasped. "Where’s Vector Delta?"

"What?" Optimus Primal asked, not sure what she was saying.

"Never mind…it’s Coyotek and Streak’ I’m more worried about now." Scaleblade said, looking around the chamber.

"Ugh…" a voice muttered from beneath a pile of rubble, "I’m…still online." The rubble parted, a golden transformer standing on his feet. He loomed over both Scaleblade and Optimus as he started brushing the dust off his arms. Suddenly, the transformer stopped, noting the glittery new color his body had taken. "What the slaggn’?" Coyotek muttered, glancing first at his arm, and then his strange new body.

Another slab of silvery metal heaved. This time a ruby red transformer emerged, his body shimmering even in the twilight. The transformer’s eyes widened at the sight of Coyotek. "Whoa ‘Tek! What the cold boot happened to you?!"

Glancing at the other altered Maximal, Coyotek replied, "Me! Look at yourself fox-bot!"

For a minute the two transformers looked over both themselves and each other, bewildered and amazed at their new appearances. They could barely recognize each other at all! Primal stepped up, as did Scaleblade, interrupting their glamour show.

"Sheesh ‘Tek!" Scaleblade whistled, "You look like a gold-plated stud!"

Coyotek sheepishly grinned, but Optimus Primal spoke up. "We’ll figure out what happened exactly later. What matter now is the fact that the Decepticons are gone!"

For some strange reason, both RedStreak and Coyotek growled at the sound of that word. "We’ll make sure they won’t get away for much longer! Not with these new bodies to hunt ‘em down with…."

A few minutes later, all four Maximals managed to climb out of the wreaked chamber. Standing there, Optimus Primal looked around. "That’s funny…I recall seeing Devastator near-by just a cycle ago…."

Then Primal noticed something he hadn’t seen before. Right in front of them was the impression of a giant footprint. Looking out, they saw many more, all striking out towards a shining point just before the horizon’s edge.

"By the code of Primus," Primal said in dismay, "He’s heading straight for Sapphire City."

"Oh slag! If that behemoth gets there…." Scaleblade exclaimed.

"He’ll tear the place apart…along with the Nebulons!" finished RedStreak.

Coyotek stared towards Sapphire City, pondering. "There’s gotta be a way to stop him!"

Precisely on cue, a large gust of wind picked up from above. The four Maximals looked up, just as something materialized out of the sky itself. "It’s the DarkStar!" Coyotek declared.

A hatch on the ship’s underside opened, a large ramp extending down towards them. Megatron appeared at the entrance, shouting, "Quickly Maximals! The city has put out a distress signal! Your giant friend is already nearing the gates!"

Optimus, Coyotek, Scaleblade, and RedStreak looked at each other, then immediately boarded the ship. In less than a minute, the DarkStar was already halfway to Sapphire City. However…within the former Vector Delta chamber, something was amiss. In one lowly corner, a large and blocky emerald key sat, unaware and unaffected by the events transpiring around it. Appearing out of the walls themselves, three mysterious sparks reemerged, circling around the key. They hovered in place, observing it. One spark moved closer, engulfing the mysterious relict. The key dissolved, merging with the spark itself. In another instant, the three sparks flew out, leaving the chamber completely vacant.

Elsewhere, the DarkStar was nearing the outer limits of Sapphire City. Looking down they saw hundreds upon hundreds of alien vehicles, some aircraft, some hovercraft. Countless Nebulons were running into the city, having traveled from who knows how far to get to safety.

"Looks like everyone’s seeking shelter here." Coyotek stated as he looked out the port window.

Suddenly, a monitor came to life before Coyotek’s console. An image of Optimus Minor appeared, chopped up by static a bit but otherwise crystal clear. "Optimus Primal!" the Nebulon transformer called through.

A moment later Primal took the gold transformer’s console and clicked on the com-link. "Primal here. What’s going on down there?"

"A province-wide alert has been initiated. Everyone within fifteen kevlars has fled to take refuge here. It’s the only sizeable enough refuge our people have!" Minor stated.

"But it’s right in Devastator’s way!" Coyotek shouted.

"We know…but we’ve got no choice." Minor told them, "You must land your ship outside the city perimeter, then enter before the city’s power shield is activated."

"Power…shield?" Megatron asked, his curiosity strangely perked.

"It’s impenetrable, so you must be inside before the generators are thrown. Hurry!" Minor insisted.

As directed, the DarkStar set down next to a bridge leading over a shallow moat separating the city from the surrounding land. Waiting there were Botanica, Gold Blade, and Minor as well. Once the exit ramp deployed, everyone ran out to greet them.

Botanica rushed in front of Primal, grabbing him by the arm. "We must hurry, Optimus! The city’s force field will be activated in the next six cycles!"

Obediently, they all rushed inside…except for Gold Blade. Her attention was caught by the sound of giant footfalls. Looking out, she saw Omega Supreme standing there vigilantly, just beyond the bridge. "Omega?" she said, turning away from her friends.

Coyotek glanced behind his shoulder, finding Gold Blade running to the giant guardian. "Hey shrubs! What are you doing?" He followed after, grabbing her arm.

"No!" Gold Blade groaned, struggling against Coyotek, "I’ve got to save him! Devastator will hurt him!"

Grunting, Coyotek told her frankly, "Ugh! It’s his choice! You can’t exactly convince a giant to listen to ya!"

"No! Omega!" she cried out to her giant. Omega Supreme heard her voice, and looked behind him. He saw Gold Blade standing there, her eyes becoming wet with tears as she struggled to reach him. The guardian merely stood there watching as she was forcefully dragged back. He stared at her silently, not moving or saying a word.

At the heart of the city, something rumbled. Two twin towers at the city’s core started to shake, lightning bolts jolting between the two. Deep within them, generators came online, sending countless gigawatts of energy out. A pinkish-purple beam of energy shot out from between the towers, rushing up and then radiating out in a dome. A wave of light descended, enveloping the whole of Sapphire City in its protective glow.

In the passing moments, the energy wave fell between Gold Blade and Omega Supreme, separating the two forever. "NO!" Gold Blade shouted, finally breaking free of Coyotek. She ran out to the dome’s edge and pounded on the power shield, her fists unaffecting the shield. "No! Omega Supreme! Save yourself!"

Omega Supreme stared for a while, but then his attention was taken elsewhere. A distant thunder approached the city, the footfalls of yet another giant. Devastator appeared once again, but different than before. His armor plating was a deep maroon instead of violet, reforged a hundred times stronger. His giant blaster now had double barrels, and his arms were donned with matching cannons. This time he came before the guardian more powerful than ever.

"Oh man, this does not look good." Coyotek muttered as he stared at the new Devastator.

Minor eyed the evil giant’s new body, and agreed with Coyotek. "Omega Supreme won’t even stand a chance this time! He hasn’t even completed repairing his weapon systems yet!"

Turning to Optimus Minor, Gold Blade practically shouted, "Then we’ve got to take him back in!"

Even as Gold Blade grabbed him by the shoulders and pleaded, Minor had to refuse. "It’s too late for that! If we shut down the power shield even for a millicycle all of Sapphire City will be at risk!"

"But we must!" Gold Blade insisted.

"If the shield goes down," Minor explained to her, "The generators won’t have enough power to reactivate it for at least forty cycles! We could all be slagged before then!"

"But Gold Blade’s gotta point!" RedStreak said to Minor, "Omega Supreme’s hardly in any condition to fight! If all of us back him up, then…."

Optimus Minor shook his head. "No, that wouldn’t work either. The only chance we have of defeating that Decepticon monster is bringing the new guardian online."

Botanica and Optimus Primal looked to Minor with a surprised look. "New guardian? Is this what this has all been about?" asked Primal.

"Yes," Minor admitted, "But the new guardian is proving difficult to bring online. Your fellow, Rattrap, is already there helping Aquarius but they’re not having much luck…."

Glancing at Devastator as he approached, RedStreak muttered, "We’ll be need all the luck in the galaxy if we hope to survive what’s coming."

Outside of the city’s power shield, Devastator made the ground quake with each step. In front of him, the aging Autobot giant waited, not moving an inch in any direction, not twitching a single servo. Speaking with an even deeper, more terrifying voice, the Decepticon shouted, "Out of my way, guardian! Devastator wants…vengeance!"

Replying in his usual tone, the other transformer replied, "Omega…Supreme…protect Sapphire City! Omega…Supreme!"

"WRONG!" Devastator shouted. Raising his weapon, he fired on Omega Supreme. The double-barreled cannon hit Omega Supreme’s shoulder with two fireballs, sheering the armor plating from his body. Omega groaned in pain, but even as his arm smoked he refused to budge. Devastator thudded his blaster against his chest, yelling, "DEVASTATOR IS SUPREME! DEVASTATOR CRUSH…OMEGA SUPREME! DEVASTATOR THEN CRUSH…SAPPHIRE CITY!"

"Omega…Supreme…fight!" the guardian shouted back, rushing at the Decepticon. Devastator laughed, then hit Omega with the broad side of his cannon, knocking him down completely. With the giant rendered vulnerable, Devastator stepped on Omega Supreme. Smiling proudly, Devastator ground his foot hard into the giant’s chest, crushing Omega Supreme as hard as possible.

For a minute, it looked very bad for Omega, but the guardian was not out yet. With his left arm, he swung at Devastator’s other foot, tripping him up. Devastator landed with an earth-shattering rumble, his weapon thrown away. Spotting a chance to fight back, Omega Supreme kicked Devastator in the side, causing the Decepticon to roll.

Looking up from the ground, Devastator snarled, "It will take more than that to stop…DEVASTATOR!" He grabbed both of Omega Supreme’s feet and pulled, knocking him flat on his back for a second time.

Behind the city’s protective shield, the Maximals had reconvened at the opposite end of the broad metropolis, near a beautiful park of native Nebulon redwoods. At the base of the largest tree, Rattrap worked on an implanted computer. He tried crossing wires over and over again, but to no effect.

"Slag!" he shouted, throwing the two wires down after another faulty connection, "It’s no use! I can’t bring this oversized Christmas tree online!"

"But all the systems are in place!" the newt-bot, Aquarius, stated soundly, "It couldn’t be more ready than ever!"

Gold Blade stared at the cybernetic tree, wondering what to do. "There should be…some way to awaken this sleeping giant!"

RedStreak, staring out towards the distance, watched the battle between Devastator and Omega Supreme with his enhanced optics. "This doesn’t look good for our guardian. Devastator’s beating the bolts out of him!"

Gold Blade turned away, fearfully muttering, "Oh poor Omega…why do you fight so desperately?"

Staring at the battle as well, Optimus Minor said, "He fights not only for us, but for Crystal City."

"Crystal City?" Rattrap mumbled, scratching his head, "What in the name of processed cheese is that?"

"An extremely ancient city on Cybertron," Optimus Primal told him, "According to Autobot lore, it stood for two million stellar cycles…until it was destroyed at the hands of none other than Devastator."

"And Omega Supreme," Minor added, "Was none other than the guardian of that city, tricked into leaving it by the Decepticons during the first days of the Great War. It’s a memory not even a guardian could forget…."

"If only there was something we could do for him." Coyotek said.

Then, as if on cue, three lights appeared above the transformers’ heads. Optimus Primal, Megatron, Botanica, Gold Blade, Rattrap, RedStreak, Coyotek, as well as Minor and Aquarius watched as three blue sparks descended before their very eyes. They hovered effortlessly in the middle of the group.

From one of the three sparks a voice came. "Optimus…Primal."

Primal’s eyes widened. He recognized that voice, albeit vaguely. "Tigerhawk?" he asked.

Sure enough, the spark materialized into a blue and pale version of the old Maximal. In turn, the other two sparks also materialized, becoming a fish-bot and a scaly Predacon.

"Strip my gears and call me a ceiling fan! Dinobot! Depth Charge!" Rattrap shouted.

"You’ve returned from the Beast Wars…but how?" Optimus Primal asked.

Depth Charge and Dinobot said nothing, but Tigerhawk stepped toward Optimus Primal, holding out a hand. Green bits of light coalesced in his palm, becoming a large key. "It does not matter how we came here, old friend," Tigerhawk said, "But what matters is that we have come…to grant you the key to Vector Delta."

"They key…." Megatron softly gasped, staring at the emerald object Tigerhawk now held. For a second time, a thought crossed his mind. While the Maximals’ attention was captivated, he slipped out of the crowd and turned invisible. Once again, he vanished without a trace.

Tigerhawk gingerly handed the key to Primal, placing it in his right hand. Looking at his old commander, Tigerhawk stated, "We have so little time left, Primal. Use this key…to save yourselves from a greater evil." Tigerhawk stepped back, then bowed before Optimus Primal. He and the two other dead Maximals turned into sparks once more, and started to drift away.

"Wait! Don’t leave!" Optimus begged, reaching out to them.

The three sparks hovered for a moment longer. "Do not fear, Primal. We shall return…when the time comes." Tigerhawk assured Primal, and then vanished once again.

RedStreak stared at the key Optimus Primal held in his hand. "So…what should we do with it?" he asked.

"I am not sure. This is the key to a Vector computer. If it’s like the Key to Vector Sigma, it could be very dangerous." Primal said. He sighed, then turned around. "Megatron, we need…Megatron?" He looked around, but saw no sign of the Predacon. "Megatron?"

"This can’t be good," Coyotek muttered.

Speaking sarcastically, Rattrap said, "Ya think?"

Near the very heart of the city, the twin towers continued to beam energy to the power shield protecting the Nebulon city. Within one of the towers, the generators continued to spin, putting out as much energy as possible to sustain the shield. As they glowed red-hot, a door leading into the huge facility was blasted open.

A shadowy figure emerged, walking into the generator room without triggering an alarm or anyone’s suspicions. It leaned over the railing, staring at one of several generators below. Next, the figure glanced at the door, laying conveniently near-by. With both its arms, the enigmatic visitor hoisted it over his head, then walked over to the railing once again.

In the light the generators gave off, Megatron’s face was revealed. With the metal door still over his head, he muttered to himself, "Time to set into motion my ultimate plan." Grunting, he threw the heavy slab of metal down, letting it fall right into the maw of one of the generators. The generator’s spinning fans caught the metal doorway, shredding it to pieces. Soon metal fragments flew inside, jamming up critical components.

Smiling as the generator began to overload, Megatron said, "Now to take my leave of this place…and proclaim my true heritage!" He transformed, changing into his spacecraft mode and flying through the ceiling. Below him, the generator whirled loudly, then exploded. In mere seconds, the entire floor of the building exploded, flames spewing out.

At the far end of the city, the Maximals heard the explosion and turned to see one of the towers on fire. "By Prime’s matrix!" Minor gasped, "The power shield!"

"Devastator will be upon us in cycles!" Botanica declared.

Raising a balled-up fist, Primal shouted, ‘Then we’ve got no time to lose! Maximals! We’ve gotta stop him…at all costs!" As he and the Maximals ran off to fight a desperate battle, Primal accidentally dropped the key to Vector Delta. Standing behind, Gold Blade slowly picked up the key, staring at her reflection in it.

Within the following minutes, the protective shield lost power, fading away until nothing was left. Sapphire City was naked and defenseless. As Devastator fought with Omega Supreme, he glanced over the guardian’s shoulder, watching as Sapphire City’s shield dissolved into nothing. His face beamed with excitement.

Focusing on Omega Supreme, Devastator swung a final punch at him, smashing the glass visor protecting the guardian’s face. It was enough to knock him down, Omega Supreme falling backwards, landing with a shake that rumbled through the city.

Victorious, Devastator marched toward Sapphire City, his huge weapon once again in his hand. Stomping through the city’s outer boroughs, he shouted, "Devastator has destroyed Omega Supreme! Devastator shall now destroy…Sapphire City!"

Much to Devastator’s surprise, a dozen blasters were shot at him. Looking down, he saw roughly twenty small transformers, most from Nebulos, but a few were Maximals from Cybertron, all using their individual weapons to shoot him. Devastator laughed, finding their pitiful blasters to be nothing more than a tingle. "Ha!" He slammed his foot down, throwing the transformers below him away. "Devastator can’t be stopped! Devastator shall devastate you all!"

He raised up his huge cannon, aiming for the majestic twin towers at Sapphire City’s core. The Maximals and Nebulons gasped, seeing the giant’s finger move onto the trigger. A potent fireball already began to build up from within the cannon, preparing to fire.

A giant red beam shot out of Devastator’s weapons, flying above the Maximals’ heads toward the city. They all shouted in terror, Devastator laughing gleefully. The blast flew faster and faster, closer and closer towards the twin towers. The destruction of the city was inevitable.

A single millicycle before the blast hit, giant Omega Supreme reappeared, leaping out in front of the twin towers. With his last breath, he shouted, "OMEGA…SUPREME!" His body took the blast, his left arm vaporizing and the wing-like panels attached to his back breaking off. He howled in pain as he flew past the twin towers, crashing into the street before them.

Gold Blade saw it all happen, and cried out, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

In her arms, the key to Vector Delta started to glow. Gold Blade felt it jiggle, then gasped. She dropped it, the pointed end of the key plunging into the grassy ground she stood on. The key began to glow brighter, as did the ground it rested in. Then, a great green beam of light raced out of the key through the soil, flowing into the roots of the giant tree before Gold Blade.

The tree itself started to glow, its pine needles turning into emerald leaves, its bark became silver armor lined with silicon circuitry. The ground around it shuddered, the planet itself seeming to rumble. Suddenly, the top half of the tree divided in two, revealing between them the head and torso of an armored robot. The trunk stretched out, plates retracting to reveal more robotic components underneath. The roots withdrew from the soil and became struts on the sides of the two feet.

The two halves of the tree shifted down on a pair of pistons, becoming barrel-like arms. Steam his from the robot’s neck, its eyes starting to glow a brilliant blue. "Ironwood…online," it spoke.

The new guardian got to his feet and looked out over Sapphire City. It saw both Devastator and Omega Supreme. Strangely, it did nothing. It looked down, spying Gold Blade staring up at him. He leaned down, resting one of his hands on the ground as he kneeled before the gold-leaved transformer.

"Ironwood…online. Function parameters…not set." Ironwood spoke to Gold Blade, "What is my primary directive?"

Gold Blade stared at the giant, uncertain of what to say. "I uh…um…uh…." She stared at the fallen Omega Supreme and then at her comrades, and the words flowed through her mouth. "Ironwood, save my friends. Protect Sapphire City."

The wooden giant immediately got to his feet, the ground shaking slightly. "Primary directive: protect Sapphire City…save…friends!"

Near the heart of the city, Devastator heard footsteps. Just as he was preparing to fire his blaster a second time, he paused, looking towards the far end of the city. He muttered, "Huh?" as he saw the strangest-looking transformer he had ever seen. The giant marched onward, stopping at the southern end of Sapphire City, where he stared long and hard at Devastator.

Speaking his directive aloud, Ironwood spoke, "Ironwood…protect Sapphire City…save friends."

Devastator laughed heartily. "Ha! Devastator shall destroy you…tree-bot! Nothing defeats the Devastator! Nothing!" He readied his blaster, aiming for Ironwood this time.

Ironwood leveled his arms, his fists level with Devastator’s head. His right hand suddenly blasted off, flying straight towards Devastator as a chain unraveled from inside his arm. Devastator ducked, and laughed, saying, "You missed!", but the fist doubled-back, its built-in rockets sending it back towards Devastator. The chain suddenly yanked around Devastator’s torso, catching his right arm. The fist continued to circle around, wrapping Devastator more and more tightly in chains. The Decepticon giant roared in distress, but Ironwood held him steadily.

"Ironwood…protect…Sapphire City!" the new guardian repeated. His left hand retracted inside his arm. Out of it, a large turret emerged, firing numerous blasts upon Devastator over and over again. Refusing to take such punishment, Devastator roared, forcing the chains off him. Ironwood’s right hand reattached itself to his arm, the turret in his left arm retracting as well.

"Out of tricks, guardian?" Devastator asked.

The green guardian raised up his arms, saying, "Engaging enemy. Deploying…plasma cannons!" A pair of machine guns deployed from the underside of his arms, firing blast after blast at Devastator. The Decepticon desperately tried to fire back with his own gun, but Ironwood hammered away, forcing him further and further back. On the streets below, the Maximals cheered in appreciation.

"All right! Knock that scrap-head back to the junk yard!" Coyotek cheered loudly.

"Give him one for the entire plant kingdom!" Botanica shouted.

Devastator was pushed out of Sapphire City, Ironwood not relenting for one second. Further and further back, through the woods and to the edge of the same canyon Devastator and Omega Supreme fought once before. His weapons smoked, then finally clicked; Ironwood was finally out of ammo.

Scalded with blast marks, Devastator huffed and gasped as he glanced over his shoulder, the canyon deep and jagged below him. Turning back at Ironwood, seeing his emptied weapons retracting into his body, Devastator chuckled and raised up his left arm, his small built-in blaster firing at Ironwood. "You shall not defeat the Devastator!"

Ironwood shielded himself with his right arm, the blasts reflecting off the emerald plating. Reacting quickly, he raised his right arm up and fired his fist directly at Devastator. Devastator tripped, and in seconds was hurtled down into the canyon’s depths. Looking down, Ironwood’s voice echoed, "Devastator…defeated."

Upon returning, the Maximals cheered Ironwood for saving the city, and their cheers, in turn, were joined by hundreds of Nebulons in the city streets. Ironwood gazed at them, but looked onward, near the twin towers. At their base, Omega Supreme laid, unable to move. Instinctively, Ironwood went to him.

Ironwood knelt down, trying to lift up Omega’s remaining arm. It dropped from his hand, inert and cold. As the Maximals gathered around the fallen giant, Ironwood spoke stiffly, "Omega…Supreme…deactivated. Systems…offline."

Gold Blade stared at Omega Supreme’s body, barely able to believe it. "He sacrificed himself to save the entire city. Now…."

Primal put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "He fulfilled the duty he was built for, Gold Blade: to serve and protect."

Minor nodded. "That is truly the way of the guardian." The Nebulon transformer looked to Ironwood, the new giant still gazing at his predecessor’s remains. "Sadly, Ironwood, it looks like you now have to take his place. Now you are the city’s guardian."

Ironwood knelt beside Omega Supreme for a long time, silently contemplating Optimus Minor’s words. Then, with a slight shudder, he got up. Looking down at the Maximals before him, Ironwood said, "Ironwood…understand. Ironwood…guardian."

Far from Sapphire City, SkyScourge landed on the limb of the Darkblade mountains, his leader Galvatron landing beside him. SkyScourge transformed, then reached into his chest to extract Vector Delta. "We have…what you sought to find, Galvatron. Now what?"

Galvatron smiled, but soon it turned into a frown. He looked closely at the megacomputer, noting an empty slot in the side of the computer. "Blast it!" he shouted, pounding his arm against the side of the emerald ball, "Those Maximals somehow got the key! Without it…this thing is useless!"

"Perhaps," somebody spoke from behind Galvatron. The two Decepticons turned, watching as a single, lowly Predacon materialized before them. "But it is I who have the key…to your victory, Galvatron," Megatron said with a grin.