Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What a mess… A black hole had formed after Unicron was destroyed. The Autobots and their mortal enemies, the Decepticons were in a tizzy over it. Meanwhile, I was trying to regain my strength after hiding for so long from both sides as well as some enemies in the Jungle Planet. My Spark fluttered when I saw what I thought was an abandoned cart full of energon.

Energon…

Pure fuel.

Enough for me to last a while. I took a few energon cubes and consumed them. Before I knew it, the cart was empty. However, my body felt re-energized. I was satisfied knowing that I was going to last a few orbital cycles until it was time to find more Energon elsewhere. When you're an exiled leader, where else do you go? May as well travel the universe until your Spark fades out.

That was going to be the plan anyway… Then before I knew it, I ended up here… in this cell. Underground. Alone.

The bars hummed dangerously. I made the mistake of touching them and my arm nearly burned off. I can still feel the sting and it has only been at least a day, maybe. I can’t tell really. I can only hear the commotion going on outside, feeling the dungeon rattle and shake with every explosion and the gunfire… sometimes sounded way too close for comfort. I feel trapped in this cage. I want to leave, but I can’t. What will it take to finally be free of this prison?

“I don’t think they are awake.” A gruff voice was picked up by the prisoner's auditory receptors. They stirred awake, patiently waiting for their systems to boot up once more after being on stand-by for a few hours.

“They are now.” Another voice was picked up. This one had a more gentle, but authoritative tone, masking an urgency in his voice. The prisoner moved their head to face the source of the voices, before getting up from the floor. They stepped close to the electrified bars, feeling it crackle a warning to not step too close.

“What do I owe the pleasure of two ‘friends’ near my cell?” The Prisoner rasped. Their voice had a low snarl, with a slight feminine cadence and their deep red eyes rivaled the carapace of the robot that stood before them.

“Are you NightDrift of the Jungle Planet?” The robot spoke.

“Who is asking?”

“My name is Optimus Prime, the commander of the Autobots.” Optimus Prime held NightDrift’s gaze as they paced back and forth in the cell, their tail snaking behind them. “I have a few questions and a proposition for you.”

“Looking to let an Energon thief into your ranks, Prime?” NightDrift snarled and continued to pace in their cell. “I’ll steal all the cubes and then some and you will be none the wiser.”

“Hm.” Optimus Prime crossed his arms over his chest. “A prideful ‘bot like you wouldn’t want to be known as nothing more than a petty thief, now would they?”

NightDrift opened their mouth to retort, but they swallowed their words. They clenched their fists, feeling their claws digging into their palm. “What do you want with me, Optimus Prime?”

The Autobot Commander shifted his focus to a terminal on the wall beside him. He typed a few commands into it and stepped back as the electric bars stopped humming and collapsed between the floors and the ceiling. NightDrift froze, feeling a sort of unease rise in their Spark. They stood stiffly, as the leader turned to two figures that stayed in the shadows and whispered to them.

“What is the meaning of this?” NightDrift hissed. “Why are you letting me free? What of the trial that I have yet to receive?”

Optimus turned back to NightDrift and unfolded his arms. “At this moment, we won’t have time to conduct a trial for you.”

“So I’m free to go?” NightDrift cautiously stepped over the ridge that contained the prison bars. “I am free to leave?”

“Not so fast.” Optimus held up his arm, blocking the Beast from going any further. “I still have a few questions and you have yet to hear my proposal. I know our way of introducing ourselves to you was not in the most ideal conditions. However, I ask that you listen to what I have to say.”

“And why should I do that?” NightDrift huffed. “I’m a thief and the worst of my record has yet to be read out to me. Why should I even entertain whatever it is that you want me to do?”

Optimus Prime only gazed at NightDrift, watching them slink back to their cell. He wanted to tell them everything right away. He had to as he was running out of time. The Black Hole which loomed over them and the threat of the Decepticons appearing to wreak havoc on them was drawing ever closer. Yet, there was so much to say and so little time. The three of them had to make everything quick in order to prepare NightDrift for the Mission ahead.

“If you promise to listen to what I have to say,” Optimus spoke up, breaking the silence. “I will tell you everything you need to know. Until then, please hear us, NightDrift. We don’t have much time.”

Chapter Text

            A black abyss swirled dangerously in the sky. Chunks of space matter stretched, crumbled, and looped as they were consumed by the massive black hole. An observational satellite hovered close by, helplessly unable to assist as it watched a planet be destroyed by the black hole’s powerful forces.

            “Footage from the observation satellite is coming in!” The TVs came online, displaying the live footage of the planet’s demise. It was not long before the planet’s explosive end sucked the satellite into the Black Hole, cutting off the feed.

            “Commander Nyxius Prime! The satellite has been swallowed into the Grand Black Hole!” The voice on the intercom announced. Nyxius Prime sensed the fear in the ‘bot’s voice. They could not blame them. What they just witnessed was the future of Cybertron should this Black Hole get any closer to them. Nyxius Prime turned their gaze back to the monitors. They knew what they had to do.

            The intense revving of motorcycles and dirt bikes echoed through the mountains. Three humans, all on dirt bikes, raced through the trail, leaping through the air with every hill they climbed. One of them took the lead as the other crashed his bike after landing roughly on the declining terrain.

            “See ya!” The kid yelled over his shoulder, and he disappeared in a cloud of dust.

            Meanwhile, a girl paced back and forth in her room while talking to her friend over the phone. She wore a red pinafore over a black tank top and boots.

            “Here?” She responded over the phone. “Boring. Tedious. No excitement whatsoever!”

            The girl sat down on her bed and laid back. “I want to go back over there.”

            The sound of the nearby dirt bikes hit her ears and she angrily got back up off the bed. She stormed to the window, annoyed and frustrated.

            Back at the function, the barbeque was just getting started. Families gathered around their picnic tables, serving food and refreshments.

            “They’re here!” A boy in a green and white sweatshirt and cargo shorts called as the motorbikes zoomed past, the one in the lead crossing the finish line ahead of the other two. The winner skidded to a halt and took off his helmet, revealing a head full of blonde hair and skin that was beginning to redden from the spring-to-summer heat battering his face.

            “I won! I beat my dad!” The kid yelled in victory. “Well?! What do you think?”

            The kid turned to his father, expecting an answer, but was shocked to find out that he was being ignored. His mother, brothers and sister were gathered around his father.

            “You should retire already.” His eldest brother teased.

            “Hey! No way!” The boy’s father protested. Everyone laughed as the kid solemnly got off his bike and started tinkering with it. The others returned to their picnic table and began eating, but the kid’s father noticed his son all alone. He grabbed a water bottle and headed up to him.

            “All by yourself?” The kid’s father gently tapped his shoulder with the bottle. “Here you go. That was a good race!”

            “Yeah!” The kid smiled and took the water. He went back to fixing his bike as his mom called her husband back.

            “Hey, Coby!” A voice yelled. The boy, Coby, looked to the source of the voice. It was the girl dressed in the red pinafore, now with a grey sleeveless jacket over it. “If you’re going to race, couldn’t you go somewhere else? It’s noisy and annoying!”

            “I can go where I want!” Coby argued. “This isn’t your yard!”

            “What did you said?!” The girl spat.

            “You heard me!” Coby spat back. The two of them locked eyes, staring each other down. The boy’s little brother skipped up to them, carrying a drink.

            “Lori…” The little brother clicked his tongue and shook his head. “When life gives you lemons… make orange soda!”

            The boy handed the girl, Lori, a cup of orange soda. She reluctantly took it.

            “Th-thank you, Bud.” She said, staring at the cup. She burst out laughing, accidently spilling some of the soda onto Coby’s bike. The boy panicked, and quickly tended to his bike, wiping it down.

            “What are you doing to my bike?!” Coby yelled. “Be careful!”

            “What an overreaction.” Lori waved him off. “It’s just a machine.”

            Coby stood up. “That’s not it! Machines are alive!”

            Lori rolled her eyes, scoffing at the poor boy. A loud rumbling could be heard from above. The three kids looked up and saw a plane flying overhead. “So, that’s alive too?”

            “Yeah, that’s right.” The kids had no idea that the plane flying overhead was Jetfire, a Transformer. A robot that can transform its body into any vehicle, or beast, or object it pleases.

            “Just in case, I’m going to scan a little more.” Jetfire hovered a while longer, scanning various vehicles and objects as he went. A sports car, a jeep, a Boeing 747, and many others were collected into his database. Satisfied with the amount he had on hand, Jetfire opened a portal, a space bridge as they called it, to head back home to the planet, Cybertron.

            Back at the Headquarters, Nyxius Prime stood at the control panels, gazing up at the monitors. They flicked their tail and narrowed their red eyes as the Autobots worked tirelessly to update the situation on the Black Hole.

            “Currently, The Grand Black Hole is 2,000 clicks away from Cybertron.” One of the bots informed. “Our planet is already being affected by its gravitational pull.”

            “There’s no time.” One bot, Nyxius remembered that his name was Hotshot, turned to them. “Commander, just when are we going to begin?!”

            “Red Alert.” Nyxius summoned. His face appeared on the monitor immediately.

            “Right.” He answered. “Currently I’m running a simulation from the satellite data. Failure is not an option after all. Please give me a little more time.”

            “Very well.” Nyxius replied. “But remember that time is sacred now. Do what you can and swiftly.”

            “Yes, Commander.” Red Alert answered.

            It was not long until a gathering of Autobots from all over Cybertron were summoned to the Main Hall. The mutterings of shocked, scared and concern echoed throughout the hall as they patiently waited for their Commander to come out and speak. Nyxius clenched their fists, feeling their claws digging into their hand. It had been a while since they had to speak in front of their people. They steadied themselves, making a mental note of what they had to say as the situation became more dire with every click that passed by.

            “Program downloads complete.” Announced one bot named Scattershot.

            “Very well.” Nyxius nodded their head. “Begin!”

            “Setting cannon to 11 degrees.” Rumblings from the massive cannon shook the ground as it was aimed towards the Black Hole.”

            “Energy charge complete!” Hotshot called out. The cannon lit up, the energon whirred within its systems as it began to power up. In a few clicks, it was ready.

            “All systems go!”

            “Fire the Cyber Cannon!” Nyxius barked out. Without hesitation, they fired the cannon. A massive laser shot straight towards the Black Hole’s center. The Autobots watched on with great anticipation as the target hit its mark. The blast made the black hole stretch and warp out of shape. For a second, the Autobots had hope.

            “Dammit!” Hotshot banged his fists on the control panel.

            The Black Hole returned to its normal shape as if nothing had happened to it. The anxiety and frustration in the room rose.

Their plan was a failure.

We have… no other choice. Nyxius Prime thought. They folded their arms and sighed, tail drooping to the floor. It was time to tell the others. Nyxius turned around, her eyes meeting Orion Pax’s who was standing behind them in the shadows. He nodded his head and stood aside as Nyxius made their way to the Main Hall.

They were concerned, all of them. Nyxius Prime could feel the energy before they entered the stage. They felt their spark pulsing nervously making it difficult to think. What were they going to say to them all? That the fighting amongst the enemy had blown a hole in the universe? It did not sound bad, but most of these bots were not warriors like they were. They were merely civilians caught in the crosshairs of a war.

Much like I was. Nyxius Prime thought to themself. They stood in the entranceway to the stage but remained in the shadows to avoid being seen now. They sensed a presence behind them.

“Do you need any help addressing them?” It was Orion Pax. He still had the same gentle voice, but only a tad higher pitched. His carapace was still red, blue and silver, but it looked as if years of battle worn metal had withered away, replacing it with a bright eyed and lithe bot.

“I can handle this myself.” Nyxius snarled. “You can stand to the side if you’d like to. But do not get in my way.”

Orion said nothing as Nyxius faced the stage again. They hesitated for a moment before slinking out. Their presence drew eyes to them. The striking colors of orange, black and gold caught the attention of Jetfire who was waiting patiently amongst the others in the stands. He headed up to Nyxius Prime. They curled their tail in greeting.

“Were you successful?” Nyxius Prime asked the jet.

“Yes, Commander.” Jetfire bowed his head as Orion Pax joined them. “There should be enough disguises for everyone in this room right now.”

“Well done, Jetfire.” Orion Pax acknowledged. His hand almost shot up to his mouth after he realized what he had done. Nyxius growled but said nothing to either of them. The Commander stepped onto the stage, followed by Jetfire, Orion Pax, Hotshot, and another bot, Overhaul, at their side. The audience immediately turned their attention to them, voices going silent as the Commander waited to be allowed the chance to speak.

“Autobots, as you all know, our planet is in great danger.” Nyxius spoke up. Their voice echoed throughout the halls. “Rest assured we will find a solution to the terrible crisis that we are facing.”

The audience began whispering amongst each other after that announcement, but Nyxius Prime raised their hand to silence them once more. She flicked her tail, slightly agitated.

“However,” Nyxius continued, “to ensure the safety of each and every Autobot, we have no choice but to temporarily evacuate Cybertron. However, we cannot let Earth know about the current situation. Should this migration be permanent, I pledge to let Earth know in a way that they can understand. Let me repeat my warning: We cannot let Earth know about the current situation.”

Nyxius Prime paused for a moment, carefully observing the crowd. She continued again. “However, we believe this evacuation is temporary. That’s why on Earth, you must transform into Earth vehicles and conceal yourselves. You must not bother the Earthlings. I, myself, will take extra care to not bother them as my form will draw attention to us. Anyone that can’t obey this rule should not be on Earth! Am I making myself perfectly clear?!”

The audience muttered in begrudging agreement. Nyxius Prime watched them shift and shuffle about nervously, before turning their attention to Jetfire.

“Jetfire has scanned Earth’s information for us.” The Commander stepped aside to let him forward.

“Right.” Jetfire stepped up. He lifted his head, showing off the first scan of an Earth vehicle.

            “Orion Pax will demonstrate. This vehicle is known as a ‘fire engine.’” Nyxius Prime stepped back and let the Autobot scan his new vehicle mode. After doing so, he leapt up.

            “ORION PAX, TRANSFORM!” In an instant, the bot went from, well, a robot, to a fire engine. The crowd gasped in amazement at the transformation that happened before them. Their excitement grew tremendously.

            “Whoa!” Hotshot exclaimed.

            “You guys should also pick something that you like.” Jetfire insisted as he revealed a few more vehicle scans. One of a sports car, a jeep, a bike, and many more. “I was thinking of the two of you when I scanned these.”

            “That is so me!” Hotshot scanned the car. “Sweet!”

            “Rough and tough.” Overhaul took the jeep. Both Autobots tested their new vehicle mode and transformed. After his friends transformed, Jetfire followed suite.

            Breathe in. Nyxius Prime shut their eyes. Breathe out. They were in their Beast form, a tigeon with a thick mane of fur.

            “Now don’t anybody pick the same one.” Jetfire warned as he displayed the different vehicles that he scanned in his journey around the planet. “There’s plenty of vehicles on Earth.”  

            “Everyone must scan a new form to conceal our presence on Earth.” Nyxius announced above the excitement. “This rule number one. From now one, we are Robots in Disguise! After scanning, follow Overhaul and Jetfire’s instruction and begin migrating to Earth.”

            The meeting was adjourned, and Nyxius Prime stepped away, allowing the Autobots to take their forms and head to the Space Bridge. They headed back to the Control Room, transforming back into their Robot Mode, followed by Orion Pax, Jetfire, and Hotshot, while the rest of the team handled the evacuation. The other Autobots, Landmine and Scattershot, began gathering their supplies to send to Earth as the door slid open allowing Nyxius in. They stepped up to the podium.

            “And the things we’re taking with us?” They asked.

            “After this is finished, it’ll be done.” Scattershot informed them. Hotshot brushed past Nyxius Prime towards Scattershot.

            “Alright! Let’s do it right away.” Before Hotshot could get close to helping, the ground shook violently.

            “Wh-what’s going on?!” Nyxius grabbed onto the panels in front of them to steady themself.

            “There’s a temporal distortion!” Scattershot yelled. Up on the monitors, another hole had opened in the sky like an open wound. Back at the Space Bridge, the civilians pushed and shoved to try and reach their way to Earth.

            Jetfire pushed back, making space for himself and the other bots.

            “Don’t be pushy!”

            “No need to panic!” Overhaul insisted, waving the Autobots into the Bridge. “There’s still time.”

            “Overhaul! We have a problem!” Scattershot informed over the radio. “There’s a temporal distortion above is!”

            “What?” Overhaul asked, confused.

            Nyxius burst through the doors of the Headquarters to the outside followed by Landmine, Hotshot, Orion Pax, and Jetfire. They all looked up to the distortion, feeling a sense of dread wash over them.

            “It couldn’t be… an aftereffect from earlier?” Landmine asked. As he spoke, the distortion shifted, and an ancient ship passed through the opening. A sense of déjà vu, washed over Nyxius Prime. They growled and held their head, shaking it slightly, while the other bots readied themselves to fight. The ship hovered in the sky for a moment before transforming.

            “TRANSFORM!” The ship commanded. He landed gracefully in front of the Autobots.

            “Who are you?!” Nyxius Prime asked, head still being held in their hand.

            “Are you the enemy?!” Hotshot accused. The elder Transformer did not answer. Smaller robots appeared in front of him. Nyxius stared them down, their tail twitching back and forth.

            “My name is Vector Prime, keeper of Space and Time.” The ancient Transformer finally answered.

            “Vector Prime?” Orion Pax inquired.

            “There is only one way of eliminating this galaxy’s worst disaster.” Vector Prime claimed. “Gather everyone you can!”

            Orion Pax gently nudged Nyxius with his hand. They turned to him, almost unsure, but then turned back to Vector Prime.

            “I’ll hear your call.” Nyxius Prime motioned with their head for Vector Prime to follow. Orion Pax watched them as they headed back inside the Headquarters with Hotshot and Landmine following close behind them. The remaining three Transformers, Vector Prime, Jetfire and Orion Pax looked at each other before entering the HQ after the leader.

            Nyxius Prime waited for the bots in the Main Control Room, standing in their spot with their arms folded over their chest and tail flicking cautiously.

            “Speak old one.” Nyxius commanded. “We’ve not much time as you can see.”

            “I understand.” Vector Prime stood close to the Commander. He unsheathed his sword, the tip of it glowed. A topography of a planet and four glowing orbs encircled it. “In terms of your time, I’m from a time tens of millions of years ago. Ancient Transformers planned the unbelievable, to link ancient space with a Space Bridge. To make that possible, they used four Cyber Planet Keys, made by the galaxy’s Creator, Primus. It’s said to contain the power of an entire planet. However…”

            “However?” Nyxius echoed.

            “The plan ended in failure.” Vector Prime explained. “And the Cyber Planet Keys were scattered across the Universe.”

            “If we gather them, then the galaxy can be saved?” Orion Pax questioned.

            “That’s correct.” Vector Prime replied. “Only the Creator of the Galaxy, Primus, can save is from this crisis.”

            “You expect me to believe that?” Nyxius snarled, glaring at Vector Prime. Their claws dangerously scraped the ground and the panels as they approached the older Transformer. “An old bot’s tale of keys?”

            “I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me.” Vector Prime said calmly, holding Nyxius Prime’s gaze with his own. “However, I hope you do. Do you doubt me? Do you doubt Primus?”

            The silence was deafening as the two robots stared each other down. Nyxius narrowed their eyes, a low growl rumbling in their voice box. As much as they wanted to retort, they kept quiet. Vector Prime took their silence as a means to continue.

            “I’m deeply grateful.” The Ancient One slightly bowed. He stood up straight once more, the hole in his chest glowed, printing a small round orb. “I will create a map to show where the Cyber Planet Keys are.”

            Nyxius Prime rumbled softly as they watched Vector Prime walk up to the orb and began tinkering with it.

            The world was emblazoned with smoke, brimstone, and fire. The lava roared and swirled threateningly below two sinister beings that stood beside it. The room bathed them in an eerie glow of reds and orange.

            “The time to appear has come.” One of them chuckled darkly.

            “Megatron, sir.” The other replied.

            “What’s wrong, Starscream?” Megatron sneered. “A visitor from the edge of time has visited Nyxius Prime. Look!”

            Megatron pointed to a tear in the rocks. It showed the Autobots speaking to Vector Prime.

            “Each one of the Cyber Planet Key is said to have unbelievable power.” Hearing that piqued the interest of both parties. “Of course, it would give you all great power and abilities too.”

            “You hear that, Starscream?” Megatron let out a haughty laugh as he looked to his second-in-command. An evil smirk twisting his face. “Primus’s Spark! If that power were to come into my hands, I would rule this entire universe and beyond!”

            As Megatron let out a cackle, Starscream secretly smirked to himself. It was time to begin scheming.

            “I can’t believe this, Jetfire.” Hotshot complained, sadness lacing his voice. He picked up and crate and placed it inside of Jetfire’s cargo hold. “I can’t believe we’re abandoning Cybertron.”

            “Ya can’t think like that, Hotshot.” Jetfire said. “We’ll come back and beat this thing.”

            “Anyway, do you believe that gossip?” Hotshot asked. “I don’t even think Nyx believes it themself. You saw the look they gave to that old guy.”

            “If it’s believable, then I want to believe.” Jetfire responded reassuringly. To be honest, we’re out of options. At this rate, evacuating to Earth is the only thing we can do now.”

            “I guess. But how-?” Before Jetfire could answer Hotshot, a portal opened in the sky once again. “Hey, now what’s it doin-“

            A blast of fire and lava was flung towards Hotshot and Jetfire. Both Autobots dodged it just in time before it hit them. The blast left a smoldering spot on the ground; Hotshot transformed to avoid it. Starscream appeared through the portal and without hesitation, fired a missile towards Hotshot.

            “Target practice!” The Decepticon cheered as the missile hit the Autobot, sending him flying. He landed on the ground, metal scraping against metal.

            “So long, Hotshot! It’s been real!” Starscream pointed his gun at the Autobot as he struggled to get back up. Before the Decepticon could fire, Overhaul rammed into him and sent him flying across the clearing. Before Starscream could get up, Overhaul pinned him down under his foot.

            “Starscream!” The Autobot yelled. Nyxius Prime, Jetfire, Landmine and Hotshot immediately surrounded him.

            “An open attack is not his style.” Nyxius observed. Starscream sneered at the Commander before effortlessly getting back up onto his feet, knocking Overhaul off him. He fired another missile at Hotshot, the Autobot blocking his blast.

            “Hotshot! Dammit! This is a distraction! Everyone back to Headquarters now!” Nyxius ordered. “NYXIUS PRIME! TRANSFORM!”

Nyxius transformed into their Beast Mode and ran back as fast as they could. Starscream landed behind them and gave chase.

“Not so fast, Prime!” Before Starscream could grab them, Landmine blocked his path. He threw the Decepticon to the ground, knocking him about. Jetfire, Hotshot and Overhaul flanked Starscream from all sides, almost pinning him once again. Starscream only blasted them away with a null cannon.

“You’re next, old man.” Starscream growled, jabbing a finger at Landmine.

“Landmine’s the name. And ya better remember it!” Landmine and Starscream circled each other, sizing the other one up.

“Oh I’ll remember it.” Starscream derided. “I’ll put it on your tombstone.”

Meanwhile, Vector Prime stood in the middle of the control room inscribing the coordinates of the Cyber Planet Keys in the map. Scattershot stood beside him on guard.

“The map is complete.” Vector Prime announced. He allowed the map to gently fall into his hand. “All that’s left is to use it to get the Cyber Planet Keys.”

“There’s no time!” Scattershot urged. “We must evacuate per Nyxius’s orders.”

“Right.” Vector Prime readied himself to go, but before the two of the could leave. The building shook again.

“What?!” Scattershot exclaimed. A red and yellow portal opened in the room. Megatron stepped out calmly. He headed towards the two bots.

“Megatron!” Scattershot yelled. He guarded Vector Prime and charged the Decepticon Leader. With one swipe of his hand, Megatron swatted Scattershot away. The poor Autobot hit the wall and collapsed the ground, the blow knocking him out.

“Vector Prime, sir.” Megatron pleaded. “I heard your story and unlike the others, I actually believe you.”

“You are-“ Vector Prime felt a shiver run down his system.

“Someone that understands a robot like yourself.” Megatron finished Vector Prime’s sentence before him. “I am the only one who can save this Universe from its peril. Please, entrust the map to me.”

Vector Prime held the map close to him. He hesitated as Scattershot stirred back awake behind the Decepticon Leader.

“S-Supreme Commander…” Scattershot uttered into his radio.

“What!?” He heard Nyxius’s frantic voice on the other end.

“It’s M-Megatron.”

“Dammit! Hold tight! I’m on my way!” Not like he could do anything else. Against Megatron, Scattershot was powerless. Hopefully, Nyxius could get back on time.

“Hand. Over. The. Map.” Megatron demanded through gritted teeth. Vector Prime hesitated once more. He felt almost hypnotized by Megatron’s words, feeling his hand containing the map extend shakily outward towards the bot. A sinister smile darkened Megatron’s face. Realizing too late what he had done, Vector Prime pulled back his arm, but Megatron was too quick. He grabbed the map from Vector Prime and kicked him away, knocking him hard the wall. Megatron let out a victorious laugh, holding his prize triumphantly in front of him.

“With this map, I’ll be able to gather the Cyber Planet Keys and the Universe will be mine!”

“Release the map, Megatron!” A voice hollered behind him. The Decepticon locked eyes with Nyxius Prime.

“N-Nyxius Prime?!” Megatron turned and faced his new rival, both standing against each other eye to eye. Nyxius lashed their tail back and forth and sharpened their claws against the walls of the Control Room, sparks flying as they did. Both bots launched themselves at each other and clashed fists against the other. The sheer power that emanated from the blow was enough to make a crater in the floor. The clash turned into a grapple as Megatron unleashed a powerful bot of lightning through Nyxius’s arm. They jolted backwards nearly avoiding the blast but felt their arm sting. Megatron chuckled slyly as Nyxius glared at him holding their arm. They growled softly.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

“NYXIUS PRIME! WING MODE!” The Beast Transformer leapt up into the air as two wings attached themselves to their back. Their faceplate covered their mouth as they landed on the ground, gracefully whipping around to face Megatron. The Decepticon was surprised to see the Autobot leader still standing and in a new form.

“If you think you’re leaving here with that map, Megatron, then you’re a fool!” Nyxius flew towards Megatron. They swung their arm, claws connecting to the Decepticon’s face, slicing at the metal. Nyxius followed it up with a powerful roundhouse kick to Megatron’s chest, knocking the Decepticon away. He skidded to a stop, balancing on one hand and knee. Nyxius Prime loomed over him.

“Now hand over the map, Megatron.” Nyxius snarled. “I will not let you destroy the Universe over your greed!”

Before Megatron could retort, he heard a noise behind him. He instinctively dodged out of the way when Scattershot tried to leap onto his back, making the bot fall onto Nyxius. Both were knocked onto the floor as Megatron scrambled back to his feet. He blasted Scattershot and Nyxius with his dark lightning, sending the two bots flying. They crashed against the wall, overwhelming them. Megatron only cackled at them.

“Let this galaxy be destroyed!” The evil leader declared. “I will take possession of the power of Primus and make the Universe tremble beneath me!”

“You will not!” Vector Prime unsheathed his sword and swung it towards Megatron. With ease, Megatron merely grabbed Vector Prime’s sword, the clash causing a shockwave. The Ancient Transformer only looked on his shock as the stronger Transformer simply lifted him up and swung him out of the way. The force of the swing knocked Vector Prime clean through the walls of the Sky Dome and onto the ground below, alerting the other Autobots.

“Vector… Prime!” Nyxius groaned through gritted teeth.

Starscream and Landmine circled each other before rushing into their fight. Landmine threw the first punch which Starscream dodged with ease. He roundhouse kicked the Decepticon, but Starscream managed to dodge him again. He landed beside him, but lost his footing and fell backwards.

“Anyways. What were you saying about tombstone?” Landmine jeered, pointing his pistol towards Starscream’s face. Before he could fire, the ground shook once more, causing the area to crumble and collapse. “W-whoa! What in blazes?! This whole place is comin’ apart!”

Taking advantage of the situation, Starscream launched himself at Landmine. He grabbed the Autobot and threw him up in the air before kicking him to space.

“Bon voyage, old man!” Starscream yelled as he fired his missiles at Landmine, sending him towards the Black Hole.

“HELP MEEEE!” Landmine called helplessly to his friends. They could only watch as their friend was sucked in towards the Dark Abyss. However, before he got any closer, Vector Prime got to his feet. He thought quickly, slicing a portal towards the sky.

“I will do what I can!” The portal closed and no one could hear their friend’s screaming anymore. Vector Prime collapsed to his knees, his sword keeping him up. He prayed that managed to save Landmine. He hoped and prayed hard to Primus that he succeeded.

“LANDMINE!” Jetfire cried.

Megatron grabbed Nyxius Prime by their throat and shoved them against the wall. They kicked and scratched at him, the blows that they had taken earlier weakened them severely. Megatron only chortled at Nyxius’s feeble attempts to free themself.

“Megatron.” Starscream called over their radio. Megatron acknowledged with a simple hum. “Seems this planet is at its limit.”

            “The map’s in my hand. Fall back.” Megatron ordered.

            “Yes sire!” Starscream transformed and retreated.

            “Hey wait!” Hotshot called after him. He transformed, followed close behind by Jetfire and Overhaul. Megatron blew a hole in the side of the Headquarters and hurriedly exited out. He leapt up and used Starscream to escape, opening the portal to his dimension and closing it behind the two of them. The chase, having failed, forced the Autobots to transform back into their robot modes.

            “Damn it!” Hotshot shook his fist towards the sky where the Decepticons fled. He turned his attention to Nyxius and Scattershot. Nyxius assisted Scattershot out of the building, cursing under their breath.

            “Damn you, Megatron.”

            “Nyxius!” Hotshot called. “Landmine was sucked into the Black Hole!”

            “Landmine was?!” Nyxius Prime dropped Scattershot and ran towards the clearing, their view of the Black Hole unobstructed. They gritted their teeth, glaring up at the abyss above them feeling the fear and anxiety overtake them. They failed… They failed to retrieve the map, to protect the Autobots… to defeat Megatron and keep Cybertron safe.

I’ve failed them.

I’ve failed them.

I’ve failed them.

I’ve failed them.  Nyxius growled, collapsing to their knees onto the crumpling ground. They punched it multiple times in anger and frustration. They turned their gaze back up to the Black Hole and let out an almighty roar.

            The Autobots stood around, sadly watching their leader. First the Black Hole, then the stolen map and now Landmine was gone. What else… What else will happen now? Orion Pax and Vector Prime walked up to Nyxius after they exhausted themself roaring at the sky.

            “Nyxius, I-“

            “This is all your fault.” Nyxius snapped at Vector Prime. “Had you not given up the map we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

            “My apologies.” Vector Prime said solemnly. “I don’t know what came over me. I was never going to give him the map, Nyxius Prime.”

            “And yet here I am… without a map.”

            “Nyxius. Now isn’t the time to point fingers and accuse.” Orion Pax insisted. “You must be a leader and reassure your team. I can only do so much to ease your anxieties and my own, but the team needs you more now.”

            “Tch.” Nyxius clicked. They stood up and turned back to the Autobots, Vector Prime and Orion Pax close behind them.

            “What do we do now, Nyxius?” Jetfire asked.

            “We’ve no choice.” Nyxius said. “We must go!”

            “But… What about Landmine?” Hotshot interrogated. Nyxius clenched their fists.

            “I will find him.” The Commander growled. “I swear it. However, we must leave this place, else we will be sucked in too!”

            There was no protest as the ground around the Autobots began to crumble and disintegrate. They followed Nyxius Prime towards the Space Bridge and entered it, leaving behind their home… for now.

Chapter Text

“Machines are tools!” Lori, Bud and Coby hiked together through the trail of rising plateaus that were sliced through, revealing gnarled and colorful striations in the rocks.

            “No! They’re life forms!” Coby argued as he walked alongside Lori, dragging his bike with him.

            “Tools!”

            “Life forms!”

            “Tools!”

            “Life forms!”

            “Those two are still arguing?” Bud sighed to himself. He was more bored than annoyed, and probably a bit hungry. He sure could eat another hotdog… Or a few more hotdogs. Better that than listening to his brother and Lori arguing over a machine.

            Before Bud could say anything, a bright, colorful light radiated from the sky above them. It was not as bright as the sun, but the strength of it forced Bud to cover his eyes a little with his hat.

            “An aurora!?” Bud gasped. “It’s an aurora!”

            Coby and Lori ceased their arguing to look up at the sky. They were mesmerized by the colors as it danced around the clouds. The light soon faded and a streak of it barreled towards the ground, causing a mini quake.

            “A meteorite?” Lori asked.

            “Maybe.” Coby replied.

            “No way!” Bud exclaimed. “It’s a UFO!”

            The older kids looked at Bud before exchanging glances. Curiosity was getting the better of them. They had to go see what that streak of light really was. The three kids headed in the direction of the meteorite. As they got closer, the earth around them was torn apart and scarred from the impact of whatever it was that fell from the sky.

            “It’s definitely a UFO!” Bud hurried excitedly through the trench as Coby and Lori jogged behind him. They heard a mysterious groan coming from the epicenter of the crash site.

            “That’s someone’s voice!” Lori realized. “Maybe it’s a plane crash!?”

            “We gotta go see if we can help!” Coby started to run towards the source of the voice, followed by Lori and Bud. The rising dust and smoke grew thicker as they approached the crater. Halting on the edge, the three kids looked around before spotting what it was that laid smoking in the center of the crater.

            “What… What is that?” Lori asked.

            A large yellow-orange robot laid limp in the middle of the caldera.

            “What? Isn’t it obvious what it is?” Coby answered, sarcastically.

            “IT’S A GIANT ROBOT!”

            “Using my sword, I sent him to the other end of this Space Bridge.” Vector Prime explained as the others transformed beside him.

            “That so?” Nyxius Prime pondered as they stared at the blue glowing orb orbiting before them. “Thank you, Vector Prime.”

            “No need to thank me.” Vector Prime turned, heading down a different path within the Space Bridge. “I am glad to have made it in time to save him.”

            “Where are you going?!”

            “I must take the map back from that Megatron fellow.” Vector Prime demanded. “I can’t let the Cyber Planet Keys fall into his hands.”

            “Megatron is a formidable foe.” Orion Pax said.

            “Jetfire, go with Vector Prime to retrieve the map.” Nyxius Prime ordered. “Take Hotshot and Overhaul with you.”

            “Are you sure about that?” Jetfire questioned.

            “Don’t joke around!” Hotshot protested. “It’ll be easier if we all team up and split up to locate Landmine!”

            “Orion Pax, Scattershot, and I will search for Landmine.” Nyxius quelled the younger Autobot, their voice harsh. “Especially since two of us can fly and I have the better olfactory sensors.”

            “Do you really believe this story about the Cyber Planet Keys?” Orion asked Nyxius. They glanced at him, red eyes meeting yellow.

            “I’m not sure.” Nyxius replied. “But I will not take a chance of it falling into the wrong hands. We must reclaim the map! Now go!”

            “Yes, commander.” Jetfire, Hotshot, Vector Prime and Overhaul transformed and disappeared down the path of the Space Bridge, leaving Orion Pax and Nyxius Prime behind. The two of them looked out to Earth below them. Somewhere out there was Landmine and they had to find him quickly before any humans or Decepticons found them.

            “Are you sure you want to look for Landmine?” Orion Pax asked. “Scattershot has yet to scan an Earth vehicle and I can better blend among the populace than you. You aren’t exactly discreet.”

            “I can resort to other methods of hiding should the need arise.” Nyxius brushed past Orion and Scattershot, transforming into their Beast Mode. They stretched their wings before folding them close to their body. “I won’t get caught. I’ve evaded many eyes before I became leader. The Humans will not find me.”

            Orion Pax stayed silent as he watched Nyxius take flight and head towards Earth. He transformed and followed close behind them, taking Scattershot with him on his back.

             Back on Earth, Coby rushed to find a repair kit to fix the giant robot that laid in the crater. He knew the exact place to get the supplies he needed and headed straight there. A few kids tried to slow him down, but Coby brushed them away. He was on a mission, and he had to get what he required and fast.

            Coby headed up the road and snuck into a shed that was opened. An ATV stood parked beside the entrance and a muscle car had its hood propped up. Coby sighed in relief as he entered, the owner of the home was not on site, he hoped. He snuck up to the workbench, fetching every tool he could fin that he thought would be useful to repair a robot. The noise of clanging metal as he rummaged about alerted a man that was working underneath the muscle car.

            “Hey now!” The man called, making Coby jump. “I know you’re not a thief, Coby.”

            Coby nervously turned around to face the man, holding a jack close to his body. “N-no, Mr. Stanton. I wasn’t stealing.”

            “Then what do you need my tools for?” Stanton confronted. Coby shifted his weight about. He could not tell Mr. Stanton that he found a giant robot that had crashed into the crater in the park. One, he would not believe him and two, even if he did, he would feel obligated to call the police or the military. All three of them, Coby, Lori, Bud, would be interrogated by the government and they might experiment on the giant robot to see where he came from.

            “Uh… In the mountains,” Coby began. “Th-there’s a large, uh… it’s stranded. I think it can move.”

            “Then you’ll need more than a jack.” Mr. Stanton said. He fished into his pocket and pulled out a singular key. “Use this. It goes to the ATV there.”

            Coby smiled and excitedly hopped from one foot to another. “Thank you, Mr. Stanton!”

            The mechanic helped Coby gather the tools he needed and placed them securely on the bike. He started the engine and drove off back to the forest, waving goodbye to Stanton. Mission accomplished. Coby thought to himself excitedly as he headed down the road and back to the park.

            Once he arrived, Bud was waiting for him, sat beside the crater. He waved him over, grabbing the hook from Coby’s hand as he parked the ATV on the side of the hole. He slid down the hole, his brother following him and placed the hooks on the bot, securing them in place before climbing out. Coby got on the ATV and started the engine once more.

            “Do you think it’s enough to pull him out?” Bud asked Coby.

            “We’re gonna find out.” He revved the engine and started pulling. The tires kicked up dirt and debris, forcing Bud to step back. They watched at the ropes went stiff as the ATV struggled to pull out a heavy robot. A few rocks tumbled out of the way, making it easier for the Coby; the robot finally gave and started to move.

            “Alright! Alright!” Bud called. The robot started to climb up the slope, groaning in pain as he did. Once he reached the crest of the crater, Coby stopped the ATV and hopped off, running back to the robot as he sat up slowly.

            “Wh-where am I?”

            “Hey, be careful!” Coby yelled at the bot. “You might hurt yourself!”

            “Your name is Coby right?” The robot spoke, shocking the two kids. “Thanks for that. Where am I anyways?”

            “Rocky Mountain, Colorado!” Coby answered.

            “Earth, huh?” The robot sat up straighter. “Not a bad spot.”

            “Are you hurt?” Bud asked. “Can you walk?”

            “I-I guess I can manage to walk.” The robot answered, standing up to his feet. He stepped out of the crater, the kids moving to let him by.

            “Come with us!” Bud urged. “We’re going where the others can’t see you.”

            “Sorry for all the trouble, kids.” The robot apologized, brushing his arm off. Coby got on the ATV and dragged it through the woods with Bud close behind him. The robot followed them, unaware of the footprints that he was leaving behind.

            Lori waited for them near the woods. She waved them over to catch their attention, running up to them.

            “What’s with that get up?” Coby sneered, eyeing the shirt and shorts that Lori chose to wear. Her hair was done up in two pig tails, that moved when she shrugged her shoulders.

            “These are my work clothes.” Lori answered, slyly.

            Coby rolled his eyes and got off the bike. He looked at the robot and pointed to the ground. “Hey. Plant your butt down there.”

            The robot looked the child confused.

            “Look, like this!” Bud showed the robot. Copying the kid, the robot did as he was told as Coby pulled out the repair kit and fished for the tools he needed.

            “What are you going to do?” The robot asked, slightly suspicious.

            “Repairs.” Coby replied. “You can’t move your right hand, right?”

            “Repairs? You mean treatment?”

            “Don’t worry.” Lori assured the giant robot. “Coby’s got some bad grades, but when it comes to fixing machines, he’s quite the pro!”

            “He even remodels his own bike!” Bud added. The robot thought for a moment, unsure of what to say.

            “If I can’t repair you, I’ll ask Mr. Stanton to help me.” Coby comforted. “For now, let me see what I can do.”

            “O-okay.” The robot hesitated, but he let the kids approach his damaged arm. They winced at the exposed metal, gnarled from whatever fight that took place.

            “It looks pretty bad.” Coby grimaced.

            “Think you got it?” Lori asked.

            “I think so.” Coby said. He set down his tool kit and got to work.

            “Hurry and scan an Earth form!” Orion Pax urged Scattershot anxiously. The two of them were hidden behind a cliffside, a highway situated above them. “Nyx is waiting for us in the forest, and we know their patience is running thin.”

            “I haven’t found a suitable one yet.” Scattershot admitted, looking around desperately for a disguise. A billboard caught his attention. On it was a tank and two humans. Jackpot! “Found something!”        

            Scattershot scanned the tank on the billboard and transformed, landing beside Orion.

            “A tank?!” Orion exclaimed. “Are you trying to draw attention to us?!”

            “As opposed to a fire truck with giant cannons and a giant tiger with wings?!” Scattershot retorted. “Yeah, ‘cause that blends in so well with the scenery! Oh! Where’d you go?! Oh, there ya are! I didn’t see ya for a second! A tank is perfect! No parking tickets, everyone’ll get outta my way, and I can go up to sixty miles on rough terrain!”

            “Yes…” Orion Pax countered, as he started heading up the slope. “But a fire truck is bigger.”

            Scattershot followed close behind him. “Wanna race?!”

            While the three Autobots were scouting for Landmine, the Decepticons were at the edge of space, asteroids surrounding them from all sides. Megatron landed on one with Starscream beside him, holding the map in his hands.

            “Is there really a Cyber Planet Key here?” Starscream questioned, looking around.

            “So says the map.” Megatron replied as he pulled it up. “It is here and so its power shall be mine!”

            “I don’t see anything on this asteroid.”

            “Not on.” Megatron lifted his arm and slammed it down on the asteroid. “IN!”

            With sheer brute power, the asteroid shattered into many pieces forcing Starscream to hover. The pieces of the asteroid scattered, but there was no Cyber Planet Key.

            “Seems like there was nothing.” Starscream pointed out. Megatron grimaced and glared at his subordinate before turning his attention to the map in his hand.

            “This map…” Megatron snarled as he clenched it, threatening to crush it. “Is a FAKE!”

            “WAIT! This is an ancient map of the cosmos!” Starscream grabbed the map before Megatron could crush it. Megatron only grunted as he let Starscream take the map. “Just think about it. The universe is constantly shifting and changing. If we consider that and make modifications…”

            “I see.” Megatron hummed. “So that’s how it will be.”

            “FOUND YOU, MEGATRON!” A voice hollered. Megatron turned to the source of the voice. It was the Ancient Transformer that he had stolen the map from. And he brought is friends with him. Megatron only sneered as the Autobots charged him and Starscream.

            “You play with them, Starscream.” Megatron ordered. Starscream cackled maniacally as he charged into battle. Vector Prime fired his cannons at the Decepticon, missing all the shots as Starscream expertly dodged them. The Decepticon transformed and evaded Vector Prime, but Jetfire was closing in.

            “I’ve got him!” The Autobot rammed into Starscream, knocking him off course.

            “You’re wasting my time.” Overhaul and Hotshot charged Megatron, tackling him by the waist. Megatron clamped his hands over his head and brought it down onto Overhaul’s back. He swatted Hotshot away with a mere swipe of his hand.

            “Give up, Old timer!” Starscream demanded, firing his guns at the older Transformer.

            “Never!” Vector Prime yelled, evading the missile fire. “Hand over the map that you have stolen!”

            “Is that all?” Starscream taunted. “THEN NO! If you want it back so badly, then take it by force!”

            “Perhaps I’ll change your mind!” Jetfire transformed back into his robot mode. He fired several missiles at the Decepticon. They exploded upon nearing their target, but unfortunately, they missed. Starscream burst through the smoke and rammed into Jetfire, paying him back for earlier. He pointed his guns at Jetfire, readying to fire.

            “As long as my Spark pulses,” Vector Prime unsheathed his sword and slashed it towards Starscream. “You shall not prevail!”

            Starscream moved out of the way of Vector Prime’s sword. He taunted the Autobots as they gave chase. Meanwhile, Megatron was still dealing with Overhaul and Hotshot. They flitted around him like hummingbirds to a flower. Annoyed at the persistent Autobots, Megatron grabbed for Hotshot, who darted away quickly.

            “Insolent pests!” Megatron hissed. “I’ll crush you like the insects that you are!”

            “You’ll have to catch me first.” Hotshot sneered. He dashed off, Megatron taking off after him. Overhaul tackled him again, grabbing his arm.

            “NOW!” Overhaul called to Hotshot. The Autobot grabbed hold of Megatron’s arm, pinning the bigger robot. Megatron only smirked as the two smaller Autobots continued to try and drag him down. A wave of electricity shot through him and out of his arms, blasting Overhaul and Hotshot away. The Autobots cried out in pain and shock as Megatron cackled maniacally.

            Starscream finished off the battle, hitting both Vector Prime and Jetfire with a barrage of missile fire. He hovered up towards Megatron, watching to see if there was anymore fight left in his enemies.

            “Should we finish them off?” Starscream asked.

            “Never mind them.” Megatron answered. He flew off with Starscream close behind.

            Back on Earth, Nyxius slinked through the forest, haunches close to the ground. They sniffed the air taking in the scent of the surrounding area. Humans, a city, a mine… Nyxius processed as they kept stalking through the woods. They flicked their tail, listening to any familiar sounds. It was not long before they recognized Landmine’s scent and his voice close by their location. They headed straight there, careful to avoid alerting any passerby and disturbing the wildlife.

            While Nyxius was looking for him, Coby was still repairing Landmine. The robot flinched when Coby brushed over a particularly painful spot on his arm.

            “Sorry about that!” Coby apologized. “Are you okay?”

            “Yeah! It’s no big deal. I’ve taken worse.” Landmine reassured the teen. Coby nodded his head and continued his repairs. Behind him were a bunch of repair manuals splayed about on the ground. He hoped maybe one of them would contain any information about how to repair a giant robot.

            “Just a few adjustments and I’ll be finished!” Coby informed Landmine. He grunted, acknowledging him. Landmine turned his attention to Lori and Bud who were busy cleaning his carapace and wiping it down. Something like curiosity struck him.

            “Hey Lori, Bud.” The two kids looked at him. “Aren’t either one of you afraid of me?”

            Lori paused and pondered a moment. “Well, to be perfectly honest-“

            “I wasn’t scared.” Bud cut in.

            “We were more in awe that real aliens totally existed.” Lori admitted. “They aren’t just rumors or stories that the adults tell us to either keep us from playing in the woods or the desert too late.”

            “I’m an alien?” The word sounded strange to Landmine.

            “Well, we’re alien to you too.” Lori said. “Besides, you needed our help.”

            “That’s true…” Landmine’s voice drifted off.

            “Hey, Bud!” Coby called. “Can you hand me that ratchet over there?”

            Bud hurried down Landmine’s leg and ran up to the ATV. He rummaged around for the tool in the kit before pulling one out.

            “This one?” Bud asked, holding up a wrench.

            “No, not that one.” Coby pointed to the smaller tool in the box. “That one! Right there.”

            Bud pulled out the ratchet it and tossed it to his brother. Landmine watched them, in awe himself at how kind and helpful the humans were.

            “Is everyone this way?” Landmine asked Lori. The girl shifted on her feet. “Kind-hearted and helpful like the three of you?”

            “Sadly, I can’t speak for other people.” Lori admitted. “But most people are pretty helpful.

            “Hm… Just like the Autobots.” Landmine said to himself.

            A distance away from Landmine and the kids, a group of hunters and the Sheriff gathered around the tracks and crater that the robot left behind.

            “Now I’ve seen everything.” The Sheriff mused to himself.

            “Bigfoot?” One hunter suggested.

            “Here in the woods of our town?” Another argued.

            “Bigfoot in platform shoes?” 

            “Almos’ like findin’ our very own UFO, huh fellas?” One ranger noticed the tire tracks and showed the Sheriff.

            “Hmmm.” The Sheriff scratched his chin. He took off his hat, wiping his brow with a napkin. “We don’t know what life form it is, but considering the size of it, I don’t think it can’t be hunted down. However, we should still track it down and see what it is.”

            The party of hunters agreed and began their search. They cut through the undergrowth and followed the tracks, preparing to see what lies ahead for them.

            “Finished!” Coby said. “Test out your arm and see if It works.”

            Landmine lifted his arm, stiffly closing his hand and opening it. He twisted and flexed it, disappointed that it still hurt, but grateful that he could at least move it again.

            “Not bad kid.” Landmine congratulated. “It’s not back to how it used to be, but I’ll take it. Great job.”

            Coby and Bud pumped their fists in the air while Lori sighed in relief. She then approached the two brothers.

            “Okay guys.” Lori said. “Time for the real challenge.”

            “What real challenge?” Coby asked.

            “Getting Landmine back into space.” Lori answered, staring up at the big bot.

            “Oh yeah…” Coby rubbed the side of his neck. He scrunched up his face, trying to think of a good idea. “I got nothin’.”

            “Don’t worry you guys.” Landmine assured.

            “You have a plan?” Coby asked.

            “Yup. A search party.” Coby looked at Landmine, confused at his suggestion.

            “I’ll bring potato chips and Coby can bring some sodas.” Bud planned. “Unless you want to bring the chips, bro. And I’ll bring my music player.”

            “SEARCH party!” Lori reiterated. “No tunes necessary.”

            “Who’s searching for you?” Coby asked.

            “Others of my kind.” Landmine replied. “I know one of them as a better sense of smell than all of us do. And they all should be arriving at any time.”

            “Bu-but folks will see you!” Coby protested. “And them!”

            “Look over there!” A voice hollered behind the trees. “More giant footprints.”

            The kids looked over, anxiety shooting through all of them. They could hear the hunters and the Sheriff rustling through the trees and the undergrowth, closing in on their location.

            “See?” Lori pointed out to Bud. “That’s a search party.”

            “I wonder what they’re searching for.”

            “Probably us. We gotta go.” Coby insisted.

            Orion Pax stood parked at a gas station in his fire truck form. Scattershot and Nyxius had split up from him to search for their missing ally. The planet was vast, Orion knew this. He knew that Landmine could be anywhere on it and if they did not find him soon, someone else will. He hoped that Landmine was at least safe where he was and that the others made it back safely from Cybertron.

            “Bigfoot, you say?” A gruff voice interrupted Orion’s thought. He almost hid but something told him to continue eavesdropping.

            “That’s what I heard.” Another human replied. Orion got a visual, two gas station employees were bantering amongst each other as they worked.

            “Hang on a minute ‘ere, Luke.” The employee paused. “Are you sure you heard right?”

            “Yes sir.” The employee, Luke, answered. “The sheriff’s got a mob searchin’ for that gigantic creature over that’a’ways just a few miles outside of town. As soon as I get off work, I’mma join ‘em.”

            “You believe in little green men too, huh?” The boss teased.

            Bingo! That might be him!

            “Thank you, gentlemen.” Orion piped up, startling the workers. They looked around, their attention falling on the more colorful fire engine hiding behind the gas pump.

            “W-who said that?” Luke nervously asked.

            “I appreciate the information.” Orion drove off before anymore questions could be asked. “It’s been real gentlemen. Have a nice day!”

            “Did… Did that firetruck have a driver?” The boss asked.

            “Uh… We live in the era of self-driving cars, sir.” Luke said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they started testing it out on fire engines. And you think I’m the one who’s crazy?”

            The boss turned and faced Luke. He was sweating, his brows furrowed, and he jabbed a finger in the direction Orion took off in.

            “That truck drove itself!” He yelled at the employee. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

            A Sukhoi Su-35 jet peacefully flew overhead, patrolling the forests near the base. It was almost time for them to switchover with another company.

            “Air Force Command, requesting Permission to land.” The pilot said over the radio.

            “Yes sir, roger that, you are clear to land.” Air Traffic confirmed. The pilot steadied the flight controls and rudder and eased his way down. He did not notice the warp gate that opened behind him. A robot scanned the jet sneakily.

“THUNDERCRACKER, TRANSFORM!” The Decepticon transformed his body into the jet. He chuckled as he flew overhead, surprising the pilot.

            “Just like lookin’ in a mirror, ain’t it fellas!?” The imposter flew by, before the pilot could respond. He refocused and headed down to land. He will have to tell his superiors what he saw later.

            Thundercracker continued his flight, enjoying his new disguise and freedom.

            “It just doesn’t get any better than this!” Thundercracker noticed a sparkle in the distance, metal glittering in the sun. “Hang on! What have we got here?!”

            It was Landmine and he was trudging behind the three kids who were trying to avoid the search party that was gaining on them.

            “Well, whaddaya know!” Thundercracker cackled. “It does get better! Time to pay ol’ Landmine a visit.”

            Thundercracker eased downward, preparing his missiles to fire. Coby, Lori, Bed and Landmine tried to run away from the group chasing them down as fast as they could in the meantime.

            “They’re gaining on us!” Coby looked over his shoulder and back at the road ahead. They had to quickly find a place to hide.

            “HALT!” The Sheriff barked behind them as he led the Hunters up the path.

            “Don’t let them get away!” One hunter shouted.

            “Any ideas? ‘Cause now would be a good time to say them.” Bud panted.

            “LANDMINE!” The four of them paused at the voice yelling the bot’s name. They looked up, spotting Thundercracker in the sky.

            “A rescue?” Lori asked, hopeful.

            “I don’t think so.” Landmine felt his spark pulsing.

            “What’s that thing?!” Coby inquired.

            “A Decepticon called Thundercracker!” Thundercracker fired his missiles at Landmine. The kids screamed, terrified at the deadly missiles coming straight for them. Thinking quickly, Landmine shielded the kids.

            “GET DOWN!” The kids ducked underneath Landmine as the missiles thankfully missed them, but they hit the earth around them, sending up dust and debris. The explosive nature of them triggered a massive fire that quickly spread around the Autobot and the children.

            “What on earth was that?!” The Sheriff looked around and fear set in when he saw the blazing inferno. “RUN! IT’S A WILDFIRE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”

            “LANDMINE!” A shadow leapt over the trees and landed in front of the bot and the kids. Landmine looked up and gasped.

            “Nyxius Prime!” He yelled in surprise. Nyxius crouched, their claws digging deep into the soil. They bared their fangs and growled, tail lashing to and fro. Coby stood in front of Lori and Bud to defend them. Fear struck him as his eyes met Nyxius’s red glowing ones. The Beast flared their wings out, kicking up dust. Red-orange particles fluttered around them. To the humans, Nyxius looked like a demon.

            “Did these humans capture you?” Nyxius accused.

            “No, nothing like that, Commander!” Landmine defended. A fire truck horn blared behind Nyxius.

            “You made it, Orion.” Nyxius chuckled.

            “Of course!” Orion turned his attention back to Landmine. “Are you alright, Landmine?”

            “I am, sir.” Landmine replied. “Don’t worry. They saved me when I needed help. Now we gotta save them!”

            “This firetruck and giant cat are both robots?!”

            “NYXIUS PRIME TRANSFORM!”

            “Whoa…” The kids exclaimed together. “You’re so cool.”

Noticing the extra company, Thundercracker readied himself to attack again. “An overgrown cat? Well color me surprised! This must be my lucky day!”

Thundercracker transformed back into his Robot Mode.

“Blasting ‘em will be my ticket to the Big Leagues!” Thundercracker landed in the clearing and fired his rifle. Nyxius spun around and blocked Thundercracker’s barrage with their own. The blast around them triggered an even bigger flame to erupt. The search party retreated further into the woods, trying to avoid the encroaching flames.

Nyxius flared out their wings and fired several bullets toward Thundercracker. They dodged the blasts from the enemy bot, almost dancing around them. One blast hit them, and they skidded back, their back and front claws gripping the ground to stop them. Thundercracker leapt up and transformed back into a fighter jet and flew off.

“Now I got the high ground!” Thundercracker boasted. “I fight better airborne! Now where that ol’ feline go?”

Nyxius snarled as they flew up upwards. They sliced past Thundercracker sending him spiraling out of control.

“A tiger? With horns? And wings?” Bud described.

“You know guys, I’m ready to go home now.” Lori insisted. The two boys looked at her puzzled. “C’mon! A flying cat? That’s freaky!”

Landmine only chuckled at Lori’s comment. Nyxius gave chase to the fleeing jet.

“One of us is faster!” Thundercracker chuckled as he maneuvered himself behind Nyxius. “Guess who? I’ll give ya a hint! It ain’t you, Nyx!”

Thundercracker shot another round of missiles to Nyxius. Using momentum, they galloped across the side of the cliff and evaded the attack. The blast kicked up dust and smoke, covering the area. Thundercracker flew into the smoke and transformed, gasping at the sight of Nyxius, transformed into their Super Mode, undamaged by the attack.

“Surrender, Thundercracker!” Nyxius demanded. They pointed a wing at the Decepticon, ready to fire.

“Lemme think.” Thundercracker sneered. He shot more missiles at the Autobot Beast. “No!”

Nyxius curled their lip and readied themself. Timing this right was going to be difficult, but they had practiced this move years ago. The missiles got closer and closer to them and with one swift move, Nyxius batted them away, causing them to explode. The shockwave sent Thundercracker flying back, a warp gate catching him on his way out.

“LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY!” The Decepticon’s laughter echoed throughout the canyon. Nyxius snarled and gasped as they saw the fire grow more intense. Landmine tried to shield the humans, but the others were suffering. The coughed and sputtered as the smoke entered their lungs.

“ORION!” Nyxius called out over the radio. “A Decepticon caused a wildfire in the mountains! COME IN, ORION!”

“INCOMING!” A flash of red, white, and blue flew by Nyxius. Coby, Lori, and Bud waved him over.

“Humans aren’t fireproof like you!” Coby yelled out to Orion as he flew overhead. “Help us out!”

“COPY THAT!” Orion plunged himself into a nearby lake and started siphoning the water to his tanks. He hovered over the raging wildfire and transformed into his Super Mode. He gripped his cannons and water shot out, covering the woodlands, and smothering the fire.

“Is that what I think it is?” A ranger held out his arms and spun around in the cascading water fall.

“It’s raining!”

“Mother Nature came through!”

“Talk about timing.”

“Yeah… What are the chances?”

Coby, Lori, and Bud watched the group of hunters led by the Sheriff leave the park. A few of them went home while the others headed to the emergency room to take care of a few burns and smoke inhalation. The three kids turned to face Orion Pax who joined Nyxius Prime’s side.

“How can we ever thank you?” Coby inquired.

“You already have by helping Landmine back to his feet.” Nyxius smiled, their eyes blinking slowly.

“Did someone say Landmine?” A voice shot out. It was Hotshot, joined by Jetfire, Scattershot, Vector Prime and Overhaul.

“Looks like their mission was more successful than ours.” Jetfire admitted begrudgingly. However, he was still happy to see that Landmine was safe and sound. The Autobots carefully landed beside Orion Pax, Nyxius and Landmine.

“Made some new friends, I see.” Jetfire teased Nyxius, gently punching their shoulder.

“Hm.” Nyxius chortled.

“I’m Coby.” The boy introduced himself. “And this is my little brother, Bud!”

“What’s up!?”

“Welcome to Earth.” Lori welcomed warmly. “I’m Lori.”

“Name’s Jetfire.”

“Hotshot.”

“Overhaul here.”

“I’m Scattershot.”

“My name is Orion Pax.”

“You already know I’m Landmine.”

“And I am Nyxius Prime. The Commander of the Autobots.” The humans stood impressed at the number of Autobots standing before them.

            “Whoa! You’re really tall.” Bud pointed out to Nyxius. “Taller than everyone here! And so cool!”

            “I… Thank you?” Nyxius said, confused by the compliment. Though it was true… They were taller than all the Autobots, practically looming over them.

            “And… you?” Lori asked the lone Ancient robot that stood slightly away from the others. “Aren’t you one of the Autobots too?”

            Vector Prime turned his gentle gaze down to the humans. “No, I am not, young one.”

            “But you aren’t then enemy either, right?” Coby asked.

            “No.” Vector Prime replied simply. “I am simply here to band everyone together for our common good if every one of our planets is to survive.”

            “Wait, survive?” Lori pried. “How can we help too? If the Earth is in danger-“

            “Not if.” Scattershot cut her off. “When!”

            “We mustn’t get the Earthlings involved.” Jetfire warned.

            “They are involved!” Scattershot protested.

            “It’s too dangerous to involve them, Scattershot!” Jetfire countered. He was right. Scattershot swallowed the rest of what he was going to say and sadly slumped his shoulders.

            “I wonder what that’s all about.” Coby whispered to Lori.

            “Either they’re protecting us, or they don’t trust us.” Lori whispered back.

            “What?!” Coby stepped away from Lori. “No way. After everything we’ve been through together today? Tell them Landmine!”

            Nyxius’s eyes flashed to Landmine. He opened his mouth to protest, but Bud interrupted him as he approached Vector Prime.

            “Bud! Be careful!” Coby warned.

            “Whoa, check it out bro! This dude is crazy old school!” Bud observed. “With gears and clock stuff.”

            The center of Vector Prime’s chest glowed, and three beams of light sprung forth. They darted about, nearly hitting Coby who was knocked off his feet, his books spilling out onto the ground. The beams of light took form into three human sized bots.

            “Greetings!” The middle one said cheerfully. He was mainly red, his face covered by a visor helmet. Two other bots formed beside him, one light green and the other, a dark blue.

            “Who are you?” Coby questioned. The middle bot ignored him, and he and the other two bots scanned the vehicles shown in Coby’s books. They took on their new forms, a helicopter, a race car, and an SUV.

            “Very good forms you two.” The lead mini bot said. “Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Jolt and these two Minicons are Six-Speed and Reverb. Nice to meet ya!”

            The two Minicons greeted the humans, but instead of regular speech, they beeped.

            “We’ve been travelling along with Vector Prime.” Jolt explained. “Very comfy ride. Even with his mileage, but now that we’re here… uhm… where are we, exactly?”

            “Planet Earth.” Lori replied.

            “Ooh Earth!”

            “You know it?”

            “Never heard of it.” Jolt answered plainly, making the humans let out an exasperated sigh. Jetfire turned to Nyxius.

            “What do we do now, Commander?”

            “Hmm. It seems the Humans have gotten attached to these Minicons.” Nyxius observed. “But that is none of my concern. Our main concern is the Black Hole that threatens to collapse the Universe. We left Red Alert behind to stand watch over it, but we must see to the status of the other Cybertronians.”

            “Commander, we’ll need a base of operations.” Scattershot jutted in.

            “We will have that in due time.”

            “What about the Cyber Planet Keys?”

            “We can’t ignore it.” Nyxius professed. “If they are real… if those things can save the galaxy…”

            “If only we had proof that they were real.” Scattershot uttered as Nyxius glanced at Vector Prime. Before they could say anything to him, Jolt let out a surprised scream. Everyone turned and saw Jolt pointing at Lori’s shirt. She stepped back, taken aback from Jolt’s reaction.

            “Vector Prime! Vector Prime! Look!” Vector Prime looked closely at Lori’s shirt and gasped.

            “That’s… By Primus.” The Ancient Transformer’s voice faded.

            “This? It’s just a t-shirt.” Lori said pointedly.

            “It’s not that. It’s the pattern drawn on the shirt!” Lori looked down, pulling the shirt out to get a better look at the design.

            “It’s a symbol said to be used by the lost continent Atlantis.” Lori explained. “It’s not rare at all. Rock music bands use them all the time.”

            “What is it?” Nyxius asked.

            “It has the same shape as the controller of the Cyber Planet Keys.” Vector Prime informed them. “The Omega Lock! It can’t be… Can the Omega Lock be here on Earth?”

            Nyxius felt a twinge of anger but forced it down. Now was not the time to make any snide comments.

            “There is only one way to find out!”

Chapter Text

            “Who’s up for construction duty?! Autobots sound off!” Orion ordered.

            “Landmine!”

            “Scattershot!”

            “Overhaul!”

            “Jetfire!”

            “Jolt!”

            “Hotshot!”

            “I never use this move for… this.” Nyxius said as they transformed into their Beast Mode. They spread their wings and began flapping them, agitating a red orange dust that had started to flutter out of their shoulder. “But I can make an exception for now. You all might want to stand back.”

            The Autobots looked at each other for a second before taking several steps away from Nyxius. The mini-cons urged the humans to back away as well, shielding them from the dust.

            “Wait hold on!” Bud protested. “I wanna see!”

            “No Bud! There’s no telling what that red stuff can do!” Coby pulled his little brother closer to him as Lori covered her head.

            Once Nyxius was satisfied that the Autobots and humans were a safe distance, they flapped their wings again, spreading the dust further. They clacked their teeth, their large canines sparked together, causing a chain of explosions. Nyxius covered themself with one of their winds as rocks and debris crumbled and flew about.

            “Nice one, Nyx!” Hotshot cheered. Some Autobots got to work clearing away the rubble while the others continued detonating the canyon with their cannons. Landmine readied himself at the mountain. He wound up his fists, but before he could throw, Orion Pax grabbed his arm.

            “Hold on there, Landmine!”

            “O-Orion, sir! I’m ready to-“

            “You’re not fully recovered yet.” Orion Pax warned. “I need you at one hundred percent before we go after Megatron again.”

            “Clear away the debris!” Nyxius ordered, swiping the trail clear. Landmine watched Orion join them. Residual anger and frustration bubbled up inside his spark. He hated being left behind like this. Even more so, he hated the Decepticons that got him into this mess in the first place.

            “That was so cool!” Bud hollered as he ran up to Nyxius. The Beastformer growled a warning to the human. “Can you do it again?”

            “Bud! Leave them alone, can’t you see they’re busy?!” Before Coby could continue chastising his brother, a high-pitched frequency hit his ears. “Aah! That noise!”

            Lori and Bud heard it too and all three of the humans covered their ears. Their teeth rattled as they tried to find the source of the noise. It was Vector Prime, who was off to the side, reviewing the Atlantis symbol that Lori had on her shirt.

            “Hey gramps!” Bud called. “What’s with all the racket?!”

            Vector Prime turned to the kids. Curious, he thought. So, it was true after all.

            “Ugh! You’re making my teeth hurt!”

            “That so-called racket you speak of is the trans-sonic signal given off by the Omega Lock.” Vector Prime explained. “Only humans can hear its call. Therefore, we will need you three to be able to help us locate it.”

            The kids gazed up at the ancient Transformer confused, but slightly relieved that the noise had passed finally.

________________________________________________________________________

            “Who cares what the Autobots are doing on Earth?” Starscream snarled at Megatron. “We have the map. Therefore, we should be looking for the Cyber Planet Keys.”

            “Not yet.” Megatron gazed up at the Space Bridge that watched over Earth. He grinded his teeth as he watched the planet spin slowly on its axis. “You heard Thundercracker’s report. They are up to something.”

            “But once we have the Cyber Planet Keys, Nyxius Prime and the rest of the Autobots will cower before us!” Starscream retorted. Megatron shot a glance at Starscream before curling his lips. Something about Nyxius Prime cowering brought a strange thought to his processor. They did not look like they were one to cower, even if they were to lose all their limbs in a fight. They looked too prideful for that.

            “What good will their plans be then?” Starscream broke Megatron out of his thoughts. He only gritted his teeth.

            “I really don’t like surprises.” Megatron growled. “First we visit Earth, then we search for the Keys.”

            It had been several days since the start of the Autobot Headquarters construction. They were just about finished with the wall lining and reconnecting their equipment. Coby, Lori, and Bud entered through a work tunnel drilled out by Hotshot and Overhaul.

            “Hey guys…” Coby piped up. “I’ve been thinking.”

            “About what?” Lori replied.

            “If Vector Prime is right, then…” The boy began, trying to find the right words to say. “Then are we the only ones who can find the Omega Lock?”

            “Well… He did mention that we can hear its frequency and the others can’t.” Lori pointed out.

            “Kinda like how whales in the ocean can hear each other and, but we can’t hear them sometimes.” Bud butted in.  

            “True.”

            “Then it’s up to us!” Coby said, his voice filled with determination. “We gotta help the Autobots any which way we can!”

            “Right!” Lori and Bud agreed. Before they could continue, a low, melodious hum began echoing through the tunnel. The three kids looked around, curious to find where the sound was coming from. Sure, they could help around the base, but they needed to make sure that source of the sound was not coming from an outsider.

            “It sounds like it is coming from over here.” Lori waved the brothers over to her. Before them was a massive cavern, a long stony path stretched downwards into the darkness below. Cobi felt a shiver go down his spine. “Do we go in?”

            “I… I don’t think we should. It’s pretty dark down there.”

            “Aw c’mon Coby!” Bud teased. “You’re not scared, are you?”

            “Quit teasin’, Bud!” Lori brushed past the two brothers and headed down the path. “L-LORI! Where are you-“

            “I’m going to find the source of the sound. What does it look like I’m doing?” Lori answered, her voice clearly not hiding how annoyed she was.

            “Well, yeah but…” Coby drifted off, watching her go. Bud skipped up behind Lori, following her close behind. Coby hesitated a moment before breaking out into a sprint to catch up with Lori and Bud.

            It was not long until the three kids reached a chamber, the humming sound at its loudest there. The kids peered inside, seeing orange and yellow lights glowing. A pair of red eyes was staring straight up at the cave ceiling. Coby, Lori and Bud looked up, seeing a hole in the ceiling. A weak amount of sunlight shined through only slightly illuminating the figure in the room. Coby squinted his eyes before he gasped softly.

            “N-Nyxius?” Nyxius paused their humming and turned their head to face the entrance to the cavern. They spotted the kids and stared at them.

            “U-Uh…” Coby stammered. “We-We were just leaving! Right guys?”

            “Nyxius? What are you doing down here?” Lori asked. “Aren’t you going to help the others in constructing the Headquarters?”

            Nyxius Prime stayed quiet for a moment. They blinked, growling softly to themself.

“I know where my weaknesses lie.” They spoke. “I am only best at destroying and now, the base is formatted enough that they do not need my help. I’ve allowed Orion Pax to take over leadership in the construction. You all should see if the Autobots need any further assistance.”

“Are you sure?” Lori insisted. “I’m sure the Autobots can find something for you to do. Or you find something to do for them. Or-“

Nyxius chuckled softly. “It’s alright, Lori. Like I said, I know where my weaknesses lie, and I would only get in the way of the others.”

“O-okay.” Lori replied, almost sounding defeated. She turned and headed back out of the chamber. Coby and Bud followed close behind her, but Coby stopped for a moment.

“Hey, Nyxius.”

“Coby is your name, right? What is it?”

“Yeah. I…” Coby tried to dry his palms which had begun to sweat from anxiety. Nyxius was intimidating to look at, especially now in the darkness where the only thing that let him see the Leader was a weak sunbeam and the parts of the bot that glowed. Still, the kid swallowed his fear and faced Nyxius. After all, they weren’t going to do anything to him. If they really wanted to, they would have done so already.

“I know you are sure that you won’t be of much help to the Autobots now.” Coby began. “But my dad always said that there is a job for everything and everyone. You might not see it yet, but it’s there. You’re a leader sure, but even they’ve got their own tasks to do, you know what I mean? Right?”

Nyxius rumbled, digging their claws into the bedrock. “I see what you mean, Coby. I will think about it.”

“Sure!” Coby nodded his head at the Beastformer before turning and running to catch up with his friends. Nyxius watched him go before laying back down onto the ground. They began to hum again, softer than before, the words Coby said to them echoing in their mind.

“Scattershot, Hotshot, Overhaul!” Orion Pax called out. “You three work on the sensor and communication systems. Everyone else, apply stealth beam coating to the walls and doors.”

“Right!” The Autobots went off to do their assigned tasks. The kids watched them go, feeling excitement bubbling inside them.

“Stealth beam? Really?” Bud asked. “Like on Jet Fighters?”

“Isn’t that awesome?” Coby asked. “C’mon guys. Let’s go check out the Command Center.”

Hotshot gently placed down on the ground a piece of sensitive and heavy equipment. “Ah! There’s the Oscillator. Now, where’s the scan converter?”

Overhaul placed another piece of equipment on top of the one Hotshot set down.

“Why do I always get the crummy jobs?” Overhaul uttered under his breath.

“Whoa!” Bud exclaimed. “Would you check out all the sweat gear?”

“Yeah, it’s probably way beyond human technology.” Hotshot shrugged off. “So, whatever you do, don’t touch the equipment, ya got it?”

The kids, completely ignoring what he just said, started touching the equipment. “Hey c’mon you guys! Stop that!”

“Hey, Hotshot. How come you use a crystal oscillator?” Coby asked the Autobot.

“That’s uh… kinda technical.” Hotshot replied.

“’Cause I just thought that a phase lock loop would be much more stable.”

Hotshot hummed at Coby’s suggestion. He thought about it for a moment, almost surprised that a human child would know anything about the technology that they were using.

“Say, how would you like to help me set up the transmitter?” Hotshot insisted. Coby threw Hotshot a thumbs up.

“You got it!”

Back in the main room, Jetfire, Jolt and Bud were gazing up at the cavity in the cave ceiling.

“You can’t just fly out of here!” Bud said. “You gotta go, click, click, then whoosh!”

“Oh! A click, click, then whoosh!” Jolt echoed.

“Do what now?” Jetfire asked, confused.

“You need to shoot outta here at top speeds. Just like a catapult!” Bud continued.

“A catapult?”

“Humans use them to launch planes off ships.” Jolt explained.

“All you have to do is step on the platform,” Buyd explained. “Then BLAM! You’re in the stratosphere!”

            Jetfire started to feel slightly exasperated. “Look kid, I dunno what the heck-“

            “No Jetfire.” Scattershot chimed in. “I think the kid’s got the right idea.”

            “What idea?!” The Autobot deputy asked, his accent exaggerating his tone of annoyance.

            “The catapult thing.” Scattershot replied. “You could reach maximum velocity before you leave the base. Without using extra Energon.”

            “Really?” Jetfire turned back to Bud and Jolt. “Well why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

            “WE DID!” The two of them exclaimed.

            Nyxius emerged from their cavern, transformed back into their Robot Mode. They stayed by the entrance, watching their companions tidying up the finishing touches to the command center and the entrances and exits to the outside world.

            “Jetfire, what’s our status?” Nyxius heard Orion Pax asked. 

            “We’re looking good, chief.” Jetfire answered. “Right on schedule! We’ll have ‘er ready by sundown.”

            “I’m glad to hear it.” Orion sensed someone watching him. He turned, spotting Nyxius leaning against the entrance to the cavern that they had disappeared into. They remained shrouded by the shadows cast on them from the harsh lights of the main command center. Orion Pax approached the larger bot. “You’re out? Are you alright, Nyxius?”

            They only flicked their tail in response.

            “I know you put me in charge for this, but you are still the commander.” Orion Pax reassured the beast. “But know this. Even if you are not sure about something, there is no reason that you should not ask any of us for help. We are a team and at least, to me, a representation of your strength.”

            “My strength is that of my own.” Nyxius snarled. “I represent my own strengths through battle, wit, and cunning. I never ask for assistance because what good will that do me in the long run?”

            “You can’t think that way now.” Orion Pax said plainly. “At the moment, your duties lie leading the Autobots through this crisis… and keeping the promise that you made.”

            Nyxius clenched their fist. “What is it you said? ‘Freedom is the right of all sentient beings?’”

            The two bots stared each other down for a moment. “I’ll hold you to that.”

            “Hey! Good job, you guys!” Bud congratulated. “This totally’s starting to look like a real secret headquarters.”

            “Gee!” Hotshot said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe it’s ‘cause it is one!”

            “Alright righty-tighty.” Scattershot muttered to himself as he fastened some wires together. “And we’re just about ready for the big show. Okay, Coby! Fire it up!”

            “You got it!” Coby grabbed a massive switch and pulled it down using his weight. Once he flipped the switch, the base came alive. The monitors hummed and the lights flickered on. The Autobot Headquarters was online.

            “Alright!” Coby ran up to his brother followed by Lori.

            “Hotshot was right! This is the real thing!” Bud looked around, impressed at the handiwork.

            “And so stylish!” Lori added, flicking her hair. As soon as she said that the alarm began to blare.

            “Okay, nobody panic.” Scattershot reassured. “It’s probably just a glitch.”

            He typed a few commands into the keyboard, bringing up the monitor to see what was going on. The situation got tense.

            “Just let me tie this down here.” Scattershot kept on working, trying to figure out the new controls to the base. The monitor before him flickered through a few screens. “Gimme a second. Adjusting frequency…”

            The screens showed two dots. Both were on a path to Earth.

            “What is that?” Coby asked.

            “Hang on! Lemme see if I can boost the resolution.” Scattershot typed in a few more commands. “They’re still pretty far away. Oh no…”

            Hotshot’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be…

            “Now you can panic!” Scattershot shook. He quickly brought up the communications. “Nyxius, Orion, come in!”

            Through the other line, Nyxius and Orion answered the call.

            “Go ahead, Scattershot! What is it?” Orion said.

            “We got a definite situation here.” Scattershot reported. “Long range sensors just picked up two objects entering Earth’s atmosphere. It looks like Megatron and he’s got Starscream with him.”

            “What would Megatron want with Earth?” Nyxius pondered out loud. “There’s no advantage to him being here.”

            “Perhaps they seek the Omega Lock.” Vector Prime replied.

            “It gets worse, Nyx.” Hotshot said.

            “Huh? Worse how?” Coby asked.

            “it’s the stealth beam coating.” Hotshot answered. “So far, we’ve only got about half of the base done.”

            “But if the base isn’t shielded, then what exactly does that mean?” Lori asked.

            “Without that coating, Megatron will sense this base from a light year away.” Jetfire explained. “Our secret base won’t be a secret anymore.”

            “We’d have no choice but to abandon the base.” Orion added. “And Earth as well.”

            “NO!” The kids exclaimed.

            “Scattershot, what’s what the Decepticon's maximum sensor range?” Nyxius asked.

            “In this terrain and atmosphere, I’d say about two hundred and forty kilometers max!” Scattershot answered.

            “Alright. This is what we will do.” Nyxius started. “Jetfire, Orion, Hotshot and I will hold them off.”

            “Right!” Jetfire grunted.

            “On my way!” Hotshot agreed. He took off to join the others and prepare for the fight.

            “The rest of you get that stealth coating up!” Nyxius ordered. “Do whatever it takes to complete that task!”

            “Hey! We want to help too!” Coby protested.

            “Yeah! This is our base too y’know.” Bud insisted.

            “I never said you couldn’t.” Nyxius said. “Join the others in getting the task done.”

            With that, communications ceased. Nyxius readied themself for the fight.

            “Nyxius.” Vector Prime called after them. Nyxius paused and faced the Ancient Transformer. “If they have come for the Omega Lock, we must stop them. No matter the cost. Will you be ready to make such a sacrifice?”

            “I have fought in battles where my spark was on the line.” Nyxius Prime replied. They placed a gentle hand on the older bot’s shoulder. “This battle to the death will be no different from those that I have faced. We will fight until our bodies can no longer rise and our sparks are extinguished.”