Category: Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 21: Size Matters)

One of Twelve grabbed Shockwave’s neck and threw her out of the manor house. He then lifted the others with his new powers and threw them out. They all landed on the battlefield where Optimus and his forces were still fighting the Constructicons. They had long de-combined from Devastator and Shockwave had to disentangle herself from them after landing on them. Sonic and Amy helped Shadow and Maria up as One of Twelve floated towards the assembled fighters. Sonic gulped. “Um, has he always been gold?”

“Nope,” replied Shadow.

“…Is he using the Chaos Emeralds somehow?” asked Amy.

“The only Emeralds here,” answered Maria, “are Shadow’s green and my blue one. No, that’s from the jewel in the center of his chest.”

“The Heart of Cybertron!” breathed Optimus.

“He’s got a super form from just one jewel?!” yelped Sonic.

“My dear Sonic,” replied Megatron, “that tiny energy maximizer is all the Chaos AND Master Emeralds combined! It can power a starship all the way from Cybertron to your miserable planet. …Come to think of it-”

“Speculations MUST come after we beat him!” called Shockwave.

“AUTOBOTS, GET HIM!” called Optimus.

“DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!” shouted Megatron. Everyone opened fire, but the shots simply bounced off One of Twelve.

“Pathetic,” he scoffed. He then performed a move similar to Chaos Blast, knocking everyone to the ground. “What hope do you lot have against me? I have the Heart of Cybertron, the greatest power source the universe has ever known. And why do you side with organic life-forms? They have no place in the Grand Taxonomy. Any that cannot be classified…shall be deleted!” He raised a hand to Eggman and Morgaine. In a surprising turn, Shockwave got between them. “…You can’t be serious,” muttered One of Twelve.

“There’s no logic in dismissing them out of hand!” hissed Shockwave.

“Shockwave, I gave you a chance at mercy, I even went so far as to offer you a position on my new council, yet you still brushed it aside. You WON’T survive this.”

“I don’t care! You’ve lived for too long! Functionism has no place in this world! That’s what my time among the Decepticons has taught me! Even if I die, someone’s going to know of what happened here and make it their mission to kill you!”

“No one will know what’s happened until I’ve finished my work. Those who follow Functionism will be the authors of history.”

“No, those who manage to pursue dreams outside the norms will!” called Override.

“She’s right!” agreed Quickmix. “We’re going to build a brighter future than anything you and your evil philosophy can come up with!”

“Evil?! NO!” denied One of Twelve. “No, I will NOT accept that! Functionism, putting things in a proper place, that is GOOD! That is what Primus wants!”

“So why did Xitra die and the rest of us survive?!” challenged Kong.

“…What?”

“The Maximal is right,” continued Shockwave. “If Primus wants us to adhere to the Grand Taxonomy, why did our people and culture die?”

“…We’re not dead! Functionism still lives! As long as there’s ONE survivor, then Functionism is supreme!”

“Then I will see to it that the last adherent of Functionism dies!” It was then that something happened, something that skewed Shockwave’s sense of logic! Four orbs of light surrounded her, Kong, Override, and Quickmix. The orbs then formed solid shapes! They were all giant, gold-trimmed Cyber Keys, one with a sun rising over everything, one with a pair of gears locked together, one with a beast’s paw with the claws exposed, and one with a speedometer!

“…The Omega Keys?” muttered Megatron. “I know at least two of them are here, but I thought Animatros and Velocitron’s were still on their respective planets.” The Keys then fired two streams of light, one into each respective bots’ heads, the other straight into the air. As the streams died, four strange machines appeared in front of each bot. Shockwave’s looked like a giant gun with wings on the back, Kong’s looked like a manticore-shaped jet, Override got a small jet, roughly Seeker-sized, and Quickmix got an excavator with two drills. The strange machines then beamed data into their respective bots. They all realized what they were and began a new transformation!

“Shockwave, VALKYRIE MODE!” The gun’s barrel covered her old gun-arm as the handle became bigger feet that folded themselves onto her normal feet, and the rest became a winged backpack that deployed a winged helmet.

“Kong Primal, SAVAGE CLAW MODE!” The manticore front swung to the right side of the jet and deployed a beefy arm. The rear of the jet unfolded into feet as the canopy became the chest and Kong folded his limbs into sockets. As he inserted himself into the new body from the back, it closed and deployed a new helmet.

“Override, SONIC WING MODE!” The rear of the jet became new boots for her and the rest of it attached to her back while deploying chest armor.

“Quickmix, ATLAS MODE!” His arms became shoulder pads as the excavator unfolded into a new suit with the drills as arms. He inserted himself into the new suit and everyone charged at One of Twelve. Megatron and Optimus looked at each other, then shrugged.

“Megatron, CONQUEST MODE!”

“Optimus Prime, SUPER MODE!” They joined in the charge and decked One of Twelve. The Councilor gasped in pain, then realized he felt pain.

“NO! THIS CANNOT BE! I AM INVINCIBLE WITH THE HEART OF CYBERTRON!”

“Further proof,” snarked Shockwave, “that my world was once ruled by twelve two-dimensional villains.” She then flicked her Cyber Key into the air. “CYBER KEY POWER!” The Cyber Key inserted itself into her gun-arm and twisted itself. The gun sprouted two more barrels, making it into a three-barreled gatling gun. “VULCAN FURY!” The barrels rotated and fired streams of energy that twisted around each other, aimed right at One of Twelve’s head. The head exploded under the barrage, causing the body to fade from gold to gunmetal gray. “…After millions of years,” panted Shockwave as she allowed a satisfied grin to form, “my life is finally mine. …All the horrid ghosts of my past are gone.” For once, Shockwave let tears fall from her optics as a great weight came off her shoulders. “That was for you, Dad.” Optimus then put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

“It’s finally over,” he remarked. “Let’s just collect the Heart and-” Shockwave then grabbed his hand.

“The Decepticons will take it,” she hissed.

“Now, just a cycle!” protested Optimus. “There’s no way you bots can handle its power! We need to have it locked away!”

“You heard her!” shouted Megatron. “Don’t touch that!”

“Says who?!”

“Decepticons, hold them off!” The Decepticons then fired on the Autobots. Megatron snapped his fingers and held out his hand. “Hook, your cyber-forceps!” Hook handed him a silver wand and Megatron set it at each point of the star on One of Twelve’s chest. He then pulled it out of the body and held it in his hand. “Decepticons, to me!” The Decepticons then gathered around him. “Oh, Shadow,” called the Decepticon Lord with a sickening grin, “tell me if I’m doing this wrong!” He then raised the Heart above his head. “Chaos Control!” The Decepticons then vanished!

“Shadow, get us to Fortress! NOW!” shouted Optimus. Everyone then gathered around Shadow as he thrust his Chaos Emerald into the air.

“Chaos Control!” Everyone then vanished.

---

The Decepticons teleported directly onto the bridge. Mole Dive whistled in approval. “I’m gonna like it here,” he remarked.

“Shockwave, hurry!” Megatron urged. “We must install this into the main star drive!” He handed the Heart to Shockwave.

“Understood, my Lord.” Shockwave then dashed off as her battle-frame disconnected from her. Thundercracker approached the group.

“I take it you were successful?” he asked.

“Highly successful,” replied Megatron. “We must lift off at once! Raise the ship and set course for Cybertron!”

“Lord Megatron,” called Shockwave over the comms, “the Heart’s installed.”

“Excellent!” Ravage then arrived.

“Lord Megatron, the Autobots have reclaimed Metroplex’s city mode. He’s joining them and they’re lifting off!”

“We must do the same! Inform me when we leave the atmosphere!” Megatron dashed off to the engine room and found where Shockwave installed the Heart into the star drive. He placed his hand on it, then waited a few minutes.

“We’re outside the atmosphere now!” Ravage called over the comms.

“Chaos Control!”

---

“All weapons, fire on my command!” Optimus called over the comms between Fortress and Metroplex. “Three! Two!” He didn’t even reach one when the Decepticon ship vanished. “…No!” realized Optimus.

“Chaos Control!” confirmed Shadow. “They’re probably over Cybertron right now!”

“Metroplex, Fortress, do you have enough Energon to go into transwarp?!” asked Optimus.

“I do,” replied Fortress.

“So do I,” confirmed Metroplex, “but we’ll still be behind the Cons, no matter what speed!”

“It’s all we have! Everyone, go to transwarp! We MUST get to Cybertron NOW!”

“Setting course for Cybertron!” called Cliffjumper. “Engaging transwarp! Hold on to your seats!” The two Metrotitans then entered transwarp to Cybertron.

---

The Decepticon ship arrived above a metal world, marked with massive chasms one could see from space, with a yellow light emanating from them, tall spires, protruding like antennae, and a twisted gash on the southern hemisphere that looked like a flat-topped mushroom. Megatron arrived on the bridge as the planet appeared on the main screen. He grinned as he looked on. “Novacons, Predacons, Vehicons, and Olympicons, look!” he chuckled. “Feast your optics on my home, the ancestral seat of ALL Transformer life! Doctor Eggman, look upon the land of the metal moons; Cybertron!”

“Megatron! Look! Over Iacon!” The viewscreen changed to a golden city surrounded by domed walls and a transparent canopy. Usually, a holographic Autobot symbol would hover proudly over the dome, this time, the Decepticon symbol hung menacingly over it, just like the one over the mushroom-shaped city of Kaon. Megatron laughed at the twisted irony of it.

“Oh, when Optimus sees his beloved home flying the Decepticon banner!” he cackled.

“Speaking of which, the enemy Metrotitans are exiting transwarp now,” reported Ravage.

---

On Fortress’ bridge, Cybertron appeared on the screen. “There it is!” called Cliffjumper. “Cyber…tron…no!” Everyone saw the Decepticon Symbol over Iacon. Optimus slumped to his knees.

“…We’re too late,” he mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” asked Amy.

“See that dome near the northern pole? That’s my home, the Autobot capital of Iacon.”

“…But that’s the…oh no! The Decepticons conquered it!”

“And thus, Cybertron.”

“Optimus, we’ve got weapons-lock coming from Trypticon City!” warned Goldbug. “It looks like they’re targeting…all three ships?”

“Wait, what? The Cons too?” asked Optimus.

---

“Weapons-lock?! On us?!” demanded Megatron. “HOW DARE THEY!”

“They’re hailing us!” called Ravage. “One-way only!”

“Put it through!” Ravage obeyed and the caller…didn’t need a face for anyone to recognize his nasally voice.

“Well, well, well!” cackled the caller. “I do believe I have a trio of Scraplet hives hovering above my planet!” A Seeker then popped up, colored in white with dark reddish-orange trim.

“STARSCREAM!” roared Megatron.

“So good of you lot to offer me a trio of Metrotitans,” continued Starscream, “but I have one of my own. Ever wonder why the city of Tripedeon rechristened itself to Trypticon? Pondered on why they would name a city after that particular Metrotitan? Well, you lot are gonna die in ignorance for that! But I DO thank you for bringing me the Heart of Cybertron! I’ll be sure to pry it from the wreckage myself!” His image then held a hand to his ear. “What’s that? You say you still function?” He then grinned evilly. “Wanna bet?! OPEN FIRE!” No one could raise the shields in time as the weapons from Trypticon smashed through the star drives, cutting power. Both teams ordered all hands to abandon ship and evacuate in the smaller ships.

---

“They’ve left the Metrotitans,” reported Deathsaurus to Starscream.

“Is that the Nemesis?” asked Skywarp.

“And the Ark, as well,” mused Starscream. “It doesn’t matter. They’re too small for Trypticon to shoot down. Power down weapons and deploy search parties once the Metrotitans crash. We need to find the Heart of Cybertron. After it’s located, prepare me for surgery. I intend to make this the most glorious of coronations!”

The Decepticons landed on grassy ground once they exited the tunnel. “Here we are! The Central Layer!” called Mole Dive. Everyone then saw a manor house for a Transformer.

“And, according to what I downloaded from Metroplex,” recalled Shockwave, “that’s where One of Twelve, the Convener, is living.”

“The Autobots are sure to be right behind,” remarked Megatron. “Mole Dive, Shockwave, with me! The rest of you, keep the Autobots at bay!” The three Cons then took off towards the manor house as the Autobots landed.

“NO! MOLE DIVE! STOP!” called Quickmix. Devastator then got between them, finally making the Autobots realize who he is.

“Prepare for extermination, Autobots!” laughed Devastator.

“And now that’s FOUR stable Combiners!” grunted Optimus. “We gotta take care of the big guy! Autobots, ATTACK!” Everyone fired on the Decepticons. The shots glanced off Devastator.

“Foolish Autobots!” he guffawed as he tore a huge chunk of ground out and hurled it at them.

“This is ridiculous!” growled Shadow. “It’s like Bruticus’ first fight all over again!”

“Any tips?” asked Optimus.

“There’s always the joints and lasting for half an hour, but I don’t know how long that Maximus lasts!”

“Well, we can, at least, distract the Cons long enough to allow Quickmix to go after Mole Dive.”

“Someone say my name?” asked Quickmix as he dashed over to Optimus and Shadow.

“Quickmix, you seem to be the only one who can attempt to stop Mole Dive. You go on ahead. We’ll keep the Cons off your back!”

“You got it!” Quickmix transformed and sped away from the battlefield. It was then Shadow noticed someone jumping onto Quickmix’s side, someone with long, yellow quills!

“MARIA, NO!” Shadow charged after them.

---

“So, Shockwave,” mused Megatron, “Mole Dive’s reasons for going after One of Twelve, I can understand, but what’s your stake in this?”

“Finally putting Xitran culture to bed,” replied Shockwave. Megatron’s optics flickered at her answer.

“Don’t you want Xitra to come back?”

“It’s too risky. Functionism would come back. I’ve decrypted all aspects of the message on the Omega Keys we’ve studied. One of Twelve left instructions on how to bring Xitra back so we can continue our war on Gigantion, continue our Functionist ways, and make it the center of the universe instead of the Decepticon Empire. Better to let it stay dead.”

“…Are you telling me that the Decepticons-?!”

“Wasted too much time on trying to bring back traitors. I already spoke with Ravage, Frenzy, and Laserbeak. They urged me to take this course of action. Mole Dive also suggested that he break him while I perform the killing blow. After that, we extract the Heart from his corpse.”

“Well, at least it’s not a TOTAL waste of time,” muttered Megatron. They arrived at the manor’s door. Shockwave typed in several keys until a green light flashed.

“Traps: disabled,” she reported. “We may now search as much as possible.”

“NO!” called Quickmix’s voice as he transformed and tackled Mole Dive. Shadow then leapt into the air.

“CHAOS SPEAR!” The attack struck Megatron in the chest. Maria then curled into a ball and charged herself with Chaos Energy.

“CHAOS CANNON!” She then sailed through the air and struck Shockwave in the face! Her cycloptic visor cracked upon impact and revealed her face. Maria was surprised. “Wait, that’s not your real face?”

“No, simply something I use to gather all available data,” answered Shockwave as she fired. Quickmix and Mole Dive grappled with each other.

“You say you want what’s best for this planet,” snarled Quickmix, “but it’s not gonna happen! NOT LIKE THIS!” Quickmix then punched Mole Dive through a wall into the next room where a bot with a single eye for a head got up from his chair. He looked to see the combatants standing there.

“…I though you Gigantians DON’T return to other layers of your world,” he remarked. He then saw Shockwave. “Ah HA! I thought you, of all bots would survive!”

“My shuttle and crew,” explained Shockwave, “didn’t die in Xitra’s explosion, Convener.”

“So Soundwave and his drones are alive?” asked One of Twelve, the Convener of the Functionist Council.

“They’ve had an encounter with the Allspark. They’re full-fledged Mini-cons.”

“…Well, Mini-cons still have a place in the Grand Taxonomy.”

“You, shut up!” snarled Mole Dive. He then turned to Quickmix. Quickmix sighed before speaking.

“I know I failed you, my son, but I tried to save your mother. And now…I’m trying to save you.” Mole Dive then grabbed One of Twelve with his claw hand and slammed him to the ground.

“Is that what you think this is about?! That you let Ma die?! I don’t know what clouds your judgement worse; your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality! …Dad, I forgive you for not saving her, but why, why in Primus’ name-” he then put his foot onto One of Twelve- “is this murderer still alive?!” One of Twelve then realized Shockwave wasn’t making a move to save his life.

“…Did you not see the message?!”

“I did,” answered Shockwave. “I simply deemed it better that all remnants of Functionism die. It is only logical for long-term evolution.”

“WHAT?! HOW DARE-!” His angry proclamation was interrupted as Mole Dive put a little more weight on his foot.

“You’ll be as quiet as possible,” he threatened, “or I’ll have Shockwave put one in your lap first!”

“Like I give a rip about reproduction anymore!” hissed One of Twelve. Mole Dive returned his attention to Quickmix.

“Ignoring what he’s done in the past,” he growled, “blindly, STUPIDLY disregarding the entire graveyards he’s filled, the millions who’ve suffered both on AND off his planet, the friends he’s crippled! …You know, I thought…I thought members of your family would be the last people you’d ever let him hurt! If it had been you that he’d beat to scrap, if he had taken you from her, I know Ma would have joined me as I do nothing but scour the universe for this pathetic pile of evil, death-worshipping garbage…AND SEND HIM OFF TO THE PIT!”

“…You don’t understand,” replied Quickmix. “I don’t think you’ve ever understood.”

“What? What, your moral code just won’t allow for that?! It’s too hard to cross that line?!”

“NO! PRIMUS ALMIGHTY, NO! …It’d be too damned easy. All I’ve ever wanted to do was kill him. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he and his fellow Councilors dealt out to others and then…end him.”

“Some moral paragon of virtue you are!” scoffed One of Twelve. Quickmix went on.

“But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place…I’ll never come back.” Mole Dive was silent for a few seconds, then he spoke.

“Why? I’m not talking about killing Shockwave or Soundwave or Blaster or other innocent Xitrans like them…I’m talking about him! Just him! And doing it because…because he took Ma away from you!”

“…I can’t, I won’t. I already promised your mother I won’t seek revenge. It was part of her will. …I’m sorry.”

“…Well, you won’t have a choice!” Mole Dive pressed down hard, causing One of Twelve to scream as his spinal strut snapped. Mole Dive then tossed the Xitran Councilor to Shockwave. She wrapped her left arm around his neck and leveled her gun arm at his head. “THIS is what it’s all been about!” declared Mole Dive. “This, you, me, her, and HIM! Now is the time you decide! If you won’t kill the psychotic piece of filth, or let me do it, then SHE will!”

“Mole Dive’s right,” confirmed Shockwave. “If you want to stop me, you’re going to have to kill me.”

“I won’t take another-!” protested Quickmix. Shockwave still continued.

“I’m going to reduce his head to non-functional scrap at this range. If you want this to stop, you’re going to have to shoot me right between the optics.”

“Shockwave, my child, wait!” begged One of Twelve. “You were alt-mode exempt, weren’t you?! We took it away when you protested the use of the Master Blaster, right?! Well, if you let me live, you can be alt-mode exempt again! I’ll even make you the new Eight of Twelve! Yes! You can be the new Disseminator! Let me live and I’ll give you anything you want!”

“…Anything I want?” Shockwave then, for once, decided it was logical to get angry. She threw One of Twelve into a wall. “I WANT THE GRAND TAXONOMY TO STAY DEAD!” She then tore wires out of his chest unit. “I WANT TO CONDUCT MY LIFE ACCORDING TO MY DESIGN!” She then sliced his arm off. “I WANT MY PEOPLE TO ENJOY THEIR REMAINING LIVES IN FREEDOM!” She then punched his head repeatedly, her blows punctuating her sentences. “AND I WANT YOU! OUT! OF! MY! LIFE!”

“HEART ACCESS: TOTAL!” shouted One of Twelve. A green, pointed jewel on his chest then glowed and enveloped him in a gold aura. The resulting energy shockwave knocked his tormentor and the rest of the group off their feet. He then raised his one arm and commanded the aura to envelop his severed one. It then flew back to the shoulder and all of his wounds then vanished. “Child!” he snarled. “Spoiled with power, blind to reality, WITH NO VISION FOR THE FUTURE!”

“How are you here?!” Optimus demanded to Megatron. “You overshot Gigantion by a light-year!”

“Yes, well, luckily, even the safest warp speed,” remarked Megatron, “could get us here half an hour after you lot. During that time, we came into contact with Mole Dive and offered him a chance to fulfill his vengeance against the Functionist Council. Oddly enough, Shockwave here made the offer.”

“I initially thought,” remarked Shockwave, “that if I made the offer, he would refuse it out of hand on account of me being a Xitran, but he proved that hypothesis wrong when called me a Xitran Resistance Fighter instead.”

“I heard about Shockwave and her fellow survivors,” explained Mole Dive. “They actually tried to resist the Functionist Council, even though they were privileged. As she made the offer, she revealed what she learned when Metroplex was still buried on Earth!”

“It’s Mobius now,” corrected Shockwave, “but that’s currently extraneous information. Metroplex, did you ever wonder if I ever tapped into your data stores?”

“Of course,” replied Metroplex. “My data diagnostics told me that you did, but I couldn’t figure out what you found.”

“I found One of Twelve and the Heart of Cybertron.” Metroplex gasped. “That’s right, I know that One of Twelve, the Convener of the Functionist Council, is still alive at the organic core of Gigantion and that he possesses the Heart.”

“You can’t be serious!” called Optimus. “The Heart was lost! Xitra is dead as well as the Functionist Council!”

“Well, apparently, Metroplex wanted that lost to history,” replied Megatron. “With the Heart in Decepticon possession and the last of the Functionist Council dead, this planet can finally grow to its fullest potential!”

“By duping the residents into serving you?!” Optimus pointed to Mole Dive.

“I’m simply giving Mole Dive a chance to improve his world!”

“That’s right!” called Mole Dive. “Things have got to change around here! And if you stand in the way of progress, you’re going to go EXTINCT!” He then thrust his drill into the ground and created a pulse that knocked his foes off their feet and put them into a painful sleep. “That’s only gonna hold them for a couple of hours! We need to get going NOW!”

“Then permit me to open the way,” replied Megatron. “You provided me with the lock, now I shall be the key!” He aimed his left fusion cannon at the foamed-up hole and fired. The wall then vanished in an explosion. “Ignition Foam, nicely mixed!” he praised Mixmaster.

“That’s what I do!” cackled Mixmaster.

“Decepticons, move out!” ordered Megatron. Everyone transformed and took off with Eggman and Morgaine following close behind them. Shockwave then aimed her gun barrel to the ceiling and fired. The tunnel behind them collapsed.

“That should buy us some more time,” she said.

“The more, the merrier,” replied Mole Dive. “We need to get to the First City for this layer. Once we do, we’ll be able to tunnel straight down to the Central Layer.”

“Excellent!” praised Megatron

---

Optimus and his allies picked themselves up about two hours later. “Urgh!” groaned Optimus. As they checked themselves over, they saw the collapsed tunnel. “That’s gonna take HOURS to clear!” moaned Optimus.

“Not if we all pitch in!” called Metroplex as he pulled out his axe/shovel hybrid. He dug the shovel into the rubble. “Let’s get digging!”

“You heard him, Build Team!” Wedge called to his team. “We gotta catch up to the Cons!”

“Then load it all up!” called Heavy Load as he transformed. Everyone continued digging and Heavy Load carried the rubble away.

---

“Quick question,” called Eggman, “how far IS the current layer’s First City?”

“According to the intel Shockwave downloaded,” replied Mole Dive, “not far at all. In fact, I think I see the border!” The city was a completed one, but an empty one. “Now, if I recall right, all First Cities for each layer are built around a tunnel that’s constantly built upon when we finish the previous layer. The old plug is taken out and then we put it back once the tunnel extension is finished. It should be circular.”

“I see it!” called Megatron. The group approached a massive circular tunnel, big enough for a Metrotitan in full robot mode to slide down. It was plugged up by a strange, concrete-like material.

“That’s gonna take more than just my drill to fix,” muttered Mole Dive.

“Well, there IS our combined form,” mused Bonecrusher.

“…Aye, I forgot you lot are a Combiner team.”

“My first, if I recall,” said Shockwave. “Having them in their combined state would expedite our journey.”

“Absolutely not!” argued Hook. “We can’t control ourselves in that form!”

“That’s because you didn’t have a Maximus. Thankfully, I have created one. I’m transmitting code to you now.” The Constructicons received the code. “By my calculations, the new artificial Maximus should help you control your combined state better.”

“Then now’s as good a time as any to test it!” declared Scrapper. “CONSTRUCTICONS, UNITE!” They all went to vehicle mode first, then Mixmaster’s drum and rear wheels swung up as the cab formed a foot. Scrapper’s arms folded to become heel spurs while his loader became a foot. Long Haul’s legs deployed connectors and attached to Mixmaster and Scrapper, making Scrapper the right leg and Mixmaster the left. Hook’s front and rear swung towards each other, making the right-side wheels touch each other as the crane’s boom pointed towards the rear. He then attached himself to Long Haul’s front end and the front folded down to make him and Hook the torso. Scavenger and Bonecrusher deployed forearms from between their wheels then attached themselves to the torso so Scavenger was the right arm and Bonecrusher was the left. The hands and head then sprouted as a set of purple wings flew towards the behemoth. They then attached themselves to the torso, completing the larger Combiner. He was, at least, just a couple heads taller than Mole Dive. Megatron whistled.

“And I thought Bruticus was large,” he remarked. The goliath Combiner then looked himself over, then a grin crossed his face.

“Well, what do you know,” he purred, “no more conflicting voices in my head!”

“Studying Bruticus and his Maximus,” Eggman remarked to Shockwave, “seems to have really improved your research.”

“By leaps and bounds,” agreed Shockwave.

“After creation comes devastation!” cackled the Combiner. “With the Artificially-made Devastator Maximus, you now look upon DEVASTATOR!” The newly-christened Devastator then leapt up and punched the plug, causing it to crack and shatter. As the debris tumbled, Devastator then held his hand out. “After you, my Lord?” he offered.

“Decepticons, to the Central Layer!”

“NO!” called Optimus’ voice as he and his Autobots sped towards them. It was too late. The Decepticons jumped down the tunnel. “After them!” ordered Prime. Everyone jumped after the Decepticons.

A green excavation vehicle with a claw on the right and a drill on the left was tunneling through a massive barricade. He was talking to someone in the shadows. “If you lads want to go to the central layer, you just leave it to me. With me around and with a definite end goal in mind, that wall will fall in no time!”

“NO!” wailed a voice over his radio. “Mole Dive, you have to stop this! You’re betraying your own people! Your own culture! If you won’t stop, then we have no choice but to stop you ourselves! It won’t be pretty, so STAND DOWN!”

“Keep the old mech off my back!” the excavator, Mole Dive, called to his benefactor from the shadows. “I didn’t drill deep enough for the explosives!”

“We got this!” replied his benefactor. Six yellow-green construction vehicles then rolled out of the shadows, they were a front-end loader, a bulldozer, a backhoe, a cement mixer, a mobile crane, and a dump truck. “Let’s get these Auto-pests out of the way for our Gigantion cousins!” called the front-end loader. “Constructions, robot modes! Scrapper, TRANSFORM!” The sides of the loader split away and deployed hands, pushing the vehicle up as the loader-bucket swung up to cover the cab while a head with a red optics visor popped out. The rear unfolded and split into legs and feet.

“Mixmaster, TRANSFORM!” The transformation was similar to Scrappers, just that the front end served as a hood for the robot’s head.

“Long Haul, TRANSFORM!” The cab and front wheels folded down and released a domed head as the wheels became shoulders for the new arms while the dumping bed became the robot’s backside as the bed’s rear assembly unfolded into legs, making a rather stocky bot.

“Hook, TRANSFORM!” The crane’s transformation was like High Tower’s.

“Scavenger, TRANSFORM!” The bucket arm folded towards the main vehicle and the sides of the backhoe swung down to become arms. The caterpillar wheels then elongated and became legs.

“Bonecrusher, TRANSFORM!” The sides of the top split away from the cab, allowing the front blade to move towards the cab as the caterpillar wheels became legs like Scavenger’s. The cab roof then folded to the back of the robot and released the head. All the Constructicons’ heights were roughly in between the average Cybertronian’s and the average Gigantian’s. That was when Metroplex, Optimus and his team, Sonic, Amy, Shadow, Maria, an orange cement mixer, High Tower, an orange bulldozer, a yellow dump truck, and a grass green backhoe rolled up to them.

“High Tower, ASCEND!” High Tower transformed to robot mode.

“Scoop, ASCEND!” The green backhoe’s sides split away from the shovel arm and formed pincer claws while the treads turned into legs like Scavenger’s and Bonecrusher’s.

“Heavy Load, ASCEND!” The yellow dump truck’s transformation was similar to Long Haul’s.

“Wedge, ASCEND!” The plow of the orange bulldozer split in half and swung to the rear of the caterpillar wheels as the wheels formed arms. The under carriage folded towards the front and became legs.

“Quickmix, ASCEND!” The orange cement mixer’s front cab and wheels split in half and became legs and feet. The rear wheels then folded to the underside as the mixing drum assembly swung around and unfolded so the mixing drum was the right arm with the larger part pointing down the arm and the rear of the assembly sprouted a hand while the head popped out.

“Optimus Prime, TRANSFORM!”

“Windblade, TRANSFORM!”

“Metroplex, ASCEND!”

“Override, BOOST!”

“Hot Rod, BOOST!”

“Kong Primal, MAXIMIZE!”

“Rhinox, MAXIMIZE!” Everyone transformed to bot mode by then and charged at the Constructicons.

“I thought you lot died during the Great War!” grunted Optimus as he grappled with Scrapper.

“Died?!” laughed Scrapper. “No, merely imprisoned here! You Autobots were too soft to kill us!”

“Lads, clear a path for me!” Quickmix called to his allies as he slammed his mixing drum arm into Bonecrusher. “I need to talk to Mole Dive! Get him to stop!”

“Autobots, clear a path for Quickmix!” called Optimus.

“Mixmaster, is this deep enough?!” called Mole Dive as he reversed to reveal the hole he made. Mixmaster then inspected the hole.

“Perfect!” he cheered. His hood then extended two barrels and fired a teal foam into the hole. “All that’s left is one little stray shot!”

“MOLE DIVE, ENOUGH!” called Quickmix as he grabbed Mole Dive’s rear and tried to pull him away. “YOU HAVE TO STOP! PLEASE, SON! LISTEN TO ME!”

“FORGET IT!” shouted Mole Dive as he reversed quickly and knocked Quickmix down. “Mole Dive, SCALE!” Mole Dive’s drill and claw assemblies pushed him up as the plow on his front split in half to reveal the head while the rear unfolded and rotated into a pair of legs. Mole Dive then swung his drill arm and knocked Quickmix down. “Don’t you remember that I gained emancipation from you?!” snarled Mole Dive. “After you left Mother to die at the hands of the Functionist Council?! Now there’s a chance to avenge her! So just step back, Old Mech! And you, Metroplex, I’m sick of all your daft rules that don’t even make any sense! The time for those rules is long gone! They’re old and outdated, just like you! We’re about to enter a new age and I’m gonna be the one who’s gonna lead this planet into it as the new Megalo Convoy, bringing it under Olympicon rule! We’ll make sure you Titanotrons fade from existence! So why don’t I just take care of you right NOW?!” He activated his drill and jabbed it towards Metroplex. Quickmix then blocked it with his drum arm.

“I WARNED YOU, JUNIOR!” he snarled. He then swung his arm and shoved Mole Dive’s drill to the side. He then flicked a Cyber Key into the air. “I’M GONNA SHUT YOU DOWN RIGHT NOW! CYBER KEY POWER!” The mixing drum split in half to reveal a concealed cannon which charged up with energy and fired a massive shot into Mole Dive’s chest. The fighting stopped as the Constructicons rushed to help Mole Dive up.

“What in the world has gotten into you, Mole Dive?!” demanded Metroplex.

“You better have a good excuse for breaking the law!” snapped Quickmix. “Attempting to break down a barrier, freeing known criminals, there’s naught to be gained from acting like this!”

“Actually, there’s a lot to be gained!” rasped a familiar voice. Megatron, Saurion, Dirt Boss, Shockwave, Waspinator, Ransack, and Crumplezone sped up to them in vehicle mode with Eggman and Morgaine following them. “You see, I intend to give him and his followers a reward he could only dream of; revenge against the Functionist Council! Megatron, TRANSFORM!”

“Shockwave, TRANSFORM!”

“Saurion, TERRORIZE!”

“Wazzzpinator, TERRORIZZZE!”

“Dirt Boss, HIGHTAIL!”

“Ransack, HIGHTAIL!”

“Crumplezone, HIGHTAIL!” The bots on Megatron’s side then transformed.

“Megatron?!” gasped Optimus.

A city-sized ship sped through transwarp, hell-bent on getting to its destination. It had a lead on its counterpart in the enemy faction, but didn’t want to take any chances…correction, HE didn’t want to take any chances. The city-ship was the Metrotitan called Fortress Maximus, and he had every intention of bringing Optimus and his Autobot crew to Gigantion, the last stop before Cybertron. As Fortress sped through transwarp, Optimus was going through the day’s paperwork. “Hoo boy,” he muttered, “it’s like paperwork manages to follow you, even as your ship bends space AND time! When I get to Cybertron, it had better be done already!” He then heard his ready room door chime. “Come in,” he called. Sonic entered the room. “Ah, Sonic. What can I do for you?”

“Just gotta know, is there supposed to be a red streak above us?” asked Sonic.

“…Not unless someone’s going at a faster transwarp than…uh oh!” a nasty thought struck Optimus. Sonic then realized why Optimus looked so worried and followed him to the bridge. By then, Fortress had called all hands to their stations. Optimus jumped into the Captain’s chair. “Report!” he called.

“The Decepticon fleet’s overtaken us at Transwarp…2?!” reported Cliffjumper.

“Why the uncertainty?” asked Optimus.

“Optimus, no Metrotitan goes that fast,” explained Fortress, “unless they’.ve made the most careful of calculations.”

“We’re approaching Gigantion,” called Teletraan 1. “I’m running scans now. …Huh. Looks like the Cons ain’t here.”

“Then their calculations weren’t careful enough!” chuckled Optimus.

---

Over on the Decepticon ship, everyone was strapped in, sans Dirt Boss. He was desperately holding onto his console. “We overshot Gigantion by a light-year!” called Ravage.

“What are you waiting for?!” replied Dirt Boss. “Stop this crazy thing!”

“We can’t stop all at once!” warned Scorponok. “It’s too dangerous!”

“Then slow us down first!” ordered Megatron.

“No! Stop this thing! I order you, bug! STOOOOOOPPPPPP!!”

“Belay that, Scorponok! Slow us down to a speed where we’re not in danger of losing-!” Dirt Boss ignored Megatron’s instructions to Scorponok and shot the emergency brake, bringing the ship to a full stop! Everyone snapped forward and Dirt Boss went flying into the wall just below the main screen. Groans escaped everyone’s lips, even Shockwave’s.

“Scorponok, if I ever decide to order us to go any higher than Transwarp 1, punch me in the face. I promise you, I will NOT consider it treason,” remarked Megatron.

“Noted, Lord Megatron,” mumbled Scorponok.

“I think I lost my face about 20 parsecs ago!” whimpered Laserbeak. “Can we turn around and find it? …No, wait, there it is.”

“Hello, Gohan! Have you done your homework?!” called a dazed Dirt Boss from inside the wall. “Because if you don’t, Chi Chi will KICK my ass!” Megatron got up from his seat and yanked Dirt Boss out of the wall.

“And THIS,” he snarled, “is why we listen to a Metrotitan, even if he’s a normal-sized Transformer!”

---

“Gigantion, this is Fortress Maximus,” called Fortress. “I have a crew on its way to Cybertron that needs to stop here so we can refuel. Requesting permission to land.”

“Standby and transmit clearance,” replied the bot at the space port. Fortress then transmitted his clearance code. “…Clearance accepted. We’re assigning you Flight Path 2 to Landing Pad 1. Welcome to Gigantion.”

“A pleasure to be here, Gigantion.” The call ended and Fortress made his way below the atmosphere, then followed the flight path to the assigned landing pad. He then touched down and let his passengers leave to stretch their legs. Optimus’ optics flickered as he noticed something.

“…It’s quiet,” he muttered.

“So?” asked Sonic.

“Optimus is right,” remarked Llyra. “Gigantion’s populace is always building something, going from site to site.”

“Really?” Sonic then became worried. “Then why don’t I hear the sounds of construction?”

“Something’s wrong here,” said Optimus. “We better find people and-” something snapped above their heads. They all looked up to see a giant I-beam falling towards them. The bots and Nebulans grabbed it and strained to hold it up as the Mobians and humans ducked out from under there.

“OPTIMUS! GET OUT OF THERE!” called Amy.

“BELIEVE ME, WE WOULD IF WE COULD!” shouted Optimus.

“Cool your circuits! I got this!” called someone. A giant red crane truck then rolled into view and wrapped its cable around the I-beam. It then lifted it into the air, taking the weight off the Autobots’ arms, then the crane’s boom rotated and set the beam down elsewhere. “You know, you should know better than to walk under any sized I-beam. Come to think of it, you should know better than to walk under ANY construction equipment. Although, then again, I should have secured it somewhere else. …Good grief, where are my manners?! High Tower, ASCEND!” The crane’s front and front wheels flipped forwards as arms sprang from the sides, making the rear wheels into shoulder pads. The robot then flipped himself over as he stood up, putting his crane boom onto his back. A head with a red helmet and blue visor then popped up and he struck a pose. “I’m High Tower, the second-in-command of the Titanotron Elite Build Team!”

“Did I hear you right?” asked a voice. “You didn’t secure that I-beam in a safe location?” High Tower then started sweating as he turned around to see…

“METROPLEX, SIR!” he yelped fearfully.

“So you almost crushed our visitors?!” snarled Metroplex in his Emissary Robot Mode. “What’s our motto?!”

“C-Come on, Sir!” begged High Tower. “Surely you don’t need me to-!”

“SAFETY FIRST! SAY IT THREE TIMES!”

“SAFETY FIRST! SAFETY FIRST! SAFETY FIRST!”

“And how are we going to prevent something like this from happening again?”

“By being more mindful of all openings, Sir!”

“Set about enacting that.” High Tower then took off.

“Primus, you don’t mess around!” muttered Optimus.

“I can’t afford to, Wee Optimus,” replied Metroplex. “The builds may have stopped, but I won’t let my crew be lax in safety matters.”

“The builds have stopped? That must be why it’s so quiet around here. What caused that to happen?”

“The Space Bridge Network Shutdown, that’s what. We usually have our building materials imported from other planets. Thanks to the Supreme Leader shutting down the network, we can’t contact the other colonies.”

“That’s what we’re here to do,” declared Optimus. “This is the last stop before we return to Cybertron and reactivate the Space Bridge network.”

“If we had the resources, I’d join you,” sighed Metroplex. “Sadly, we only have enough to refuel you lot and send you on your way.”

“Aren’t there resources in the other layers?”

“Other layers?” asked Sonic.

“Our world’s constructed around a planet Organics would enjoy,” explained Metroplex. “We have layers and layers of cities, and our policy is that we NEVER return to old cities, even ones built before the current one!”

“Why not?” quizzed Optimus. “Wouldn’t it be great to see what the previous generations made? Besides, if you don’t remember the past, then you’re gonna repeat its mistakes.”

“There’s another side to that coin,” replied Metroplex, “becoming obsessed with the past. No, I won’t risk it, not as long as I’m the Megalo Convoy.”

“Okay, I’m sensing a theme here,” muttered Sonic. “The leaders of your colonies are called Convoys?”

“That’s the general idea,” replied Optimus. “And even then, it’s only for colonies of uninhabited worlds.” Just then, High Tower rust back up to the group.

“High Tower, what are you-?” High Tower cut Metroplex off.

“Sir, we’ve got a big problem!” he panted.

“What’s wrong? Did another I-beam fall?”

“No! It’s Mole Dive! He’s trying to break into the first City for the current Layer!”

“WHAT?!” Metroplex became more panicked.