“The Cons are starting their search?” asked Sonic once everyone got the report from Teletraan.
“Yeah, they’re going to Shamar,” answered Teletraan.
“Why haven’t they started in Spagonia?” quizzed Chromia.
“It’s more than likely,” remarked Merlin, “that our enemies already found the Sword of Parallels.”
“Then we need to search Shamar,” declared Optimus. “Everyone, we’re on the clock. We need to find the World Rings before Eggman does. Scattershot, you and your team stay here and run interference with Teletraan.”
“Yes, Sir,” replied Scattershot.
“Everyone else, we gotta get moving! Teletraan, inform the Shamaran government what we’re doing there.”
“Cliffjumper already sent the call. They’ve deployed their military to help us,” reported Teletraan.
“Perfect. Open up the Ground Bridge.”
“Got it.” The Ground Bridge then opened.
“Autobots, transform and roll out!”
The Autobots arrived at Shamar rather quickly. The Shamaran military met them, and they began their search. Chromia, Grimlock, Slash, and a company of Shamaran soldiers began the search in the north. Chromia was intent on finding a World Ring. Armed with a description and picture from Shahra, she was not prepared to fail. “A woman on a mission,” mused Grimlock.
“Slag yeah,” replied Chromia. “I won’t let the Cons take them! Especially if Megatron’s been spotted!”
“Is something wrong?” asked a soldier.
“You’ve heard of Megatron, right?” quizzed Slash.
“I heard he helped Optimus beat Unicron.”
“Well, he only did that for his own ends.”
“Slash is right,” remarked Chromia. “Now that Cliffjumper found him, he’s gonna…gonna make a…a bid for…phew!” Chromia was visibly tired.
“Hey, are you okay?” asked Grimlock.
“I’m fine, just having a bit of trouble getting going.”
“More than a bit. Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“No, no, I’m fiIIARGH!” Chromia then collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest as one with a heart attack would. Slash activated a medical visor and examined her comrade.
“Sweet Primus, a Spark Attack!” she growled. She then rubbed her hands. “Grimlock, move her hands away from her chest!” Grimlock complied. “CLEAR!” Slash then pressed her hands to Chromia’s sides and shocked her. Chromia jolted, then her breathing steadied. “Her Spark’s stabilizing, but she needs immediate treatment!” Grimlock then switched on the radio.
“Ratchet! Swoop! Chromia just suffered a Spark Attack! She needs help back to base!”
“On our way!” replied Ratchet. He and Swoop arrived and helped Chromia to her feet as the Ground Bridge opened. Once that was done, the search resumed, but it left a worry on a lot of people’s minds.
“Did you feel any pain before this all went down?” Ratchet asked Chromia once she was on a repair berth in the base.
“Slight, but I’ve suffered worse.”
“And the cough you’ve been having?” inquired Swoop.
“Again, I’ve had worse.”
“Did anyone notice this earlier?”
“Prime did. I should have gone straight to you the instant I was done talking to him.”
“Well, no point in woulda-coulda-shouldas,” remarked Ratchet. “We’ll find out what’s wrong with you before the day’s out. I’m ready to induce stasis. You good to go?”
“Yep, go ahead.” Ratchet keyed in a command on a nearby console and Chromia went into stasis.
Thundercracker and Shockwave were searching for something else. Yes, the World Rings were a priority, but Shockwave found a familiar Spark signature and Thundercracker gathered large amounts of metal, figuring that the bot would need repairs on his armor. Shockwave brought along some Energon cubes for the bot. “Come on!” groaned Thundercracker as he slapped the scanner. “You’re around here somewhere!”
“Percussive maintenance is not a viable method of fixing things,” remarked Shockwave. “I wish for our old leader back like you do, but patience is necessary.”
“…I will say one thing, it’s lucky that a sandstorm hasn’t kicked up, otherwise…” the wind then picked up and kicked up a lot of sand. “…Because I HAD to open my fragging mouth! PRIMUS, THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS! WE’VE LOST OUR LORD! WE’VE LOST SIGHT OF OUR ORIGINAL GOALS! WE’VE LOST OUR SIGHT! FRAGGIT ALL, WE’RE LOST”
“Shouting will get us nowhere!”
“WELL, IT’S THE ONLY THING IN MY POWER RIGHT NOW, SO I’M GONNA…!” A hand then grabbed Thundercracker’s ankle, making him scream in terror. He got out of the hand’s grip and hid behind Shockwave. Shockwave then pulled out a scanner and started going towards the hand. As she got closer, the familiar Spark signature got stronger, and more details were made apparent to her vision. She then saw the head of the hand’s owner.
“It’s him!” she called. “It’s Megatron!”
“You sure?!” asked Thundercracker.
“Hard to mistake that helmet design or the angry eyebrow design above his own!” The two then started digging around their master and yanked him out, checking him over once he was fully out.
“Arms: two, check,” muttered Thundercracker. “Legs: two, check. Optics: two, check. Chest unit: one, check. Olfactory apparatus: one, check. Mouth: one, check. BFG: one…no check.”
“The old fusion cannon consumed too much of his internal reserves,” replied Shockwave.
“And the twin ones you built are supposed to be more efficient?”
“When not used at the same time.” Shockwave checked her scanner. “His Spark-rate’s slower, but not critically so. Still, he requires Energon. Give him a cube.” As Thundercracker obeyed, Shockwave propped Megatron up so he could drink it. Thundercracker brought the cube to Megatron’s mouth and gently tilted it towards him. Once the liquid Energon started going down his fuel intake, Megatron grabbed the cube and drank it all on his own, slowly so his fuel pump could take it. The instant he finished; his optics glowed red once more. He looked at his rescuers and smirked.
“I never thought, in all my life,” he mused aloud, “that I would be rescued by you two, the most notorious Decepticons in my life.”
“Well, we needed oyu back something fierce,” remarked Thundercracker.
“Eggman implanted us with a device,” explained Shockwave, “that shocks us whenever we disobey him.”
“Disobey HIM?!” asked Megatron as he picked himself up with Thundercracker and Shockwave rising with him to make sure he was steady. “He’s seized command of the Decepticons?!”
“With the Combaticons at the apex,” confirmed Shockwave. “He’s also found a means to produce his own Transformers with Metal Sonic long having been cannibalized to more efficiently command their hive mind. They’re called the Eggacons, and I have the means to shut them down, but I have yet to find the means to free us from Eggman’s service totally.”
“We’ve been trying to find you on the sly, but Eggman’s been watching us more that Soundwave did! We were forbidden from sending out search parties! The only reason we even got to you right now is because your Spark signature came up and Eggman wanted to have us investigate it while he searched for the World Rings! Now, we brought new armor and weapons, forged from Unicron’s old body, but…”
“Omit no detail on his goals,” interrupted Megatron. “I wish to know…everything.