- ORIGINS -

 

Ruins of Jerusalem, Israel. 23:34

Megatron’s trail of desecration and desolation had ended here, in one of the holy cities of the humans. He should have been pleased at the smell of burnt human flesh, the smouldering wrecks of a foreign civilisation. Indeed, he was elated. But he was not satisfied.
Just a few moments ago, his most trusted warrior had returned to him, burnt and charred. Injured and humiliated. Who could have done this?
‘What is this?’ he snarled. ‘You, defeated? Impossible.’
Blackout had not even gathered himself back together yet. ‘Our ambush ended in failure, Dread Lord. The enemy was prepared. They counterattacked with three elite Autobots – they fought with an energy that was surprising.’
At Megatron’s side, Starscream sneered. ‘No excuse. He would fail, I was sure of it. How could he have fought Autobot second-in-command Jazz and win?’
Megatron nodded. ‘My brother has done exactly as I predicted. He resurrected that pathetic cretin whom I killed.’
‘I was forced to retreat, Lord Megatron. One of my critical joints was injured. We were outnumbered. Brawl was defeated.’
Megatron snarled quietly. ‘Since when are we disadvantaged when we are outnumbered? I thought I could trust you, Blackout. How could three puny Autobots defeat you?’
‘I wish not to speak out of line, but they are the strongest Autobots I have fought yet. One of them is the second-in-command to Prime himself. The other two seem to be elite veterans, their skills are most impressive.’
‘Did you manage to kill anyone at all?’
‘We destroyed a division of the Autobot army.’
‘Worthless!’ roared Megatron. ‘They have warriors that cannot be replaced. But their drones can be reformatted, they can be rebuilt! They are still rooted in the coordinates they call Egypt, and I have yet to find their weakness. Starscream. I want you to rally the troops! I must have revenge on Prime!’
‘What of the human children? What of the new weapon Wreckage had offered to build for us?’ came Starscream’s voice, dripping with sarcasm.
‘Be silent, Starscream! You have done nothing to help my cause!’
‘I have stayed by your side. I awakened you!’ exclaimed the air commander. ‘I am your loyal and humble servant!’
‘Do not patronize me, scrapmetal! I’ve noticed the way you look at me when I give commands. Your jealous gleam, your eager smile. I know how you tick, Starscream. Know this: there is no more despicable creature than you, even the lowest of the Autobots are nobler than you are.’
‘How dare you,’ hissed Starscream. ‘I have served with a pure heart!’
‘You take me for a fool,’ said Megatron, bashing him aside with his claw Reaver. ‘Be silent and let me think. I must decide on a final course of action to take those children so we can construct Requiem. Or could we perhaps destroy the Autobots in one fell swoop as well…?’
Suddenly, the air commander simply snapped. Millennia of jealousy and hatred burst out in a tirade of insults. ‘You will pay for your insolence towards me!’ Starscream raised his arm and blasted Megatron with his null ray cannon. Megatron roared in laughter, his subordinate’s most powerful attack dissipating into steam off his Lord High Protector armour. Starscream was about to fire his full arsenal of Raptor missiles when Megatron reached for him, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up. He thrust his claws into him, and Starscream hissed in helpless rage and pain.
‘My insolence against you? You have some nerve, Starscream. Even more so than Prime, no. Prime is courageous, a worthy enemy. That you would sneak into my army, pledge loyalty to me, and try to stab me in the back. I am amazed, impressed, infuriated, and amused at the same time. Now – ’ he turned to Blackout, who loomed ominously behind Starscream. ‘I am aware that you once lost dearly to Starscream.’ He snarled at the struggling Decepticon in his claws. ‘See, this is the only reason why I keep you alive, wretch. That you can defeat Blackout is testament to your own power. How unfortunate that you cannot defeat Prime, and Prime cannot defeat me. Even with your poor intelligence, you should be able to see the logical futility in challenging me. Blackout!’
‘Yes, my Lord.’
‘He’s yours.’
Blackout nodded. ‘I will deal with him. Trouble yourself no more with this scrap of useless metal. You have more pressing concerns.’
‘Ah, Blackout. You are the only robot that has ever understood me.’ Megatron smirked, tossing Starscream at Blackout’s feet. ‘You know what to do. Once he has been disciplined, I want all Decepticon forces over this disgusting Earth to assemble.’
As Blackout thrust his hand into the fallen Starscream’s wound, Megatron sent a transmission to Wreckage. ‘Brawl failed in his mission to retrieve the children, and he failed to defeat the Autobot defenders. But if Prime wants to play the reconstruction game, I will happily oblige. Let the Autobots tremble at their folly of letting Brawl rot in the desert sand.’
Megatron roared his triumphant command into the heavens. ‘Decepticons! Your objective is to attack the CELESTIAL base that our dear air commander discovered. Launch the armada, and come with me! We will make the sky fall upon these wretched humans, and I will personally consume these fleshlings in a nova of destruction!’

*

The black titan and his pink protégé stood together on top of CELESTIAL headquarters, looking at the horizon. They stood on the roof, staring down at the quiet landscape that was the nearby Mission City. ‘I won’t keep you waiting,’ came the colossus’s low rumble. Why don’t you go back down and recharge.’
‘Huh? It’s only been an hour we got back,’ grumbled Arcee. ‘You don’t want me around do you?’
‘I do. It’s just that…’ he turned to look at her. ‘I thought you’d like more time away from me. To think about things.’
‘A few weeks ago you said that I don’t know you as well as you think. I’ve been mulling it over in my head.’ She winked. ‘Want to try me?’ She sat on the concrete, her large shadow looming over the building. Ironhide reluctantly joined her, sitting down. His shadow towered over hers even as they came together, creating a giant silhouette over the metal and concrete.
‘Why don’t you start with the basics, then,’ grunted her trainer.
‘Your name is Ironhide. You are the oldest Autobot and one of the senior high command in Optimus’s circle. You are second only to Jazz – and even then you are closer to Optimus as his advisor and friend. You took me in to train me in sharpshooting. When you weren’t molding me into your ideal warrior, you watched me racing the other speedsters in our spare time. We spent our lives together until the War. And you have committed genocide,’ she said quietly. ‘It was meant to be a war against the Decepticons on that planet, and that planet alone. But it went out of control. Prime himself had summoned Jetfire to the scene. The inhabitants went berserk thanks to the gathering force of our enemies. The Decepticons were about to take over the entire world.
‘So you finally used your Grand Cannon. It is the most indiscriminately destructive weapon ever made by an Autobot. It started the job, and your drones finished it. As you left the planet in your space pod, they self-destructed as one, shattering the blasted planet’s inner core and imploding it from the inside-out.’ She paused, her scanners calculating the next data to present, and spoke again. ‘It’s something you’re not proud of. You don’t tell many about it, and when Prime brings it up, you claim that Kaiba-5 was going to explode anyway. I’ve heard you. You told him the truth; you caused it. There was no other way. Only your experience, your rank, and your old friendship to Optimus saved you from being expelled from the Autobot ranks.’ She lowered her gaze, even as her hands rose to touch his bull-like face. ‘And we fought a lot over it. I would know – I brought it up a lot, as you’ve reminded me heaps.’
‘I remember the argument we had before you left for Charii.’ Ironhide’s voice was husky. ‘You accused me of having a dead Spark, with no conscience. I had pushed the Autobot code too far.’
‘I know I did, and I’m sorry,’ said Arcee, distress in her voice. ‘In the heat of the moment, I was just so upset, I – ’
‘Don’t be sorry,’ said Ironhide, taking her small black hands in his massive silver ones. ‘I didn’t think the humans were worth protecting. I was keener on destroying the Decepticons. But now they seem to be intertwined, these two objectives.’
‘Coach, don’t hate yourself for this anymore,’ she pleaded, clutching at him. ‘You deserve peace. You’re so old. Aren’t you tired?’
Could there have been another way?
He looked at his hand and shook his head in wonder. ‘It has been a long life. I… I do feel a bit tired. Not tired,’ he said, regaining himself slightly and shaking his head gruffly. ‘Just weary. Fed up.’
‘Are you fed up with me?’ she asked quietly.
‘No.’ As quickly as he had regained himself, he lost it once again. Ironhide pulled her small body closer to him. ‘You’re a mighty fighter and a good girl. You’re a big deal to our team.’
‘That time was just unlucky,’ she grumbled, thinking back to the disastrous ambush she suffered from Wreckage. ‘I’ll do better next time, I swear.’
‘If any Decepticon ever touches a circuit on you again, I’ll – ’
‘You won’t need to,’ she jabbed, poking him softly. ‘I’m going to protect you, not the other way round.’
‘We’ll watch each other’s backs,’ said Ironhide, smirking. ‘Deal?’
‘Deal.’ She pulled him onto her, her face brushing the side of his black, slightly rusted head. It had been many centuries since they had embraced like that, but memories of happier times came flooding through once they did. ‘You smell of outdated wires,’ she whispered, nibbling his mouth affectionately.
‘You should be used to it,’ he grunted. ‘I haven’t bothered to change it.’
‘For so many centuries too. Why don’t I do it for you after we send Megatron and his friends back to the scrapheap?’
He nodded as the sun continued to set. ‘I like hearing that from you.’

*

One year ago

Hello Diary! It’s me again, your friend, Michiko.
I’m feeling really lonely right now. School’s starting tomorrow, and I’m sitting here biting my nails because I’m so nervous. What’s worse is that Mum has been in another shouting contest with Dad. He left home again today. I only got to hold his hand once for the whole week. Really!
Hayato has left Japan. He’s gone overseas to an American boarding school. He was my best friend. And now I feel really alone, with no one to share my worries with. We were almost like sweethearts in primary school, even though he won’t admit it. He was the only one who would ever talk to me. What am I going to do without him now?
Well, I wish I had something I could cheer you up with, Mr. Diary, but I am feeling so very sad. I will take you to school tomorrow so you don’t feel lonely up here without anyone to write in you.

*

Diary! The most amazing thing happened to me today!
I know this sounds ridiculous and stupid, but – I met a visitor from outer space!
I call him Convoy. He came from a planet called Cybertron, and is the leader of the Autobots. Oh, wow, I guess I should tell you how I met him first, this is just so amazing, I cannot stop myself from writing down the nearest thoughts in my head!
Well, it was just a normal morning. I was in my room, doing my maths homework, when suddenly there was a very loud thundering outside the house. I ran out to check, and there was a strange, otherworldly looking truck beside our wooden fence! I shrunk back and simply stared at it for a few minutes. Where had it come from? But before I could even start making up some answers for myself, it began to transform – there’s no other word for it!
It was a giant being not from Earth. He staggered down and looked at me, and I begged him to not eat me. I know, but it felt like the best thing to say that time. I was lucky – he was a friendly robot, and he introduced himself as Convoy. I asked him how he could speak Japanese, and he told me he could speak all of Earth’s languages! Then I asked him if he was okay, because he sounded weak – my first thought was to take him to the nearest petrol station, but then I remembered he’s not even from this world!
Poor Convoy was wounded, and I could not do anything to help him, because… well, he’s a robot, and I’ve never met a robot before! He told me he and his friends had been under attack, and he had been thrown – yes, thrown – from Egypt all the way over here. I was already worried for him. I could only stay with him, and I prayed to Heaven that his enemies wouldn’t come before help could come.
But thankfully his friends came, and I stayed by his side until one of them, sensei Ratchet, fixed him up. They had been fighting these villains called Decepticons, who had betrayed Convoy many years ago.
I think I had caught him in the middle of a battle! I was very embarrassed but a bit scared too. But he told me it would be alright.
We were attacked by a massive, futuristic looking jet. It was terrifying, but Convoy had me hold on while we escaped. We managed to draw the evil robot they call Starscream away from the city.
He promised to visit me after school everyday! And id I ever hear a thumping at night, it will be him visiting me before Mum wakes up!
I am definitely not going to tell Mum. I need to keep it a secret, or she will notice when he visits me!
I am so excited! This is the most wonderful day of my life. I had never thought I would see such… such an outrageous thing!

*

Hello, Diary. It’s me again, coming to bother you. I know we haven’t talked for some time, but I have a lot on my mind.
It’s been exactly one year since I met my Autobot friends. Yes, I haven’t written in ages, and, I guess you probably have forgotten about me too, but I am still here, and our giant visitors are still here. But mum’s death is still fresh in my mind.
Yes… my mother was killed. And although Convoy was very brave and kind, he could not save her. But I am not angry, nor do I wish for the robots to kill each other.
Convoy once said to me that if he could ever reconcile again with his brother, he would. But Megatron has been too consumed with power – his own power – to even care anymore.
Oops! Right now there’s an alarm going off. I have to join the rest of my friends now! I will write to you again soon!

Michiko quickly snapped her diary shut and stashed it away under her bed, putting her pen back on the table. Then she hurried out of her room to find Prime.

*

CELESTIAL underground bunker

Arcee made her way into the conference chamber, her steps light and nimble. Michiko had just ran in, and was the only person in there aside from Ratchet and the orphans – Prime was not present. ‘You look like you’re in a good mood,’ smiled Michiko. ‘Did something nice happen?’
‘Well…’ Arcee winked at her. ‘Let’s just say Ironhead finally gave in to me.’
Michiko covered her mouth with her hands, blushing. ‘That is so sweet! Who’d have thought? Ironhide is so mean-looking and unfriendly I’ve never been able to work up the courage to talk to him!’
‘He’s not bad. Well, not that bad. He has his moments.’ Arcee rolled her optics, before looking at Michiko again. ‘Is Optimus out picking flowers for you again?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know where he went,’ she pouted.
‘Well, tell me if you see him, ‘cause we have an urgent message for him. Decepticon movements have increased. We are preparing the moon base of CELESTIAL in the worst-case scenario of a forced retreat. Optimus will be sounding alarm if worst comes to worst.’
‘I’ll be coming too, right?’
The female Autobot knelt down and poked the small human child. ‘You have a crush on big man Prime, don’t you? Well you can’t come. Prime doesn’t want his wittle-twinkle princess to get hurt.’
‘Arcee!’ cried Michiko, crossing her arms crossly. ‘You’re making fun of me.’
‘I’m only kidding, sister!’ laughed Arcee, taking her in her arms. ‘You’re coming along too. Prime said so!’
‘Everyone may have to come,’ came Ratchet’s voice. The Autobot medic spoke up, working feverishly at Teletraan-5. ‘Great danger has befallen us.’
‘Ratchet? What’s the matter?’
Ratchet’s face was grim, and for once the children around him looked frightened. ‘We’re under attack,’ he said. ‘Prepare for imminent invasion.’
Arcee laughed incredulously. ‘What?’
‘You heard me.’ Ratchet scowled at Arcee’s disbelieving face. He typed in the coordinates of the outer trenches in front of CELESTIAL headquarters. ‘See for yourself. Our sensors have detected troop movement as far as five kilometres away. Call in all available Autobots. The time has come to mobilize Fleet V.’