UNDERGROUND:

Grimlock awoke in darkness with a snarl, eyes alert and angry, he tried to move his arms and legs; he couldn’t. Big surprise. He was on his back, fixed to a large plate of stone. He tried to pull free and saw the new bonds looked worse than the acid-melted rocks from before. These were a strange combination of metal and an odd, clearish substance that held stronger than any alloy he was familiar with. Still… He tried to pull his arm free again and winced, a crackle of energy from his shoulder drew a pained grunt from him.

He kept seeing images of Vamp in his mind, heard her icy voice playing across his wiring. He arched his back and tried to ignore the pain racing across his limbs, swearing he would kill the bug-bot the next time he saw her. He grumbled, he looked up and saw-a heart?
Heart Attack stood by his head leaning over him. Her visor, heart-shaped and glimmering red, regarded him intensely. Grimlock growled at her.

She said nothing, only opened her mouth and drew a claw across her fangs, a thin purple liquid dripped onto the appendage. She leaned closer, the claw reaching towards his mask. Grimlock snarled and twisted his head away too late, she jammed the tip of her claw down the front of his mask. The purple liquid began to glitter when it came into contact with his circuits, becoming a thin opaque substance. Grimlock felt it race through his systems, a painful sizzling that quickly faded into nothing.
“Stupid GoBot!” he hacked, she was still dripping the vile stuff on him, he felt it run down his neck “What you do?!”
“This isn’t for you,” HeartAttack whispered with a harsh rasp of malice, “it’s for her.” Then she was gone.

A few minutes passed, and Grimlock felt one of the bonds holding his arm loosening, dissolving slowly from something that he presumed the mystery female had placed on it. He yanked it free and winced, his right shoulder was killing him. He reached up and clawed at the bonds securing his left hand, tore them free and sat up, intent on removing the substance restricting his legs.
He came nose to nose with Vamp, she was sitting on his legs as if they were a recliner.
Their eyes met, and immediately Grimlock felt that angering chill reach across his cerebral core.
“How long you be on Grimlock?!”
“Oh not long,” she smiled, leaning closer as Grimlock leaned back, “about the time you stopped talking to yourself and managed to break the bonds.” She ran a claw up his leg, “Very impressive.”
Grimlock stared at her, his eyes flickered. Talking to himself? He was silent a moment, making the connection, then looked over her shoulder. Bladez’s immense frame filled the doorway, eyes burning in the dark. Grimlock leaned closer to Vamp. “Of course me impressive, me Grimlock, King.” Bladez’s hatred for Grimlock radiated in an almost tangible heat. Bugsie stood in front of him, cast in shadow, his orange metal caught errant hints of light from Bladez’ eyes. He was silent, sharing the thoughts of his fellow mutant. Grimlock held their stare with his own, a wide smile behind his mask.
“Hey GoBot.”
They said nothing, only continued to glare.
“Hey Go-beast.”
Still nothing. Grimlock’s eyes flashed.
“Hey stupid!” he shouted, and Bladez hissed, shoving Bugsie aside and advanced into the room.
“If you real beast, Vamp want you.” Grimlock reached a hand forward, his fingers played across the back of her neck. She quivered at his touch and leaned closer.
“But she not want you, she want me. Know why? Because she know real bot when she see one. Not like you! Me crunch you like bug!”
Bladez’s eyes were almost circles of wildfire, his feet dug into the ground, his claws flexed.
“HA!” Grimlock barked, “You sad, you pitiful. You weak!”
Bladez stomped forward, claws flashing, eyes blaring, “I’ll show you weak! ”
“That right,” Grimlock felt his own bloodlust surging forward, he beckoned Bladez to come, “Show me!”

**************
Gobotropolis Core:

Leader-Prime rose into the air, a wide blast of power shot past him as Unicron took aim with Galvatron again. Another shot barely missed its mark and Leader-Prime ignited his jets, blazing from the sky and slamming into Unicron. The impact was deafening, Unicron was lifted off his feet and carried into the air. They smashed into a building, crashing through it and two others before colliding with the ground. Unicron swung Blane’s spiked energy shield at his assailant, it sparked against Leader-Prime’s chest and knocked him back. He retreated a step as Unicron rose, raised quantumite blade, and ran towards his foe.
Leader-Prime raised the matrix blade to the ready, the ancient text engraved along the sword lit up as Unicron bore down, the blades connecting with an explosion between them.
_______________

They tore upward and away from Gobotropolis’ core, Unicron grasping Leader-Prime by his throat as they rose from beneath the surface. Their swords crashed against one another, thunderous eruptions burst when they struck one another. They towered above the city, Unicron and Leader-Prime’s massive new bodies loomed over the city, dwarfing the buildings in shadow and bright lights as their weapons collided. Autobots and Guardians fled the immediate area, staring aghast at the abomination battling a being they all recognized.
“Optimus?” Elita gasped, eyes wide in shock.
“Leader-1?” SmallFoot gasped as well, shooting a glance at Turbo, who was equally shocked. Scooter’s jaw dropped. “They’ve combined... but… how?”

A metal spire shook and began to fall towards them. The shadow caught them off guard, they prepared to run when Defensor and Computron landed and caught the falling length of metal. They threw it to the side, looking from the Guardians to Leader-Prime engaging Unicron.
“Energy levels, incalculable.”
“Thanks Computron.” Defensor pulled his gun, prepared to take off. Computron put a hand out to halt him. “Defensor’s chances of delivering any noticeable damage or providing distraction, zero percent.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
_____________________

Unicron fell, crushing a number of buildings as he did so, his massive frame carving a deep canyon when he finally came to a halt. He raised his arms towards Leader-Prime, charging Blane and Galvatron and firing them as one. The titantic blast tore through the air and struck the matrix-blade Leader-Prime held before him. The energy split and shot in opposite directions, then dissipated. The Autobot-Guardian stood over Unicron, the weapon held over his head, reversed the grip and lunged down at him. Unicron brought Blane up in time to block the strike, a lightening blast ripped from the point of impact. Leader-Prime pushed forward, trying to drive the massive blade through the energy shield, straight into Unicron’s heart. He saw a thick white crack bite into the shield, spreading from the contact point, and leaned harder. The shield exploded, yellow chunks of solidified power dispersed as Unicron immediately swung his free hand upward, slamming Galvatron’s length of cannon against Leader-Prime’s head, driving him back. He shook his left hand, disconnecting Blane and letting him fall. The Renegade changed modes halfway down, reverting to robot form with a scream. He still pulsated with yellow energy, his hands fiery spheres.
“You backstabbin’ PUDSUCKER!” Fire coursed from his eyes, he opened communication to every Renegade within range, remembering the words he heard Leader-Prime convey to the Guardians. “Every Renegade in this berg, unload on the spires! We’re takin’ this stitch out, NOW!!”

****************

Leader-Prime blocked another blast from the Galvatron cannon, diverting the shot back towards Unicron at the point of connection. A bubbling eruption raced along his forearm, and he drew his arm back with an angry sound. Galvatron fell free, the energy receding back into him, allowing him to retake his original cannon form. He transformed into robot mode, the excess power still surging through his body. He looked to the sky and saw smaller crafts, Decepticon escape vessels, appearing in Gobotronian airspace. The Renegade Thrusters had already landed, pouring Renegades free of their holdings. They all fired upon the spires, adding their energy to the combined might of the Autobots and Guardians. He opened a channel to the Decepticon forces.
“Attention Decepticons, forget about the Renegades, fire on the energy spires!”
“Galvatron!” Cyclonus’ voice crackled over his link, “We thought you were-”
“Think again!” he transformed, landing with his cannon aimed at the closest spire, and unloaded. The energy crackled and raced through its length, then leapt from its tip.

**************

Unicron’s head snapped to the side, he stumbled back from a buckling shot Leader-Prime crashed against his visor. The titan growled, drew back his own fist and lashed out, opening it at the last moment and extending his claws, slashing Leader-Prime across the chest. He stumbled back, his feet leaving large indentations in the planet’s surface as he steadied himself.
_____________________

“Seek cover, all of you,” Skylynx extended his neck and legs, crouched, then took to the sky, “I’m going to help Prime!”
“Agreed.” Guardian shifted modes, Sentry did the same. “Seek cover.” He rose into the air and took flight, Skylynx drifting between them as they headed for Unicron.
____________________

“Pathetic.” Unicron reached back with his free hand and caught Guardian by his face. He looked like a child compared to Unicron’s mass. He clamped down, delighting in the steady crack of metal, then yanked the titantic GoBot off his feet and slung him at Sentry. They collided with a deafening THOOM and fell, Unicron raised his Galvatron-cannon and sent a tower of lightening crashing down upon the two of them. Purple and black explosions burst from the blasts as Skylynx streaked forward and open fired on Unicron. The assault bounced off his armor, and a line of cannons opened up along his arm, firing at Skylynx. He spun in the air, avoiding the shots as best he could until another row of cannons came online. They tore into him and he screamed, riddled with holes from the lasers. Smoke drifted from him as he fell. He felt something grab his front legs, looked up and saw Spa-C, her super-GoBot body gripping him firmly as she retreated from Unicron, firing uselessly as she backed away.
“Are you alright?” She landed and lowered him to the ground.”
“Of course I’m alright!” he snapped, then, “But, you were right to be concerned, any ordinary Autobot would have been done for.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

**************
Underground:

Bladez launched himself at Grimlock, his wings drawn back with the spikes extending. He arched himself towards Grimlock, saw Vamp, and redirected his assault. The massive half-sphere wings collided with the bottom half of Grimlock’s legs, embedding themselves in the thick, crystalline bonds securing him to the flat stone. The spikes dug deep, sending cracks through the bond. He had missed Vamp’s foot by an inch. He hissed, drawing back the weapons and prepared to lunge at Grimlock again when Vamp raised a taloned finger towards him. He halted, every fiber of his being trembling with rage.
“Vamp…” He managed, but he remained, forcing himself not to attack because Vamp desired he not do so. She pulled herself closer to Grimlock, allowing the dinobot to wrap his arm around her slender frame. Despite the gesture, she still felt tense to Grimlock, coiled and ready to spring. But she did not pull away.
“I see my words have reached you.”
“Right. There no room in world for weak. Only strong, like you.”
Vamp shifted, stretching her arms out and curling them around Grimlock’s neck. “Indeed. And here I thought you’d never come around.”
Grimlock cast a glance at Bladez and Bugsie, drawing Vamp closer, “Me come around…” he ran his hand across her back. “Come closer, help Grimlock come all way around.”
She placed her fingers across his helmet, tilting his head back and exposing his neck. A pair of curved fangs, each tipped with a droplet of orange venom revealed themselves as she smiled and lunged at his throat.
The moment her fangs sunk beneath the metal, a violent surge of purple electricity shot from the point of connection. Vamp screamed, eyes wide in shock as Heart Attack’s venom fought her own, driving itself into Vamp’s fangs and into her body. Small, uneven clusters of purple crystals began to sprout from Vamp’s shoulder and arm joints, she screeched in blinding agony as Grimlock grabbed hold of her throat and arms. He raised her above his head and hurled her at Bladez with such force the two careened across the room and smashed into the wall. Grimlock yanked his feet free of the bonds, now cracked thanks to Bladez, and leapt off the stone slab. Busgie was already charging towards him, not seeing Grimlock draw his sword until it flashed. Bugsie screamed, feeling the length of Cybertronian alloy carve through his midsection and jut through his back. Grimlock yanked it free with a surge of energy, then kicked the Renegade in the chest, sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap.
The wall exploded, Bladez rose from the rubble and charged headlong into Grimlock, knocking him off his feet and carrying him across the room. They collided with the opposite wall and crashed through the divider into darkness. They traded blows, neither willing to back down, the only thing in their minds was the destruction of the other. Grimlock growled as Bladez slashed his chest, answering with a right hand that knocked one of his fangs free. He grabbed the mutant by the arm and slung him into the other room, racing forward and cracking another right against his eye, shattering it. Bladez roared in pain, lashing out blindly until catching sight of Grimlock grabbing the large stretch of stone he’d been affixed to, raised it over his head, and brought it crashing down on Bladez’ head. The stone exploded in a shower of grit and pebbles, dust wisping through the dank cavern. Bladez lay before Grimlock, a dark liquid pooling from a huge gash in his skull.
“Stupid GoBot.” Grimlock sputtered, then looked up and saw a pinpoint of light shining into the room, which said to him they were underground. It was far, but it was an exit. He contemplated the best way to reach it when an ear-piercing screech assaulted his audio. He spun around and saw Vamp appeared from the dark like a ghost.
“How DARE You!!” she shrieked, thin, flat beams of energy shot from her fingers and sliced through Grimlock’s shoulder. The entry point crackled angrily as Grimlock growled in surprise and clasped a hand over it. He barely had time to complete the motion before Vamp slammed into him with a vicious kick that left a deep slash in his chest. Grimlock growled and threw a wild left and missed. “No one denies me, NO ONE!” Vamp hissed a second before she swung her claws in a pinwheel and buried them in his arm.
There was a quick, high-pitched clacking noise, like a high velocity typewriter as Vamp drew her claws out and buried them again and again in rapid succession, her arms a blur of motion as the damage to Grimlock’s arm increased. He snarled, if she kept this up she wound sever the limb.
He pulled his sword and aimed it at her, she dodged and buried a claw in his forearm, yanked herself up and swung the other like a scythe. Grimlock tilted his head back, feeling a painfully thin slit made across his throat. He growled and grabbed her arm, yanked her free and moved to throw her away. He felt his fingers let go, but a ripping pain raced along his forearm. Vamp’s claws latched on, halting the attempt, and she launched herself forward, driving the tip of her foot into the corner of Grimlock’s eye. There was a harsh grating sound as a line of glass chipped away. Vamp swung over his back and pistoned her claws along the length of his shoulder blades, her metal shrieking louder than she was when it entered. Spatters of oil began to leak from Grimlock, dotted lines of fluid began to mark the walls each time Vamp buried her knived fingers into him. He kept reaching for her, kept missing as she somehow managed to crawl over his body and avoid his attempts. Every failed lunge brought a new sharp pain, it was like every inch of her was able to inflict damage. He swung at her and she drove a curbed finger through his right shoulder socket, bringing a spray of fluid from the connection point. Grimlock felt a needling numbness working its way through the limb. It was only hanging on by a few precious cables, it sparked non-stop. He felt her thin, flat fingers stab into his hand, he roared and swung at her, catching her on the back of the head and knocking her flat. He rose a massive foot and stamped down on her, rose it again and saw her slide away a second before he crashed it onto the ground. He heard the sharp ping of metal before feeling a searing pain scream from the back of his knees. Vamp crouched behind him, her claws still poised in position of an after swing. The back of Grimlock’s knees were nearly sliced in half, the swipe had slashed through almost to the connection point. Red burst of energy crackled along the wounds as Grimlock shouted in pain and anger, unable to stop himself from falling to his knees. The impact sent waves of gripping agony though his knees.
“If you won’t rule by my side,” she seethed, wrapping a claw around his throat, raising her free hand and preparing to impale him, “Then you’ll die by my hand!”
Grimlock didn’t think, he swung the length of his sword overhead and heard it stab into Vamp. She screamed and let go, falling off his shoulders and hitting the ground. His sword was still glowing, protruding from her midsection. She wrapped her claws around the weapon and yanked it out, dropped it to the ground and cast him a baneful glare. With a hiss she changed modes, a sleek, compact vehicle that Grimlock presumed could fly. He was right. He Vamp angled herself towards the ceiling and ignited her rockets with a dull hum and slammed into him, crashing into his midsection. They lifted into the air and headed towards the light.
_________________________

They burst from the underground chamber together, Grimlock tried to block out the pain of his injuries as they smashed through a thick layer of metal and went airborne. He felt his grip beginning to loosen, then let go. Vamp immediately spun and darted after him, smashing into his back and driving him into the ground. The impact resounded across the landscape, a plume of smoke rose. Vamp landed and shifted modes, stalking towards Grimlock’s battle ravaged form. He was already trying to stand, the hole they tore in the ground only a few feet away. He still gripped his blade, and drew it back as she raced towards him. A high pitched squeal of metal sounded, and Grimlock’s sword slid apart into three pieces. Surgically precise cuts angled through the metal as the pieces fell and clattered to the ground. Vamp landed, claws extended, a tiny curl of red metal fell from one gleaming edge. Grimlock threw the remaining stump down as she turned to face him. Thin lines of a purple fluid were still rolling down her shoulders and chest, but it looked like it was slowly thinning, her body working it out of her system.
“I don’t know what you… did… to me…” she rasped, “But now is too… late… for forgiveness… Grimlock…” She stalked towards him, and Grimlock found himself actually felt the cumulative damage wearing him down, his body laced with slits and cuts, burs of metal stuck up in clumps from the various stab wounds still dripping fluid.
“You could have… pleased me… so greatly…” she breathed, her injuries sparking dangerously as she readied her claws, eyes locked on Grimlock’s throat. He glared at her, his wounds still dripping fluid. He could see through the hole in her midsection, how was she still going?
“Now,” she twitched, raising her claws, slick with his oil, “You’re just another meal…” she staggered suddenly, catching herself and forcing her body to continue advancing. Errant sparks began to escalate into lines of electrical interference that rippled across her body. She halted, thick, purple bubbles foamed from her mouth. She glared at Grimlock, her body shaking uncontrollably as dropped to a knee, her hand reaching for her chest. She felt strange, in so much pain, as if she were having a heart attack-
Her eyes flared, then faded. Vamp collapsed.
Grimlock managed to stand, his body covered in gashes and tears. He took a step towards her. “Rust in Pit.” He growled, then kicked her prone form hard, watching her tumble like a broken doll over the edge and down into the hole from whence they came. He sighed, the act sent a gripping pain through his chest. He heard the heavy sound of footsteps approaching from behind and almost groaned. Not another Scales to deal with…
“Lucky Swoop see you,” he heard Snarl call. The Dinobots approached, covered in grit and ash, “we looking all over for you!” Snarl looked at the hole in the ground, then Grimlock. “You look like Slag.”
“Watch it.” Slag snapped.
Swoop perched atop Snarl’s back. “We need go before battle over!” He indicated the city in the distance, a violent earthquake was sending vibrations they could feel even at this distance. Grimlock nodded despite the pain. He walked past them, heading towards the city. It still hurt to move, but he could feel his systems rerouting themselves to deal with it.
“Good. Me Grimlock fighter, not lover.”
Sludge cast a sideways glance at Slag. “What that mean?”

****************
Gobotropolis:

Leader-Prime cast a look at the Guardians. They halted, a buzz in their minds opened into a vision of Leader-1.
Now is the time! He called, this is what was planned! Every spire, every building across Gobotropolis has been modified. Unicron had been drawing energy through the ring he’s placed in Gobotropolis. But it runs through Gobotron, it is OUR power! These spires, with all your coordinated efforts, have been modified to take that power, and unleash it upon him! All you need to do is activate them!
_________________________

GoBots across Gobotrotpolis raced towards the nearest available spire. They gathered at their bases, took aim, and fired as one. The spires came to life, blue and yellow energy racing along their lengths as they tapped into the energy Unicron had been hording within the planet’s core, converting it into pure, raw power. The tips of the spires began to glow-then faded and winked out.
________________________

Unicron raced forward, slammed into Leader-Prime and drove him to the ground. He rose his foot and stamped down, driving him deep into the ground with a snarl.
________________________

“I don’t understand,” Turbo looked around, every spire was glowing, but refusing to launch, “What’s wrong?!
“And what’re we supposed to do?!” Roadbuster clenched his fists and looked around, it was killing him to not be able to fight something directly.
“We need more power!” Pathfinder hovered above them, changing into her robot form and landing atop one of the spires. She knelt, running a finger across the top. “We need them to help!” she pointed to the Autobots.
“We’d be happy to,” Jazz called back, “But you got a Gobotron to Cybertron power converter in your back pocket?”
“Actually…” Cosmos spun through the air and landed a few spires away from Pathfinder. He opened his chest, revealing the repairs Pathfinder had performed on him not long after the start of the conflict. The Gobotronian technology was perfectly integrated with his own systems. “You guys supply the energy, I’ll channel.”
“No!” Springer shouted, “That’ll kill you!”
“No time to argue, just do it!” Cosmos placed his hands to the top of the spire, his fingers activating the foreign tech upon contact. The Autobots hesitated, then raised their weapons at the metal spires around them-and fired.
_______________________

Cosmos thought his body was going to explode. His metal went white with power, he felt the energy racing through him, looked across the way and saw Pathfinder locked in a ball of energy thrashing atop the tower. She was grounding him, channeling the excess energy in an attempt to keep him from bursting like a firecracker. He grunted, forcing himself to his feet, and stood.
He looked at them, Guardian and Autobots working side by side. They worked together, those not weary from battle helping those who were. He could tell from the looks on their faces, intuitively working hand in hand. This was how it was supposed to be. This felt… right.
He saw Leader-Prime rise to his feet, avoid a strike from Unicron, then raced behind him and locked his arms around Unicron’s own, lifting the mad titan into the air and bracing himself for what was to come. The Autobots and Guardians continued to fire as one, unaware of the Renegades and Decepticons doing the same. Every spire along the surface came alive and fired, the power blasting into the air and arching back, concentrating into a single beam that zeroed in on Unicron.
He roared defiantly as the energy smashed into him, the combined power of two worlds, brought together by one purpose.

**************
??????????????:

Zeemon felt the chains strapping him to Unicron’s mental form weaken, then shatter. He felt his own will grow stronger, and made his way into the darkness, back towards the cells of power he intended to finally put to good use.

“NOOOO!!! ” he heard the beast roar, the maddening sound coming from everywhere now. Blotchy windows of the battle began to appear, floating at his sides as he flew forward, Unicron’s new body taking tremendous damage from the relentless assault. He sought to add to it, he wanted to cause Unicron as much pain as possible.
He saw them glittering in the distance, the wall of power, forgotten when the battle began, but still longed for by Unicron. He would not use them, he would not turn his shameful secret against the Guardians and the Autobots. Zeemon saw the wall disappear behind a rising, black shape. Unicron rose before him, his form more demonic than ever, a pair or jagged red eyes burned through his visor.
“You trapped me within my own mind…” Zeemon growled, “twisted my body,” he increased his speed, “And corrupted my power to achieve your demented needs…” He felt the quantumite course through his body, spreading across his form, replacing his metal with glistening, pure power, “NOW you will pay for the pain you’ve cause not one, but TWO WORLDS!!”
He blazed forward and smashed directly into Unicron’s visor, striking the thick black glass like a bullet. Unicron howled in pain and lurched back, a web of cracks spread from Zeemon’s entry point. He shot through the back of Unicron’s helmet and dove into a single cell of power. It quivered, then began to roil and froth like sea in a hurricane, shifting from white to red. The cells began to fade to black, every one of them winking out, swirling towards Zeemon’s entry point. Unicron staggered back, a hand clamped to his forehead as bright red fluid spurted from between his fingers. He snarled, and took a step towards the fading cells.
The wall exploded, every cell shattered like glass, and Zeemon charged forward in his new form. Unicron’s alteration of his body had been accepted, taken, and modified to suit his own needs. Unicron stared at the body he had crafted for himself, but this one looked inverted, the red metal replaced with white, the green areas became red metal trimmed with gold. Zemon’s visor was a dark crimson, though his upper arms and legs remained black. His hands were alive with golden power, and he slammed into Unicron, driving him back, crashing through a wall of darkness that gave way to a brilliant blue light. Unicron roared in protest, then saw the enraged eyes of Leader-Prime appear in the light.

**************
Gobotropolis:

“You are an unholy cancer in this universe! ” Leader-Prime shouted and let Unicron go, streams of energy still hammering the dark god. His eyes flared blue, he raised his hands and they lit up. He crossed them in front of his chest, a glowing, engraved image of Cybertron appeared on the back of one hand, Gobotron on the other.
“AND I…”
He raced forward, arms drawn back, hands open,
“WILL! ”
He neared Unicron as he stood, he could see a bubble of blackness pushing forward from his chest. Leader-Prime reached forward and drove his hands deep into Unicron’s torso, a plethora of amber and green explosions erupted from the body.
“REMOVE YOU!!! ”
Unicron’s body went rigid, shaking as if electrified. Leader-Prime wrenched back with a scream and yanked with all his might, the sickly sound of ripping flesh came as wires and metal tore free of Unicron’s body, a dripping, black sphere came away in Leader-Prime’s hands. A thick white and blue shield of matrix supplied energy was wrapped around it.

Unicron’s body stumbled back a few drunken steps, then fell, an explosion tearing from the hole in his chest. As it fell, the body itself appeared to unravel, bits of the form pulling away from the frame and dissipating into the air. The assault from the spires slowed, then faded into nothing. Unicron’s husk hit the ground and crumbled like a cluster of dry leaves, a whispering sound as it caved in on itself and flaked into a large pile of metal. A wind blew, revealing Zeemon beneath the pile. His new body matched the one he had created in his mind.

“Holy robo!” Spa-C’s eyes went wide. He looked different, but it was definitely him, “Zeemon?!”
He was significantly smaller than Unicron’s original design, but easily as large as Guardian or Sentry. She raced to his side and knelt, then looked up as an explosion above them shook the land.

Leader-Prime still held Unicron’s dark essence within his force field, it vibrated madly as the dark god cried out in defiance. The land shook, and the golden ring extending from Gobotropolis faded in color. A blast of dark energy launched from the sphere, punching a hole in space itself and creating a swirling vortex.
“I…” Unicron thundered, “CANNOT BE…”
The horns growing from Gobotron withered and exploded, swept into the air by the vortex and reconstituting a familiar form. The ring around the planet shattered, joining the broken metal shards is the cosmic maelstrom. They spun in a colossal sky tornado, the pieces interlocking like a crude puzzle. Unicron’s head remained, every inch lined with horrible cracks and broken, twisted metal. Bits of his face flaked away, revealing blackness darker than space itself within. His eyes sockets were empty, then smallest fragments of emerald glass studding the socket. It angled itself towards the planet of Gobotron, and then rolled up into the vortex. A bright flashing display of lights played above the planet, shaking everything from the forces at play in the sky, and then faded. The sky was empty, and Unicron, was gone.

**************

The spires began to power down, Cosmos felt the energy leave him and saw Pathfinder across the way, her body smoking as she toppled and fell from her perch. He transformed and sped across the distance in a second, transforming and catching her, then rose to the top of the spire. Light returned to her visor a moment later. She stood and Cosmos sat on the spire’s edge with a weary huff. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he covered it with his own.

SmallFoot felt a tear moisten the side of her eye, “They-they did it.”
She looked around, everyone was looking at each other with uncertain eyes. What were they supposed to do now?
“THEY DID IT!” she heard Hot Rod shout, followed by a rising cluster of shouts from both the Guardians and Autobots. They cheered, the threat of Unicron finally removed from their planet, his power all but depleted and a threat to neither world. For a moment, they celebrated together, the bitter events preceding the epic battle forgotten.

Guardian and Autobot stood side by side, all staring up at the towering form of Leader-Prime as he became bathed in a blue light. It flared a moment, then dwindled into a smaller sphere. Turbo saw two dark shapes moving within, and when the light faded, Leader-1 and Optimus Prime walked from the fading glow. They radiated a bright aura that dissipated as they stepped forward. The Guardians raced to Leader-1 as the Autobots moved to embrace Optimus, their leader, their hero. The matrix glowed brightly within Prime’s chest, as if glad to be home.

****************

Galvatron transformed, his body racked with pain, the sheath of energy Unicron manipulated pulling back into him. He turned and saw Blane, who looked every bit as damaged as he did. They stood and stared at each other. Neither one of them moved, but both considered the ramifications of continuing their fight. Blane’s eyes flicked towards the Guardians and the Autobots. Apparently old allegiances had been forgotten, and new ones forged. His eyes then darted towards Thruster and Smasher, both worn from the cumulative damage from all the fighting, and he knew his Renegades must be spent pooling their energies into the tower. He hated to admit it, but there was no opportunity presented here, and fighting of any kind, was simply out of the question. He lifted his head, the motion clicking painfully, and grimaced at Galvatron.
“Welcome t’ Gobotron.” Blane’s eyes flashed, “Now get the f*** off my planet.”
Galvatron regarded the Renegade a moment, and almost laughed. Blane had expended as much power as he had; any threat was an empty one… from either of them. His eyes swept across Gobotron’s unusual landscape, its buildings and cities did look somewhat remniscient of Cybertronian architecture, but there was definitely a uniqueness about it that the Constructicons could probably never replicate. Not that he would want them to, he concluded in his head-he’d had enough of this place.
He looked to the sky and saw the small fleet of Decepticon crafts drifting in the sky, led by Cyclonus and Scourge.
“You want this pitiful world…” he growled, catching Blane’s eye. He transformed into cannon mode and blasted Blane into a nearby spire, delighting in the surprised shout of pain as he was driven partly through the metal structure. It shuddered and began to fall, Galvatron laughed and rose into the air. “It’s all yours.”
He caught sight of a large black and red, bulky looking train racing across the terrain, its wheels large, blade-lined discs that slashed into the ground and made its own tracks. It shifted and landed with the sound of hissing steam, a savage beast of a robot. Loco raised his hands and summoned a dual row of metal to arch over Blane when he burst from the spire. The structure continued to fall. Galvatron’s eyes darted towards an armored chopper cutting through the sky, also black, sporting a blue cockpit. Warpath shifted modes into a behemoth almost as large as the Renegade train. He yanked the propeller from his back and hurled it at the spire, his weapon flared with energy, slashing through the falling length of metal and dividing it. It crashed atop the makeshift train tracks Loco had called forth and rolled to the side. Blane glared up at Galvatron, then flashed him the middle finger with the hint of a smirk.
Galvatron looked at the size of the Decepticon ships nearing, and considered an assault… then decided against it. There were simply too many GoBots out and about to warrant the potential losses. The thought struck Galvatron, and the fact that he could now think in terms of strategy and odds, instead of charging blindly into combat, brought a smile to him. He rose up to Cyclonus and Scourge, who transformed and beheld him with fear in their eyes. He noticed Scourge cringe as he rose a hand towards them, then pointed in the opposite direction. “Come, we’re leaving.”
“But Galvatron,” Cyclonus we thought you sought revenge upon the Renegade scoundrel.”
Galvatron looked down at Blane, remembering how readily Unicron had been to accept him over the GoBot. The pained look Blane tried to hide behind his posturing would stay with him until he stopped functioning.
“I’ve already had my revenge. Today I’m thinking conquest.”
“Conquest?” Cyclonus took in the strange planet, “Of this world?”
Galvatron laughed, “The only thing this world has is bad memories. Besides, why waste the effort fighting for this world, when there is so much that needs to be done to reclaim our own.”
The look of surprise on Cyclonus and Scourge’s faces was quickly replaced with hesitant smiles as they took his meaning.
“What of the treaty with the Autobots?”
“Treaty?” Galvatron threw his head back and laughed, “ Prime created a spineless drone that negotiated peace, but the true Galvatron would never give up a world that is rightfully his for the taking!”
He stretched his hand towards space, his cannon beginning to glow. He cast a chilling smile at the duo as he rocketed past the Decepticon vessels, opening a communication with them, “Decepticons, to Cybertron!” he thundered across their links, “We have a war to finish, and many an Autobot to slaughter before we rest again.”
The Decepticon ships redirected their courses, taking off after their leader and vanishing into space.

****************

Leader-1 never felt so elated in his life, but despite the grand victory, he couldn’t fully enjoy it. He waited for the Autobots and Guardians to settle down, then moved towards Prime. He reached up and placed a hand to his shoulder. “Optimus, I-”
Prime wheeled around and drove his fist into the center of Leader-1’s face. He stumbled and fell on his back with a loud clang. He heard a wave of gasps from those nearby, then felt a heavy foot stomp on his chest, pinning him down. He winced. When he looked up, Optimus Prime stood over him. His face in heavy shadow, his eyes blazing blue slits. His gun was drawn, an orange glare was rising from the mouth of the cannon pointed directly at Leader-1’s face. He could feel the rising heat from the weapon. When the sound of countless pairs of fists powering up caught Prime’s ear, he didn’t flinch.
Leader-1 heard his GoBots preparing to unload and rose a hand, fingers extended, towards them and shook his head. A moment of hesitation, and the sound faded. He looked up at Prime, his visor splintered by a network of cracks.
“Do it.” He said, no hint of hesitation or fear in his voice, only resolve. “For what I’ve put you and your people through I deserve much worse.” He could feel their eyes on him, his Guardians wrestling with the idea of simply swarming the Autobots and driving them off their world. “But my people are alive. For better or worse, whatever our own problems may be-they’re alive.”
Prime’s finger wrapped around the trigger and pulled. The shot was deafening, the ground beside Leader-1’s head exploded. He shouted in shock and pain from the sound. Prime lifted his foot and allowed Leader-1 to get to his feet, a hand gripping the side of his head. They regarded one another, Prime’s cannon still smoking. He stared hard at the Guardian.
“You played a game no one has any business playing Leader-1. You could have destroyed all of us.” His eyes flashed, “ALL of us. Fortunately for you it worked-this time. There better not be a next time.” He pointed his Aubotobots towards Skylynx, “ Prepare for take-off. We’re going home.” The Autobots looked at each other, confused, but too rattled by what they had just witnessed to argue. Slowly, they pulled back, Skylynx lowering himself to the ground and opening his cargo compartment.
Prime gave the Guardians a final look, then took a few paces back and began to turn when he heard Leader-1.
“If you need supplies, or help rebuilding-”
Prime turned back towards him, his voice edged and full of warning “Let me be very clear Leader-1. Today, right now, we are not enemies, but make no mistake, we are not friends.” His eyes swept the GoBots, then returned to Leader-1. “You may have saved your people but I lost six of mine. No matter how you do the math that’s six too many. It’s their memory that kept me from blowing your head off just now, nothing else.” He took a step closer to Leader-1, fists tight, his voice fierce “And if I ever, I mean ever see your face again, even that may not be enough to stop me from ending you.”
Leader-1 said nothing, but his eyes never wavered from Prime’s. Optimus let the words linger a moment, then turned and walked away, the matrix secured in its rightful place within him, and boarded Skylynx. They lifted off in a blast of exhaust and pulled up into the sky, departing Gobotron in a burst of speed.

****************
Omega drifted behind Skylynx, a plethora of cables connecting the two of them. He had weathered the destruction of the small planet he’d battled Smasher on, but found himself without enough fuel to complete the journey to Gobotron. Instead he was content to drift and wait for Skylynx to return. He had to admit, he didn’t mind transporting the Autobots, but sometimes it was nice being transported.
Optimus stood alone in a dark corridor, staring silently at a monitor. Gobotron had faded from sight well over an hour ago, but the expanse of stars playing across the screen helped calm his thoughts. His body was screaming in pain, every inch of him felt like it was going to fall apart at the seams. He sighed and leaned his head against the glass.
“So,” he heard Jazz approach from behind, Kup walked with him “You gonna join in the festivities?” he hiked a thumb towards the end of the corridor. “There’s a party goin’ on and we’re waiting for the guest of honor!”
“You deserve this Prime.” Kup’s smile lit his aged face, it heartened Prime to see him actively engaging the other Autobots again. But Prime remained was silent. Shortly after they left Gobotron, it had only taken a few choice shouts from Grimlock to snap everyone out of their stupor and get them riled up. As terrible as this conflict had been, the consensus amongst the crew was simple; Unicron had been defeated, and Cybertron was no longer in danger. They’d won, hadn’t they?
His thoughts couldn’t pull away from Leader-1. In a way, he’d won too. Gobotron was safe, his people evolved… Everybody came ahead, right? Prime continued staring at the monitor, even Elita hadn’t been able to coax him away.
Jazz stared at the monitor, then looked down.
“You know, they would have been glad to know you did what you did in their name Optimus. Sunstreaker, Prowl and the rest, they couldn’t ask to be remembered in a better way.” He stood beside him a moment longer, then sighed and began to turn back down the corridor when Prime turned towards him.
“Give me a few minutes, tell everyone I’ll join them shortly.”
Jazz smiled and left him, chatting with Kup as they headed back towards the celebration. Prime continued to stare at the monitor, rolling a single question Leader-1 had asked in his head over and over again in his head.
“What would you have done?”
Optimus thought about it, and thought some more… what would he have done? He sighed, sometimes the best questions, were the ones you didn’t know the answer to.
“Optimus?”
He looked around, saw no one, then glanced down. Cosmos stood before him, eyes cast down. He ran his hands over one another without thinking
“Cosmos,” Optimus felt a pang of guilt. This war had been hard on him, probably more than anyone else. Despite his best attempts to get Optimus to talk to Leader-1, no situation allowed for it to truly happen. “I’m sorry things turned out the way they did.”
Cosmos shook his head “I don’t blame anyone for what’s happened, Unicron’s evil doesn’t know any boundaries. Still, I wish there could have been a more amicable solution.” He looked up at Prime, “ Pathfinder and I, we just wanted you two to talk.”
“I know. Maybe they should have talked before shooting, and maybe we should been more willing to listen to what they were trying to tell us.”
Cosmos was quiet, then opened a small panel along his chest and removed a small black metal box. He clicked it open, revealing a vial. A blue liquid splashed around inside, it had a glittering white center.
“ Pathfinder gave me this,” He held it up to Prime. “It’s anti-venom for Ultra Magnus. She said, that is, Leader-1 told her it was just a baby step, but hoped it would be a step in the right direction.” He snapped the box shut and placed it in Prime’s hand. “The box itself is a direct line to Leader-1. Pathfinder said he doesn’t expect you to use it anytime soon, but…” he was getting anxious, his speech becoming choppy, “He’s trying to talk to us now Optimus, maybe one day, when we’re all ready, … we’ll listen…”
Prime accepted the box, closing his fingers around it as Cosmos went quiet and walked down the corridor, alone. Prime stared at it, rubbing his thumb along the single button. He could press it, and he could talk to Leader-1. But he could also crush it and fling its remains out of Skylynx’s hatch. He considered it, then opened a small panel on his chest and slid the box inside.
Yes, maybe one day he’d be ready to listen.
Optimus looked at the monitor displaying the stars one more time, then turned and walked towards the celebration. The Autobots gave him a hero’s ovation when he walked through the door.

Ohio - Six months past:

"Joe you git down from that barn right now!"
The wind played with Joe's hair, tussled like loose cotton atop his head. The sun was beginning to set, a cool breeze during this time of the day made it easier to get work done. His fingers held a hammer in one hand, binoculars in the other. He had gone up there to repair a few loose boards, brought the binoculars to keep a look out for the postman. What he caught sight of was much more exciting than any mail the postman could have brought. He could hear his wife still yelling from below, the dogs were starting to bark.
"At least stop standin' like that, you'll take a tumble an' I ain't young enough to catch you no more!"
"Martha called the news!" Joe stood on the roof of the barn that rested only a few feet from their corn field, staring wide-eyed at the strange, symmetrical circles that had been pushed into the golden stalks. No, that wasn't right, only one of the marks was a complete circle, the other one was a tiny circle in the middle, stuck between two odd looking half spheres. The not-circle had a single rod poking out of the top, a larger node on the tip that looked like a crude representation of a person. The second circle-the complete one, had an oval set on top, a single line connected it to the circle The two larger shapes were set apart, but Joe couldn't shake the feeling that the smaller shapes, the tiny people maybe, were looking at each other.
Joe lifted the binoculars over his too thick glasses and grunted when everything went out of focus. He huffed and let them drop around his neck. It didn't matter, it was hard to miss the oddity pressed into his corn. Then he saw it- a spinning discus in the sky. Yellow and blue lights scattered across its smooth exterior. It was green, hovering soundlessly in the sky. Where the heck did it come from?! Joe's eyes became saucers, he scrambled down the ladder, almost taking a tumble on the last rung, grabbed his wife by the hand and shuffled as fast as his legs could carry him into the old wooden house.

Cosmos watched their shadows through the windows, Joe's silhouette flailed wildly as he tried to pantomime what he'd just seen. Finally it became too much for him, he transformed and burst into a fit of laughter as he zipped above his latest work of art. Cybertron. Gobotron. His laughter lessened as he stared at the work he'd done. He chuckled weakly, and was startled to hear-

"I still don't see why you get such a kick out of messing with the locals." came a soft female voice.

"You're late!" Cosmos was still laughing when he spun around and saw Pathfinder hovering beside him, the last of her cloaking dissipating. She looked at Cosmos, and he could feel the warmth in her gaze. "No I'm not," she tapped her wrist," We're in Oregon remember? Different time zone."
"Oh yeah."
They were quiet a moment, Pathfinder looked over the crop circle.
"It's beautiful." she laced her fingers through his.
"Thank you. And Magnus thanks you for the anti-venom. First Aid said he should be completely flushed of it by next week." he shifted his shoulders, "So... has Prime..?"
Pathfinder sighed. "Prime still hasn't contacted Leader-1."
"But he knows you're on Earth! I don't understand why he won't just-"
"It's okay." Pathfinder patted his hand, "After everything that's happened, six months is just a tick of the clock. As far as we're concerned, being ignored is getting off pretty easy... considering the alternative."
"I just don't understand, both of our planets are locked in civil wars again, you with the Renegades, us with the Decepticons..." he sounded frustrated, his speech was becoming stilted, "Why can't they just help each other, why act like an entire race of people aren't there? Together we beat Unicron for Primus sake! Didn't that teach them anything?!" He stopped talking, looking wounded.
Pathfinder placed her free hand on his shoulder.
"We've all been hurt by this, Cosmos, it's going to take time to heal."
Cosmos was quiet a moment. "How long?"
"I don't know." Pathfinder gave his hand a squeeze, "Another day, another step closer. I heard that Pumper and Inferno put out a fire in California together."
"You're kidding, the Protectobots were just telling me about a shortcut they discovered with Hans-Cuff, it takes them through Detroit in half the normal time."
"See? One day at a time." she gazed down at his handiwork, marveling over his ability to bend every stalk of corm perfectly, every one the same height, not a single one broken. "So, are you on duty?
"Not at the moment."
"Good, because I found this beautiful planet on the corner of the Venatici Galaxy. The waterfalls pour into inverted gravity wells and shoot into the sky. You have to see it!"
"Just try and stop me."
They transformed and shifted modes in unison, then shot into the sky.