| abstract
| - Island Center - The joint (the term is loosely used, of course) Cybertronian camp around the crater of what used to be the Quintesson's home base. What remains of his wrecked ship has long since been melted after the molten magma was diverted by Rampage and Fragment's efforts to destroy any last hints of evidence as to the alien presence on this place. It's just one step in a series of plants that have been taking place while other events were going on. The Time Window...has been moved. With great effort, but through careful disassembling under Archaeonix's instructions, key pieces were taken apart, relocated to the mainland, at a certain strategic location south of Mount St. Hillary and reassembled again. The final instructions programmed into the device consisted of a timeframe for it to activate and operate...some four million years later. This would ensure that the Window, when found, would suck in anyone that had been in close proximity, setting events in motion once more... ...and last but not least, using Reidan's descriptions down to the smallest detail, Rodimus had fabricated a new holo-cube right down to every last bit of data the man could provide to him. With a perfect copy and a holographic map programmed into it, he had handed it off to Tracks, who even now, was off planting the device in a specific location in South America, where presumably it would eventually be discovered and an entire Aztec temple built up around it, only to later be discovered by the EDC. Everything was more or less falling into place. But there's still thing left to be addressed. Standing at the edge of the magma-filled crater that used to be the resting place of the Quintesson's wrecked ship, the various Autobots are overseeing a tunneling effort done by Brawn and several other Autobots as they excavate the location where the stasis pods were said to be located, widening the access point to allow easy entry at a later time. With arms crossed over his chest, Rodimus oversaw the whole thing and was lost in deep thought. Thoughts like what the past Decepticons were up to, Megatron having departed not that long ago and taken Soundwave with him. And soon -all- of the other Past Decepticons had followed. It was worrying, to say the least. Cyclonus's first encounter with Megatron hadn't been so pleasant. The tyrant had taken exception to the idea that another being--even one that Megatron himself would eventually become--could be more powerful than he is. But he's hoping that this temptation of greater power will sway him to HIS plan. However, to his chagrin, Megatron left before Cyclonus could inform him of his diabolical plan. He considered seeking Megatron out, but believed that would enrage him if he did so without being summoned first. Right now, Cyclonus is pacing about nervously before the lava-filled crater, thinking. Should he go ahead and try to sabotage the pods on his own? No--too risky, he lacked Ravage's stealth capabilities and might be spotted. "Blast it... why can't Decepticon leaders be more willing to listen to their advisors?" he mutters to himself. Reidan Wesley is currently reclining on his usual walk, when he hears Cyclonus' mutter nearby. The hat is lifted, and the now-bearded human peers over. "I wonder that myself... otherwise why bother having advisors?" he agrees with the Decepticon. Foxfire sits on his haunches near Reidan, turning a wide-eyed gaze to the human. "Why are you agreeing with a Decepticon?" he asks lowly. He pauses. "Although you *do* kind of have a point." Optimus Prime is looming near to Rodimus Prime at this juncture; the universe quaking in their midst at the presence of two such bastions of good in one place. More likely it is some minor seismic activity. Optimus is looking concerned; the expression written large in his luminescent optics even as his face shield hides most of it away. "Rodimus." He is saying, the chrome of one stack gleaming while he looks out over the volcanic crater and states the obvious: "I do not like this. Megatron has no reason to be anywhere but here. Trouble is coming, and it is coming very soo." Reidan Wesley glances to Foxfire, and remarks "Because disagreeing with a Decepticon is typically a Bad Idea. With a capital Baaaah." Impactor has been busy since the capture of Archaeonix's base of operations. With what, exactly, is unimportant just now. The Wrecker returns to the base, peering from the cliffs that overlook it before descending down. As he makes his approach, he casually notes the potential weak spots in the ship, possible attack vectors should the Decepticons turn against them, and the current location of his allies. Impactor also notes Fragment's efforts to remove all evidence from this place of their presence, but doesn't comment on it. Passing by Cyclonus, he hears the mech muttering to himself. "What was that, Cyc? Couldn't hear ya," Impactor says, taking any chance to get up in Cyclonus's grill that he can. "Were you commenting on Megatron turning out to be a huge flake?" Impactor didn't hear what Cyclonus was saying, though--it's just a lucky guess. The mech also avoids Rodimus and Optimus. Archaeonix is busy as well, ironically. Under the watchful gaze of more than a few Autobots and future Decepticons of course, the Quintesson perches at the edge of the tunnel dug down into the stasis chamber, tentacles rubbing together anxiously. "CAREFUL YOU FOOLS!" The T-Rex skull snarls angrily, "If you collapse the tunnel you could damage the machinery, and then we all have a VERY long wait ahead of us!" The normal face rotates around into place, and just offers an audible, "Tsk...just be careful, the equipment is...delicate." "Do YOU wanna get down here and dig?" Brawn can be heard calling sharply from the hole. "...." The Quint rubs his tentacles together again, "...carry on." More or less back to her old self Torque had decided it best to actually get in on the excavation instead of oversee with the others. Once down with the other Bots she gets to work by using her fists to break up the stone and soil, hefting any boulders aside with ease to help clear the way for the others. "How far down did that squid say the pods were? Not that I'm complaining. Heh, gives me a reason to let off some steam." The femme grins, chucking a large rock aside. Amber MacKenzie is perched on a rock at the crater's edge, busily and unsuccessfully trying to shake some of the dust out of her sweater. These clothes just weren't designed for rolling in the dirt and dust. Giving up in disgust, she pulls the sweater on over her equally dusty hair and mutters something uncomplimentary. Overhearing Cyclonus's and Reidan's conversation, she gives the Decepticon a sardonic glance, but like Reidan, doesn't push her luck. Situated on a rock outcropping above and behind the Quintesson, Fusillade supervises, half-intent on any potential Autobot or Archaeonix treachery. "I don't wanna spend four million years in stasis. AGAIN," Fusillade confides to a Troodon snuffling about her feet. The white and black mottled creature fixes the yellow saucers of its eyes upon her, flashing an inquisitive scarlet crest of skin and feathers. It SQUAKS sharply, scuttling away as a rock nearly crushes it. "Hey, maybe I can just fly to Cybertron and check it out. Shockwave will be SOOOOOOOO confused, ha ha." She slips off the outcropping, and looms over the Quintesson's shoulder, resting one knee against the polished titanosaur rib of its left rear leg. "So, think it's feasible, goin' to surprise the boss-mech?" A gleaming silver fleck emerges from a bank of glowering prehistoric clouds, leading a group of other flying figures which gradually resolve as they approach; Megatron has come, and brought his Decepticons with him. His face set grimly, Megatron descends towards the lip of the crater and touches down heavily, striding forth to meet the Autobots and time-displaced Transformers with his red glare fixed on Optimus. "Prime!" Megatron calls out in his harsh rasp, and it's obvious he means only one of the two. "I see your little band has grown in quantity if not in quality. Outnumbered, I am obliged... reluctantly... to parlay! Will you hear my terms?" Megatron eyes the future-Autobots warily, flexing his fingers as he evidently tries to suppress his normal urge to clench his hands into fists. Cyclonus peers at the human cook. "It is his right to listen to me or not to, but even so..." He grimaces. "Have I not done EVERYTHING I possibly could to demonstrate my loyalty? I bested his greatest rival to leadership, led his troops to him, and restored him to power--what else does he want from me?" He tries not to show it, but he can't help but concur with Optimus--trouble is coming. And what the hell will he do when it does? "Shut *up,* Impactor! This is an extremely serious situation!" He paces some more before finally... "Oh, thank Primus," Cyclonus says as Megatron returns. However, Megatron only seems interested in meeting with Optimus. Dammit all, HE has to speak with him... Starscream leads the way...from his normal position that is, from right BEHIND Megatron as he flies down superman-style after the revived Decepticon leader. Upending at the last moment, the seeker Commander lands to the left and behind Megatron with the harsh *CLANK* of metal on metal. His face is impassive, his expression unchanging, not betraying any of his thoughts right now. Even as he tilts his head to the side just slightly and looks right. At. Cyclonus. Skywarp lands smoothly beside Starscream, crossing his arms and smirking at the group. He says nothing yet, as those of higher rank are currently engaged. His roving optics scan the group. At one point it almost looks like he's winking, a slight dimming of one of his optics. Then suddenly he teleports, appearing on the other side of Starscream, and snickers just lightly. Thundercracker follows closely behind Megatron as they make their way down towards the crater, although he does not land alongside his leader, or his fellow seekers, hovering instead in the air with one laser pointed towards the Autobot leader - the one /he/ knows anyway, and the other pointed towards Cyclonus, Who is... indiscernible. Archaeonix's normal face rotates around in place until it's looking backwards...that is, back at Fusillade directly. "If it is your intention to NOT interfere with the time stream any further, I would not recommend it! Besides, I was of the knowledge that you were not aware of Cybertron's drifting location at this point in ti..." He trails off as a whooole lot of Decepticons arrive on the scene, and begins rubbing his tentacles together worriedly again. "Oh my. This seems a mite...tense." The T-Rex rotates around again, "GOOD!" Soundwave floats cautiously behind Megatron as the Decepticon leader slows down and lands. As Soundwave lands himself, he looks about the camp, carefully scrutinizing every nook and cranny, as the situation could go from neutral to ugly at any moment. The tape reels in his chest begin to spin. Impactor covers his face with his hand in the universal sign of frustration as Cyclonus answers Reidan. Rubbing his forehead, he shakes his head. "Primus, Cyclonus, I was just about to say the same thing to you. I can't believe the Decepticons have turned into such a bunch of whiners. Oh boo hoo, Megatron doesn't like you anymore. Cry me a river, Cyc." He snorts. "No wonder he ditched you here with us." But just then, *he* and his army make his return. Impactor immediately aims up at the mechs on the cliffs above them with shoulder cannon, but refrains from firing. "Hey, Cyc," he asides, "Is seeing Megatron hang out with Starscream like watching your ex-girlfriend making with someone else right in front you?" See, Impactor knows all about human culture. Reidan Wesley falls silent at that, as it seems the Big Dangerous One has arrived. He sits up, but stays where he is as the meeting and the end of this endeavour is to begin, at last. The cook glances about "Hmm." ponderously, before his attention goes back to that most likely to be a risk to the Cook currently - Megatron, and his Decepticons. Optimus Prime moves his face-shield as he is within a microsecond of adding something very important to Rodimus Prime after his stating of the obvious, but viewers and the universe will have to wait until later to hear what that thing is; disturbed by the arrival of Megatron and his team. For a time, Optimus Prime stares at his old rival dubiously. Then Optimus nods at Rodimus and steps away from the future-Autobot to address his old foe. "Someone get word to the Autobots in the tunnel that the Decepticons, along with Megatron have returned to camp." Then he is staring directly at Megatron. "Whatever terms you have, Megatron, there can be no negotiation. You will return to stasis along with all of the rest of your Decepticons and we will preserve the timestream. If your proposal includes that, please continue." "I know, Optimus. I know. It worries me too." Rodimus responds to the older Prime's cautionary notes, watching the bubbling magma pool deep in the crater below. He turns in place as he hears the sound of aerial figures descending though, and sets his jaw tightly as he watches Megatron at their helm once more. Keeping his hands at his sides, he just stands quietly and watches as Megatron addresses his own counterpart directly. That's to be expected, isn't it? "We're ready for anything, Optimus." Rod reassures with a faint nod, but a bit nervous all the same. There's something about Megatron that makes him a little uneasy. Is it the past history? Or the fact he's used to dealing with Galvatron who tends to be a bit more...direct. There's something about Megatron's typical clear-headedness that disconcerts him a little. Remedy looks as the Decepticon leader and army show up. She hears Op's request, and moves to head for the tunnel. There are some who are better suited for combat and despite her skill, she's really not a combatant. Cyclonus looks... disturbed at that. If Starscream's looking at him like that, then it can’t be good. And why is Thundercracker aiming a weapon at him? What is going on? Damn them, they're going to ruin everything! "You will regret your words one day, Impactor, I promise you that!" Though he can't help but admit to himself that it does trouble him that Megatron would apparently rather have Starscream's council than his own. "Lord Megatron, if you will not listen to an Autobot, then please listen to me," Cyclonus says a little louder, "I beseech you. Vast rewards await you should you go along with this plan, I promise you!" And even greater rewards if Megatron went along with HIS plan... which involved making sure Rodimus Prime and the other Autobots from the future never returned to their own time alive. Fusillade scowls and clenches jowl thoughtfully at the Quintesson's remarks. However, the warning is forgotten as the other Decepticons arrive. "Oh hey, they're here." She clicks thrustered heels. Her expression is clearly conflicted as she glances back and forth between Cyclonus and the past Decepticons -- choosing a landing spot was suddenly very political. She plunks down about halfway between them. Megatron holds up an open hand. "Have no fear, Prime, I will return to stasis, peacefully sleeping away the millennia until the stars are right. It's hard to deny there's only so much I can accomplish without the resources of Cybertron and its mighty armies at my beck and call." Megatron's hard-lined face creaks into a thin smile, creeping up from beneath. "I have MUCH to look forward to." He gestures airily at Rodimus. "Has your... new friend told you what you have to look forward to? I hope not. I do hope not. It would ruin the surprise." He cranks his smile back down reluctantly. "But, you see, there is a problem. Who will sleep first? Are we to place our trust in your savage allies not to kill us while we're helpless? What promise can you give me that I can honorably give to my loyal Decepticons, Prime?" Starscream glances to the left and right, noticing Skywarp on one side, then the other and....Thundercracker still hovering up in the air like a dolt (in Starscream's opinion anyway). "Get down here, you fool!" he states quickly, then just folding his arms over his chest and falling...silent. Too silent for Starscream in fact. Megatron touches his finger to his lips in response to Cyclonus' warning. "I am aware, Cyclonus, thank you. I want to hear it from Prime himself." Impactor can't help but grin at Cyclonus's anger towards him, despite the dangerous situation they're currently in. He turns serious again once Cyclonus uses the word 'beseech'. Nobody uses the word 'beseech' unless s---'s just about to get real. He spares a quick glance at Fusillade, wondering why she chose there of all places to land. As Megatron speaks, Impactor's expression turns from neutral to a deep scowl. "Blast it, Prime!" Impactor shouts without specifying which. "This is stupid. Let’s just frag them all and be done with it." Foxfire shoots a look at Impactor, a frown on his muzzle. "Sometimes," he says, holding up a front paw, "violence isn't necessary." Thundercracker blurts out "Why!?" Then his optics flicker as he formulates his thoughts. "Here and now, this is our time, why should we obey the decrees of some future age?" To his credit, he actually appears to be asking sincerely, rather than scornfully. Distractedly, he stretches out the hand he's been pointing at Cyclonus, despite how uneasy the FutureCon makes him, for some reason, and turns it in the air. "They strive to fly," he mutters to himself before following Starscream's orders to land. He sighs heavily as he touches down, casting a baleful glare at the Air Commander. "Of course." He says, deeply, reluctantly adding a "Sir." Rodimus Prime just glares figurative daggers in Megatron's direction, "Don't worry, Megatron. If we all just do things nice and peaceful like, none of you will remember and -every- surprise will be a new one for you." He slowly turns away however as Optimus moves to deal with Megatron... it's better that way. He has way more experience with...him. With his back to the meeting of Prime and `Tron, he makes a quick gesture in Impactor's direction. "Enough! Just...let's see how this goes..." He almost adds a 'be ready for anything', but settles for trying to say it in his expression as he turns to look back over his shoulder again. Remedy heads down the tunnel to tell the bots in the tunnel that Megs and company are here. Soundwave continues to scan the camp, noting specific emplacements and the terrain as he goes...but to the onlooker, only the sunlight off his optics would be seen, hiding the array of information that the tapemaster is currently processing. He stands eerily still, tilting his head slightly as the dialog continues. "Too slow," Skywarp jests at Thundercracker, and then shakes his head at his combat partner. "Megatron has a plan, you'll see. We'll come out on top." Brawn is of course, one of those down inside the hole...looking up as Remedy comes down. "What? Already? Alright let's bust some Decepti-chops!" He slaps one fist into the open palm of another. And then he glances up and...realizes he's been so busy digging, he didn't focus on making footholds to get all the way back out again. "....dangit." Then he squares his shoulders. "We can enter stasis one at a time. One Decepticon, one Autobot, until it comes down to you and I. And then you will have to take my word for it. Timeline or not, I have seven million years to clean you off the wall if you cause trouble. It is a tempting risk." Optimus Prime appears to be unmoved as he stands listening to Megatron. For a moment, even his legendary patience is tested when Impactor starts up. It is the 'old' Prime not the new one that silences him first. "Hush, Impactor. You are not helping." The sentiment does have weight on Optimus' judgment and even he too, feels the barest ticklings of it at his personality core. Megatron has betrayed his own word so many times. Beneath his own mask though, he isn't smiling while he listens. Has he heard of his own future? Yes, he has. All at once there is a twitching of Optimus Prime's face plating. "Like what, Megatron? From what I've heard, you become a raving lunatic that Cyclonus deposits in mental institutions on a regular basis to try and restore sanity to and that in the future he has you taking mood supplement pellets quarter hourly. Has he told YOU that story yet?" He indicates Cyclonus with a nod. "The future holds a grim destiny for both of us, but if it is fate then it cannot be avoided. Things will land as they must be, and millions from years from now we will act out our roles. I am not troubled by where it will lead, the Autobots of the future are in good hands." He tries to rest his hand on Rodimus' shoulder while he moves to step away. Then he squares his shoulders. "We can enter stasis one at a time. One Decepticon, one Autobot, until it comes down to you and I. And then you will have to take my word for it. Timeline or not, I have seven million years to clean you off the wall if you cause trouble. It is a tempting risk." "Yeah thanks, Foxfire." Impactor quickly replies, keeping his gun trained on the Decepticons. "If I need anymore advice from the after school cartoon squad, you'll be the first to know." At Rodimus's orders, Impactor falls silent. It's not like he expected Prime (either of 'em) to say 'ok Impactor, you are right, kill them all', but he did have to ensure his opinion was heard. Only now does he lower his gun, but at Optimus's words he shoots Rodimus a look. Clearly, he wants an explanation. He suspects he won't get it, though. Amber MacKenzie quietly retreats to her rocky crevice, just in case fighting breaks out between the factions. All three of them. Wearily sitting down just inside the entrance, she brings out her dusty but incredibly reliable camcorder and sets it to record. No doubt Soundwave is doing the same with his own equipment. At the delivered warning message from Optimus Torque halts her digging for the moment to look up towards the opening of the tunnel, antennas twitching at Brawn's displeased tone. "No worries, Brawn, I'll get us outta here. I figure we're really close to the pods at this point, so we can drop back in once we see what's happening topside." With that said she smirks and releases a long length of towline from her back, swinging the hook end around before tossing it up and over the lip of the tunnel. Once a few satisfied tugs are given she begins scaling the wall until she's up top, throwing the line back down to let all the others climb up as well while she braces herself. Foxfire narrows his optics a little at Impactor, but decides it best to ignore him for now. Ears perked, the little cassette turns his attention back to the others, secretly bringing his weapons systems online. As much as he prefers not having to fight, with the Decepticons, one has to be ready for anything. After a few moments, Foxfire stands and heads over to wear Amber is hiding. "You okay?" he asks her quietly. Looks like he's offering himself as her shield if anything happens. "Raving lunatic...?" Starscream begins, perking up a bit at a certain bit of Optimus' words. He almost...ALMOST looks like he's about to break into laughter, until something darker crosses his face and he lapses back into a brooding silence again. Still, he's fighting some kind of temptation as he looks at Megatron's back that has him almost -vibrating-. Cyclonus clenches his teeth. Damn you Optimus, why did you have to tell him about THAT part? He's so furious that he wants to strike him right across his faceplate--but only his desire to see the future come to be prevents him from doing so. "He lies, Megatron! The Autobots have ALWAYS believed that you're insane--and will continue to do so after you receive your new body. Nothing truly changes. Regardless, whatever the case may be, you don't wind up in a mausoleum for poor Elita-One to sob over every day." He gives Optimus a cruel sneer at that last bit. "When all is said and done, your fate is far better, Megatron." Archaeonix continues to worriedly wring his tentacles again as Fusillade blasts off to take up her own position, leaving the Quint exposed, and feeling surprisingly vulnerable all of a sudden. With spider-like bone legs scuttling, he begins moving off to one side, and scuttles behind Cyclonus of all people. You know he's not feeling too confident when he's seeking cover from -him-. Megatron's face twists into a mock-sorrow, looking something like a Noh mask. "Ahh, Prime, I am disappointed. He did tell you. Alternating our troops would do, I suppose. Even if your... replacement's barbarians aren't trustworthy in the slightest, I know from experience that you alone will keep your word. Your talk of our relative fates has me thinking, however. It is a heavy burden, isn't it, knowing the future? I can see why you would want to shrug it off and take refuge in optimistic ignorance. You seem content to live out this fate that has been... revealed to you." He nods, thoughtfully. "Personally my philosophy is somewhat different." Rodimus Prime glances back to Impactor, and rolls his shoulders in a half shrug, "It won't matter soon enough anyway, right? I had to reassure Optimus this was the right thing to do. I -had- to..." He trails off then, looking towards Cyclonus and, well, he can't help but take a bit of satisfaction at the future Second having it coming. "-That's- why honesty is always the best policy." He growls that last part under his voice. So low in fact that he catches a certain something in Megatron and Optimus' conversation. "...what?" He slowly turns to look back at the two leaders, a frown forming on his features. Remedy moves to help Torque up out of the tunnel, then goes to help Torque get Brawn out of the tunnel. She sighs once Brawn is topside, then moves out of the tunnel Starscream oh so casually tilts his head back just slightly, his voice lowered and distant, so as not to intrude on the talk between Optimus and Megatron. "Skywarp, Thundercracker. How often is it that I have told you both we must positively, absolutely do what Megatron tells us to do?" "Hey that's awful handy!" Brawn pipes up, happily grabbing onto the rope and easily hauling himself up hand-over-hand until he's at the top of the hole, and leaning down to help other Autobots up as well. "Wonder if all you future bots got such handy tricks? You go on ahead and help the others, I'll get the rest outta this hole, and then we'll catch up!" Skywarp regards Starscream with his usual smirk. "Why, all the time," he says, "Right, Thundercracker?" He glances over at the blue seeker. As Optimus Prime responds to Megatron, his laser rifle appears in his hand. This is probably a signal in and of itself for the rest of the Autobots. He keeps it pointed at the ground but ready, light gleaming off the barrel as it rests in his fist like an old familiar friend. "It is not a burden to me at all, Megatron. I do not live with the illusions of having immortality or the aspirations of getting it. The Autobots are alive and well and in good hands. That is enough for me." There is a soft twinkle in the luminescence of his optics. "And I think it is better to rest easy in a mausoleum, knowing my duty is finished than to be feared for more insanity than for power or deeds." He straightens up, the rifle lifting a few degrees. "You cannot dodge fate, Megatron! For all we know, we have done this before and are going to do it again! This timeline is coming full circle and try as you might, it cannot be changed and must be allowed to continue." He understands where this is going. "Resist, or start this up, Megatron, and we will put what is left of you in stasis one way or another. I will not let you change history!" Thundercracker frowns and folds his arms as his question appears to go unanswered. His lip curls as he regards the Futurebots, who apparently still refuse to fly. His gaze skips across the sycophantical Cyclonus, unwilling to accept /that/ as the future. "I asked a ques-" He breaks off as Starscream speaks and he tilts his head, considering the question. He starts to open his mouth to say the word 'never,' but Skywarp interrupts. With a wince, he says "Incessantly." Impactor's glare softens at Rodimus's words. After a long pause, he finally nods in apparent agreement. "Yeah," he says. As Brawn and the other Autobots finally get themselves out of the pit, Impactor comments in their direction. "Hey, Brawn. Where's Wheeljack?" Even as he says this, he's looking back to Megatron and his Decepticons. Sounds like things are coming to a head in the negotiations. Soundwave continues to stand still, save for his head, which e turns slightly at Starscream's remark. He knows better than to let that one out of his sight, and the more senses he has to watch him with, the better. At least with the Autobots you know where their allegiance lies. Cyclonus visibly despairs at what Megatron says. "What... what do you mean, my Lord?" This is the sort of thing he sees in his nightmares. Galvatron decides to do something really stupid, endangering the entire faction for no reason, and Cyclonus tries to stop him, and the next thing he knows, Galvatron is in pieces at his feet and all the other Decepticons are staring at him in horror... it usually goes like that. He's so horrified at what he fears will happen that he scarcely notices the Quintesson hidden behind him. "Dodge fate?" Megatron muses casually, "I don't believe in fate. Oh, I think Hot Rod and Cyclonus and the others have told us their pasts, so far as it serves them to tell it truely. But that past is not necessarily our future, as I think they know very well, which is why they have convinced you to go along with their plan. Lest we change things. Lest we write our own history." His eyes gleam redly as he stares down his wary nemesis. "You can surrender the right to create your own future. But, well, you know me." Megatron gives a low, confidential laugh, a self-deprecating laugh and turning up his open hands before him. "I could never walk another being's path. If I am supposed to kill you..." He clenches his hands into fists and takes a half-step back, digging his back foot into the volcanic ground with a crunch as he tenses in anticipation of the backblast from the shot. "WHY NOT RIGHT NOW?!" Amber MacKenzie sees Foxfire coming, so she's not startled. "Fine," she answers truthfully enough. "Want to join me and watch the fireworks?" She fidgets a bit and then reaches under her knee to fish a sharp fragment of rock out of the dust. Tossing it aside, she continues, "Ouch. Anyway, it looks like my theory may be put to the test. Let's see if the past can be changed..." Rodimus Prime guesses he should have known this was going to happen. He's already in motion as the first words are coming from Megatron's mouth. No no NO! it's almost like a repeat of before. It's almost... No time to think about that, Rodimus already lunging straight ahead, one hand shoving out to push forcefully at the chestplate of other Prime, to shove him out of the way. "NO YOU DON'T, MEGATRON!" Combat: Megatron strikes Rodimus Prime with his Fusion Cannon Sudden Gutshot attack! Foxfire smiles a bit. "If 'fireworks' happen," he says, "I'll stay here to protect you." And then...Megatron decides to be...well, Megatron. "Oh, Primus!" he interjects, whipping around and taking on a defensive, crouching posture. "Chief!" he cries as Rodimus rushes in to save Optimus. It's a horrifying site, even though Foxfire was not present at the battle of Autobot City in 2005. "Damn it!" Rodimus Prime follows an inevitable path that comes to an inevitable conclusion, shoving Optimus out of the way, just as the harsh purple lance of destructive force impacts straight in the center of his torso. Were he Hot Rod, that probably would have spelled the end of him outright... ...even still, the blast's concussive force takes Rodimus off of his feet, hurtling him through the air, a trailing cloud of smoke arcing behind him from the crater in his torso as he crashes down forcefully on his back and slides along the volcanic stone in a shower of sparks... ...and proceeds to slide right off the edge of the magma-filled crater and over the side, out of sight. Optimus Prime talked about fate. He is a strong believer in it as well as the need to life a live that is worth reflecting on when he is finished. Optimus Prime does not fear death and as the shot winds up he raises his own rifle with lightning, blazing speed to try and get a blast of his own off first. Rodimus is suddenly in his field of vision, interfering. "Out of the way, Rodimus!" He says; a microsecond before Megatron's shot lands. Optimus looks down at himself. He is whole. He does not have time right this second to tend to Rodimus, the other Prime will have to look after himself. "Autobots, Past and Future!" Optimus Prime calls. " . . Megatron is going back in his box. I will see to him. Impactor, you stop Cyclonus! The rest of you -- do what needs to be done!" And then, he begins to rush forward with every bit of speed he can muster; transforming after fifty yards or so. He is illuminated by a sudden burst of light as his trailer appears, Megatron's ugly mug reflected in the chrome of his grille as he heads straight for him. "Non-combatants, find Rodimus!" Combat: Freightliner FL86 strikes Megatron with his 18 Wheels of Justice attack! "Now that that grotesque imitation is OUT of the PICTURE," Megatron gloats, steam rising from his cannon barrel, "You and I can settle the question right here and now, Prime! WE are the lynchpins! WE are the fulcrum on which history hinges, not these pale ghosts wailing from an uncertain future! WE are the future - let it be decided NOW!" Foxfire stares in horror. "RODIMUS!" he screams, wanting desperately to help his leader. But what can he, a little tapebot, do? Cyclonus doesn't really give a damn what happens to Rodimus. As far as he's concerned he WANTS the little bastard to die. Even so, Cyclonus is horrified at what's happening. "No, no!!!" he screams, watching his carefully laid plans crumble to ash. "Megatron--why!? You will have power beyond reckoning! Optimus will be dead! You'll have a legion of warriors loyal only to you!!! WHY?!!" But Cyclonus does not take part in the fight. Instead, he stands there, transfixed with horror. Remedy comes out to see the leaders get ready to pick a fight. She almost screams seeing Rodimus go over the edge of the crater. She transforms, and hauls six to fly over the crater and see where Roddy is, and maybe repair him... Amber MacKenzie leaps to her feet. "Bugger! Come on, Foxfire. We humans can't get too near that magma, but if Rodimus is still conscious, you might be able to help him if you could get a rope or cable down to him, he might be able to hold on to it long enough for someone else to get there and help pull him up. Where's Reidan...?" Rodimus Prime is gone from sight, initially, nothing seen but the steam that rises up into the air followed by the heatwaves that blur the vision and make it hard to see anything whatsoever. But as Remedy overflies the crater, she gets a good view of where Rodimus has gone. It's hard to pick out at first, with his flaming paintjob in contrast to he bubbling magma below him, but his form...still smouldering and sparking in the crater in his torso where he took the blast, dangles precariously. Arms swinging freely below him as he seems to be offline for the moment, Rodimus' right foot has caught in a snag between two rocky protrusions about his 'ankle', keeping him dangling precariously over the boiling pitch. Impactor doesn't bother telling Foxfire 'I told you so', as he's too busy rolling into cover behind a makeshift barricade constructed from parts of the Quintesson wreck. Peaking up above it with his pistol, he begins blasting away at the past Decepticons. For now, he tries to avoid killing the present (future?) Cons. After a few uncoded shots to keep the past-Cons scattered, Impactor immediately begins searching for where Cyclonus is. It'll be him that determines how all this plays out. He hears Optimus's words and gives a grim nod. "On it," he says. He spots Cyclonus screaming at Megatron, but to even his amazement, he refrains from pulling the trigger. He wants to, too. Cyclonus is just standing there, begging (begging!) to be shot in the back. It'd be easy. The Autobot keeps Cyclonus in his pistol's sights, sloooowly reaching for the trigger. But no, Impactor decides to go with reason and avoids firing. "...Cyc, you going to give us trouble?" Soundwave also dives behind cover, unsure what may happen now that Megatron has near-slagged Rodimus Prime. Best to see how this plays out - besides, he is least helpless of any Decepticon behind cover, where havoc is still just the press of a button away... Torque nods to Brawn when he says he'll get the rest out, leaving him with some more line before her systems cycle around another hook on a tow line spool from her back. The sound of tensing voices immediately grabs her attention, the femme quickly making her way up to the others just in time to see Megatron fire at Optimus Prime. But the intended target is spared when Rodimus intercepts the blast, Torque's optics widening when she sees their Prime tumble over the edge of the volcanic crater. "Prime!!" Amber must have been a mind reader, because Torque already has more of her line spooled out in hand as she sprints for the lip of the crater, nearly going over herself as she skids to a halt and leans out to try and spot him. Thankfully she does, although the paintjob against the magma doesn't help. With a strategy already running through her head Torque looks up at Remedy in the sky, swinging her tow hook and launching it up high, "Remedy catch! Hover me to where Prime is and I'll lower down to get him!" Foxfire quickly turns to Amber, optics wide. "But..." He pauses. He's clearly reluctant to leave Amber unprotected, but Rodimus does need help. He gives the Cybertronian equivalent of a sigh, and nods. "All right. I'll go help Rodimus. You stay hidden; if anything happens, I'll be here to protect you." With that, he darts off to the crater, activates his anti-gravs, and dives down. "Chief!" Foxfire exclaims upon seeing his leader, and comes to a stop, hovering beside him. "Just...just hang on! Oh, Primus, what can I do...?" With a resounding clang Optimus smashes into Megatron and sends him reeling, spun off to the side where he skids to a halt and comes up with cannon blazing. "Because, Cyclonus, I am MEGATRON, and I will accept no treasure that wasn't wrested from the hands of the unwilling! Whatever I get, I will have on my own terms! I will have all those things and more- by MY hand, not the hand of distant fate! Now, destroy the Autobots and SEIZE your destiny by the THROAT instead of meekly following it!" Combat: Megatron misses Freightliner FL86 with his Fusion Cannon attack! "Decepticons, ATTACK!" Megatron shouts, rising to his full height and charging after Optimus Prime, cannon pulsing purple blasts across the crater's edge. "Yes, of course. Exactly." Starscream asides to the other two seekers without so much as a single bit of sarcasm in his tone. Sometimes he really thinks he -is- the ultimate example of proper leadership and being a second-in-command....to eventually one day be a first in command of course. But right now... "Now is one of those times. FIGHT you fools! Or a future in which -we- may become irrelevant will come to pass!" Lunging forward, Starscream suddenly interposes himself on the OTHER side of Cyclonus, both of his arms raised and his cannons pointed at the future Decepticon as well. Impactor on one side. Starscream on the other. "Yes Cyclonus. I concur with the future-Autobot fully." Starscream intones with a sneer. "ARE you going to give us any -trouble-?" Skywarp's smirk turns into a wide-mouthed grin. "Yeah!" he shouts, after Megatron fires and succeeds in catching Rodimus by surprise. "See? Told you he had a plan," he says to Starscream and Thundercracker, "Now we get to vaporize the rest of them." When Megatron gives the order, he braces his arms straight and his laser rifles are pointed at the Autobots. "You're doomed!" he says, and starts firing rapidly and randomly. Combat: Skywarp strikes Foxfire with his Surprise pew-pew! (Laser) attack! Thundercracker activates his thrusters, kicking off from the ground as Megatron makes a stand for... well, himself, rather than this divergent timeline, assuming that's what this is. But He's followed Megatron for far lesser reasons, so he buries his guilt along with the rest of his stored doubts. Attack? Attack whom? Flinging out an arm and clenching his fist, he chooses a target at random, and fires. Combat: Thundercracker misses Torque with his Drone Rocket attack! Cyclonus stares at Megatron, his mouth hanging open. He had thought he might have to do this, but the actual reality of it... it's almost too much. And his distracted state easily allows Impactor to get the jump on him, but once the Wrecker's decided to just ask a question, Cyclonus has to think on it. Then... "You say I should seize my destiny, Megatron?" Cyclonus says. "Oh, I intend to. And yes, Impactor, there will be a great DEAL of trouble indeed--" He whirls on Starscream, his oxidizing rifle raised. "FOR YOU! Loyalists of Galvatron, attack! FIGHT FOR YOUR FUTURE!" And he fires a searing blast at Starscream, intent on taking him out of the fight early! "Fight, fight for a future where Unicron is dead! Where Optimus is dead! Where Cybertron lives again! Where the Decepticons have spread their empire into the galaxy! FIGHT, DAMN YOU!" Combat: Cyclonus strikes Starscream with his Oxidizing Laser attack! "MMM-yep," Fusillade remarks to herself when Megatron takes action. The Quintesson's warning about meddling with the time stream doesn't seem to have the thing to have deterred Fusillade from taking to space. The grey and white aerialist takes to the air, and swivels to face Impactor -- before Starscream turns on Cyclonus. "Megatron's instructions don't seem to have been terribly clear, though," she scowls at the silver and red Air Commander. "Pitt," she utters under her intake, unconfident in her ability to deter the nimble Academy graduate. "Your aim's off, Starscream!" she announces, rolling her shoulder and whipcracking her sidearm at him. "Autobots are in the OTHER direction." Combat: Fusillade misses Starscream with her Higher-Capacitance Argon Bolt (Laser) attack! Blazing crimson fire blossoms around the twain fuel tanks and quad dual-wheels of the freightliner that is Optimus Prime. The trailer unlinks and disappears into subspace while the tractor transforms into Optimus Prime! He lands in a defensive crouch as Megatron's purple fire tears up nothing so much as the ground where he once was. "This is folly, Megatron! This is ridiculous! If by accident or necessity we kill you in the past, where will your future self be? You're risking everything -- for nothing!" Then he has to step in close to Megatron -- trying to grab the tyrant's wrists and grapple with him, strength to strength to try and overpower him with his righteous strength. "Call it off, and you'll all go into stasis unharmed. This is insane, even for you!" Combat: Optimus Prime strikes Megatron with his Overpower attack! Impactor looks past Cyclonus, seeing Starscream. His scowl deepens. "Come on, Cyc... you know you hate Starscream more than me." He has no idea if this is true, but Starscream /is/ pretty hated, so he figures there's a fair chance. His finger rests on the trigger, slooooowly starting to squeeze it as Cyclonus gives his speech. But then, the Decepticon second in command raises his rifle, aims for the Seeker, and blasts him. "...huh," Impactor says, clearly surprised. This doesn't take him out of the action for long, however, as he takes a swift half step to the left and fires--at Starscream along with Fusillade. A wave of relief passes over Impactor, as things have gone from terrible to /terribly awesome/. Combat: Impactor misses Starscream with his Laser Pistol Blast attack! Reidan by now, had taken shelter behind some rocks. Having nothing but his pointed stick, he really was quite useless here as he watched carefully, ready to limp-run towards better shelter, or do a crazy kamikaze attack through a forcefield a second time, if the opportunity arose. F-5E tilts to let the hook snag an air intake, mmmphing as she's suddenly dealing with Torque's weight. She flies a bit lower, < Amber MacKenzie scowls as Foxfire darts off to help Rodimus. Not at Foxfire; at the scene. And the necessity that requires to risk leaving her not-so-secret hiding place. Taking advantage of every bit of cover that she can, she ghosts her way down into the crater, between the huge feet jumping and stumbling about, towards that rather important though very annoying scientist that will be helping them get back home. Or at least to have that option. "Are you going to stand there like a moron?" she hisses to Archaeonix. "Get into cover before you get cannoned!" "I am not afraid!" The Quintesson's T-Rex skull starts to shout, but is abruptly replaced by the normal face again. It's been showing up more and more lately, like Archaeonix were getting more control of himself again. "And where do you suggest we -go- exactly!? I cannot fit into your little hiding place!" His tentacles wave about frantically, indicating the crater and the surroundings and the distinct lack of cover. Nonetheless, he looks off to the side, then gestures to the nearby treeline. "There!" Rodimus continues to dangle like a ripe piece of meat in the butcher's shop, his form waving slowly back and forth in place as the boiling air around him shimmers with heat waves. Little bits of rock crumble loose from the protrusions that hold his ankle...for the moment. Torque nods at Remedy's words, figuring the jet wouldn't be able to lift them both out anyway. Change of plans then. "Right. Get on standby for repairs the second I haul him up." She releases the line, rolling around another hook which she unspools when Foxfire comes rushing over. With a smirk she leans down to let him take the line, "Alright Foxfire, time to shine. I need you to take this and fly it down to Prime. Once he's hooked on lemme know and I'll start pulling him up. Foxfire snatches the line in his jaws. "Right away," he says quickly. "All right, hang on, boss!" He dives back down into the crater and proceeds to secure Rodimus with the line. Once he's finished, he waves a front paw up at Torque. "Okay, pull him up!" Starscream is struck by that blasted laser of Cyclonus'...again, lifted off his feet and catapulted back to crash onto the ground in short order. Raising his head, he groans a bit as he feels a bit of sparking along his arm guns, sourly noting how the attack has affected his systems. But then he's under attack from MULTIPLE angles, leaping harshly to one side as Fusillade opens fire, then diving to the ground again as Impactor fires at him as well, the shot streaking overhead. "Gyah! -Am- I pointing in the wrong direction? YOu and the Autobots from your time are too talkative with the likes of Soundwave and Reflector at our disposal! For once, and I can't -believe- I am saying this...I agree with Megatron! Your future, if it even turns out that way, doesn't have to be OURS! Skywarp, Thundercracker...ASSIST ME YOU FOOLS!" As he says this, Starscream aims both his blasters straight at Cyclonus' torso, letting loose a collective blasts of null energy. Combat: Starscream misses Cyclonus with his Null Ray Blast attack! Soundwave evaluates the battle from behind the outcropping, but watching Starscream's reaction carefully. "Calculations complete." he says, stepping out, and approaching Megatron's wily second in command. "Opportunity - never better." he continues, as he quickens his pace, bringing his arm up offensively. "Starscream, this is a long time coming," he intones loudly in exclamation, as he leaps forward, fist first aimed for the seeker's jaw. Combat: Soundwave misses Starscream with his Tape Commander Smackdown attack! Foxfire yelps as Skywarp's shot hits him, but despite that, he carries on with his task. Starscream, the ultimate backstabber, is in turn...backstabbed by Soundwave it would seem. OH THE IRONY. Thundercracker freezes in mid-air, torn by indecision as Cyclonus strikes out at the Decepticons. That is, the /now/ Decepticons. "Are you scared?" He calls out, to the Future 'Formers. "Scared that we might negate the future you call home?" He raises his arms, aiming his blasters at Cyclonus and- Oh, Starscream is yelling at him, yelling at him to do what he's already doing. For a spilt second he's tempted /not/ to listen, but force of habit has him firing anyway. Combat: Thundercracker strikes Cyclonus with his Incendiary Gun attack! "Ah, Optimus, you fail to see the genius of my plan! You want to preserve your precious future, so you CAN'T kill me!" Megatron rasps, catching Optimus as the other leader slams into him, spreading spiderweb cracks across his nickel-plated armor. "While I, on the other hand, have NO such qualms! Have you considered that? I CANNOT lose! Defeat me, and die at my hand in the far future! Be defeated by me, and die at my hand now, with aeons more for me to exterminate your ragged band and secure my victory before retreating to stasis to wait for Cybertron's perigee! I have ALREADY won this battle!" Combat: Megatron strikes Optimus Prime with his Crush You: Bare Hands attack! "You're ALREADY dead," Megatron hisses into Prime's antenna as if telling a secret. Skywarp is distracted from the elation he feels from hitting a little tape fox by Starscream's hollering. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he says, as he aims at Cyclonus as well. "Those who aren't doing things Megatron's way, need to hit the highway. Or the scrapheap!" He fires at the Decepticon with the strange forked helmet. Combat: Skywarp misses Cyclonus with his Disruptor attack! Cyclonus does, in fact, hate Starscream more than he hates Impactor. In fact, he's not sure if there is anyone, Autobot or Decepticon, that he hates more than Starscream. Sidestepping Starscream's null ray blast, the space warrior roars, "I will tear you apart, limb from limb, Starscream! Agggh--" It's then that Thundercracker blasts him from above, and Cyclonus glares up at him. "...but it seems that I ought to start with your lackeys. Thundercracker! It's time I repaid you for your insubordination!" Leaping into the air, Cyclonus transforms into his fighter mode, his nuclear turbines propelling him towards the Seeker. He jinks briefly to avoid Skywarp's shot, then flings himself bodily at Thundercracker. "Now you will learn of my fury, you fool!" Combat: Starfighter misses Thundercracker with his Ramming Speed attack! "Boys, boys, boys! Break it up, or at least wait until after you've pummeled all the AUTOBOTS into submission FIRST before starting into each other!" Fusillade waves her hands wildly in the air, trying to get the attention of the other aerial Decepticons. Beautiful F-15s murdering a beautiful starfighting spacejet. It just wasn't fair! She growls, and also transforms, engines thundering to life as she pulls up high, trying to get a fix on the wildly zooming aircraft. "This'd be a lot easier with a targeting buddy around..." The seams in her gloss white belly pop open, revealing a rotary launcher rack that slings past the bomb hardpoints, and arms a series of small missiles. They hiss to life, and zip off toward their hot targets! Fusillade leans forward, wingblades whipping out to their full span, even as her arms lock backward in place as the rear fuselage. Her torso folds out to the become the cockpit of a Terran B-1B Lancer, ready for flight! Combat: Space-Going B-1R Lancer misses Starscream with her Heat-Seeking Flechettes Area attack! Combat: Space-Going B-1R Lancer strikes Skywarp with her Heat-Seeking Flechettes Area attack! Combat: Space-Going B-1R Lancer strikes Thundercracker with her Heat-Seeking Flechettes Area attack! As Optimus Prime grapples with Megatron he is dealt the Decepticon Leader's terrific strength. But the hero will not give up so easily, even as Megatron's counter creates hairline fractures in his forearms, elbows and shoulders. Calmly and resolutely, his feet plant themselves a wayward elbow; trying to catch Megatron's hands in both of his own and haul them sharply downwards to render the other unable to continue their melee for just a second -- just long enough to speak. "To do what, then? You live and become a simpering lunatic? It is my understanding that Cyclonus is the one who truly leads the Decepticons. He almost had you swallowing it, too." He twists then, and brings up one of his feet and attempts to plant it hard in Megatron's chest and kick him off towards the volcano. Combat: Optimus Prime strikes Megatron with his Kick in the jimmy attack! "You should be," Amber snarks back at the T-Rex. "Yes, it's the only cover in sight, unless you want to go down to the pods. I'd rather not be pinned down there myself if the wrong side wins," she adds as she hurries along with the obnoxious scientist. "And you'd better hope that the Autobots win. If they don't, the Decepticons will squeeze every bit of information you have from your hapless body before killing you." Irony that the Decepticons have done exactly what Impactor himself wanted to do - spill the beans to each other for their own advantage - is not lost on him. Still, it's something he'll need to deal with later. Vaulting over his makeshift barricade, Impactor lands by Cyclonus. He sees Cyclonus dodge the blast from Starscream, but then another shot hits home. Impactor cranes his neck, looking up at the hovering Thundercracker. Skywarp is similarly not too far. "Forget them, Cyc!" he orders. "Deal with Starscream." He turns, aiming his shoulder cannon upwards, "Me and Fusillade can deal with these two morons." Raising his arm to protect himself from the glare of Fusillade's explosions, Impactor fires a quick blast at each Seeker. Only Skywarp's is coded, though, because he's more of a dick. Combat: Impactor strikes Skywarp with his Actually Shooting At Both Seekers But Skywarp Deserves It More (Laser) attack! Reidan Wesley picks up his stick, and keeping his head down he quickly makes his way across the battlefield too, ending up soon at Amber's side near the Quintesson. Shaking dust off his hat he notes, loudly over the sounds of the battle "Just another day, eh? " with sarcasm in his voice as he watches. A wince "ooo... careful!" F-5E descends further, turning to disengage the hook near Torque, before transforming and landing next to the edge. Looking over, she radios down to Foxfire, <> "If you think they'll pump me for information, human, consider yourself fortunate if they just decide to STEP on you!" Archaeonix frets and fumes like a panicking scientist...starting to lead the way as he scuttles along on those bone-legs towards the treeline as quickly as he can...but safely. There's a lot of stray firepower flying around along with explosions and it's making staying upright tricky. "Don't expect me to protect you if they draw their attention this way!" he adds to the two shorter humanoids with him. Of course the T-Rex has to get in his two cents, "You're not worth the effort!" Reidan Wesley remarks "Yes, but remember all we'd have to do is outrun YOU, and you look more trippable than us. Rodimus Prime has the coil of cable secured around his foot...JUST In the nick of time as the rocky protrusions suddenly give way in a small avalanche. There's a split second of stomach-lurching freefall as he drops towards the molten magma below...then followed by the harsh *CRACK* of the line going taught, along with the sudden extra dead weight of a full sized Prime dangling at the end. It's now...and only now, that his optics start to light up slowly. Bit by little bit, as he begins to come back online, his gaze shifting upwards as he looks above (below) him and sees the boiling pitch below. "...okay." Rodimus whispers hoarsely. "...this is probably goes at the top of the list of worst wake-up calls..." Torque peers down into the volcano as Foxfire uses his anti-gravs to fly down and hook up Rodimus. At the tape's signal she nods, armor plating shifting around as she transforms into truck mode. Her towing rig strains when the protrusion gives way and she's tugged back a bit by the weight, engines roaring to life and tires spinning in the dirt to gain traction and keep herself from sliding back while the rig hoists him up from his precarious perch. Once Remedy lands, ready to assist, Torque pulls up Rodimus the last few feet before he's finally dragged up onto solid ground. "Alright, he's up! Let's just hope he hasn't lost too much energon." Once Rodimus is safely away from the edge of the crater Torque transforms back to her robot mode, removing the hook and letting the line retract into her back where it belongs. "Just relax Prime." She kneels beside him with Remedy, already scanning him with a diagnostic tool to see how bad the damage really is. "We'll get yah fixed up in no time." "You won't have such an easy time as you think you will, Cyclonus! I'm through playing things fair and square by your twisted sense of honor!" Starscream rasps with no small amount of satisfaction as now Cyclonus -himself- comes under fire from multiple directions and takes some of his own punishment in turn. "It's time for the strongest and the smartest to survive and dictate what history will be wri...wha?" And a moment later, as Soundwave lunges in, Starscream is diving harshly to one side, into a tuck and roll and coming up on one knee, his gun now pointing back at the tape commander and a look of shock on his face. He's used to backstabbing, not BEING the one backstabbed. "Soundwave, what are you doing!?" Starscream cries out in unbridled fury. "You treacherous traitor! What did you find on that future copy of Rumble's databanks that you aren't sharing with the rest of us? Their future looks favorably on -you- doesn't it!" But he hasn't got time to focus on that, as hot flechettes are exploding all around him, sending the seeker commander rising into the sky to avoid getting blasted as he transforms and keeps on rising. The F-15 blasting up past the huge form of Fusillade's alternate mode, then looping back in a hard burn as he pulls onto her Six O'clock position. "NO ONE, is putting me back into stasis and messing with my head. NO ONE!" FWOOSH The first missile streaks away from his underside, followed by an explosion of exhaust from a second as they suddenly streak away and slash in towards the Lancer's broad afted end. Interestingly enough, the first missile actually screams -past- Fusillade and keeps tracking its own target, heading for the aerial form of Cyclonus. The second however, is ALL hers. Combat: F-15 strikes Space-Going B-1R Lancer with his Tone lock...Fox One! Fox Two! Area attack! Combat: F-15 strikes Starfighter with his Tone lock...Fox One! Fox Two! Area attack! "You think I'd LET him, Prime? I have no plan to let any such event occur," replies Megatron, picking himself back up from a Megatron-shaped divot in the cliff wall where Optimus just hurled him with titanic strength. "Assuming Cyclonus wasn't... bending the truth to soften the blow when he told you that. You're so trusting!" Reeling out his flail, Megatron charges it with energy and stalks back towards Prime, spinning it over his head in a crackling, humming wheel of light. "I will do WHATEVER I have to, to make sure the future unfolds as I wish! As will any TRUE Decepticon!" Praise for Starscream? Maybe it's best that Megatron uttered it while Starscream was probably too busy to hear. Combat: Megatron strikes Optimus Prime with his Epic Flail attack! Skywarp's face contorts into a visage of sheer rage as he's attacked by two at once! "Hey!" he shouts at Impactor, "You want to play, then let's play!" He teleports, disappearing in a small aura of blue light that winks out with a star shaped *ping*. Mere fractions of a second later, he reappears behind Impactor in order to get the drop on him. Combat: Skywarp misses Impactor with his Gone clubbin BRB SURPRISE! attack! Foxfire flies back out of the crater and lands beside Rodimus, deactivating his anti-gravs. "You'll be okay, boss," he murmurs. And too busy Starscream is, as while Starscream somehow manage to dodge his blow AND the fiery missile, he's probably not ready for the tapemaster's quick recovery. Soundwave turns his flying fist into a tuck and roll, coming back up and turning immediately in Starscream's direction and firing off a rocket, all in one fluid motion. Combat: Soundwave strikes F-15 with his Stick THIS in your big mouth! attack! Thundercracker twists in mid air, dodging nimbly out of the way of Cyclonus' attack. He pauses guiltily, though, before pursuing. His deepest thoughts /are/ insubordinate, possibly even treasonous. It is while he is hesitating that Fusillade's flechettes strike home, digging into his armour. Biting back a curse, Thundercracker transforms and soars towards Cyclonus, as Impactor doesn't seem to be too interested in him. Frankly, he'd rather talk all this through, but he suspects no-one else wishes to. Nearing Cyclonus, he unleashes his signature move; a bone-shattering, earth-rattling sonic roar. Combat: Blue F-15C strikes Starfighter with his Sonic Boom attack! "I am not taking orders from you!" Cyclonus roars back at Impactor. "I do this in the name of the--ARGH!!!!" A missile explodes by his fuselage, tearing it up but not penetrating the armor. "Nevermind--you're right!" He banks around again, bearing down on Starscream. "You want to know what happens to you, Starscream? You really want to know? Alright, then, we're all letting out dirty laundry out into the air, so why not!? YOU DIE, STARSCREAM! Galvatron incinerates you in ONE SHOT! You barely even have time to express your surprise before you die! Oh, but your death is so wonderfully inglorious! HA!" And he sprays oxidizing blasts at the garish Seeker, filling the air between them with magenta energy. However, Thundercracker's sonic attack rattles him hard, and his armor begins to show cracks. "...arggh! Must... keep my aim steady!" Combat: Starfighter strikes F-15 with his Oxidizing Laser attack! Impactor's instructions to Cyclonus are barely audible to Fusillade. She attempts to twist out of the way, but her windup turn is just a bit too wide, and a bit too long. Starscream's return volley has no trouble punching through her rear tail fuselage. There's a gargled shout from her as she attempts to deny him the satisfaction. "Good boy," she utters under her breath as Skywarp sets upon an Autobot. She peels off, and then focuses on Thundercracker. "Well, let's get to it, sunshine." She sends several bolts of disruptor fire lancing toward him. Combat: Space-Going B-1R Lancer misses Blue F-15C with her Disruptor attack! Optimus Prime knows that you can't parry a flail and he twists into it, the spiked edges smashing into his right shoulder and tearing away the whole pauldron; stack and all in a shower of sparks and fluid. With his arm wreathed in blue energon sparks, Optimus pulls back for just a moment to examine his wound. "Looked around, Megatron? Soundwave, Cyclonus and others fight against you. This battle is already lost." He takes another step back. " . . . today? You talk too much." His rifle flashes back into his hand and lets loose a blast dead center. If Megatron had a navel, that is where he'd be aiming. "Go back in your box, Megatron. You can do this in one piece or twenty, it's on you!" Combat: Optimus Prime strikes Megatron with his Laser Rifle attack! Amber MacKenzie smirks. "I don't think they'll notice me at all, actually. I *am* unworthy of their attention, and I like it that way. And yes, compared to what they'll do to *you*, I would be lucky. Hey, Reidan. I was wondering where you were. Welcome to the first annual Dinobot Island Marathon." A hissing, smoking fragment of one of the flyers impacts the ground at her feet, and she almost trips over it. "Bloody hell!" Rodimus Prime is hauled up in short order by the rescuing Autobots, leaning up on one elbow, his other hand clasped over the crater in his torso. It's only testament to his incredibly durability as a Prime that he wasn't holed straight through with a shot that would do the same to most other transformers. Torque can certainly attest to knowing that experience well. "Nngh...thanks guys." he says quietly, struggling to keep it together. "...I sometimes wondered every time Galvatron shot me if I was taking it just like Optimus used to from Megatron. I can personally attest, that stings just as much." Impactor knows what he's up against. The moment Skywarp shouts at him and vanishes, he knows exactly what's going to happen. Hell, he probably knew what Skywarp's great big plan was going to be even before Skywarp did. The Seeker teleports, and Impactor is already whirling around, arm outstretched to block the inevitable strike. With his other arm free, he slashes violently at the air using the drill bit harpoon Wheeljack gave him. The first part of the plan works perfectly, and Impactor manages to smash Skywarp's attack away. Will the second part of the plan work? "You're a f-" !!!!SONIC BOOM!!!! "-g idiot, Skywarp." Combat: Impactor misses Skywarp with his Anticipated Slash attack! Remedy leans over Rodimus, "Slag, this seems familiar." She starts scanning him, and starts working at patching up the leaks of Energon, "You lay back, Sir. Let me get the leaks patched, while Torque might be able to generate some armor plate to fill this hole." The Quintesson's legs continue to scuttle spider-like as he rushes across the ground as quickly as possible, until past the crater and finally at the treeline, where he finally pauses and feels safe enough to turn in place and look back. His normal head is notably silent, probably just content that he's not -dead- and too afraid to spoil it. That doesn't stop his other heads from being chatty, the Sabertooth face being the one closest to Reidan and Amber, "Tell me, fleshlings. What are you going to do if all of this is for naught? Perhaps we will wake up when all of this is finished, and things have -not- been preserved. Perhaps your entire world has been plundered by the Decepticons." "Ah. Not QUITE the first, but very close! " *BLAM* Reidan ducks. "When we get back to your time, I do need to speak to you on a rather urgent matter." Then he speaks to the Sabertoothed "Well then, the way things go, we will think that world is perfectly normal and acceptable, in a way. I imagine if it DID happen though I would have died already." he explains. Foxfire keeps part of his attention on the pandemonium around him. But he stays close to Rodimus and the two femmes. There's probably not much he can do, but he wants to protect his leader at all costs...though Torque will most likely do most of the protecting. She's much stronger, after all. In more ways than one. "Well, Optimus is still takin' the punches from Megatron right now. I just hope he can handle him while we fix you up." Torque gives a worried glance over her shoulder at the leaders of the past duke it out. But her mind is brought back when Remedy speaks, Torque nodding, "On it." Thankfully as a medic she carries around extra metal for patching and jury rigs, so a few plates are pulled from the medical kit she grabs from subspace, as well as welding tool. Once Remedy patches up the leaks Torque gets to work on closing the large hole itself with the plates. "It's not gonna look pretty, but it's the best we can do until we actually get you into a proper medbay." Starscream wasn't able to avoid that last one by Soundwave, the harsh *BA BOOM* and fragments of armor flying free as the corkscrewing missile finds it mark in his tail section. It sends him spinning just in time to intersect with Cyclonus' streaming laser blasts that pockmark his frame, sending him hurtling to the ground and avoiding a chaotic crash only by transforming at the last second and landing with a harsh smash of knees on the volcanic dirt, panting as he tries to get air to his systems. If there's one thing he can take satisfaction in...it's the fact that Cyclonus isn't looking too hot right now either. Too bad he's too busy fretting about his own situation, right? "Help me, you fools! SAVE ME!" He calls out forcefully to both Thundercracker and Skywarp. And then he pauses, looking straight along the treeline that he crashed down on...spotting an ovoid shaped form and two humans next to it. Comprehension crosses his features, and the seeker abruptly turns in place and looks back to the fighting leaders, "Mighty Megatron!" Yes he's using that flattering tone that he uses when he really REALLY REALLY wants to try and get Megatron's attention. His right hand raises and stabs a finger straight at the alien trio. "The alien! The Quintesson! They need -him- to complete their plan!" Combat: Starscream strikes Blue F-15C with his Horrible Leadership Decisions Area attack! Combat: Starscream strikes Skywarp with his Horrible Leadership Decisions Area attack! Combat: Starscream strikes himself with his Horrible Leadership Decisions Area attack! Skywarp knew that Impactor knew that he knew! After having swung unsuccessfully at the Wrecker, Skywarp quickly teleports again, so that the hook is slicing through a rapidly imploding blue hazy aura instead of him. He reappears some distance away, pointing and laughing. "Hah! What's the matter? Too fast for ya?" he taunts, firing his guns at Impactor. "Maybe you ought to do something about your rusty servos!" Then Starscream appeals to him to do something, with the added force of a slight lasery reminder, so he opens fire at Cyclonus again. Combat: Skywarp strikes Starfighter with his Laser attack! "Ah, is that SO?" Megatron asks, sounding intrigued, as he unfolds from where he was bent over clutching his smoking, sparking midsection. He roughly jams some parts that Optimus blasted free back into the cavity and jogs swiftly to the volcanic rim, ducking under Optimus' shots to skid down the slope after the Quintesson and its human companions. "Come here, alien! You are relevant to my plan after all!" Combat: Megatron quickly patches up some of his minor injuries. Blue F-15C barrel-rolls to avoid Fusillade's attack, and avoiding fire from other, Autobot-based sources as he does so, he transforms again, spinning in the air and aiming his arm-mounted blasters back behind him. Combat: Thundercracker misses Space-Going B-1R Lancer with his Laser attack! Space-Going B-1R Lancer, broad side of a barn. Thundercracker is under pressure at the moment. Performance can... suffer. Soundwave is relentless in his assault on the second in command. He's clearly gunning for that position as he walks up to the seeker, with both hands over his head, clenched together, and his optics open just a little more with rage as he brings his fist down in a double axehandle on the seeker's back. Combat: Soundwave strikes Starscream with his Tape Commander Smackdown attack! Starfighter has laser blasts lance his armor, and growls in pain. He's not sure how much longer he can keep this up at this point--apparently, despite being an older design compared to himself, the Seekers are more formidable than he realized. He's about to whirl around and attack him again when he realizes what Starscream is saying... and what Megatron plans to do! "NO!!!" He roars down towards Megatron, transforming into robot mode and unsheathing his sword. "I have done EVERYTHING for you and what do you do?" Cyclonus growls, slashing at Megatron's chest with the very sword he offered to him in fealty--an irony not lost on him. "You reject your proper destiny! You reject my oath of allegiance and treat me as being less than Starscream! How..." His teeth clench. "How DARE YOU!!!" Combat: Cyclonus misses Megatron with his Diamond-Boron Carbide Sword attack! Space-Going B-1R Lancer dips one wing, banking wide. As Thundercracker gives chase, Fusillade taunts, "Not enough black and purple for my taste, but I guess I'll just have to settle!" The bomber flicks nose canards, and then slings another volley at him. "Gonna keep you busy and off of the two purple bossmen. Consider this your punishment for not waxing any of the Autobots!" Combat: Space-Going B-1R Lancer strikes Thundercracker with her Nose-Mounted Laser (Laser) attack! The Quintesson immediately becomes aware that he's getting MORE attention than he is exactly comfortable with. The T-Rex snarls in defiance at Starscream's fingerpointing, "Point that someplace else you simpering slave!" But then Megatron is advancing, and suddenly the normal face is back in place as the Quint starts to...back up, tentacles waving rapidly in front of him in a placating gesture. "No! Stay away! There's no need for this, I can...I can help you, yes!? I have technical expertise, knowing of your species you could only dream of!" And then he's cutting off as none other than Cyclonus is leaping to his defense! Even if that's not exactly his intention, really. "...I choose not to question this. RUN!" The latter is called to the two humans as he turns and scuttles...scuttles for his life! Ah ha, but Impactor /knew/ Skywarp knew that Impactor knew that... wait, no he didn't. Impactor was just too damn slow, and Skywarp is able to teleport to freedom. His drill slash hits nothing but air, and the Autobot grunts and stumbles forward, momentarily off balance. He was throwing all his weight into that strike, and Skywarp did well to avoid it. In all the fighting, Impactor has completely lost track of Archaeonix. Hopefully someone is keeping tabs on him, because Impactor is too busy trying to figure out where Skywarp is. He finally spots the mech again, this time back in the air chasing after Cyclonus. Cyc'll have to deal with that (and Megatron) himself, Impactor decides, because another of their 'allies' needs their help. Ugh, it feels so off-putting to be so heavily involved in a Decepticon power struggle. The Autobot aims for Thundercracker, taking an extra-half second to carefully ensure he doesn't miss and shear off Fusillade's wing instead... even though that'd be really hilarious. Combat: Impactor misses Thundercracker with his Laser attack! Amber MacKenzie was just catching her breath when Starscream rats them out, damn him. "Won't somebody PLEASE kill Starscream?!" she demands of the universe. Then Megatron is coming, and Archaeonix makes a remarkably intelligent decision. "Right," she answers curtly. "Good luck to you, Archaeonix, for what it's worth. Reidan, I think we should split off. They aren't after us." She turns away from the fleeing Quintesson and motions Reidan to follow. "Again." adds Reidan. Then he nods at Amber as the mechs start to come his way. "Right! After you my dear!" he starts to limp after her, having some difficulty as he carried his hoverboard. Then he stops short and lets out a laugh, tossing it to the ground before stepping on "... Shall we go on a magic carpet ride, Amber? It will be faster..." he notes to her, offering a hand. Remedy taps her comm, “Anyone have a position on the Quintesson? I mean, in this mayhem, the squid could make an escape. Also, the humans should be nearby...” She does a quick check on the plating covering Rodimus' chest, giving Torque a thumbs up Strength for strength thus far, Optimus and Megatron have matched each other. Optimus Prime is not the least bit surprised when his shot to the torso fails to put down Megatron, for he is made of sterner stuff than that. For several steps, he runs after Megatron -- and then trips over a boulder on the volcano's rim. It is just enough in height that he doesn't see it and it sends him down to one knee; sparks clattering from around the knee as he does. Immediately he begins to rise, and then stops; mind wandering to earlier in the day when Rodimus explained what the future would bring. He can almost see the scene in his head as he described it; being several seconds too late to fire with Hot Rod attempting to come to his aid. Beneath his mask, Optimus' face hardens. The Decepticon Warlord's back is turned as he pursues the Quintesson and Optimus has never been one to . . . it doesn't matter. He stays crouched there, balancing his laser rifle on a slightly larger rock near to the first. He bellows. "MEGATRON!" And then, for the Autobots; and for the future he stabs his finger down on the trigger as all of the power of the mighty weapon is channeled out the barrel in a brilliant red beam of awesome power that seeks to strike Megatron dead in the back and put him down for everything that is and was. Optimus, in his mind, has no choice and his conscience is clear knowing that the same would happen to him. Combat: Optimus Prime strikes Megatron with his For All Time attack! Rodimus Prime grunts, sitting up more straight as the welds and repairs from Torque and Remedy seem to take hold. One hand rises unconsciously, settling on Foxfire's head in a quick pat for a few seconds as he gets to his feet, wobbly at first, but more steady a moment later. His own weapon appears in hand, the huge form of his Photon Eliminator rifle. "The repairs are perfect Torque, Remedy. Thanks guys...it's just the pick-me-up I need." And then Megatron is moving after the Quint, and Starscream is ratting them out, and Skywarp and Thundercracker are still causing no small amounts of trouble. And the gun is rising up of its own accord, the length of the Photon Eliminator Rifle glinting to the tip of the barrel. "I." Rodimus grunts, steadying his stance, his other hand shifting to grip the underside of the barrel. "Have had." His finger squeezes the trigger as he draws a bead, "ENOUGH!" With that, the explosion of brilliant energy rushes out like a tidal wave, blasting through the air as TWO Primes let loose with everything they have. And while Megatron is put down, the other blast lances up to find the unluckiest of the seekers still airborne. Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Thundercracker with his The Power attack! When Rodimus is all patched up Torque stands and takes a step back to survey the battle going on around them. "If it's alright with you, Prime, I'd like to jump on into this fight and give these Cons a piece of my mind!" She smirks before transforming back into truck mode, engines roaring loud as tires spin and send her racing off over the terrain. It's a shame she didn't have any ranged attack or she'd be firing on those fliers. But as luck would have it Starscream suddenly becomes grounded and falls in her sights. Figuratively stepping on the gas the tow truck revs loudly and speeds up, lining up the Second in Command for a welcome from her grill. Combat: Tow Truck misses Starscream with her Ram attack! Megatron's shadow falls over the Quintesson, one of his black hands reaching out to palm the creature like a basketball. "I assure you, this will be a pleasure," he hisses to it, starting to squeeze it- when Optimus calls out to him, and Megatron looks over his shoulder. "Eh?" SKAMM goes the laser shot, straight through the weakened spot in his belly. "It's... not over," Megatron rasps as he falls to his knees, releasing the Quintesson before toppling forward onto his face with a heavy clang. Thundercracker is struck by Fusillade's attack, and only manages to avoid Impactor's assault by sheer luck as he tumbles backwards towards the ground before he manages to catch himself by his thrusters. He freezes in mid-air once again, as he watches Megatron fall. Stunned, he doesn't realize that he makes the perfect target. The next thing he knows is pain, followed by darkness... Foxfire perks his ears as Rodimus stands. "Welcome back, chief," he says simply before Rodimus fires on Thundercracker. "Now then..." He glances toward Archaeonix and the two humans, then sprints in their direction. As he reaches them, he comes to an abrupt stop, snarling as Megatron grips the Quintesson...but then the Decepticon falls, courtesy of Optimus. Foxfire begins to feel just as small as he actually is; how he wishes he could fell a Decepticon with such a blast, to protect others... Skywarp finally realizes that Megatron has been dropped like a sack of bolts and cogs. He glances at the tapecommander and Starscream helplessly. "What do we do now?" Starscream is knocked down flat by Soundwave's two-handed axehandle punch to his back, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The Seeker leader is in very bad shape by this point, and really unable to do much more than just lie there. And yet he somehow finds the presence of mind to throw himself out of the way of the speeding truck, coming up on one knee. Just in time for a tree that Torque rammed into, and broke off like a toothpick, to come crashing down on his back, sending him sprawling to the ground again. He's exhausted...badly damaged, he can't even simper and whine properly he's so tired. But he can still scream at the unfairness and frustration of it all. "Auuuugh!" Hands clench like a temper tantrum as he finds himself pinned under the tree and unable to move it. "Uhn...don't shoot! I...I surrender. I swear...I SWEAR Soundwave, you'll pay for this treachery somehow. Someway! I'll find a way to change it all...I don't care what you think you can do to my mind...I'LL FIND A WAY!" Thundercracker still knows nothing but darkness, and probably shall not for a few million years. Megatron falls. Despite the stunned silence from the Seeker trine -- and Thundercracker's unconsciousness, Fusillade springs to action. Namely, trying to find some of the more stable members of the Decepticon hierarchy. "Slaggitall, where's Soundwave and Cyclonus? Are they even still functional?" She becomes wary of all the remaining Autobots, but then, Starscreaming gets her attention, and she begins circling overhead. "What's next? Are we really going to go along with their plan?" Cyclonus grimaces as Megatron falls. Blast it. Why couldn't he just listen to him? Then, as the good guys recover from their victory rush, Cyclonus slinks away into the background, his crimson eyes glowing as he steps back behind some smoke wafting from the battlefield. Should anyone look hard for him, they'll see him placing silver discs by the rim of the lava-filled crater. Coincidentally, this is the same side facing the entrance to the tunnel of the stasis pods. He stands, holding a detonator and glaring at the Autobots. "I have... one more condition, Autobots." Soundwave looms over the seeker, and he tilts his head, unsure what to do with the prone seeker. He kneels for a moment, and his optics narrow. "Enjoy oblivion." he says, and stands up, walking back toward the alcove. Archaeonix knows nothing but pure terror in those few seconds that Megatron had his hands on him, feeling the eggshell straining under the grip, threatening to shatter, until Optimus' epic blast takes down the Decepticon leader once and for all. Or at least...until he is -supposed- to rise once again. If a Quintesson could sweat, he would be doing so in buckets right now. He can't even say anything right away, just rotates from face, to face, to face, to face...finally settling on the Triceratops one, which looks down at Megatron's prone form and snorts once, "Hmph." Switching back to the normal face, he slowly makes his way back to the others, tentacles worriedly rubbing at the crack that formed in his shell. "That...was too close." Amber MacKenzie had intended to take Reidan a'sneaking into the woods, but the hoverboard would be even more quiet than she would... "Thanks," she smiles, taking Reidan's hand, but her thoughts quickly turn dark. "I hope Archaeonix makes it, even if he is a jerk." She catches a glimpse of the Quintesson in Megatron's huge hands, but before she can even wince, the Decepticon goes down. Reidan bolts the moment Amber was on the hoverboard with him. They got about fifty yards into the woods when the thud of Megatron going down is heard. He swoops around the tree at Amber's wince, glancing tat way. And then heading back with a sigh of relief, dropping to a knee on his hoverboard as he holds his wounded leg. At first, Optimus Prime's rifle moves to point at Fusillade and then swings around to cover Cyclonus. It's still steaming faintly, the end of the barrel glowing cherry red after the last high power shot. " . . and what would that be, Cyclonus?" Optimus asks. "You must understand that your bargaining is unappreciated at this moment. You've done well for a Decepticon, why ruin that now?" 'Quintesson'? Remedy mentioned something about the Quintesson? Impactor curses himself for being a fool. In all the fighting he lost track of the most dangerous enemy here. The Autobot whirls about, but doesn't immediately see Archaeonix. He hears Optimus yelling, and is immediately drawn to watch the old Autobot leader blast Megatron with his laser rifle. Almost as good, the current Autobot leader lays waste to Thundercracker. Tide of the battle has turned. If that wasn't already enough, we now know where Archaeonix is. Convenient! Only Skywarp and Starscream remain as credible threats for the old Decepticons. Impactor strides up alongside Soundwave. "Looks that way," he comments to Fusillade without actually looking up at her. He's waiting for Cyclonus's condition. Skywarp is currently seeing to his fallen blue partner's condition. "Thundercracker! Speak to me!" he exclaims, trying to rouse his trinemate with a slight shake. Remedy watches Foxfire run over, her optics narrowing to see a human. Standing, she runs over to help defend the Quintesson, and the humans, looking at the unconscious Megs. <>, before passing on the option of playing boot to da head on Megs, and kneeling down, "You guys okay?" "Get Starscream and Skywarp secured." Rodimus orders towards his own Autobots, pointing towards the downed seekers. "And somebody keep an eye on Soundwave. He may have demonstrated that he had an interest in keeping the future intact, but that doesn't mean for an INSTANT that I trust him." With that, he turns and glares towards where Cyclonus is moving about the lip of the crater and...talking. "...conditions Cyclonus? -Really-?" He steps up alongside of Optimus, patting the older Prime on the shoulder, and then stepping a little ahead of him. Megatron was Optimus' destiny, his foe...but Cyclonus is Rodimus' problem to deal with, as he sees it. "Haven't you had ENOUGH? Let's put things back and get back to our own time, and you can get back to pumping Galvatron full of sedatives or whatever it is you use, and dealing with Decepticons who only try to backstab you once a month opposed to once a day. And maybe a leader you at least kind of -sort- of understand and know how to deal with." His own rifle rises up and points in the general direction of the remaining future Cons, his expression set in a hard line. "Don't make me have to drag you back and put your unconscious form in that pod. Because you KNOW -I'll- do it." Thus the difference between Optimus and Rodimus' styles of leaderships. Two generations separated...effective in their own way. "I've done very poorly for a Decepticon, Optimus Prime," Cyclonus rumbles. "I failed to convince Megatron to follow the plan, and worse yet, I was forced to attack him to serve my TRUE liege. Alas, if that ever got out... no, I'm afraid that the memory of this battle must be erased from the Decepticons of my time. That way, it'll be the Autobots' word versus mine as to what happened here. That is my condition. If not... well, I will trigger this detonator, and the lava shall flow into the tunnel with the stasis pods, destroying them." He stands resolute as two Primes and a horde of Autobots prepare to unleash an aft-whooping on him, thumb on the trigger. "Go ahead and fire. Either way, the result will be the same if Galvatron learns of this battle." Space-Going B-1R Lancer announces, "Smelt, screw THIS noise! Catch me if you can Rodimus, I already did this whole stasis thing once!" in Rodimus's direction, re-transforms, and bolts. Thundercracker is dead to the world, unresponsive to any non-medical administrations, no matter how his trinemate may react. Rodimus Prime coolly calls out after Fusillade as she starts to bolt, "So you're -allright- with twiddling your thumbs for four million years with nothing to do in the meantime?" "Ah, ah, ah, Fusillade!" Cyclonus says, grinning wryly. "Where will you go? To the Nemesis, perhaps, where I will expect you? To the Ark? No, too many Autobots for you! The forest? How shall you keep yourself maintained and fueled? Now get back over here!" Rodimus Prime is actually out-done by Cyclonus on that one. Oh the humiliation. "I don't care!!!" echoes on the horizon toward Cyclonus. A moment later, and a quiet "Aw, damn," can be heard, along with the reapproach of engines. Optimus Prime stands silently then; letting Rodimus handle this. He looks over at the seekers, and then backs towards the trench to tell Brawn to get the 'old crew' together and finish making a line to the stasis pods. When Starscream moves, Torque finds herself colliding grill first into the trunk of a tree. "Okay.. that kinda hurt.." She mutters in truck mode, though the snapping sound of wood has her back up a little to watch the tree topple over and pin down Starscream. "Huh.. That went better than I imagined." She chuckles softly and transforms, pulling out some extra line and tieing Starscream up by the hands and feet. "Tch, shut up, will yah? Or do yah want me to weld your mouth closed?" She rolls her optics and in a feat of strength hefts the tree off the seeker after she makes sure he's bound securely. Once the tree is tossed aside she curls her fingers under a bit of armor plating on his back, lifting the mech up and over her shoulder like freshly caught game. While carrying Starscream back to the others she can't help but pause and look up to Cyclonus, optics narrowing, "What the slag is he doing..." Impactor snorts at Cyclonus's wishes. He refrains from commenting on it since he doesn't want to dissuade Cyclonus from what he feels is a stupid move. Upon hearing a shout from behind him, however, he finally does turn and look over at Fusillade. "..." he says as she beelines it to freedom. He would aim his pistol in her direction, but it's far too late. "Well that's. just. Pri..." he hesitates. "...bad." Fortunately, Rodimus and Cyclonus manage to coax her back. Rodimus Prime finally seems to clue in on what Cyclonus was saying, because it's just -that- crazy that he's not really sure he heard right. "Wait, you want us to -what-? Erase the memories of the other Decepticons with you in addition to the past ones?" This draws him to glance in Fusillade's direction, then back to Cyclonus once more. His optics narrow just faintly. "...and do you think you're going to be able to force them to do that if they don't want to?" The sleek bomber rears up, wings collapsing onto hips even as the rear fuselage splits to form arms. The horizontal stabilizer slides up, the forward fuselage folds up accordian style, and Fusillade hops up on thrustered feet. Fusillade fidgets. "There's a lot of OTHER planets out there that AREN'T moving around," she mumbles petulantly. Starscream is trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey. He'd probably have some snide comment or another, but he's too badly damaged to really put up any kind of resistance, and really too exhausted to really offer anything more than an, "...oh shut up. You two are too obnoxious for something like -that- to kill you." Wheeljack, it would seem, is fashionable late to the party, cruising up and leaping excitedly into robot mode. "Hey guys! I figured out the rest of what we need to d--" The mad engineer stops, lowering his arms slowly to tuck the box he was carrying under one arm, optics glancing over the remains of the fighting. ".. Geez, you guys went and had all the fun without me, didn't you." Reidan Wesley floats back towards the others, landing a safe-ish distance from Megatron’s body. Just in case. He remains kneeling though. Skywarp glares daggers at Wheeljack as he stays by Thundercracker's prone form. He stays by his best bud's side. "Wipe our memories? Bogus," he complains. Optimus Prime is busy at this point whipping Brawn to dig faster and all of that. Cyclonus grimaces. "I can't have the truth of what happened here get out, Rodimus. And yes, I'm quite confident I can round them all up. They have nowhere that I can't find them or eventually track them down. In fact, Rodimus, I'll make YOU do it!" Impactor fiddles with his armour for a moment before stepping back up to the Autobot inventor. "Wheeljack," he says in his grim tone. "I wanted to thank you for your work in repairing me." he holds up his drill bit arm. "I'm going to keep this a while." Impactor extends his hand to Wheeljack while making eye contact. Rodimus Prime just keeps on glaring back at Cyclonus the whole time, optics narrowed slightly. If this were Optimus he were debating with, this could possibly go on for awhile. Or maybe Optimus would trust that Cyclonus could pull it off, or he might actually help him, or maybe he would do what's about to happen next. Whatever the case, what DOES happen next? It's PURE Rodimus Prime. "Oh for the love of...you and that STUPID pride!" And the gun comes up, aimed dead center at Cyclonus' torso. Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Cyclonus with his You Knew This Was Coming attack! Combat: Cyclonus falls to the ground, unconscious. Fusillade's saffron optics light up. "He was the only other one here with FTL!" Reidan Wesley stares at this and what Rodimus did. He hands his stick to Amber, then applauds, face utterly serious as he golf claps Rodimus Prime's weapon hisses at the tip as he lifts it skywards, then eyes in Fusillade's direction for good measure. "ANYMORE objections or am I going to have to carry any MORE Decepticons to the pods because they think they can outrun Photon Eliminator blasts?" Rodimus Prime adds, "Look at the bright side Fusillade. I just saved you from getting mindwiped. You can drunkenly spout this story at the next Con slosh party." Wheeljack rubs the back of his head with one hand. "Shoot, guess I shouldn't of taken so long double-checking that last set of quantum equational analogs." Followed by a hoot at Rodimus when the younger Prime shows Cyclonus he's serious. "Atta showing him Rodimus, don't take no scrap from 'em." Then turns his attention to the Wrecker when he walks up, shifting the box to the other arm so he can properly accept the handshake. "Glad it worked out for you." Pause a half-beat. "And didn't blow up." Ehehehe. Cyclonus seems confident that he can wrap everything up nice and neat, smiling a little... then he gets a gaping, smoking hole in his chest. As he rolls down the side of the crater, his last thought before he blacks out is that he probably shouldn't trigger the detonator right now because then he'd be buried in lava. So he doesn't. The detonator rolls away from his hands, and the massive warrior continues to tumble down. Fusillade furrows the plasteel of her brow, and remarks, "You know what, I think I just might, Rodimus. Sorry, but I've done this before, and it BLEW!" Thundercracker remains unconscious. He's stubborn that way. Impactor shakes Wheeljack's hand, surreptitiously passing him a card of metal as he does so. Rodimus certainly provides a suitable distraction. The Wrecker nods to the possibly surprised Wheeljack, suddenly changing the subject from his repairs. "I can't say I know what you and the other Autobots are going through, having met the future like this." The card contains the word 'Teletraan One' followed by a code phrase. TWO DAYS AGO Impactor stands alone in the Ark's command centre. "Teletraan One, this is Sergeant Impactor, stationed on Malachor. Accept security credentials and acknowledge." Impactor reaches up, opening a small panel on his forehead. He draws out a data slug he has downloaded information to. It's incomplete--Impactor's knowledge of what happened in the past four million years isn't perfect. "After glancing at the Autobot insignia on it, he pushes it into Teletraan One's data drive. "Download all information. Encrypt. Code Phase: The Only Way Home." The computer clicks and dutifully processes the command. NOW Impactor pulls his hand back. Two days ago Rodimus asked him if Optimus Prime and the past Autobots would approve of being told the future, given the risks involved. The Wrecker didn't have an answer. "I'll respect whatever you decide," he says. He'll probably never know how this turns out. Skywarp looks downcast and defeated. Sure, he could try to teleport away from everything and probably hide out quite well. But he's not leaving Thundercracker, and the expression on his face reflects that sentiment. Rodimus Prime smoothly puts his rifle away again, before leaning down and stepping forward to scoop up Cyclonus' frame as he tumbles closer, easily hefting the big Decepticon up and over one shoulder for good measure. "What a stubborn sack of..." He then turns and gapes towards Fusillade for good measure. "...so wait, you -want- your mind wiped of this afterall?" Okay, even Rodimus has his mouth open in surprise at that thought, looking back to the others. "...and uh, the thing in the pod itself? I assume that can be done." "It can." Archaeonix states from where he stands, tentacles folding over each other. "It is a simple matter of deducing how much memory to selectively remove. You can have no memory of the entire ordeal, should you so desire it." Fusillade starts. "What? No! I didn't say that! Consider the bored threat rendered moot!" She backpedals, turning as if to take to the skies. Quick! Dogpile! Rodimus Prime facepalms with his free hand. "Optimus..." he calls in a 'help me out here' tone of voice. This is one of those times it's convenient Wheeljack lacks more of the common facial features, like a mouth. He just cocks his head a little at Impactor, but then nods in return, giving him one of those 'got it' looks. Shrugs his shoulders a little in return. "Chronologics is weird like that. For all we know, this is how things really did happen the first time, and we just didn't remember it due to wiping memories. Or it's an actual divergence, but resetting things to how your history recounts them should turn it into a stable temporal loop..." Impactor seems to be getting at something more... but it's going to have for the time being. Especially with the continuing antics. After slipping the little 'present' into somewhere safe, he lifts his hand up to his shoulder launcher. Possibly dialing in a setting in case someone doesn't stop Fusi from taking off first.... Optimus Prime emerges at this point from the tunnel with Brawn, Ironhide and Ratchet. All of the last three are covered in heavy dust. All four approach the Decepticons that are on the ground and begin to drag them off. Thundercracker, Cyclonus, the lot of them. It is Ironhide who wrestles with Starscream -- ending up clonking him repeatedly over the head until he stops moving before swinging him over his powerful shoulder. The three carrying three disappear, and Optimus has just enough time to see what is going on. His rifle is in his hand. "Rodimus, if this keeps up we're going to just shoot ALL of them first!" A sudden blast attempts to take Fusillade right through the thigh before she can get airborne! Combat: Optimus Prime misses Fusillade with his Zappity Zappity Doo attack! [Pulled -10] Torque finally sets Starscream down to go on and complain, or whatever it is he does, before stepping up with the others. "I'd honestly like to keep these memories. I mean, fighting alongside some of history's greatest Autobots? Yeah, I wanna remember that for the rest of my life." She smirks, though antennas perk up when she sees Fusillade about to try and make another break for it. "Oh no yah don't! You're gettin' in a pod wether yah like it or not!" With that said she makes a dash for the flier femme, towline unspooled once more as she makes a leap to grab hold of anything she can and swiftly hogtie her. Impactor nods back at Wheeljack. "Very confusing," he agrees. He didn't expect he'd end up being uncertain of this decision once it came to it, there you go. But what's done is done, and what ramifications it may or may not have is something that's now out of his hands. Impactor turns in time to see Fusillade once again about to make a break for it, but other Autobots are able to deal with it faster. He reaches down to his ankle holster for his laser pistol, though it doesn't really have a stun setting. Rodimus Prime doesn't miss a beat as Optimus forcefully reminds Fusillade of why it's dangerous enough when one Prime is present, let alone two. He may not have -hit- with that blast, but it's a distraction that might keep her from seeing...the others going for her. "Oh for the love of..." he calls out, pointing one hand for good measure. "I don't care if she's kicking and screaming. DRAG her and put her in that stupid stasis pod if you have to!" Archaeonix moves over to where his workstation was earlier, tentacles reaching out to writhe around the blocky-like device with several interface ports, that's about a good enough size for your average transformer to carry in two hands. He scuttles back towards where Wheeljack and Impactor have just had their...moment, which he didn't notice. He addresses Wheeljack directly however, "Once this little...drama has been concluded, we will be prepared to begin, once we get everyone back to your Ark. Your leaders have already made the other precautions, there are only the final mind modifications to be made. You will, of course, be able to initiate the final one on yourself." "Gah!" Fusillade lands on her elbows in a dive to avoid Optimus's blast. Torque scrabbles over, managing to snag her ankle. However, Fusillade curls up on her like a beartrap, and with punches, stabs of her wingblades, and a few bites for good measure, will ultimately require the intervention of Impactor and one of the other Primes. Oh yes, kicking and screaming all the way. Impactor rushes over to help Torque with the screaming and flailing. He reaches down, trying to pin Fusillade. "Wait-" "-hold on-" "-grab her by-" "-no, just a-" "-OOF!" Impactor is knocked flat on his ass as one of Fusillade's wild punches connects. Looks like someone else'll have to hold Torque's earrings. It might take the whole Autobot army for this one. Skywarp isn't exactly kicking and screaming, but has a sullen look about him as he's dragged off to the stasis pods. Prowl even pops up--the animators remembered he exists--and flings himself into the dogpile. "I'll never understand these Decepticons. Why do they all behave so illogically?" ".. Maybe instead of a tar launcher I should of cobbled together a mud launcher," Wheeljack murmurs to himself for some reason as the two femmes get into a brawl. Considering they left all their femmes back on Cybertron, that's probably getting a few looks from -both- sides. When the Quintesson shuffles over with his device Wheeljack shifts his attention, kneeling down and opening the supply crate he'd brought with him. The inside has been stuffed with a bit of whatever soft things he could fine -- could very well be some of the fur hides from the animals that were killed to feed the humans. "We've got everything else set up at the Ark. Set the device in here so it doesn't get roughed up on the trip back. I can make the final tweaks when we get there." When things finally settle down in the camp, the process of cleaning up gets underway. Fusillade and Cyclonus are stored away in their respective stasis pods, the modules closed down on them in short order...even despite Fusillade's attempts to resist the whole way. Rodimus even has to help at one point by forcefully jamming the lid down when she's trying to push it back open, until the machine kicks on and forces her into blissful sleepiness. The other future Decepticons are also put in the pods one by one, whether willingly or at gunpoint as Rodimus is QUITE finished playing diplomat about now. Then, and ONLY then does the rest of the plan go into effect. One trans-oceanic trip back to the Ark later...Megatron and his fellow Decepticons are laid out one after another. Starscream and Skywarp are put back into stasis and laid out on the ground as well, as one-by-one the others are brought offline, to be awakened by Teletran One in four million years. It's at this point that Wheeljack and the Quintesson get to work, attaching the device to each Cybertronian in turn, a pair of cables running out that interface with Wheeljack's forearm, and a port in the Quintesson's body. More or less, Archaeonix works, and Wheeljack tweaks and supervises while the rest of the past Autobots look on. One by one, memories are selective wiped, inspected and cleared. And in the end, two stand left. Wheeljack and Optimus, the mad inventor having to go last, for obvious reasons, though not before Optimus has a chance to have a few final words with his future successor. And just like that, it is all done. The Autobots and Decepticons offline once more. Archaeonix does one final check of his work, and then concedes that it is finished. There's only one thing left to do. "Now that is HOT!" Skywarp calls out as he sees the femmes grapple. Impactor blinks as he stares at the pod walls. Within moments, he'll be asleep. His face is dark as he ponders this latest adventure. He came face to face with Autobot legends. They measured up to their reputation, yet were real, down-to-Earth sorts despite it. He fought his hardest to keep them all alive, even going against Rodimus Prime's wishes to do so. He has no regrets in giving Wheeljack the key to unlocking the future, though he has no idea if the inventor will use it or not. Would Optimus be okay with us taking that risk? That was the question Rodimus asked, and Impactor didn't know at first. Having seen Optimus in action, he suspects the answer is 'no'. Wheeljack, he hopes, will see things his way. But if not, he's given the Autobots the chance to make their own choice. Cyclonus may be unconscious and in stasis, too, but that does not mean he does not dream, even if those dreams are stretched out over the course of millennia. And they are not pleasant dreams. Now, he dreams of himself standing behind Galvatron's throne, a series of wires connecting his head to Galvatron's. Cyclonus speaks, and Galvatron says the same thing. It works for a while, and no one notices--but then he spies Starscream to his left, and the Seeker smirks at him. "Ah, and they called ME a traitor! Well, look at you! You're a more successful betrayer than I ever was--because nobody notices what you're doing!" "No!" Cyclonus screams back. "It's for his own good!" But Galvatron says the same words, and more Decepticons step around the throne, looking suspicious. "I'm doing this FOR him!" Cyclonus screams as the Decepticons begin to yell at him angrily. "You don't understand, he NEEDS me--" And then they descend upon him. Remedy looks at the pod, rubbing her face, "So, am I gonna be stuck in this thing til past the activations of the rest? I mean... Well, I was on Cybertron..." And while all the other Autobots are busy getting set up, getting the Decepticons set up, and then laid out themselves, Wheeljack has busied himself running through things on Teletran One, the inventor was using one of the smaller personal screens for whatever reason, maybe checking over final calculations or such to make sure this doesn't get screwed up and didn't want to be distracted. At least that's what it would look like. If it was, or if it was something else.... well, that's likely never to be known. Even if he -did- look up what Impactor slipped him, he's going to get his own memory erased soon enough, right? Eventually he closes the mini-screen and turns back to the others. "There, everything is ready. Took a few minor recalibrations for the organics." Then his optics make the grin his face can't so to speak as he gives Rodimus a last pat on the shoulder. "What you did to 'negotiate' with Cyclonus back there? Remember that. Sometimes it’s what getting through a war takes. Know when to talk, and know when to clonk them upside the head. At least we know, what comes what, the future is in good hands." Then pauses, and leans a bit closer, lowering his voice to make sure it's just the two Primes that hear him. "And be sure to take the device back to the future with you. Last thing we need is the Decepticons waking up and finding that still here." With that said and done, he walks over to the device itself, plugging in his connections.. And taking two of what look almost look like giant jumper cables, reaching into his chest-cab and connecting them to something before lying down. "The only way to provide enough power to erase this many memory banks without access to a normal power supply is to hook it directly to a Transformer's internal systems. But don't worry, my power grid will have 4 million years of stasis to recharge itself!" Torque is quite thankful once the Cons are successfully placed in the pods and the plans to set things right are finally set into motion. Helping the others move back to base where she helps fix up any injured and help things along. Once it's her turn to enter a pod she can't help but hold off on it just a little longer, making her way to past Autobots to shake their hands, having a few words for some of them. "Brawn, I gotta say it was awesome to fight alongside a mech who's just as strong as me, and likes to brawl even more." She chuckles softly, shaking his hand firmly while clapping him on the shoulder. Optics glance to Prowl next. "And no hard feelings, eh Prowl?" A few more handshakes and such go around as well before she finally settles on Optimus Prime, holding a hand out to give a final shake. "It's funny.. I'm a little sad to go and leave behind all of you. But really, it was and honor to meet you, sir." She smiles up at the leader of the past before stepping back, her farewells and goodbyes finished. With it all said and done she climbs into her own stasis pod, giving a soft sigh before the systems have her drifting off into dreamland. Optimus Prime is standing next to the command chair of the ark. He's looking around; watching things as the Autobots and Decepticons both drift off to pleasant dreams or personal demons. Optimus Prime is in no hurry, taking in the room and relaxing -- watching Rodimus Prime carry out his own work. Torque speaks to him, and Optimus Prime salutes Torque. "Good luck, Torque." He says and then approaches the future leader of the Autobots and he holds out his right hand to him. "Rodimus." Optimus says. "Give me back that f----g matrix immediately. You've run this organization right into the ground, HOT ROD! The best move as leader you could make is to wake me up to fix your sh-t!" Okay, so that doesn't actually happen. What really happens is that Optimus Prime extends his right hand to Rodimus. "Rodimus." Optimus says. "Just a word if you don't mind." The past-Autobot leader's voice is the quiet one he uses when speaking to his fellow Autobots. "I want you to know that the Autobots of the future are in good hands, and that I have no regrets. What must happen in four million years will happen, and if for a moment there is any lingering guilt; any doubt . . then send it away. You've become a fine leader, and I always knew you had the potential in you." The offered hand is transformed into a handshake if Rodimus will have it. "I'm proud of you. I almost said Hot Rod, but managed not to." And then his luminescent cyan optics give a good natured twinkle, and he turns; saying no more as he settles down into his chair; the Quintesson going to work. Optimus Prime's last conscious moment is a smile beneath his mask. The future is in good hands. "Right, no hard feelings," Prowl says, frowning slightly. But in truth he's glad to see the Autobots from the future gone. They were stirring up way too much trouble. Honestly, he hopes he never runs into them again. Foxfire still wants to bite Prowl, for the record. But he doesn't. So there. Brawn gives Torque little more than a rap on the shoulder in an affectionate way before he was put under as well, "Shucks little lady, you just keep doing what you do and keep the spirit alive, whatever happens. The Autobots -need- folks like us, cause you never know when things will be at their darkest and everyone else needs a bit of cheer!" With that, and an appreciative wave, the burly Minibot was next in line to go under. Rodimus Prime oversees it all. Going from Autobot to Decepticon to Autobot and onwards as each are put offline. Having little words here and there. Wheeljack in particular, who is one of the last to go under, gets a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, Wheeljack. For everything. We couldn't have done this without you." he says quietly, his voice hoarse, as if he were trying not to let it break. It isn't lost on him that this is probably the last time he'll ever see the mad inventor alive again. Even as those optics dim happily, Rodimus gives the inert form one last affectionate pat, before being addressed by Optimus himself. The hand is taken gratefully, the shake sincere. "I wish, Optimus...I -wish- with every bit of my being that I could change it safely. Change everything. We miss you -I- miss you." A long moment passes, and then he nods slowly. "But we never forgot you. We never will. And I promise I'll never forget everything you taught me. Here, right now, and what you -will- teach me." As the past leader sits in his chair, and Archaeonix goes about bringing him offline, Rod stares back into the dimming optics, his face a mixture of sorrow, and determination. "Goodbye Optimus." He whispers as the blue optics go dim one last time, and their work in the Ark is done. Later, back at the site of the stasis pods, Rodimus gathers the other Autobots one last time. "I'm not gonna make this a huge speech. We've all been through this together. Autobots -and- humans..." he spares a glance for Amber and Reidan both. "...just know that I'm proud of you all. Each and every one of you for the parts you've played in this. If anything I'm glad for the opportunity to make some closure and...I hope maybe some of you had the chance to do the same." Rodimus smiles faintly, a sad smile that he gives to each in turn, before nodding towards the waiting pods. "Well let's get this show rolling. I'll see you all on the other side. That's a promise." As each Autobot goes under, Rodimus looks over them before placing himself finally into the last pod, having ensured that even Archaeonix was safely in stasis (and to ensure no last second double crosses). With the Quintesson's mind altering device in hand, just as Wheeljack instructed him he should...Rodimus seals the pod and slowly allows himself to drift off finally.
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