Lure of the Sword

Oilslick frowned. “Leave me alone,” he pleaded to Hot Shot. “Just leave me alone.”

Hot Shot stepped up to the plexi-glass wall of the cell and pressed his open palm against it. “Shan’t,” he said childishly.

Oilslick walked up to his side of the cell wall, directly opposite to where Hot Shot was standing on the other side. He stared manically into Hot Shot’s optics.

“Look at my hand,” Hot Shot said excitedly. “Look what I’ve done.”

Oilslick turned his head to the left, refocused his optics and counted the scars on the palm of Hot Shot’s right hand. “Did you do that to yourself?” Oilslick asked.

“Yes!” Hot Shot laughed. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Beautiful in that they’ve clearly been a source of pain for you.”

“Oh, they were,” Hot Shot purred masochistically.

Oilslick turned away from Hot Shot and returned to the deeper confines of his cell. “Just leave me alone.”

Hot Shot slammed his palm against the plexi-glass hard. Oilslick jumped.

“I have more to show you,” Hot Shot offered.

“Unless it’s the key to this cell, then I am not the least bit interested.”

Hot Shot lowered his hand. “Oh, come on,” he whined. “I’ve come all this way to see you. How many of your other Cadet buddies have been to see you recently?”

Oilslick shrugged and then turned back to Hot Shot. “None, actually. But you know as well as I that Star Saber ‘upgraded’ my incarceration status to Solitary Equipoise after Chicane was exiled.”

Hot Shot laughed. “And to think back on all the promises we were spoon-fed at the Arctis Academy.”

“Yeah, look at us now,” Oilslick snapped.

“Well that’s what you get for having Ultra Magnus as a tutor.”

Oilslick shook his head at Hot Shot. “I am too calm these days to take the bait of your taunts.”

“Oh, are you now?”

Oilslick marched up to the wall. “Yes. Now, please, leave me alone.”

“Shan’t.”

Oilslick turned his back once again and squeezed his optics shut, hoping that the sheer hatred for Hot Shot would make him disappear.

There was a quiet tapping sound against the surface of the plexi-glass.

Oilslick ignored it.

The tapping continued, gradually getting louder and harder.

Oilslick promised himself that he would not react.

The tapping continued; evermore distracting, evermore annoying.

Oilslick bit. He swung round and angrily shouted: “For flux sake, Hot Shot!” And then immediately fell silent.

“Look,” Hot Shot said gleefully, running his fingers along the blade of the sword.

“Is that—?”

Hot Shot’s voice raised pitch and he nearly giggled. “I stole it!”

“You stole Star Saber’s sword?”

Hot Shot lifted the sword up in front of him, aligning the blade parallel with his nose. “I took it while his back was turned.”

“Well maybe you’ll get caught and end up in here with me after you’ve been accused of treason.”

“I won’t get caught,” Hot Shot smiled. “Let’s just say that these days Star Saber and I share something of an understanding with each other.”

“Really.”

Hot Shot took the sword in his scarred, right hand and pointed it at the open palm of his left hand. “Just look at how sharp it is!” he laughed.

Oilslick watched in disgust and Hot Shot drew the sword from the centre of his palm in a straight line along his index finger to the tip. Thick oil seeped slowly from the papercut thin wound.

Hot Shot’s optics flickered. “The pain is altogether exquisite.”

“You are sick in the processor.”

His fuel-pump racing with excitement, Hot Shot replied, “I believe so, yes.”

Oilslick remained still, truly not knowing what Hot Shot might be capable of doing next. He watched the leaking oil slide down Hot Shot’s forearm.

Star Saber’s voice suddenly echoed out. The Autobot Leader’s face flashed up on the screen of a wall-mounted video monitor. “Hot Shot!” he commanded. “I need you back here right away.”

Hot Shot shuffled and let his arm drop to his waist. “On my way, sir.”

The monitor went blank again and Hot Shot refocused on Oilslick. “Gotta go,” he chuckled. “But before I go, here’s a little something to keep in mind.” Hot Shot moved his arm to the plexi-glass and began drawing, using the seeping oil from his finger as ink. The thick oil stuck to the surface and congealed into a greasy, grey mass.

Hot Shot laughed, turned away from the cell and strode off.

Oilslick looked up at the large smiley face that Hot Shot had drawn and thumped the wall.

Grimlock frowned. “Me can’t see alien,” he complained to Mach Alert. “Me can’t see alien at all.”

“Here,” said Mach Alert as he took the optoculors from his commander. “Just readjust the focus, and point it over there, bearing two-three-nine.”

Grimlock snatched the apparatus from Mach Alert, looked again, then impatiently threw it to the ground. “Swoop!” he growled into his radio. “Can you see alien?”

“Got his hideout dead-centre in my sights,” Swoop responded.

“Hideout?” Grimlock shouted. “How long this thing been on Cybertron?”

“My theory is that this is the creature that Chicane infamously filmed,” Mach Alert offered nervously. “It’s the logical explanation.”

Grimlock stared Mach Alert down. “You too remind me too much of Prowl,” the Autobot Commander grunted.

Swoop returned from his sortie and transformed into robot mode, landing next to Grimlock.

Grimlock addressed his troops. “Looks like this it,” he said. “We the early warning strike...” he tailed off, regarding the altogether non-experienced-as-seasoned-warrior forms of Mach Alert, Wildride, and the ex-Cadets Warcry (who, at this point was saluting), Ox, Rev, and Daytonus.

“... force,” helped Swoop.

“Yes, force,” agreed Grimlock. “We got alien invader on Cybertron, probably plotting and planning to take over planet, just like Decepticons did, just like Quintessons did...”

“And the Femmebot Troupe of Sigma-8,” Swoop helped again.

Grimlock shook his head and continued. “Yes, me not forget Femmebots in a hurry. But anyway, we must stop invader before whole planet get into trouble. Again!”

The Autobots charged their weapons, except for Mach Alert who meekly looked up at Grimlock. “I, er, was only on a scout patrol, so I, uh, am not actually armed.”

Grimlock growled. “Here take sword. Bit heavy at first, but good for cutting legs off at knee.”

Mach Alert took the sword and tried not to make it too obvious that it was too heavy for him. “Th-thanks. Are you sure?”

“Yes, me sure,” Grimlock said, transforming into dinosaur mode. “Me was planning on just using teeth today anyway.”

Star Saber was standing at the window of his office with his hands behind his back when Hot Shot entered. Hot Shot casually threw the sword onto a desk.

“So,” Hot Shot asked, “how are we doing?”

“Grimlock has assembled a small strike force to deal with Shokaract, and the Aerialbots have been despatched to his position.”

“Great, and what about us?”

Star Saber turned. “We’ll stay here for now. I always like to bide my time.”

Hot Shot started laughing.

“What is it?” Star Saber asked impatiently.

“Oh, nothing,” noted Hot Shot. “Just talking to you like this, well it’s a bit mad, don’t you think?”

Star Saber ignored Hot Shot.

“So anyway,” Hot Shot said, “what’s the deal with Shokaract anyway. I mean, he was the one that killed you, and yet here you are, with him still at large on Cybertron, and you’re not doing anything about it.”

Star Saber launched himself at Hot Shot, grabbing his sword and pointing it at his neck. “Revenge is always better when you take your time over it.”

Hot Shot took a step back and laughed. “Like your revenge on Optimus Prime? How long did it take for you to get your revenge on him, a hundred thousand Vorns?”

Star Saber threw his sword to the ground in anger and wrapped his hands around Hot Shot’s neck.

Hot Shot looked past Star Saber at the sword on the ground. “M-my sword! Be careful!”

Star Saber glanced behind him at the sword, and the refocused back on Hot Shot. He squeezed his neck.

“Okay, okay, now I really am going mad!” Hot Shot laughed. “Let go of me.”

Star Saber complied. He turned and knelt down to pick up the sword. He offered it back to Hot Shot. “I think you’ve been this way since you first came online,” Star Saber commented.

Air Raid and Fireflight swooped in a loose arc around the Predacon shuttle as it blasted up from the surface of Cybertron.

“Grimlock!” Air Raid radioed to his leader, “We are preparing to intercept alien air traffic. What level of force do you want us to use?”

Fireflight interrupted: “What he means is, do you want any survivors to interrogate?”

“Just shoot it down,” commanded Grimlock. “We don’t want to give them a chance.”

On board the shuttle, Cataclysm wrestled the controls while Antagony programmed evasive manoeuvres into its systems. A blast from one of Fireflight’s missiles shook the shuttle.

“Damn!” shouted Cataclysm. “I told him that we should have stayed offworld until the final stages.”

Antagony turned from her control panel. “Shokaract knows what he’s doing,” she spat.

“Sometimes I wonder.”

“Take that back!” Antagony hissed, transforming into ant mode. Corrosive acid dripped from her oversized mandibles.

“Point those things away from me,” ordered Cataclysm. “And put them to use on the Autobots!”

An emergency hatch opened atop the roof of the shuttle, and Antagony sprung out and into the Cybertronian sky.

“What in the name of Ultra Magnus is that?” Air Raid exclaimed.

The giant black ant rolled herself into a ball and plummeted downwards.

“Never mind what it is, just shoot it!” cried Fireflight.

Antagony opened her six legs as she hit the ground, using them to propel her back up into the sky. Before he realised what she was doing, Antagony landed on top of Fireflight and clamped down on his nosecone with her jaw.

Fireflight wailed out as the acid from her mandibles streamed down, through his cockpit and into his internal circuitry. Antagony released herself and transformed into robot mode. As Fireflight crashed into the ground, Antagony employed her rear thrusters and made towards Air Raid.

The black Aerialbot unfolded into robot mode and fired his torque rifle at the approaching Predacon. Antagony zipped in and out of the path of his laser fire.

“Come on, Silverbolt,” called Skydive. “There’s nothing we can do for Fireflight now. Shoot down that shuttle.”

Silverbolt pushed towards the shuttle, focusing his attention on the target and not the ground.

Inside the shuttle, Cataclysm rose from his seat. “I’m not sticking around any longer.”

A loud humming noise emanated from Silverbolt’s fuselage as he prepared to launch a bolt of stored electricity at the shuttle.

Cataclysm ejected just as the lightning bolt obliterated the shuttle.

“Excellent work, Silverbolt,” Skydive reassured.

Silverbolt banked to the left and rejoined the others. “I had that charge stored up for about three weeks!”

Cataclysm transformed to cat mode and landed on all fours. “We may land on our feet,” he quipped, “but the impact doesn’t half knacker up our servos.”

Wildride raced over to Cataclysm’s position. As he came to halt, the Autobot transformed and levelled his missile launcher at the Predacon. “Shut your vocaliser or I’ll blow it out of your head,” he snarled.

Above, Antagony loaded her missile launcher and fired at Air Raid. The Aerialbot transformed back into jet mode and successfully out ran it.

Antagony cursed herself and then looked to the ground. Cataclysm caught her attention and she quickly turned and blasted down towards him.

“Get her!” ordered Skydive.

Silverbolt, Slingshot and Air Raid shot down towards the Predacon.

Cataclysm looked up past Antagony. “Behind you!” he called.

“I said ‘shut it’,” Wildride barked. He aimed his missile launcher point-blank into Cataclysm’s mouth and fired.

The Predacon cat’s head was blown from its shoulders.

Antagony landed, took one look at Wildride, and kicked the missile launcher from his hands.

The four Aerialbots transformed into robot mode and landed. Silverbolt turned and sprinted towards Fireflight. “Forget Wildride, he can take care of himself.”

Wildride glared at Antagony. “So you’re Transformers, then?” he asked rhetorically. “The others might not recognise your physiology, but I’ve seen your type before. On Earth.”

“I’ve got no interest in talking to you, Autobot,” Antagony hissed, “just digesting you.” She transformed into ant mode and leapt up at Wildride, wrestling him to the ground.

Cataclysm transformed into robot mode and stared down at where his hands should have been. He sneered and turned to Antagony and Wildride. “I may not be able to open a can of cat food any more, but I can still do this...”

Antagony mounted herself on Wildride’s back and pushed his forwards, exposing his abdomen outwards. Cataclysm marched towards the helpless Autobot and pushed the stumps of his arms into his stomach.

“I normally fire plasma blasts from my hands, but since you blew them off, it’s like taking the safety filter off a neutron rifle,” Cataclysm said as he pumped wave upon wave of plasma energy into Wildride’s body.

Antagony released Wildride from her grip and let the Autobot slump to the floor.

“See?” said Cataclysm. “Sometimes teamwork gets results.”

“Not while I’m Herald Maximo and you’re Herald Decado,” Antagony replied. “Now come on, Shokaract is going to need some help.”

Sideburn raced into Pitstop’s lab.

“Did you get Crosswise’s transmission. Grimlock and the others need medical back up.”

Pitstop was too engrossed in his work to really take notice. “You go,” he suggested.

“But with two of us, we can—”

Pitstop snapped. “Sideburn, I’m busy!”

“Oh right. A deadend investigation into that Ilbal of Popowhatisname is more important than saving Autobot lives?”

Pitstop glared at his apprentice. “Take Tow-Line. He can gather up all the broken bits. I’ll still be here to put them back together.”

“Why are you talking like that? What’s happened to you?”
“Nothing you’d understand.”

Mach Alert stood amid the rapidly degenerating carnage that surrounded him and ruefully wished he’d never discovered Shokaract’s secret hideout. He moved erratically from side to side, waving Grimlock’s sword around him and deflecting any and all blasts of enemy fire that came his way.
Grimlock clamped his teeth down hard on Cataclysm’s leg. The Predacon had already lost his hands to the violence, and the imminent loss of one or both legs did nothing to dampen his fury. The Predacon pointed his forearms into Grimlock’s face and released a wave of plasma. The Dinobot reeled back in pain, releasing his grip from Cataclysm.
Where did it all go so wrong? Grimlock asked himself. These... aliens were a third of his size and yet possessed the ability and enough warrior prowess to evade the Autobot forces.
Swoop continued his bombing raid on Shokaract’s hideout, hoping to draw the as yet unseen enemy out into the open.
Antagony stood amongst the Cadets. Though similar in size, their movements were too mechanical and clumsy to protect themselves from her fluid and feral attacks. One by one, they fell.

Mach Alert dashed forwards towards Antagony. He transformed into vehicle mode, hoping his land speed would give him the advantage. Antagony dodged out of his way, but it seemed that Mach Alert anticipated the move. He turned sharply and returned to robot mode, raising Grimlock’s sword above his head. Antagony was too slow to react and Mach Alert brought the blade down into her back, slicing into her rocket thrusters. A small explosion erupted on her back and knocked Antagony offline.

Mach Alert wiped the coolant from his forehead in relief, performed a quick systems self-check and ran over to Grimlock.

Grimlock tranformed into robot mode and held out his hand. Mach Alert threw the sword across, returning it to its rightful owner.

“The, uh, female one is out of action... for the moment,” Mach Alert reported.

“One down, one still left to chew,” Grimlock replied.

Mach Alert folded back up into vehicle mode and accelerated towards Cataclysm.

Grimlock took his cue.

Mach Alert spun past the Predacon and transformed again into robot mode. Grimlock dashed up to the pair and Cataclysm bent forwards to dodge Grimlock’s sword. Grimlock threw the sword across to Mach Alert and transformed to dinosaur mode.

Confused and disoriented, Cataclysm succumbed both to Grimlock’s bite and Mach Alert’s sword strike. Mach Alert pushed the sword into Cataclysm’s shoulder, pinning him down into the ground. Grimlock bit down, pulled and spat our Cataclysm’s left leg, then quickly did the same to the right one.

“Didn’t see that one coming, did he?” Mach Alert said.

“Hindsight wonderful thing,” commented Grimlock.

Mach Alert looked down at Cataclysm’s twitching body and then across at his two legs that had been thrown to the side. “So are hind legs.”

Grimlock laughed. “For pen pushing strategist, you fight good.”

“Thanks.”

Swoop landed beside the two Autobots and transformed. “Whoever’s in that hideout doesn’t want to come out,” he said. “And I’m all out of bombs.”

“Well at least we took care of Itchy and Scratchy,” Mach Alert said, gesturing to Antagony and Cataclysm.

Grimlock moved forwards and offered his hand to Mach Alert, about to ask for his sword back. He froze involuntarily.

Swoop and Mach Alert were both unable to move as well.

A slow scuttling noise appeared behind them; a myriad of footsteps getting louder as Shokaract emerged from his burning hideout. From the corner of his optics, Grimlock could make out the shape of a massive crab-like creature walking around the group of motionless Autobots.

Shokaract moved to the front of the Autobots and transformed into robot mode. “One of you made the mistake of locating my hideout and reporting it to your commander,” he hissed. “It was you, wasn’t it?” Shokaract directed the question at Mach Alert.

Shokaract used his powerful telekinetic ability to force Mach Alert to nod his head. “Ha! You even admit it!”

The Predacon glanced down at the sword in Mach Alert’s hand and commanded him to present it to him. “Another one with a sword,” Shokaract commented. “I would just love to know why such a clunky, clinical, race of robots finds such fascination with a tool of war that requires such fluid and organic control.”

Shokaract took the sword from Mach Alert and held it up. “I suppose we all fall prey to the lure of the sword.” The Predacon brought the sword abruptly down on himself and carved a slice out of his own abdomen.

If the Autobots were able to, they would have repulsed at the act.

Shokaract replaced the sword in Mach Alert’s hand and groaned. The missing slice of his abdomen slowly regenerated. Shokaract spoke through the pain. “It’s amazing what powers you can acquire when you reach the edge of the Universe.”

“Now, just where have my two Heralds got to?” Shokaract turned around to see the lifeless bodies of Antagony and Cataclysm. “Ah, dead again, I see.”

Shokaract walked over to Cataclysm and knelt down, resting the palm of his hand on his Herald’s forehead. “Just don’t tell her that I brought you back first.”

To the Autobots’ unspoken horror, Cataclysm’s legs and hands reformed before them. Within moments, the Predacon sat up straight, completely healed. “What happened? Did I die inside that blasted shuttle again?”

“No,” Shokaract laughed. “You just lost a couple of limbs this time.”

Shokaract walked over to Antagony and performed the same healing process on her.

Grimlock so desperately wanted to break free of Shokaract’s telekinetic hold and kill them all over again. But he was helpless.

The three Predacons walked across to the three Autobots. Cataclysm let out a slight laugh.

“When you’ve got this gift, you don’t need a vast army to conquer a planet. By the time you’re on the surface, it’s already too late.”

Crosswise sat at his communications console. He had become engrossed in the personal logs of Ultra Magnus and almost missed Sideburn’s priority signal.

“Crosswise! Come in!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here, pal.”

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing, really. Just reading up on the whole Scrounge/Ultra Magnus scenario from--”

“Well never mind. I need some advice.”

“Shoot.”

“I’m on my way with medical support for Grimlock’s team, but I’ve got a problem,” Sideburn explained. “I can’t get near enough to help. There’s three, um, offworlders and they’ve got the commander surrounded.”

“Hold your position for now, reinforcements are on their way.”

“ETA?”

Crosswise swung his chair around to another console and tapped the screen. “Sideswipe and his crew are closing in, but they’re all ground-based, so you’re looking at ten, maybe eleven breems before they arrive.”

“Isn’t there anyone closer?”

“I’m afraid not. This alien thing just happened to pick the most remote part of Cybertron to set up camp.”

“What about air support?”

Star Saber soared above Iacon, pushing himself higher and higher into the atmosphere. His fuel tanks were at maximum capacity and he was carrying a full payload of weaponry.

At last it was time for revenge.

But this time there would no subversion, no plotting, and no hiding. There was a new threat to his homeworld and he would be the one to remove it.

Inside Iacon’s Citadel, Hot Shot watched Star Saber’s jet form take to the air with both a sense of pride and admiration.

The small Autobot activated his radio. “It’s just us against the enemy now,” he said. “And we’re going to make the Autobots believe in us again. They’ll be so proud.”

Antagony stepped up to Swoop’s inert body and traced a line with her clawed finger across his cheek. “Why do some of them actually have beast mode configurations?”

“Perhaps, subconsciously, some of them anticipated the next stage of our evolution?”

“They are still just robots,” Shokaract said. “Throwbacks and chattel; fit only to please our every whim, to bend to our will.”

Cataclysm grew impatient. “Are we going to start the sequence then, or what?”

Shokaract turned to his Herald, losing his temper. “No!” He calmed. “At least not yet. This discovery could have been a potential setback, and we still need time to place our agents.”

“But you said you had already taken control of the planet’s overlord.”

Antagony interrupted, always quick to defend her leader. “Shokaract had his reasons.”

“Enough! Both of you,” said Shokaract. “Kill these three now and prepare for further battle. I sense more Transformers on the way.”

From his vantage point, Sideburn looked on. He could clearly see Mach Alert, Grimlock and Swoop at the mercy of Shokaract. To the East, he saw the four active Aerialbots tending to Fireflight’s injuries and to the West he saw the inactive forms of Wildride and his fellow Cadets.

Sideburn spoke into his communicator. “Come on Crosswise, I need help.”

Grimlock’s thoughts turned inward. The more he struggled to free himself from Shokaract’s powers, the more a voice inside kept urging: “Keep still.”

It was possibly the first time Grimlock had ever truly feared for his life.

Of all the situations he had ever found himself in, whether it was fighting the Empire, or battling the likes of Unicron, or killing Galvatron, or just enduring a meeting with Optimus Prime, Grimlock always had faith in his abilities to simply bite his way out of trouble.

But it was different now.

He had been confronted by an enemy against which he had no defence. Grimlock had no time for technology or mysticism, just brute force and a warrior’s instinct.

Grimlock thought of Swoop, stood with him in his last moments. They were in it together to the bitter end. Grimlock had always hoped that the Dinobots would all die together in a cliched blaze of glory, not like this, not in this demeaning and dishonourable manner.

It was Optimus Prime’s fault. It was all his fault. It was always his fault.

The roar of jet engines shook the entire area as Star Saber flew overhead.

Sideburn, the Aerialbots, and the Predacons looked into the sky and watched Star Saber transform into robot mode and land. The Autobot leader drew his sword and stepped forward towards Shokaract, ready to fight.

“Get off my planet,” Star Saber warned.

Like all second chances in life, it was of upmost importance that one redeemed themselves in front of the most important witnesses.

At least, that’s what Hot Shot had come to believe.

Within Star Saber’s private quarters Hot Shot had found a War Tape that detailed a successful raid on a Decepticon bulwark by a young Autobot known as Caeneus. It should have been the start of the young warrior’s path to the stars. But sadly, the event was never reported to the rest of the planet. Instead, the Global Frequency was abuzz with coverage of another Autobot’s rise, an Autobot named Orion Pax.

Star Saber’s past good deeds had been forgotten, and all that remained in recent memory were his misdeeds and subterfuge.

But, today, Hot Shot decided, Star Saber would redeem himself and restore the rest of the Autobots’ faith in him.

“You’ve given him a second chance,” Hot Shot said, his voice excited. “Thank you, Xal.”

Shokaract couldn’t believe his eyes. Star Saber stood in front of him, staring right at him. His massive shoulders heaved as waves of energon pumped through his massive form.

“But I killed you,” Shokaract said.

Star Saber leaned down towards Shokaract. “You did, I’ll admit. You killed my body, but you couldn’t control my spirit. Too scared, weren’t you?”

Shokaract took a step backwards and raised his hand up to Star Saber.

Grimlock suddenly realised he could move again. The voice telling to remain still had been silenced as Shokaract shifted his concentration towards Star Saber.

Star Saber took a step closer to Shokaract.

“Not working this time, is it?”

“Hnnh. Stay back!” Shokaract ordered, concentrating his telekinetic powers.

Star Saber tapped the front of his helmet. “My brain is a long, long way out of range. You can’t use your powers on me.”

“What?”

Grimlock made use of the opportunity. “Swoop, Mach Alert: Take them down!” he barked.

Sideburn raced over to the Aerialbots. He screeched to a halt, transformed and pushed Silverbolt aside.

“Are you lot blind?” he shouted. “Why weren’t you helping Grimlock?”

“But Fireflight...”

“I can take care of him, you four put your chicken wings to good use and get over to Grimlock. Pronto!”

Slightly taken aback by Sideburn’s confidence, the four Aerialbots transformed into jet mode and took to the air.

Star Saber jumped away from Shokaract, landing with his legs apart to keep his balance. He raised his sword into the air and swung down to Shokaract’s side, slicing off the set of crab legs that were mounted on the left side of his back.

“I’ve conquered hundreds of worlds,” Star Saber spat. “I know every trick in the book.”

Shokaract arched his back in agony. Blocking out the pain, he pulled his mortar cannon from behind his back and fired.

Star Saber deftly side-stepped out of the way. “I was wrong to think I could make a deal with you when you first arrived on Cybertron. But I know how to deal with you now.”

Grimlock snatched his sword from Mach Alert, spun around to face Antagony and plunged it into her abdomen. “Me met some bitches in my time, but you definitely most poisonous.”

Antagony screamed out.

“Witch doctor leader can’t help you now,” Grimlock taunted. He stabbed again, this time in her chest.

Cataclysm fired repeatedly at Swoop and Mach Alert, but the Autobots were too fast for him. Swoop took to the air and made a suicide run at the Predacon. His serrated beak tore into Cataclysm’s chest as he flew down.

“You cannot kill me,” Shokaract told Star Saber. “You could slice me up into a million pieces, and I’d still be able to put myself back together. If we make a deal, I can show you the source of my powers, I can show you the First of Three.”

Star Saber grabbed Shokaract’s cannon and crushed its barrels with his fingers. “I’ve already been there.”

“What do you mean?”

Star Saber gripped Shokaract’s forearm and ripped it from his body. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

The four airborne Aerialbots remained in formation as they dove down towards the battle. Skydive launched a pair of missiles directly at Antagony and Slingshot perforated Cataclysm’s organic skin with mortar fire.

The three invading Predacons had lost.

Star Saber pointed his sword into Shokaract’s throat. “You’re really quite pathetic when it comes down to it. I used to be the same, back when I thought I was something greater than I actually was.”

Grimlock, clutching the limp body of Cataclysm, stepped up to Star Saber’s side. “Me never realised how much like Optimus Prime you were,” he said. “Well aside from fact that you don’t run away from threat.”

Star Saber turned to Grimlock. “I am an Autobot, after all, and I have a code to uphold.” The Autobot overlord relaxed his grip on his sword and pulled it away from Shokaract’s neck. “Which is why these three are to be held prisoner. They will not die by the sword today.”

“Yes!” laughed Hot Shot, throwing a punch into the air. “What a speech!”

Star Saber leaned into Shokaract and said: “This will always be my planet, my home. It’s no place for wretched Neogens.”

Oilslick had been sitting in his cell, with his back to the plexi-glass when he heard that familiarly annoying tapping sound.

He turned slowly.

After Hot Shot’s last visit, Oilslick was expecting him to be stood there, waving a limb in the air and laughing.

But it was not Hot Shot who had come to visit Oilslick.

“Star Saber!” Oilslick exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Let’s just call it atonement,” Star Saber replied. “I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m willing to permit you the same.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s one condition, however.”

Oilslick stepped up to the plexi-glass. “And what’s that?”

“If I show you something, you must promise never to tell anyone.”

Oilslick shrugged his shoulders. “Anything to get out of here.”

Star Saber stood back from his side of the cell wall and opened his arms. The large Autobot’s chest armour split down the middle and opened out wide.

Oilslick’s optics burned with amazement.

Inside Star Saber’s chest compartment, connected through a complex maze of cables and connectors, sat Hot Shot. His arms were crossed in front of his chest.

He didn’t move.

Star Saber’s body took a step to the left and shook his palms as if waiting for applause. “Look at me!” he said excitedly.

“H-hot Shot?”

Hot Shot’s body remained motionless, but Star Saber’s continued to move.

“Isn’t this just amazing?”

“I don’t… know,” Oilslick said, totally bewildered.

“It’s ever such a long story,” Star Saber said, closing his chest and clapping his hands together. “I will tell you all about it once you’ve been released.”

“How did this happen?”

“I found myself like this, just abandoned.”

“You found yourself?” Oilslick quizzed.

“In more ways than one,” Star Saber explained. “When we were at the Academy, I so admired Star Saber. I think that’s why I was so keen to help him during the globequake. Little did I know I was actually helping myself!”

“Framing me in the process,” Oilslick sneered.

“That’s why I’m here now,” Star Saber offered. “To set you free.”

Grimlock sat silently in his quarters. He ignored Swoop as he entered.

“You okay, boss?” Swoop asked.

Grimlock grunted.

“Are you humiliated by what Star Saber did? Is that it?”

“No, of course not,” Grimlock replied. “Me just…”

“Just what?”

Grimlock looked up at Swoop. “Me just had always hoped it Optimus Prime that be the one to come to our aid.”

“I know he let you down when the Barricade was offline, but you have to let this go. He’s gone.”

“Me know,” Grimlock said. “Me know too well, now.”

“So why are you feeling so down now? Star Saber saved our lives.”

Grimlock slouched. “After all this time, me just never expect Star Saber to be the better Autobot, to outshine Optimus Prime.”

Star Saber had been killed by Shokaract, that much was true.

He waited inside the Matrix while judgment was passed. And he wondered if he would be part of the procession, part of the elite that would end up in the final Universe and possibly beyond. Or would he be forced to go back? Or would be deleted completely, neither allowed to progress or regress?

Xal had disappeared, returning to what the dead called the First of Three. Star Saber felt his Spark boil. And then he felt nothing at all.

Cybertron, 2304.

The Autobot had literally rolled off the production line. He felt a surge of white-hot pain channel through his body as he was charged for the very first time.

He transformed into his robot mode and initialised his optical sensors. A robot, similar to his own size, approached him.

“Hi, my name’s Sideburn,” he said. “Welcome to Cybertron!”

“Th-thanks,” said the new Autobot.

“Don’t worry, once all your systems have warmed up you’ll feel a lot better.”

“Is Xal here?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by that name,” Sideburn replied.

“Oh, it’s just I have a vague memory of someone called Xal.”

Sideburn laughed. “Well that’s strange. You’re brand new. You shouldn’t have any memories. We should get you checked out.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“So, anyway,” Sideburn asked. “What’s your name?”

“Call me Hot Shot.”