"He's here." The yellow VW Bug transformed into Bumblebee as it sped into the Ark command center, the momentum forcing the Minibot to stumble forward several steps.

Optimus Prime stepped away from the main terminal and started toward the exit. "Thank you, Bumblebee." Upon reaching the hallway, Prime transformed and drove out of the scuttled vessel and down the side of the mountain.

The rocket section of Omega Supreme was gently settling into his docking tower. Prime drove up to Hoist, who was watching the proceedings, and transformed. "Hello Hoist, looking forward to working with your old colleague again?"

"Yeah, I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed busting his chops. It'll be fun to bang heads with him on this project." The green and yellow Autobot smiled up at his Commander.

Prime nodded, imagining all the good-natured browbeating that Hoist would inflict upon his old friend. At that moment the two robots looked up to the ramp lowering from the gray rocket, the door sliding open, and the large yellow/orange robot disembarking. The new robot carefully walked down and stepped onto the planet Earth. Prime walked toward him and held out his hand. "Good to see you again Grapple. Welcome to Earth."

Grapple reached out and gripped Prime by the wrist with his right hand. "Thank you Prime, and it's good to see you too."

"What about me, you no-talent bricklayer?"

Grapple looked past Prime and sent a mock-glare at Hoist, then looked past him at the heavily damaged Ark embedded within the mountain. "Ah, the unevenness, the dilapidation, the complete disarray; Hoist, the handiwork is unmistakably yours."

"Come here you hack." The two architects gripped each other by the right wrist and wrapped their left arms around each other in a friendly embrace. "It's good to see you again, buddy! We're going to have a blast working on this thing!"

Grapple released Hoist and took a step back. "What exactly are we going to be designing and building here?"

Prime directed the two robots up the mountain toward the Ark. "I'll fill you in once Ratchet's fitted you with an Earth-based alternate mode." The three Autobots started walking over the rocky ground. "Now, do you have any update from Ultra Magnus?"

Grapple nodded. "Yeah, he said to tell you that Blaster arrived safely and is getting into position now, and that they'll be needing the big guy in exactly four hours. Of course, he gave me the message forty-nine minutes ago."

Prime nodded and raised his voice. "Did you get that?"

A booming voice coming from the rocket behind them replied. "Affirmative."

***

"Alright boys, we've been waiting for this day for over forty-six thousand vorns, and it's finally here. In three hours we take back what is rightfully ours." Kup's gravelly voice cut through the silence of the small room. "You all know your roles, you've been prepared, and each and every one of you were chosen because me, Magnus, and Optimus Prime himself are confident beyond a doubt that you are fully capable of performing your tasks flawlessly." Kup smiled at the three robots standing before him. "You are Field Commanders in the most important battle of the war. Vorns from now, on a Cybertron that is free, young robots will download the history of this battle, and have your names and great deeds forever etched in their memories." Kup lost the smile and took a serious tone. "Now, I'm assuming that you all have selected your seconds?"

The three robots nodded their affirmation.

"Good. Then gird up, and lead your troops to victory."

The three Autobot officers rose, saluted Kup, and replied. "Yes sir!"

Kup turned and looked at the two Autobots standing behind him, Springer and Hot Rod. "Springer, you will be my second. Should I fall in battle, it will be up to you to lead the soldiers under my command. That's one hundred seventeen troops that you will be responsible for, that you would need to lead in an assault and breach of the southern most perimeter of the city, and then the advance through to the core of Iacon, securing each area that you pass. Are you up to that should some 'Con get a lucky shot off at me?"

Springer nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good." Kup then looked directly into the optics of Hot Rod. "Kid, you just keep your head low, your mouth shut, your guns straight and follow our lead. You got that?"

The young red Autobot smiled and nodded. "Yup."

A beeping came from the wrist of one of the Field Commanders, a green Autobot whose design made it obvious that his alternate mode was that of a sleek ground racer. The robot raised his wrist to his mouth and answered the page. "Free Ride here, what is it?"

A muffled voice came through the speaker. "Sir, sorry to bother you, but there's been a weapons malfunction here that's resulted in an injury."

Another one of the Field Commanders, a blue and red robot, got visibly irritated. "Slag it, now is not the time to be screwing around with the munitions!"

Free Ride turned to his peer. "Settle down Pointblank, it might be minor."

The messenger's voice once again cut through. "I'm afraid not sir. Rapido's left leg was shredded when the power cell on an assault rifle overloaded and blew up. I'm afraid he's in no condition to fight, at least not for another four days according to the medic."

"SLAG IT!" Free Ride was furious. "Of course it had to be Rapido!" The green Autobot noted the slightly confused looks on his colleague's faces. "He was to be my second."

Groans emanated from the other five robots. Kup looked him in the optics. "Do you have anyone to take his place?"

Free Ride shook his head. "I've got capable soldiers, but no one with Rapido's abilities and skill level. Fast, strong, a great shot, exceptionally bright, and cool when the pressure's on." The Field Commander sighed. "I don't have anyone else that can effectively replace him."

Kup nodded and looked to the other Field Commanders. "Pointblank, Gunrunner, do either of you have a soldier that can fill the void?"

Both officers shrugged, and Gunrunner replied. "Sorry sir, but anyone I have that is even half as competent as Rapido is already filling a vital function for me."

"Yeah, I'm in pretty much the same boat. Besides, once inside the perimeter of Iacon, Free Ride's forces are securing the autobahns, urban grottos and most of the residential quarters. Anything other than a high-speed racer would be cut shreds going through those shooting galleries." Pointblank observed. "Which kind of narrows it down further."

Kup nodded in disappointment, then his optics suddenly appeared bright and hopeful, but then just as suddenly he shook his head again in disappointment. "No, that's insane."

"What's insane?" Free Ride wasn't about to let Kup's discarded possibility go without being heard.

Kup continued shaking his head. "I may have someone in mind who might be able to fill the role."

Free Ride was excited. "Great! Who?"

Slowly, hesitantly, Kup turned around and looked at the young red and yellow Autobot standing behind him. "Him."

Free Ride's excitement immediately dissipated. "You're right, that is insane."

But despite his initial misgivings, Kup was giving the option serious consideration. "I hate to say it, but he may be our best bet. I mean, he's one of the fastest ground racers we have, he's stronger and more durable than most robots in his size class, he's a darn good shot, and he's pretty clever on the rare occasion when he's not being an idiot."

Hot Rod gave his mentor a sarcastic grin. "Thanks Teach."

"Shut up." Kup turned back to Free Ride. "He's a smart-trunked, know-it-all, pain-in-the-neck, flashy, obnoxious punk, but he can do this."

Free Ride looked long and hard at the red youngster before finally, and hesitantly, agreeing to Kup's recommendation. "Alright, if you vouch for him. I guess it's not like we have much choice."

Hot Rod stepped forward and smiled at Kup, but then a serious look came over his face. "Are any of your olfactory sensors picking something up?"

The other five robots sniffed, but their facial expressions indicated that they detected nothing. Kup shrugged and addressed his pupil. "What is it kid?"

Hot Rod drew in a great deal of air, looked up as though deep in thought, and then replied. "It smells...almost like..." He sniffed once again. "Confidence in my abilities."

Kup shook his head. "You stupid..."

"Yeah...a hint of faith...almost as if you trust me."

"Shut up, you insipid..." Kup started toward the now grinning Hot Rod.

"I dare say that you consider me an asset."

Some chuckling emanated from the other Autobots in the room, but all that the kidding around managed to get out of Kup was a quick smack to the back of Hot Rod's head.

***

Shockwave looked over the data from the morning's testing for the sixth time. It once again confirmed what he had witnessed with his own optic hours before when the testing had been conducted. He had fully expected that the benefits of this procedure would be greater than those yielded by the previous cases; after all, he was dealing with superior strength, size, reflexes and compatibility, as well as a slight improvement to the procedure itself. But another factor, one that he had not even considered, enhanced the end result to an extent that vastly exceeded anything Shockwave could have imagined.

Shockwave heard the light footsteps approaching from the hall, and made a note of the Predacon leader's consideration of his privacy. Razorclaw had to put forth an effort to be heard when walking, so he obviously wanted to avoid surprising the Decepticon Sub-Commander. The powerful Predacon spoke as he entered the chamber. "Have you determined the cause of what happened this morning?"

"Yes." Shockwave placed the data pad on the table in front of him and looked up at his visitor. "Nanites. The nanites that make up your outer 'skin' blend with those of your teammates; that interaction significantly accelerates stimuli and data transfer, and makes your cohesion vastly more comprehensive than those of the other groups that have undergone this procedure. While the earlier cases yielded an ungainly conglomeration of various attached parts, what I saw today was physical perfection."

Razorclaw nodded. "I see. Yet another benefit to our bio-mechanical design."

Shockwave lifted the data pad back off of the table and took a look at it for the seventh time. "Yes. It may be something to consider for future generations of Decepticons." The purple Decepticon tossed the small device back onto the table and leaned toward Razorclaw. "Instruct your team not reveal this enhancement to anyone yet. It is my ultimate weapon to use against Megatron, and should not be unleashed until the time is right. Do you understand?"

Razorclaw nodded. "Yes, my creator."

A light beeping came from Shockwave's wrist. With an internal command the warlord switched open the frequency and casually lifted the wrist communicator to his head. "What is it?"

Ratbat's voice broke through. "Sir, communications with Iacon is down. I have already begun investigating the problem and hope to have frequencies open shortly. I just thought that I would keep you informed."

Shockwave shook his head in annoyance, but decided that Ratbat was right to make him aware of this minor technical problem. "Thank you Ratbat, and please update me with any changes to this situation."

"Of course sir."

***

"Powering down Gravity Amplifier." The pastel green and white robot called out. The gray blur displayed through the view screen slowly shifted to black with slender white shards shooting past, and then eventually the white shards shrunk to points zipping by. After several minutes even these points slowed and came to a prone position as the Solar Flare decelerated to the speed of light, it's maximum velocity without the use of the Gravity Amplifier.

"Well done, Moonracer." Elita One stood up out of the Captain's chair and walked toward the navigation consul. "Can you pinpoint Cybertron's star yet?"

Moonracer looked to her control panel, scrutinized the data being displayed on three small screens, looked up at Elita One and smiled. "I can do you one better. I can pinpoint, and lock onto, Cybertron itself."

Elita One nodded. "If we were to do that, how long before we would arrive in Cybertronian orbit?"

Moonracer did a few more complex calculations before responding. "Roughly forty-eight minutes."

Elita One shook her head. "Amazing. The last time I made this trip it took us twenty-five vorns to get here. With the Gravity Amplifier we did it in three days!"

Moonracer laughed. "Yeah, pretty wild, huh?"

"Yes, wild." Elita One smiled at her navigator. "Make the necessary preparations, including the locking on of another, distant heavenly body just in case we need to make a break for it quickly. I'll alert the crew to assume their positions."

"You got it." Moonracer targeted the core of Cybertron, locked onto it's gravity, found a star sixty light years away, isolated it's core, placed a secondary lock onto it's gravity, and verified that there were no objects impeding the path to either destination.

As Moonracer was making her preparations, Elita One addressed her one hundred and sixteen member crew. "Attention Autobot Femmes, this is Elita One. Report to your stations at this time. Cybertron is forty-eight minutes out."

Elita One looked down to Moonracer, who smiled back and nodded. "We're ready."

Elita One drew in high levels of oxygen-rich air through her intake vents, causing the few systems of hers that utilized some form of combustion to run hotter and faster. "Alright, let's go."

Moonracer returned her attention to the controls in front of her and initiated the Gravity Amplifier. The Solar Flare gently shifted its direction toward Cybertron as it began using the planet's drastically amplified gravity to pull the ship toward it. Though moving slowly at first, the craft soon accelerated to the point where nothing but a light gray blur could be seen through the view screen. Moonracer was flying blind, as she had been throughout the duration of the trip. Relying completely on her instruments, her life and the lives of the other Femmes on board were completely dependant on whether or not she disengaged the Gravity Amplifier with enough time to allow the ship to decelerate and avoid collision with whatever planetary object that they were locked on to.

Fortunately, Moonracer had proven to be an exceptional pilot thus far, and Elita One had complete faith in her to finish the last leg of the trip without incident. Though time usually passes quickly for beings that measure their lives in terms of eons, these forty-eight minutes proved to be the longest any of the Femmes on board the Solar Flare had ever endured. Arcee, Paradon and a blue and white Femme had entered the bridge of the ship shortly after Elita One's announcement, and had come to regret that they hadn't occupied themselves with some other task for at least half of the time that they had spent waiting. But eventually Moonracer powered down the Gravity Amplifier and decelerated to light, and then one-quarter light speed.

Clearly displayed in the view screen was the giant metal orb that they had traveled a fifth of the way through the galaxy to find. The Solar Flare continued to decelerate as it pulled closer to Cybertron, and the emerging metal canyons, spires and myriad of other features sent wave after wave of memories washing over Elita One.

"There doesn't appear to be any orbital sensors or any other type of early warning system in place. I would guess that the energon rationing is still in place."

The blue and white Femme's voice cut through Elita One's memories and forced the Autobot Femme Military Commander back into the moment. "Thank you Chromia, that's good news. Find an area of low activity and send the coordinates to Moonracer. Moonracer, enter Cybertron's orbit over that point."

Chromia checked the main screen of the terminal in front of her and called out to her Commander. "Well Elita, it should come as no surprise that the Medriac sector appears to have the least amount of activity in it. What you may find surprising, however, is that the energy readings in most city-states are near pre-famine levels, and the energy readings in and around Iacon are off the scale." Chromia peered more intently at the readings before her. "In fact, I would even say they would indicate a skirmish."

Elita One marched toward her, stood behind her, and looked at her screen. "That's not a skirmish, that's a full-fledged siege!"

***

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SABOTAGE!?!"

Cheap-Shot stared up at the Iacon City Commander in terror. "I mean sabotage sir. Twenty-seven of the thirty-four armories positioned throughout the city-state were either partially or completely destroyed by explosive devices at the exact moment the Autobots attacked, and over eighty one percent of our perimeter cannons are not functioning. We are attempting to ascertain the reasoning for their non-operational condition, but the vast majority of Decepticons are busy repelling the Autobot attack." The red, mid-sized Decepticon shook his head. "This, combined with the communications black-out and the savagery of the Autobot assault has made the prospect of losing Iacon a possibility." The glare from his imposing commander forced Cheap-Shot to revise his assessment. "Though only an extremely slim one." The Decepticon's yellow optics followed the gray warlord as he stormed across the Iacon command center in disgust. "So, Lord Streetblade, how should we proceed?"

Streetblade looked through the wall-length window, over the southern portion of the besieged Iacon, shook his head, and then barked out his orders. "Alert all officers above the rank of Platoon Commander that we have one or more traitors or Autobot spies in our midst!"

Cheap-Shot nervously shifted. "I've already taken the liberty of doing that, sir."

The large warlord, who had features of both a ground racer and an aircraft reliant upon a large rotating blade for vertical lift, smiled at his nervous subordinate. "Relax Cheap-Shot, I want my officers to take the initiative. You've done well. Now tell me if any of them have noticed any suspicious behavior."

The slightly more relaxed Cheap-Shot smiled and nodded. "All but seven replied and claimed not to have seen anything out of the ordinary prior to the attack. Steel-Plate, Death-Toll, Shiv, Hellbent, Leach, Aghast and Counter-Punch have all failed to reply and are assumed to either be disabled or killed."

Streetbladed nodded. "Acceptable losses thus far, but tell those that are still functioning to keep their optics operating on full sensitivity in case the traitor or spy decides to strike again."

"Of course, sir."

***

"Hey guys, check it out; it's Captain AWOL." The blue and white Autobot pointed at the quickly advancing yellow robot. "Where in the inferno have you been, Punch?"

"Out doing what I was commanded to do, Twintwist." Punch smiled slyly at the Jumpstarter. "Some of us get orders that require more than just standing around, sanding the oxidation off of our drills."

Twintwist smiled at the playful retort, but the Decepticon mortar shell impacting one hundred yards from their positions interrupted any comeback that he was planning. "Wow, that was close!"

Punch jogged past Twintwist toward the mobile command center a few hundred feet behind him. Red Alert popped his head out to investigate the damage caused by the blast, and saw the yellow Autobot trotting toward him. Red Alert looked back into the command center and casually addressed his commanding officer. "Magnus, the messenger is here."

Punch reached the center and climbed the three steps to the door as Magnus looked up from his status screens. "Come in Punch." The hulking Autobot Sub-Commander looked to the others in the room, Red Alert, Crosshairs and Roadbuster. "You three have your orders, keep up the pressure."

As one, the three Autobots replied. "Yes sir!" Crosshairs and Roadbuster darted right by Punch without even looking at him, but Red Alert stopped and put his hand on the yellow Autobot's shoulder. "Well done kid."

Punch simply nodded, doing what he could to hide his surprise. Once Red Alert had left, the espionage agent turned to Ultra Magnus, visibly irritated. "For the love of Primus, how public are you making my mission!?!"

Magnus held up his hand in an attempt to calm Punch. "I'm sorry, Punch, but it was necessary. Red Alert had put together a list of all Decepticons who had gone through any physical alterations and was about to distribute it throughout our forces. Counter-Punch's name, and a detailed description of his Earth-car mode were on there. The last thing I need is for perhaps our most valuable operative to be cut down by our own forces. Besides, Red Alert is one of my most trusted officers."

Punch accepted the reasoning, but was still irritated. "And the crazy old rust-bucket outside Polyhex; was he a trusted officer too?"

Magnus smiled and nodded. "Oh yes, I did some checking." Magnus picked up a data pad, and had a wire come out of his wrist and jack into it. A moment later a picture of a red, blue and white robot came up. "Was this the robot that asked you of Prime's death?"

Punch looked at the image and nodded. "Yup, that's him."

Magnus laughed lightly. "Well Punch, congratulations, you are one of the lucky few to have ever met Alpha Trion. Even I haven't had the pleasure, and I haven't a clue as to how he found out about you. But I assure you, he would never do anything to hurt the Autobot cause."

Seemingly unimpressed, Punch jerked his thumb toward the door. "Goody for me. Let's go."

Ultra Magnus slowly stood up. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

A cynical chuckle escaped Punch's mouth. "Want? No. Need? Yes. So let's get this done before you're missed here." The mid-sized yellow Autobot led his large Commander out of the mobile command center. Punch looked around to verify that nobody was close enough to hear them. "By the way, be sure to congratulate Blaster, Eject, Grand Slam Ramhorn and Rewind. Their communications blockade worked perfectly. We couldn't get so much as a whistle out of Iacon." Magnus nodded and transformed to vehicle mode. Punch grabbed the back of his cargo hold, hoisted himself on top of it, and sat upon it as Magnus sped away from the battle.

Ten minutes later they had reached a desolate stretch of metal, with nothing around them for miles. Though the sounds of explosions were still loud and clear, they had long since left any of the combatants far behind. Punch leapt off of Magnus, hit the ground, and both robots began transforming. But instead of the vehicular mode of Punch being in front of Ultra Magnus, a blue Decepticon stood instead. "Here, before I forget." Counter-Punch handed Magnus a small data-pad. "I'm pretty sure that Carnivac managed to uncover all of the tunnels under Iacon large enough to accommodate more than a half dozen troops. All the information is here, be sure to seal or boob-trap these tunnels, and the deactivation codes for the perimeter cannon locks are on here as well. And for the love of Primus, destroy this thing as soon as you have the information copied to another data pad. I don't need physical evidence of Counter-Punch's betrayal laying around."

Magnus nodded. "Of course." As he placed the data-pad into a small compartment in his wrist he looked over Counter-Punch worriedly. "Is this really necessary?"

"Look, Counter-Punch doesn't do you any good as an Autobot prisoner of war, so that means that he has to break through the Autobot lines and escape. And if he does that, he's going to get some of what the humans call bumps and bruises, along the way." The blue Decepticon nodded toward Ulta Magnus's rifle. "Now do what needs to be done, but while I need it to be convincing, don't hit the tires - Polyhex is too slagging far to walk to, and don't mess me up too badly. The last thing I need is for some 'Con medic to put me under the laser-scalpel and discover my inner Autobot. Just external damage that will only require minor medical work."

Magnus gave the blue robot a wry grin. "I know what I'm doing."

***

"Remember, no one is to know about your enhancement until I determine that the time is right. Is that understood?"

In unison the five biomechanical warriors replied. "Yes, Lord Shockwave." Razorclaw turned and walked through the energized wall created by the space bridge, and one by one was followed by his troops to the planet Earth.

Shockwave started to turn back toward Darkmount as the space bridge powered down, but stopped as his wrist communicator started beeping frantically, indicating that the incoming message was of an urgent nature. The purple Decepticon raised the communicator to his head. "What is it?"

"Lord Shockwave, several Decepticons are en-route sending word that Iacon is under attack. The communications blackout is presumably being caused by the Autobots, who are assaulting the city from every side." Ratbat's frantic voice made clear the magnitude of the situation. "Two Seekers that managed to break through the Autobot lines claim that the Autobots have already breached the outer walls in some points."

Shockwave cursed himself silently for not seeing the signs. He had assumed, incorrectly, that the lull in Autobot activity was due to the preparation for, and a feared backlash from, the destruction of the Cooler. Shockwave had already mistakenly believed Optimus Prime to be completely incapable of an act of such destruction, and now it appeared that he had misjudged the Autobot leader once again. "Assemble all warriors!"

***

The Solar Flare shot over the dilapidated city-state of Matriopolis, and every optic on board peered out a window to gaze down upon the former capital of the Autobot Femmes. Elita One stared at the eastern planes leading to the city, the site of her last stand against the Decepticons, the site where her army had been wiped out, the site where she and the few Femme troops still clinging to life would have expired, were it not for Saloria.

The cargo freighter that the emigrants of Harbornia had christened 'Sanguinity Seed' flew out over the battlefield on it's way to the stars to seek out a new home. It had been many hours since the slaughter had ended and the victorious Decepticons had long since charged ahead to pillage the glistening Matiriopolis, but most of the Harbornians were still fearful and were extremely opposed to Saloria's suggestion that they stop and search for survivors.

Saloria won out, and the ninety-three survivors of Elita One's fifteen thousand Femme force were carried aboard. That had been fifty thousand, one hundred twelve vorns ago. An eternity that suddenly felt like yesterday, as the memories of her dying troops washed over Elita One.

But the Femme warrior vowed that their deaths would not be in vain. A thirty-thousand vorn old New Harbornian legal precedent had established that an expeditionary crew could exceed the parameters of it's mandated mission should there be an unforeseen development and the crew voted unanimously in favor of the deviation from the original course of action. The voting had ended a mere eight minutes before, and to Elita One's surprised delight, the entire crew had voted to aid their Autobot brethren in reclaiming their ancestral home.

At their current velocity they would be on the outskirts of Iacon in seconds. The explosions and smoke from the battle were already visible over the horizon. Several quick bursts were seen and heard as anti-aircraft shells exploded a few miles ahead. "Elita One, we've got five Seekers bearing down on us." The Femme leader walked toward Chromia's consul, noting the five blips on her sensor screen that represented the Decepticon fliers that had gotten past the anti-aircraft fire. Chromia looked up at her leader. "It also appears that we've breached whatever's causing the communications blockade. Our channels are now open to Iacon and they appear to be closed to the rest of Cybertron."

Elita One smiled and made a quiet comment at the news. "Well done Blaster."

Chromian heard the comment, and started to ask about it, but her attention was forced back down at her consul. "Commander, we're being hailed by one of the Seekers."

"Put him through."

Chromia flipped a switch to allow a coarse hollow voice to come through. "Unmarked vessel, identify yourself immediately!"

Elita One leaned forward and grasped a mouthpiece. She made an internal modification to her vocal processor, and as she responded to the Decepticon, her voice was deep, gravelly and masculine. "This is Decepticon Platoon Commander..." Elita searched for an appropriate name for a Decepticon warlord, and memories of her fallen city inspired her. "...Pillage. I'm returning from my mission of conquest at the behest of Darkmount. What is going on here!?!"

The humbled voice quickly responded. "Welcome home Commander. We're having a little Autobot trouble, and your assistance would be most welcome...though your vessel seems to be vastly less effective than most Decepticon battle cruisers."

"Dwindling energon levels forced us to undergo some downsizing." Elita looked up at her officers and addressed them in her normal voice. "Get to various ports and target these Seekers. Hold your fire for my order." The Femmes nodded, grabbed their rifles, and made their way to various windows that could be opened. Elita One returned her attention to the consul and reopened the channel with the Decepticon she had been speaking with. Her voice switched back to that of 'Pillage', and she resumed her conversation. "Our projectile weaponry is virtually non-existant, but we have a great deal of ordinance that can be dropped on Autobot locations. Arrange yourself and the other Seekers in an arrowhead formation ahead of us and lead us over the Autobot positions."

"Yes sir." With that the five Seekers adopted a 'V' shape directly in front of the Solar Flare and led it toward the southern wall of Iacon.

Elita One looked out the front view screen and addressed her crew. "Does everyone have a lock?"

Multiple responses of "Yes Maam" came back.

Elita One smiled and gave the order. "Fire." Three seconds later all five Decepticons were careening toward the metal ground. "Well done Femmes!"

Chromia called out. "Elita, we're now being hailed by the Autobots."

"Well, answer them."

Chromia nodded and opened communication. Kup's voice barreled through. "Who do I get to thank for knocking those winged butchers out of the sky?"

Chromia hesitated, but eventually answered. "This is the Autobot Femme craft Solar Flare."

"You've got to be kidding me!?!" Kup's voice suddenly took an angry tone. "I fully expect Shockwave to sacrifice five Seekers to get the drop on us, but to impersonate a race he helped wipe out is low, even for him. What, you think five winged corpses and a pretty voice is going to get me to reveal my position, or that of Ultra Magnus's, or even that of Prime for that matter?"

Elita One was stunned by the word 'Prime', but realized that even without the Matrix, a new leader bearing the title would have to be chosen to rally behind, if nothing else. She returned her focus to the Autobot on the other end, giggled, and grabbed the speaker from Chromia. "Why don't you quit yer squawkin' and tell us where you want us, you rusty old bucket!?!"

A brief moment of silence passed before Kup's astonished voice returned. "Sweet Primus, Elita, is that really you?"

*

"FIRE!" The nine penetrator cannons launched their drill-mounted heavy explosives on Free Ride's command, and a moment later nine separate 'thuds' resonated against the outer wall of Iacon's southeast perimeter. The devices burrowed their way several feet into the walls before finally detonating. The smoke cleared, revealing nine new holes in the already heavily punctured barrier. "It's ready to fall! Keep up the pr..." Free Ride's yellow optics flared as a red bolt zipped past the back of his head, and his body collapsed to the ground.

Hot Rod, who had been firing upon the Decepticons mounted on top of the crumbling metal wall from behind a wrecked cannon, leapt up and caught the battlefield commander just before Free Ride hit the ground. "You OK boss?" The question came out a fraction of a second before Hot Rod noticed that Free Ride was now missing the entire rear portion of his cranium. The little bit of liquid that had not been seared away by the energy blast dribbled down Hot Rod's arm.

"Hey, is he alright?"

Hot Rod replied to the red Autobot without looking away from the lifeless corpse in his arms. "He's gone, Overdrive."

The Omnibot watched as Hot Rod gently laid the slain leader down on the metal ground. "I guess that leaves you in charge."

Hot Rod looked up at Overdrive, shook his head in frustration, and then looked to the wall that they were attempting to penetrate. He sat silently for a few seconds before bursting back to action. "Alright, no more of this random launching slag! Target those penetrators to impact within fifteen feet of each other, and I want them aimed at a point ten feet above ground level!"

The technicians of the cannons hesitated for a brief moment, but quickly set about making the alterations ordered by their new battlefield commander. Hot Rod looked at Overdrive. "You and I are going to draw some fire while these guys set up." With that the young Autobot transformed and sped into the scorched area separating his troops and the southeastern wall of Iacon, dodging dozens of Decepticon shots bearing down on him. Overdrive groaned, but transformed and followed quickly behind him.

*

"Why the southeast section of the city? The northwestern point seems to be the most fortified, and the number of troops you have there are significantly less than in other sections of the perimeter."

"Trust me Elita, we have the northwest covered. You and your troops will serve us best in the southeast."

The Femme leader stared out toward the southeast. "Alright, it's your party Kup, but I think your neural-circuitry is finally beginning to degrade."

Kup's laughter came through. "Well, Sweetie, if you take a look out into the northwestern horizon, you just might see why I'm telling you that that area is covered. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a charge to lead."

Elita One put the speaker down as Kup ended the transmission and looked in the opposite direction. In the distance she saw an object speeding toward the city, and as it got closer she was able to identify it as a gray, conical, rocket-propelled craft. But she was confused, as it appeared much too small to be carrying a significant number of troops.

Suddenly a tremendous burst of energy shot out from the craft, impacting against the wall, the explosion violently sending metal debris in every direction. "Alright, it packs a punch, but it still doesn't seem enough to...what in the inferno is it doing?" Elita One was stunned to see the craft decelerate and then lower slowly to the surface of the planet, in full view of the Decepticons who were unloading everything they had on it. To her amazement, a track, docking tower and tank appeared from out of sub-space. "What is that thing?" She then watched in stunned silence as the rocket, track, tower and tank all reconfigured and combined, and the resulting giant, which reminded her of some of the ancient horror stories that Kup used to tell younger Cybertronians, charged the wall of the city and began dismantling it with savage fury. Almost in a daze, and without taking her optics off of the giant robot, Elita One issued an order to her pilot. "Moonracer, Kup was right. The northwest sector is under control. Head toward the southeast."

"As you command, Elita One."

*

"Here's the hap's Boss. Omega Supreme has penetrated the northwest perimeter and is tearing slag up! Kup reports that his team has breached the perimeter as well and are slowly making their way to the heart of Iacon from the south, and, believe it or not, that a team of Femmes have come to our aid and will be reinforcing the assault on the southeastern sector. Which leads me to the sad news that Free Ride is dead and that Hot Rod is leading his team."

The white front end of the freight hauler asked a surprised question to the voice on the other end of the communications frequency. "Hot Rod!?! Are you sure?"

"That's what I was told. Otherwise everything is going to plan. The only issue is that the surprise is up. I've intercepted multiple Decepticon transmissions ordering all available warriors to converge upon Iacon. Sorry Magnus."

The freight hauler slowed so that a half dozen Autobots could jump on and cling to either side of his cargo section before accelerating toward the heavily damaged northern wall of Iacon, missile launchers blazing. "Definitely no need to apologize Blaster, the communications blockade that you spear-headed worked for much longer than we could have hoped for. And besides, if we can take this burg quickly enough and disengage the interference modules our operative put on most of the perimeter cannons, we should be able to keep Shockwave at bay indefinitely." Magnus's engine roared as it bore down on a large hold in the wall that was being filled with debris by Decepticons in a vain attempt to bolster the waning effectiveness of the failing barrier. The Autobots that were being transported by Magnus quickly jumped off of him seconds before he reached the wall, and began firing on the Decepticons the moment that they hit the ground. "Blaster, now that you're services in the area of communications are no longer required, how would you like to join us in battle?" The freight hauler exploded through the stacked pile of metal that had a moment ago been serving as a makeshift barricade, sending shrapnel and fearful Decepticons hurtling in every direction.

"Already on my way. Don't kill all the 'Cons before I get there!"

*

"Affirmative, you are to relinquish command to Elita One once she arrives. I realize that this is a deviation from the original plans, but suck it up. It's nothing against you, in fact you've done all right, but she's in charge. Kup out." The ancient blue Autobot turned his head away from his wrist communicator and peered through the window of the abandoned manufacturing plant that he, Springer and eight other troops were using as cover in their slow forward push toward the heart of Iacon. He smiled broadly as he surveyed the battlefield outside. "Pain in the neck kid."

Springer noted the grin and smiled as well. "You're proud of him, admit it."

Kup looked at his green subordinate and tried to take on a stern expression. "You better not tell that little punk, but yeah." The old warrior jerked upward, squeezed off four shots, and ducked back down for cover. "A few minutes after he's thrust in a command position, he's got a small collapse in the wall created and he and Overdrive are instantly on it securing the breach and giving his troops cover into the city. He's already worked his way nine miles in. Not bad for a know-it-all-know-nothing." Kup then took another look over the windowsill at the field of battle. "I'm still going to squash him for making a fender of himself in this morning's meeting, though."

Springer sprung up and unloaded on a Decepticon position, scoring a hit on at least one Decepticon sniper. "I don't think it's going to get much more clear out there."

Kup nodded. "Yup, let the troops know that it's time to push forward again."

With a series of hand signals, Springer conveyed the message to several of the other Autobots in the structure, several of which relayed the message to other members of the team positioned in other locations. A few moments later a collection of nods let Springer know that everyone was ready to go. "Alright Kup, ready when you are."

Kup gritted his teeth and hurtled himself through the window, landing on the metal road two-dozen feet below. "Let's go boy's, the last leg of the trip is always the most fun!" Guns blazing, he charged toward a squad of Decepticons that had begun firing on him. A second and a half later three-dozen other Autobots were charging behind him. Thirteen joined Kup in blasting away at the last of the Decepticon positions in the area, while Springer and the rest transformed and drove out ahead, being joined by teammates that had been separated and forced to take cover in buildings several blocks away.

Onward Springer sped through the streets, getting ever closer toward the Iaconian Spires located in the center of the City with each passing second. That was his target, the location that was undoubtedly being used as the city's Decepticon Command Center. It was there that all other invading Autobots were headed, but Springer was dead set on being the first one there.

***

"CLEAR!" The blue and gray Minibot emerged from of one of the deep metal grottos.

Hot Rod looked at him briefly before turning his attention back toward the urban battlefield ahead of him. "Well done Tailgate. We'll hold here."

Several of the Autobots surrounding the young warrior were shocked. Blurr stepped toward him. "Whatdoyoumeanholdhere? We'vefoughtourwaythisfarinandhavetheDecepticonsbac kpedaling. They'reontherun, thelastthingwewanttodoisgivethemachancetodiginandp repareforus!"

Hot Shot stared at his light blue comrade and shook his head amusedly. "As hard as it is to believe, I actually understand what you're saying Blurr. And I agree. But we're under orders to hold tight until some reinforcements, as well as a replacement commander, arrive. So we stay put."

"Here they come." Hot Rod turned his head to look into the same direction that the slender black robot that had made the observation was looking. Sure enough, over ninety ground vehicles and four gliders were making their way through the dark metal corridors that Hot Rod and his team had fought so hard to secure.

The gliders slowed and descended, transforming and landing just seconds before the arrival of their ground-bound comrades. The Autobots under Hot Rod's command were stunned as they saw the robotic forms of their reinforcements, while Hot Rod was filled with a series of sensations that he didn't know that he was capable of feeling. The ground racers arrived and transformed as well, and two slender, pink robots started walking toward the Autobots. The robot with a spiked cranium addressed the open-mouthed Autobots. "Who is in charge here?"

Hot Rod stepped forward. "I have a feeling that you are. Kup instructed me to relinquish command to an Elita One. I assume that's you." The other pink robot standing slightly behind and to the right of the spiked robot caught Hot Rod's attention, and without thinking he flashed her a grin and flickered his right optic at her. Caught off guard, she could only smile back and turn her optics away. Though completely uncertain as to why, Hot Rod was excited by her reaction.

Elita One witnessed the entire display with annoyance and responded to the brash red Autobot. "Yes, I am Elita One, and who might you be?"

The young Autobot toned his facial features down, but retained a smile as he looked back to Elita One. "I'm Hot Rod."

"Of course you are." Elita looked past him to the other Autobots, some of whom she recognized from eons ago. "Hello my brothers. I will be assuming command and leading you to the center of the city. I was asked to do so by Kup, so if any of you have a problem following me you can take it up with him after the battle has ended. Until then, I expect you to obey my orders and to fight bravely. Is that understood?"

All of the Autobots except Hot Rod enthusiastically replied. "Yes Maam!"

Hot Rod didn't understand the unquestioned reverence that the other Autobots felt toward this new, strangely yet appealingly shaped robot. But he knew that she wouldn't have gotten Kup's endorsement were she not worthy. "Yes..." He looked back at the other Autobots. "Maam?" He shrugged it off, figuring that it must be some obscure military title that he was unfamiliar with.

"So Hot Rod, what's the situation here?" Though irritated with him, Elita One was somewhat impressed with the progress made by Hot Rod and his troops, and decided to treat him as a respected officer, despite his less-than-subtle advances toward Arcee.

"Well, we've done a fair job of pushing back the 'Cons up until now, but we have a series of elevated and subterranean autobahns ahead of us, and chances are that we'll be sniped at the entire time."

Elita One nodded. She turned around and looked to the four robots that had transformed from gliders. "Ladies, we'll need you to fly ahead of us, hugging the buildings and informing us of the locations of any Decepticons that you see."

The four robots saluted. "Yes Maam!" With that the winged Femmes leapt to the air, transformed, and sped into the sky.

Elita One turned her head in a wide arc and addressed all of the Autobots present. "Alright, we've got the bowels of a city to conquer and secure, so stay sharp, stick close to the walls, move fast and keep all senses heightened." She looked to Hot Rod. "Alright kid, you, Arcee and half of our forces take the lower streets, I'll get the elevated highways with the rest. Understood?"

Hot Rod smiled crookedly at Arcee before turning his smiling face toward Elita One. "Yes Maam."

The Femme Commander grumbled something quietly as she turned away from the red Autobot and transformed. "Femme squads three, five, eight, eleven, twelve, fourteen and fifteen with me."

Hot Rod called out to his former troops. "Squads beta, gamma, iota, kappa, mu, omnicron, theta, and zeta go with her as well. The rest fall in behind me." The sleek Autobot playfully stepped toward Arcee and quietly addressed her individually. "That means you too." Before she could respond he had turned away, transformed and was driving ahead. The agitated Femme could only transform and follow his lead.

Elita watched as Hot Rod's group sped behind her for a couple of miles before turning down a tunnel into the depths of Iacon. She said a silent prayer to Primus for all of them to make it through safely, even that cocky twerp Hot Rod.

A few uneventful minutes passed before a message came in from one of her fliers. "Elita One, this is Flutter. I've spotted dozens of Decepticon snipers roughly three miles ahead of your current position. They are in red and white crystalline high-rise domiciles, predominantly on floors eighteen, nineteen, twenty-four, thirty-three, thirty-eig..." A loud explosion preceded static as the transmission was cut.

"Flutter! Come in!" Elita called out to her soldier.

Another voice came through Elita's receiver. "Sorry Elita, Flutter was blasted out of the sky. She's...gone."

Elita sadly responded to the news. "Thank you Nimbus. Just make sure that you don't share her fate." The Femme Commander then addressed the ground troops behind her. "Alright Autobots, we'll be coming upon Decepticon positions momentarily, so be ready to transform and spill some 'Con mech fluid!"

Not ten seconds passed before a missile blew apart the blue Autobot three cars behind Elita. A barrage of lasers and missiles rained down on the Autobots, forcing them to transform and dive for cover in the surrounding buildings, and sending four more to oblivion. Almost as one the surviving Autobots returned fire toward the lofty positions of the Decepticons.

"Elita, this is Nimbus again. I have the precise coordinates of several Decepticon positions."

Elita One smiled as she raised her wrist communicator to her mouth. "Well done Nimbus, put them through." A small screen extended from Elita's wrist, and six coordinates quickly scrawled across it. "I've got them, just continue to transmit this information as you spot more Decepticons."

"Aye, aye Commander."

Elita turned toward several of her troops that had taken cover with her in the same building. She spied a heavily armed Autobot and walked toward him. "Excuse me soldier, but would you mind if I borrowed these missile launchers?"

The tall Autobot replied nervously. "Uh, of course not Commander, uhm, I mean-One. Anything you want." The robot shook his head in embarrassment at not knowing how the Autobot Femme Commander should be addressed.

Elita smiled at the soldier as she took the weapons from him. "Relax soldier, Commander, or Elita is fine. One just doesn't have the ring that Prime has." With that she turned and walked to the doorway that she had originally dove through to gain entrance to the building. She stopped just short of the doorway and her optics dimmed as she concentrated on what she needed to do.

She remained silently fixed for three seconds. Then, without warning, Elita One exploded through the doorway and into the street. She charged ahead, leaping and swiveling her body to avoid the multitude of shots coming down on her. She sprinted several hundred yards ahead before coming to a sudden halt, her arms flung forward and up, and in what appeared to be a form of dance, she flailed her arms about, discharging a half dozen missiles in various directions.

Once she had ceased firing the weapons, she resumed her evasive sprinting and dove into another building, narrowly avoiding countless rounds sent down by all but the six Decepticons she had just killed. With nearly all of the Decepticon fire being drawn by their leader, Elita's troops were free to advance several yards and ascertain many of the positions occupied by the Decepticons. Moving ahead several buildings, the dual-gendered Autobot force took cover and fired more accurately on their enemies.

Elita raised her communicator once again. "Nimbus, Flash-Point, Comet, do any of you have any more Decepticon coordinates for me?" Elita One smiled as more data than the small screen on her wrist could display at once started coming in.

*

No sooner had Hot Rod's team gone underground than they started taking fire from entrenched Decepticons. In the first minute of fighting alone they lost six Autobots, but a daring run by both Hot Rod and Arcee managed to draw the Decepticon fire long enough for the rest of the Autobot soldiers to find cover.

Hot Rod sped toward four Decepticons, all of which were firing away at him. He swerved right and left, narrowly avoiding most of the shots and catching a few glancing ones. He transformed at one hundred and forty miles an hours and slammed into three of his assailants, knocking them to the ground. The one left standing turned toward his three comrades and one enemy and leveled his gun at Hot Rod's head.

But the Decepticon was tackled by another high-speed Autobot and skidded across the floor. He started to get up, but was stunned as he laid optics on the Autobot that had floored him. Arcee was immediately on the startled Decepticon, landing punches and elbows that were far more powerful than some would expect from her slender frame. Before the besieged Decepticon could react to the beating he was taking, Arcee had reached out and grabbed his gun. He reached up and gripped her by the throat, not seeing the barrel of his own gun positioning over his forehead. His final though was how wasteful it would be to crush such a pretty neck.

In one fluid motion, Hot Rod converted the snap kick that he had used on one of the Decepticons he was fighting into a reverse kick used on it's friend, all the while checking out his new feminine comrade's dispatching of her sparring partner. Both Decepticons hit the ground at roughly the same time, while the last Decepticon in that bunker scrambled to retrieve his weapon. Both Hot Rod's right fist and a round from Elita's commandeered weapon hit the robot's head at precisely the same moment.

"Ouch!" Hot Rod jerked his scorched hand away.

"Oh Primus, are you alright!?!" Arcee was instantly at his side examining his hand.

Hot Rod looked away from his hand and smiled at her. "I knew that you were trying to get me hot, but damn." She looked at him stunned, completely unsure as to how to respond. Hot Rod's grin got bigger and he nodded toward the two Decepticons getting to their feet. "Why don't you take care of these guys so that we can be alone?" It took a second for Hot Rod's comment to register, but just as the Decepticons got to their feet she sprang into action, planting several explosive rounds into their chests. Arcee turned back to Hot Rod, but he was already scooping his guns off of the ground and turning back toward the other Autobots, who were finishing off the last of the Decepticon defending that area. "Alright, it gets easier from here! Let's move out!" He turned back toward Arcee, smiled and flickered his right optic at her, and started a cautious charge ahead.

*

Even from ten miles out, it was clear that Springer's team was not going to be the first to reach the Spires of Iacon. The sounds of battle were so intense that Springer could barely make out Kup's message that the area a dozen miles behind Springer had finally been cleared of Decepticons. The green Autobot was glad to here it, but his focus was most definitely ahead. Take out the leadership, and the rest would fall quickly.

Springer finally broke through the last rows of the long-abandoned cluster of civilian-quarter high rises, and entered the heart of the city. To his far left he saw the awesome power of the legendary Omega Supreme, as the Guardian laid waste to an entire battalion of Decepticon ground troops. Springer didn't take the time to admire the extraordinary display as he led his soldiers straight toward the seat of Decepticon power in Iacon.

Weaving his way through piles of charred debris, Springer and the other Autobots from Kup's team that had followed him ahead finally reached the city Commons that created the perimeter of the governing sector and encircled the Spires. Shooting past statues of Shockwave and Megatron, the Autobot team narrowed in on the sounds of weapons fire. Ahead he saw a squad of Decepticons lined up and frantically firing upon something approaching them from the north. A second later a white, blue and red freight hauler blasted the line of Decepticons apart, scattering them in various directions. Ultra Magnus transformed and rained a storm of laser fire down on the closest of the Decepticons that had attempted to halt his advance, while four Autobots that had been following closely behind him charged toward the Capital Spire's entrance. The hulking Autobot looked up, noticed Springer coming toward him, and smiled broadly. "Glad you could make it, buddy."

A pair of simultaneous explosions in his back sent Magnus face down into the metal ground. Springer instantly tracked the origin of the attack and saw a gray and black, blade-propelled, hover assault vehicle dropping down the length of the Spire and charging Magnus's position from above. "Your death may justify some of this destruction, Magnus!" Dual rotary cannons lowered from the underside of the craft and locked onto the prostrate Autobot as it sped downward toward him.

But the second attack was interrupted as laser fire cut into the front section of the flying Decepticon. Streetblade directed his sensors toward the attack and saw a green and yellow ground racer speeding to Magnus's rescue. "I've got some hot, sizzling justification for you right here, slag-stain!"

Streetblade started leveling off and headed toward the Autobot that dared to insult him. Upon descending to within twelve feet of the scorched and cluttered ground, the Decepticon City Commander transformed into a sleek ground racer with a gun mounted above the hood, and sped toward the offending Autobot, blasting away.

Springer tried dodging the blasts, but realized that in vehicular form he lacked the maneuverability to do so. After receiving four stinging hits, Springer transformed, rolled out of the way of the speeding Decepticon, and returned fire. Three hits burned into the Decepticons frame, but seemed to have little effect as the ground racer leapt into the air and transformed back into hover mode. The flying war machine circled around and bore down on Springer once again, firing away with its rotary cannons. Springer was forced to dive for cover, but bounced back up once the Decepticon shot past him and fired a grappling hook into flier's landing apparatus.

Streetblade felt the snare embed itself into his landing gear, and snickered at the Autobot's pathetic attempt to force him out of the air. Engaging a pair of hidden rear thrusters, the gray Decepticon shot skyward, easily dislodging the Autobot who had foolishly assumed that locking his leg around a pylon from a fallen building would be enough to anchor him down. This Autobot had earned more hatred from Streetblade than any other Autobot in a long time, and the furious Decepticon would inflict his wrath upon this fool in a more personal environment, where the chance of interruption would be unlikely to say the least. Streetblade headed for the top floor of the Command Spire knowing that the headstrong Autobot would not release his grasp. Some fools were just in a hurry to die.

High into the lower atmosphere the two combatants rose, then, turning sharply, Streetblade cruised through an open window, pulling Springer into the building's, and the city's, Command Center. Streetblade halted his forward progress, transformed, reached down and pulled the grappling hook out of part of his leg, which had a moment ago been a landing brace. The momentum of the flight sent Springer's body skipping across the floor, but despite the disorientation caused by the erratic ride and the brutal landing, the green Autobot sprung to his feet and prepared for battle.

Streetblade smiled at the brave, yet doomed, robot standing on the other end of the large, empty room and started slowing making his way toward him. "Congratulations, I believe that you will be the first Transformer to die in this room. I'm not sure how distinguished that honor is, but I assure you that I will always remember it." The large Decepticon pulled the rotor blade from his back and gripped it tightly, it serving as a slicing melee weapon as well as a source of propulsion in flight mode.

Springer watched as the powerful warlord advanced on him slowly, and prepared for combat. He had lost his photon pistol on the flight up, and now disarmed, realized that he may have taken on more than he was capable of handling.

*

"Bulls-eye!" Kup's smiling face turned away from the smoldering Decepticon corpse and toward three troops under his command. Noting their confused expressions, he laughed. "Human expression, or so I'm told." The younger Autobots shook their heads, indicating that they really didn't care. Kup turned his attention back to the battle. "Alright, maintain the pressure! Keep pushing them back into the grottos!"

En route to the Spires, Kup's team had taken fire from a few more squads of Decepticons, and was forced to stop and deal with the snipers. Within minutes they had gained the upper hand and were currently forcing the enemy soldiers into the lower regions of the city, where, Kup was hoping, they would soon be taking fire from their rear.

One bold Decepticon stepped out from behind the building that he was using for cover and addressed his troops. "HOLD THE LINE, DECEPTICONS! We are warriors, we are the elite, and we are the dominant life form in the Universe! We will not be pushed back by an impure, inferior race of..." His torso exploded into countless pieces. The other Decepticons turned around toward the origin of the missile that had destroyed their vocal teammate and were amazed at the impossible site they beheld; a form long ago deemed inferior and useless by Megatron, belonging to a race long since extinct. The pink, spike-headed robot holding the missile launcher could not possibly be there. It was inconceivable that a Femme still existed.

"I wasn't a fan of that rhetoric when I first heard it an eternity ago, and it's only grown more disgusting with time." Elita One tossed the launcher aside and pulled out her rifle that had been magnetically clinging to her back. Before they could fathom what was happening, the remaining Decepticons were being pelted with deadly laser fire.

A few quickly got their wits about them and began returning fire. But the Femme was immediately joined by a red 'male' and another pink Femme, and a few seconds later, dozens of Autobots on either side of the gender line were at her side spraying death on the Decepticons. In a matter of two minutes the last of the Decepticons had been struck down by the criss-cross of weapons fire.

Kup marched toward the other group of Autobots. "Verify that they're dead, lads!" A dozen of his soldiers ran out to obey the ancient Autobot's command. As he approached the other Autobots, he saw Hot Rod trotting out toward him.

"Kup, it's good to see..."

"Later kid." Kup brushed past the young soldier and walked straight toward the Femme Commander. "Elita, thank Primus it's really you!" The two robots hugged as they reached each other. "I can't believe you're still with us."

Elita One smiled as she tightened her embrace of her old teacher. "It's so good to see you again, old bot."

*

Springer hit the wall hard. He had been taking a beating for over ten minutes, but to both his and his Decepticon enemy's surprise, he was still alive. Of course, his left arm had been severed mid-way through the forearm, and much of his armor had been sliced away, but he was still fighting hard. The green Autobot used the wall to help him get back to his feet.

Streetblade marched toward his prey, smiling at the Autobot's feeble attempts to stand up to him. "You've fought admirably, Autobot, but I am beginning to grow weary of tossing you around the room. I think it's time you realized that you are a corpse just waiting to be wrecked, so give up and let me wreck you." The Decepticon raised his sword high and swung down on the doomed Autobot.

Springer rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the blow, and scrambled to regain his footing. His assailant charged him, swinging the blade at him once again, but Springer's powerful legs propelled him over both the Decepticon and his sword and to the ground fifty feet behind him.

Streetblade whirled around, only to have his mid-section slammed by the Autobot's shoulder. Streetblade marveled at how quickly the Autobot's powerful legs had turned the landing into a leap. He pushed the Autobot off of him and started to get back to his feet, but was caught by a kick to his jaw. The mighty Decepticon fell back, releasing his sword as he did so.

Springer, who had been fighting a losing fight, suddenly saw an opportunity to snatch victory from this arrogant Decepticon warlord. The green Autobot lunged for the sword, catching a left cross to the cheek as he did so, but managed to grasp and hold onto the weapon with his right hand despite receiving the powerful blow. Springer rolled several yards, shaking off the punch and leaping to his feet a moment before being pounced upon by the enraged Decepticon.

Streetblade smashed the floor that had been beneath the Autobot a fraction of a second before with his left fist, and snarled as he pulled it out of the newly formed dent and looked up to his quick enemy. His optics locked onto his green and yellow foe just in time to witness his own blade bearing down on his head. Before Streetblade realized that he needed to react, a chunk of his cranial armor had been sliced away and some of his cerebral circuitry was exposed.

The Decepticon was stumbling back, feelings of confusion mixing with his rage. Springer took a couple of steps toward him to gain momentum, jumped, twisted his body so that it was level with the ground, tucked his legs into his chest, and launched his feet into the torso of the gray triple-changer. The Decepticon was lifted off of his feet and propelled heavily into the metal wall, sliding to a seated position on the floor.

Streetblade looked up to see the Autobot get off of the ground and walk toward him menacingly, sword in hand. The warlord positioned his feet underneath him, pressed his right hand against the wall behind him, and began pushing himself back to his feet. He sneered and pointed at the oncoming Autobot. "Very goo..." In a sudden movement the Autobot's right arm lurched upward and out, driving the blade through the outstretched fist. Streetblade snapped his arm back to assess the damage, and stared at the stump that was all that remained of his left hand. More enraged than ever, he glared at the Autobot and started uttering another threat. "Prepa..." The sword swung swiftly back in the opposite direction, slicing through Streetblade's right optic. "AAARRRGGGHHH! YOU'LL DIE..."

"SHUT UP!" Springer sliced the sword back across to the right, cutting through the mouth of the Decepticon and finally putting an end to his threats. The gray warrior's one good optic looked up at Springer in horror as it was becoming evident that the Decepticon would not be regaining the offensive. The horror displayed by the lone optic increased as it witnessed Springer draw the blade back and thrust it forward. The point cut into the chest armor and penetrated in a few inches, but a second thrust by Springer sent it through the torso. The blade entered just a few inches above the spark chamber, precariously close to inflicting instant death. The Decepticon stared into Springer's optics with a combination of shock, hatred and fear. Springer adjusted his grip on the sword's handle and leaned in close to his enemy's face. "Who's wrecked now, Bitch!" With that the green Autobot violently twisted the sword in the Decepticon's chest, forcing the blade to cut into the spark chamber. The hate-filled optic glowed at Springer for a few more seconds before finally fading to opaque.

"You know, when Prime instructed us to become familiar with human terms and expressions, I don't think that is what he had in mind."

Springer whirled around, pulling the sword from the chest of his dead enemy and held it in a defensive position. He immediately lowered the blade and emitted a pained laugh upon seeing Ultra Magnus standing in the entranceway. "What took you so long?"

The heavily damaged Autobot Sub-Commander smiled back. "Sorry, but not everyone was lucky enough to catch a ride up here."

*

"Sir, the reactivation codes for the perimeter cannons appear to be working. In fact, we've already used them to repel a squadron of Seekers invading from the north." Red Alert smiled broadly as he delivered the update while still maintaining a salute.

The battle-weary Ultra Magnus smiled and nodded at hearing the news. "That's excellent Red Alert. Please see that every Autobot maintains extreme vigilance, especially for the next several hours. We've retaken Iacon, but it will be quite awhile before we can declare it securely ours." The hulking blue, red and white Autobot looked at one of the ground level command centers positioned throughout the center of the city and started toward it. "Please excuse me Red Alert, Kup insisted that I come see him as soon as possible."

"Of course sir, and Magnus, well done. Prime himself could not have done it better." Red Alert marched away to begin securing Iacon.

Magnus considered countering his flattering, but outrageous claim. The battle had been a success, thought Magnus, but had Prime been leading it, it would have been won hours ago with vastly fewer casualties. He replayed the siege in his head as he made his way to the meeting with Kup. As he approached the entranceway to the command center, he heard Kup conversing with someone.

"So the 'Cons kicked our fenders out of here forty-six thousand vorns ago, and we've been barely clinging to life ever since. Heck, if you would have told me that we'd be in a position to retake Iacon six months ago, I'd tell you to go have ol' Sawbones unscramble your logic circuitry." Magnus smiled at the sound of Kup's jovial old voice.

"So what brought about the sudden change?"

The other voice put Magnus in a momentary state of shock, one that he quickly shook himself out of. He sprinted the rest of the way to the open doorway and sought out the speaker of the question. He spotted the seated pink warrior, but was still unable to accept what he saw. "It can't be!"

"MAGNUS!" Elita One jumped from her chair and darted toward the massive Autobot, wrapping him in a solid embrace. "I prayed to Primus every day that you and the other Autobots would survive."

The stunned robot could only stare down at the Femme for a moment before finally realizing that it wasn't his imagination. "Elita, is it really you?"

"Of course, you big chariot! You really didn't think that you'd seen the last of me, did you?"

Magnus finally returned the embrace. "Thank Primus you're alive! What a glorious day!" Magnus then looked down, smiling broadly. "Where have you been?"

The two old friends finally released their grasp and Elita walked back and put her right hand on the left shoulder of the seated Kup. "After my army was massacred outside of Matriopolis, the denizens of Harbornia launched a space faring vessel in an attempt to escape Cybertron. But before leaving, they picked up the few of us that survived and took us with them. After countless eons, we finally found a moon that contained an energy source that could be converted to energon." Elita One shrugged. "That's where we've been."

Kup nodded. "Amazing."

Elita smiled at the old warrior. "It was the distress signal from Darkmount that gave us reason to return." The Femme looked at Ultra Magnus. "What did you do to cause such a panic?"

Magnus frowned. "Something that we're not too proud of. An attack that utilized a weapon of mass destruction."

Elita nodded. "So the new Prime isn't afraid to cross some lines."

Magnus immediately snapped back. "Prime most certainly did not sanction..." A confused look suddenly came over the large robot. "New Prime?"

Elita One shrugged. "Yes, Kup mentioned the Prime when my team first entered Iaconian airspace. I know that a new one was appointed. And it was a smart move if you ask me. Even without the Matrix, the title can still be quite an inspirational tool. The Prime has always been a symbol of power and hope."

Magnus's head quickly snapped toward Kup. "You mean she doesn't know?"

Kup shook his head in amazement. "I figured she did. Heck, I thought that that was the reason that she resurfaced now."

Elita One's head quickly darted from one Autobot to the other. "What are you two talking about? What don't I know?"

Magnus turned toward Elita, his mouth stretching into a giant smile. "You'd better sit down for this, Elita."

Kup stood up and led her to the chair that she had been sitting in prior to Ultra Magnus's entrance. "Yeah, this is gonna knock you for a loop."

***

The blue fist hit the consul in an act of controlled frustration. "I should be there, slag it all!" Optimus Prime had been pacing in the control room all day, waiting nervously for any word from Cybertron.

Prowl walked up behind him and placed his hand on the broad shoulder of his Commander. "We've gone over this Prime. Earth is the focal point of the war. We can't afford to lose it, and even if Omega Supreme and Blaster hadn't gone there, we still would need you on this planet. Besides, Magnus is a capable commander."

"I know, it's just..." Prime shook his head. "They've all sacrificed for so long, and now that I'm revived, I'm still absent. Absent for the greatest battle of the war."

Jazz walked past the rest of the Autobots, all of whom were waiting in the Ark's control room as well, and addressed Prime. "There isn't one Autobot that doesn't know that you would do anything that they're expected to do, and more. We all have our roles, and right now, yours is here on Earth, Prime."

The young Spike looked up at the Autobot leader and added his own comment. "Yeah Prime, us fleshbags need you here."

Prime looked down, and shared a chuckle with several of his troops. "I know, I know. It's just frustrating, waiting here, unable to do anything to help our brethren."

Suddenly the communications consul beeped, indicating that there was an incoming transmission. Prime instantly was at the station, putting the transmission through. "This is Prime, who is calling?"

A little static preceded the gravelly voice. "Hello Prime, Kup here."

Prime's nervous voice replied. "What's your status Kup?"

"It's tragic, Prime. I've never seen such carnage, such wreckage, such devastation." Prime shook his head in agony as Kup gave his assessment. "Prime, it pains me to no end to report what I am looking at right now."

Prime swallowed his anguish and addressed his soldier. "Just tell me what happened, Kup."

"Well sir, what they've done to your quarters is utterly despicable."

Prime's head jerked up, a look of surprise coming over his blue optics. "My...quarters?"

"THEY DID IT!!!" Sideswipe's announcement elicited such a roar of elation from the entire assemblage of Autobots that Spike was forced to cover his ears.

Prime gripped the speaker and pulled it close to his faceplate. "You did it?"

"Slaggin' right we did! Iacon is under Autobot control!" The old warrior was unable to keep joyful laughter from cutting into his reply. "Here's Magnus, Prime. And don't let him tell you that he was anything less than brilliant out there!"

Prime nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Hello Prime. I apologize for Kup's cruel joke." Despite the cheerfulness in his voice, Ultra Magnus was clearly exhausted.

In the background Kup's distant reply could be heard. "It's your fault Magnus, that goofy kid you saddled me with is starting to rub off on me."

Prime nodded, still not having fully come to terms with the great victory that his soldiers had achieved. "It is definitely not a problem. And might I say well done my brother, well done!"

"Thanks Prime, but I was just one of hundreds of Autobots out there. There are many others more deserving of your praise."

Prime chuckled. "They are all most definitely deserving of praise, but it was you that led them. It was your leadership that regained our home. Never let yourself think otherwise, that's an order."

"Well..." It was now Magnus's turn to chuckle. "We got some unexpected help from a few old friends."

Prime's head cocked to the side, a display of confusion that he had unintentionally picked up from the humans. "What old friends?"

Some jostling could be heard on the other end of the line before Magnus's voice came through again. "Why don't I let you speak with their leader?"

Prime waited in anxious perplexity for a few seconds before another voice finally came through. "My love!"

"Elita!?!"