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Part 9 of TBAM
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2019-07-24
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2024-03-18
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TBAM: Infinity War

Summary:

With Cybertron restored, the Autobots believed they can take a breather. But the threat of Unicron still remains. Worse still, old and new enemies have united, threatening the entire universe. The Autobots and their human allies will need the aid of other heroes, as well as unexpected allies, in order to face this approaching doom. For they must work together to survive, or fall one by one…

Sequel to TBAM: TLK-Version A

Chapter 1: A Deal between two Devils

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Xandar, May 9th, 2018)

Home to the Xandarians and many other species, this planet was the HQ for both the Nova Empire and its military force, the Nova Corps. Four years ago, Xandar had nearly been destroyed by Ronan the Accuser when he tried to use the Power Stone. Fortunately, it had been saved by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, no such help would come to this planet today.

Thanos, the Titan warlord, stood on top of what remained of the Nova Corps' HQ. He surveyed the ruined capital as his army, the Chitauri, began executing half of the planet's population, as his way of bringing balance to the entire universe. He wore a very unique gauntlet over his left hand. Behind him were his adopted children and lieutenants, known as the Black Order. One of them, Ebony Maw, approached his foster father with a purple-colored orb in his right hand. Thanos turned around as his adopted children kneeled before him.

"As you have ordered, Lord Thanos. The Power Stone is now yours," said Ebony as he held up the orb.

Not saying anything, the Mad Titan took the orb with his right hand. Then, with a strong squeeze, he crushed the orb and revealed the Power Stone inside. Taking the purple-colored stone, Thanos placed it in the gauntlet, flinching as he felt the very powerful surge of energy going throughout his entire body. It only lasted for a moment as Thanos let out a satisfied sigh before looking at his lieutenants. "Gather the Chitarui and head back to the ship. We're done here."

Suddenly, a female voice with a silky British-accent spoke up: "I see that you're still up to your doctrine as usual, Thanos."

Turning around, the Mad Titan looked up at the sky as a 13-foot Cybertronian femme, whose silver-colored frame was giving off an eerie metallic glow, floated towards his position. On her helm were metal hair-like tendrils that gave off the impression of living beings as they moved about in a slow hypnotic fashion, while also wearing what appeared to be a dress with several tendrils at the bottom. Her faceplates were humanoid, and she had blue optics that held lies and dark secrets.

The Black Order got into defensive positions, but Thanos paid them no mind. Behind the femme was an animalistic-like battleship that transformed into a 42-foot grey, purple and aqua-colored mech, who had red-colored optics and shark-like dentas in his mouthplates that almost formed a wicked grin. A shark-like fin was on the top of his helm, and it seemed to twitch at every noise he made. The mech's optics stared at the Titan warlord and his adopted children as his mistress floated towards them.

Thanos raised his left hand, signaling his lieutenants to stand down, as he walked towards the femme. "It's been a long time, Quintessa," he said calmly. "I was under the impression that you were still on your people's dead world."

"Former dead world," corrected Quintessa. "Cybertron has been restored, but Unicron is still online. Which is why I need your help."

Thanos gave her a questioning look before asking: "And why should I help you?" The mech behind Quintessa growled at the Mad Titan, who merely flexed his gauntlet, causing the Power Stone to glow briefly.

"Stand down, Gnaw," ordered Quintessa. The mech seemed unsure, but eventually complied with his mistress's orders. She then looked back at Thanos. "Don't forget our history, Thanos. It's true that you were the one who saved me from my exile at the edge of the universe during your search for the Infinity Stones. But in return, I was the one who gave you the Mind Stone before you allowed it to be taken from you," summarized the femme Sorceress. "You owe me, Thanos. And Unicron is just as a threat to you as he is to me."

The Titan warlord remained silent as Quintessa continued: "As entities born at the dawn of the universe, Unicron and Primus are some of the few beings who are immune to the Infinity Stones. But in his current weakened state, the six stones can offline Unicron before he is revived. And you know what will happen if he is fully restored: Unicron will bring both death and chaos to the entire universe, and that will go against your desire to bring balance, won't it?"

Now, what she said made Thanos think, since the femme did indeed make a very good point. If Unicron was fully revived, all six Infinity Stones together won't be able to stop the Chaos Bringer. He would only bring more death and destruction to the entire universe, which was the opposite of what the Mad Titan sought. Plus, from what he knew so far, at least two of the Infinity Stones were on Earth, which Quintessa said was Unicron. And then there were the Autobots, who were possibly on the planet. They would prove a hindrance for his forces, along with the other obstacles on Earth.

Seeing how Thanos was planning to accept, Quintessa decided to make one more push by adding: "And I also have this too." Raising her right servo, she opened it up to reveal an orange-colored stone floating just slightly above her palm.

The object in her right servo made the Black Order gasp. Even Thanos seemed surprised before murmuring out loud: "The Soul Stone..." This was the Infinity Stone that he could never find, and the one that Gamora had apparently failed to locate.

"The only one out of the six Infinity Stones that had been guarded. Feared for its power to manipulate life and death of all sentient beings, except for Cybertronians," said Quintessa as she pulled back the Soul Stone. "That's the agreement: You help me destroy Unicron and I'll give you the Soul Stone. Plus, not attacking Cybertron once I claim rulership over it." She then raised her left servo. "Do we have an accord?"

Thanos looked at the offered servo and then thought about the Soul Stone, as well as Unicron. After a few seconds of inner debate, the Mad Titan took the Great Deceiver's servo and shook it.

(Burton Castle, United Kingdom)

It was a normal day at said castle. The birds were chirping, the wind was blowing against the leaves, and finally, the Autobots were playing with their human friends. Sqweeks was currently rolling across the inner courtyard. Riding on top of his helm were the Sparklings, Daystar and Gasket. The young Cybertronians were chirping excitedly as the 3'6-foot light-blue Autobot moved on the pathway and grass. The other Autobots that were at the castle were Bumblebee, Arcee, Hot Rod, Evac, Ramhorn, Canopy, Wheelie, Brains, and Cogman. The Dinobots were also present, seeming to prefer Earth rather than Cybertron.

It has been over a year since Cybertron's restoration. Iacon had been fully restored and was serving once more as both the capital city and HQ for the Autobots. Refugees were still pouring in and Energon continued to flow from the planet's core. There was so much to do that the Autobots had started to construct drones to deal with most of the hard labor, in order to make up for the lack of numbers. Although many of the Autobots who had once been on Earth had chosen to live on Cybertron again, some have decided to stay with the humans, in order to be near their friends and improve relations.

Shane Dyson, Tessa Yeager's boyfriend, was there as well for one of his usual visits. He was currently riding a scooter as he raced Sqweeks. The two of them were doing this activity together in order to keep the Sparklings entertained. Izabella Garcia-Yeager was waiting not too far away with a homemade racing flag. Also with her were Canopy, her older stepsister Tessa, and Ramhorn, who was resting beside the girls with Ramjump, Paddles, Axewide, Firefly and Terraquake leaning against him.

Shane and Sqweeks had just turned around a corner and were heading towards the finish line. Shane had gotten the lead and was now ahead of the Autobot. Letting out a couple of clicks, Sqweeks reached out with his right arm and grabbed the back of Shane's scooter. The man let out the famous Wilhelm Scream as he lost control and flew off his scooter before landing in the grassy field. Sqweeks let out a rapid string of clicks as he crossed the finish line.

"And the winner is Sqweeks, with Gasket and Daystar!" announced Izzy. The other Sparklings let out their own clicks and squeaks of excitement, while Ramhorn gave a huff of approval. Sqweeks stopped to let his passengers off. The mechling and femmeling ran off to join the others. By now, most of the Sparklings were able to walk, their legs and motor-functions were now working as their processors were able to compute complicated tasks.

"No, he didn't! He cheated!" yelled Shane as he got up before wiping the dirt off his clothes and taking off his helmet. "That little tyke grabbed the back of my scooter at the last minute."

"Watch it, hot shot. We got kids present," said Cade Yeager as he walked out of the recently-built shed that was made for him so that he could work on his inventions without disturbing the castle. Cogman had been very adamant about it, saying how he didn't want the 'Neanderthal' (which was the nickname the Headmaster called Cade by) making more of a mess for him to clean-up. "Just accept your defeat like a man."

"Yeah, like he said!" shouted Izzy in agreement. She then rubbed Sqweeks' helm when the 'Bot rolled over to her.

Shane just grumbled while Tessa helped her boyfriend out with a small smile on her face. Across the field, Bumblebee and Hot Rod were keeping Ironbolt, Riptide, Strongback, X-Grid, Equator, Aurora and Nightflare occupied by playing different music from 'Bee's radio. Meanwhile, Hot Rod, the 17-foot black and orange-colored mech, was performing various dance moves in rhythm to the changing music.

"Etre surprise tout le monde! Backspin!" declared Hot Rod in his thick French-Algerian-accent as he began to spin on the grass, flattening it hard against the dirt ground. The Sparklings all clicked excitedly at seeing this strange, yet interesting, thing that Hot Rod was doing. X-Grid and Aurora even tried to do it themselves, but they instead only landed on their backs in the process. Bumblebee clapped his servos as he helped the two young ones back onto their afts.

"Do you think the both of you can try and teach them something other than breakdancing?" commented Arcee as she carried Matchstick. Said Sparkling was sucking his digits while watching the action from a distance. Behind Arcee was Canopy, who was holding Skylock, Big Wire, Flipside, High Cloud and Dusthorn in his massive arms, keeping them entertained by allowing the little ones to see from great heights in the safety of his servos. Outside the castle's walls, the Dinobots were roaming about, with Skar with them of course.

Back with Cade, said man walked into the castle's library, which had been modified by Adam Nova/Nova Prime, the actual owner of the castle. The young teen had put up several computers with large and small screens, cameras, controllers and dozens of wires at one end of the large room without disturbing the hundreds of books on the shelves. Many parts of the walls were covered with pictures of various ancient drawings, Cybertronian glyphs and most of all, the horns of Unicron that were sticking out of the Earth.

Ever since the battle last year, Adam had been suffering visions of Unicron, even in his sleep. Optimus had personally theorized that being so close to the Chaos Bringer has allowed him to try and attack Adam mentally. Perceptor and Wheeljack were able to create blockers for the Prime of Life so the attacks would stop, but Adam had decided to get into researching ways into sealing up Unicron without destroying Earth. With the Autobots focusing more on Cybertron and trying to locate the Decepticons, they had to put the Chaos Bringer into the backburner for now.

The hybrid was currently hovering in the air. His lower legs and feet were in their Cybertronian form and releasing small heat from the soles, while the rest of his body was human and currently engrossed in a book. To be more precise, he was reading a notebook related to Dark Energon that the previous members of the Order of the Witwiccans had discovered. Cogman had entered through another door, carrying a tray that had a bowl of potato chips and a soda bottle with him.

"Jesus, how many of these books have you actually read?" asked Cade as he looked at the pile lying neatly on the nearby table. Several datapads were also there, sent from the Hall of Records, courtesy of Optimus Prime.

"I'm pretty much through a quarter of them. It works when you can access 100% of your entire brain and even higher, you know," replied Adam as he finished the book before lowering himself down to grab some potato chips and the soda bottle. He then asked Cogman: "These are the Lays brand, right?"

"Yes, sir. Just as you requested," replied the 4'5-foot silver-colored Headmaster in his uptight British-accent.

"Awesome," replied Adam as he put several into his mouth. "Anyway, what brings you here, Cade? Usually, you're either in your shed or with Vivian out in London, helping out with mechanical stuff at Oxford."

"Probably bringing germs and dust into the castle," muttered Cogman as he picked up some books.

"I heard that, and I washed my hands before coming in here," retorted Cade, which earned an optic roll from the Headmaster. "And I'm just making sure that you aren't getting too buried in this stuff. I mean, when was the last time you hung out with Izzy anyway?"

"For your information, she and I went out on a date last week," countered Adam. "Went to the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort. Cogman drove us there."

"One of my personal favorites, I must admit," added Cogman. "Combines various cultural themes with construction blocks. Brilliant."

"Fine, fine. Just remember that we have a trip to Manhattan in two days," reminded Cade.

"Got it. And I presume that we'll be taking the Steelhaven?" asked Adam. "Took us forever to clean that ship up. I still need to finish inspecting it completely. It would be cool if we could add a cloaking device to it."

"Yeah? Well, maybe you could figure out a way for us to park it better," said Cade before turning around to leave. However, the image of a large being on a nearby datapad caught the inventor's attention. This one was huge and even taller than Omega Supreme, but it didn't appear to be Cybertronian. "Hey, what's this?" asked Cade curiously.

Adam floated near him, looking over Cade's right shoulder. "Oh, that? It's a Celestial, a race of powerful entities. Apparently, they came to Cybertron to try and conquer it because they feared Primus' power. They lost obviously, since they were no match for the Thirteen and their followers. They even tried to use something called an Infinity Stone."

"Infinity Stone?" asked Cade.

"Six stones that are tied with an aspect of the entire universe. They're immensely powerful and can be quite dangerous if they're used in the wrong hands," answered Cogman. "The Celestials tried to use one that was known as the Power Stone on Primus. However, as an entity born at the dawn of the universe, Primus was completely immune to the stone's power."

"And we don't have to worry about the Decepticons using them. I did some research, and it seems like the Infinity Stones can't be used by Cybertronians," revealed Adam, who was pleased at what he found. He had read what each stone could do, and if someone like Megatron could use them, then the Autobots would've lost the war a long time ago. And what were the chances of them encountering one anyway?

Notes:

I'm sure that I don't have to explain of what they'll be seeing in New York City. And Quintessa has formed an alliance with Thanos himself. Next chapter will show what the Decepticons and Unicron's forces are doing.

Be sure to leave either a kudo or comment!

Chapter 2: Attack of the Undead

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(On Saturn's moon, Titan)

A year had passed for the Decepticons since their latest defeat against the Autobots. With Cybertron now under their enemies' control and their base in Russia compromised, the 'Cons needed a new place to lick their wounds. Said place they retreated to was their base on the moon, Titan. Also, on said moon was the wreckage of the Decepticon warship, Nemesis. Starscream, who captained the vessel many years ago, had already set up a base around the Nemesis. From there, the Decepticons expanded their defenses and mined for Energon. Most of the labor was given to the Vehicons, allowing the Decepticons to focus on more important tasks. Outposts had also been built to observe the outer areas on the moon in case of Autobot attacks. Overseeing one of them were Blitzwing and Lugnut as they watched the troops inside.

"What's the latest?" asked Blitzwing. He was glad that he finally got the issue with his own three personalities dealt with. Well, more like Flatline removed them under personal orders from Megatron, who didn't want one of his best soldiers being held back by something as personality disorder.

"Still no sign of Autobots or anyone else, sir," reported a 16-foot Decepticon Protoform. "Guess they really don't know we're here."

"Ha! Of course, Lord Megatron wouldn't let us be found so easily!" exclaimed Lugnut, causing Blitzwing to sigh at his comrade's overzealous loyalty to their leader.

A 25-foot Beta-Class Vehicon walked up to Blitzwing and reported: "Sir, we seem to have lost contact with Outposts One through Five."

"We can't reach Outposts Six through Eleven either," added an 18-foot Decepticon Protoform.

"That doesn't make any sense," said Blitzwing. "Try to contact them again and send out teams to investigate the outposts. If Lord Megatron finds out about this, he'll have our sparks."

Suddenly, the door to the outpost slid open, and walking inside were Bludgeon and Mindwipe. "Blitzwing, Lord Megatron has sent us to take over. You and Lugnut's presence are needed to investigate an Energon source that has popped up," said Bludgeon to the 25-foot tan and purple-colored Triple-Changer.

Blitzwing frowned. Bludgeon was always a mysterious mech to work with, and it was hard to know what was going through his processor. Plus, the fact that he was friends with a mech like Mindwipe who could control other processors didn't help the matter. "I received no order on this. Besides, we're currently having a situation on our servos at the moment," said Blitzwing. However, he didn't see Mindwipe's optics glowing nor the Beta-Class Vehicon directly behind him, whose frame began to slack.

"If you're referring to the interference, then Lord Megatron is already aware of it. Mindwipe can use his skills to figure out the problem," explained Bludgeon, while making sure that Blitzwing's and Lugnut's attention were on him, and not on the Vehicons. The Beta-Class Vehicon directly behind Blitzwing deployed his left forearm-mounted 125mm 2A46M Smoothbore Tank Cannon with an automatic loader.

Unfortunately, Blitzwing's audio receptors heard the sound of shifting metal behind him just in time. Spinning around, the Triple-Changer kicked the Beta-Class Vehicon to the side just as it fired its weapon. Lugnut appeared confused, while Bludgeon cursed. Looking at Mindwipe, the 22-foot dark-green Master Swordsman nodded to the 20-foot black-colored Seeker/Hypnotist. The 'Con's optics glowed brighter, causing all the other Vehicons in the outpost to attack the Decepticons. Soon, the control room descended into chaos as drones fought against their Decepticon masters.

"TRAITORS!!" roared Lugnut as he smashed a Vehicon to the side before deploying his left forearm-mounted 75mm T13E1 Cannon and aimed at Bludgeon but said Metallikato user moved quicker and with a quick draw from one of his Energon Katanas, he sliced off Lugnut's left arm at the elbow. Bludgeon then spun around and blocked Blitzwing's Energon Scimitar.

Mindwipe came to his friend's aid by firing his Laser Battle Rifle at Lugnut, injuring the 24-foot dark-purple mech's right leg. With the one-optic Seeker incapacitated, Bludgeon could now fully focus on Blitzwing. The two 'Cons began dueling with their respective melee weapons, while ignoring the Vehicons and Decepticon Protoforms fighting one another. Several Vehicons lunged at Lugnut, but the Seeker was able to swat them aside with his remaining arm.

As their blades hit one another again, Blitzwing glared at Bludgeon. "I always knew there was something off with you, but this: an attempted takeover by having Mindwipe take control of all the Vehicons? How desperate are you?"

But to his surprise, Bludgeon chuckled. "Do I look like an idiot? Of course, I know something like this won't work if I was attempting a coup. Was being the keyword. No, I just needed the outposts to be blocked from all radio transmissions and the outer defenses down until they arrive."

"'They'?" repeated Blitzwing.

Suddenly, the radar screen in the outpost began to beep rapidly, signaling that multiple objects were approaching fast. As they got closer, they appeared to be Cybertronians with various dragonoids, specifically wyverns. Their frames were colored in metallic purple and had purple optics. But most of all, none of them were giving off spark signatures. The magnetic shield of the outpost shattered as the creatures smashed through before attacking Vehicons and Decepticons alike. Using claws and fanged dentas, they tore apart their victims with extreme brutality.

"Slag this! I gotta warn Lord Megatron!" exclaimed Blitzwing as he moved away from Bludgeon. One of the creatures tried to pounce on him, but the Triple-Changer fired his right forearm-mounted 105mm L7A3 Rifled Tank Gun, offlining it. Several more of them had gotten in front of Blitzwing, forcing him to transform into his second alt-mode, which was a Type 74 Kai MBT (Main Battle Tank). With a single 105mm HEAT-FS (High-Explosive Anti-Tank Fin-Stabilized) round, he tore apart the creatures and revved up his treads out of the outpost. Mindwipe fired at him but was knocked down by Lugnut. The one-optic Seeker then struggled to move before finally bolting forward and grabbing his severed left arm before transforming into his alt-mode of a heavily damaged B-25H Mitchell. He then crashed through the ceiling and flew out of the outpost.

Bludgeon deployed his left shoulder-mounted 120mm Japan Steel Works (JSW) L/44 Smoothbore Tank Cannon and fired at Blitzwing. The 120mm APFSDS-T (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot Tracer) round pierced the Triple-Changer's armor, but Blitzwing was still able to transform into his first alt-mode, which was a Panavia Tornado F3, and took off, despite leaking both smoke and Energon. "Hmph. Even if he and Lugnut do make it to Megatron, it's too late to stop the Terrorcons," declared Bludgeon.

Turning around, he watched as the invaders finished off the last of the Vehicons. Each creature then transformed into their 20-foot biped forms. They all had demonic-looking faceplates, including sharp dentas and a pair of horns on their helms. And just like in their alt-modes, they possessed purple optics that gave off an otherworldly glow. They were armed with either Energon Battle Rifles or Energon Battle-Axes. A few of them were missing some parts from the initial assault, but that didn't seem to bother them at all.

"Once living Cybertronians like us, they've been given undead life, thanks to Dark Energon. And with Jhiaxus' modifications, they now have perfect forms, while still retaining their skills and motor functions, but under the thrall of Unicron. They're now his Terrorcons, the Legions of the Chaos Bringer," announced Bludgeon as more Terrorcons began soaring past the conquered outpost and towards the Decepticon base.

(Meanwhile, back at the Decepticon HQ...)

Megatron, who was sitting on his makeshift throne, was currently holding a meeting in the Nemesis's combat information center (CIC) with his top officers: Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave, Blackout, Barricade, Fracture, Onslaught, Dreadwing and Stockade.

"Our Energon reserves are presently stable for now, but we should be prepared to look for other sources to mine more," reported Fracture.

"Hmm..." mused Megatron as he stared at the holographic image on the table in the center. "And what of our current forces?"

"Presently, we have 1,000 Decepticon Protoforms and 4,000 Vehicons, making a total of 5,000, along with 500 Orbital Assault Fighters," answered Shockwave. "But even with this number, it won't make conquering Cybertron easier. The Autobots have focused heavily on defending Iacon, with numerous anti-personnel and AA turrets ready to repel us. Many of the Vehicons that we were able to manufacture are Alpha and Beta-Class drones. The other classes have been difficult to make due to our current resources. Plus, our scouts have reported that the Autobots have been modifying many of the ships that the refugees have arrived in and have begun constructing their own combat drones, the Autotroopers."

"Have we tried to continue recovering the frames of deceased Cybertronians? We can download the CPU backups of our fallen Decepticons into them. Like what we did with Bonecrusher," suggested Blackout as he remembered how Flatline was able to retrieve the frame of the now-revived Close-Combat Specialist from the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss during the middle of a hurricane.

"Unfortunately, even if we had the resources, the probability of that working again is low. Flatline had explained to me that because their CPU backups were uncorrupted, we were able to do the transfer. Plus, the amount of energy to charge an artificial spark is very high, making it difficult for us to do it multiple times without drawing energy from the base," explained Shockwave.

Megatron nodded in agreement. Along with Soundwave, whose importance was obvious, it was only thanks to those threes' skills that Bonecrusher was successfully revived. All the other deceased but more competent Decepticons didn't have enough CPU backups. Otherwise, the other Constructicons would be here if it weren't for the fact that they were so ancient as the Fallen that any of their CPU backups had been long lost.

The Decepticon Leader's musings were broken by the sound of explosions, followed by shouting.

"What the Pit is all that racket?!" growled Starscream as he made his way over towards the nearby window.

But before the 31-foot grey-tan Seeker could even get close, an object that was trailing smoke crashed through the window and landed on top of the table. Fracture and Blackout stood in front of their leader, but Megatron brushed them aside as he looked at the injured form of Blitzwing. Said Triple-Changer was leaking Energon and had dents all over his frame (minus his helm). "Lord Megatron, we're under attack! By Terrorcons!" exclaimed Blitzwing as he tried to recover.

Wondering what the Triple-Changer meant by 'Terrorcons', Megatron headed over to the smashed window to see that his entire base had become a warzone. Countless Terrorcons were pouring in, wielding their weapons and attacking at anything in their sight. Those in their wyvern forms would either launch energy bolts from their mouthplates or lash out with their claws and fanged dentas, tearing the Decepticons and Vehicons apart with abandoned brutality, while not even caring how much damage they took as they tore into their foes. The 30-foot grey-colored Decepticon Leader spotted several of them combine into 40-foot Cybertronians. They attacked Tidal Wave, who was 65-feet taller, while firing their weapons. The grey and light-green 'Con was firing back with his Cybertronian weaponry (which were his dual shoulder-mounted 24-Tubed Concussion Rocket/Missile Launchers, his chassis-mounted Neutron HMGs and dual forearm-mounted Ion Plasma Cannons) instead of his human-based weaponry.

Megatron growled, enraged that the fabled undead Cybertronians dared to attack his base. He then turned to his lieutenants and began giving out orders: "Starscream, regroup our air squadrons and repel the enemy fighters! Barricade, Fracture, Stockade, reorganize our troops on the ground and push the enemy back! Shockwave, you and Dreadwing will coordinate with the Vehicons! Soundwave, recall all of our forces that are out on missions at once! Blitzwing, get yourself patched up as best as you can and rejoin the fight! Onslaught, regroup with your fellow Combaticons and combine into Bruticus and assist Tidal Wave in eliminating those larger ones! Blackout, you and I shall head to the front lines! Move out!"

The Decepticons quickly separated to perform their assigned tasks. Megatron and Blackout then transformed into their alt-modes of a Cybertronian Jet and a MH-53J Pave Low III SpecOps Heavy-Lift Helicopter respectively and took off. It only took seconds for Megatron to arrive at the thickest area of the fighting: a large hole in the outer wall of the base. Transforming into his biped form in midair, the Decepticon Leader landed right on top of a Terrorcon, crushing it to death under his pedes. Megatron then powered-up his right forearm-mounted Fusion Cannon and fired at a second Terrorcon, destroying the undead's left arm and half of its chassis before a second shot finished it off for good.

Several Terrorcons tried to fire at Megatron but were destroyed by a barrage of 7.62x51mm NATO Armor-Piercing/Tracer rounds. With his left forearm-mounted GAU-2/A Minigun already deployed, Blackout landed beside his master and deployed his right wrist-mounted Whirl-Blades when more Terrorcons came charging. The 33-foot (29 if you remove the main rotor blades and the two T64-GE-100 Turboshaft Engines mounted on his back and shoulders respectively) grey-colored Decepticon Tracker sliced apart one of them with his melee weapon before deploying his chassis-mounted Energon Wave Cannon and fired, destroying five more Terrorcons. Other Decepticons and Vehicons started to gather around them, the sight of their leader invigorating them. More Terrorcons began to pour in, waving weapons and firing at the defenders.

"Decepticons, slaughter them!" roared Megatron as he decapitated another Terrorcon with his Cyber-Matter Sword-Axe.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Bludgeon and Mindwipe were watching the fight from a safe distance. Standing on the edge of a cliff, the former Decepticon Master Swordsman smiled as he watched the carnage unfold. As they were undead, the Terrorcons had no sparks and felt no pain at all. Thus, they could push forward while weathering an immense amount of damage. Even if they lost their legs or arms, the Terrorcons wouldn't stop until the Dark Energon could no longer keep their frames animated or when their prey was offlined. And the Combiners were Cybertronians that had possessed the combination spark when they were online but were unaware of it. Jhiaxus had augmented these specific Terrorcons so that they could combine into large mechs dubbed 'Abominus' and equipped them with dual forearm-mounted Neutron HMGs and Solar Plasma Cannons on their backs.

"As expected of Megatron, he sure knows how to keep his troops in line," commented Bludgeon as he locked his optics onto his former leader.

"It seems like our former comrades are holding their ground, despite the large number of Terrorcons," said Mindwipe.

"Perhaps," replied Bludgeon before looking up to see a Cybertronian Shuttlecraft flying towards the Decepticon base. On top of it was a Cybertronian MBT. Following it was both a Cybertronian Attack Helicopter and a Cybertronian Jetfighter. "But now the main actors have finally arrived."

Back with Megatron, said Decepticon Leader was coordinating the soldiers that were with him. Tankor had come to assist Blackout in keeping the Terrorcons' main force at bay. Thanks to them and Megatron, the Decepticons were able to push back the undead Cybertronians, despite their immunity to pain. However, the arrival of three Abominus began to change the odds against the 'Cons, and it only worsened when Thunderwing flew overhead. Jumping off of him was Elphaorpha, who immediately transformed into his 45-foot biped form upon hitting the ground. Although he was 5-feet shorter than Thunderwing, the indigo dye and azure-colored mech was taller than Blackout and Tankor. With a growl, Elphaorpha deployed his right forearm-mounted Ionic Minigun before firing. Several Decepticon Protoforms and Vehicons were offlined almost immediately as more Terrorcons began pouring forth.

Tankor had destroyed another Terrorcon before turning his attention on Elphaorpha. "Tankor, pulverize!" roared the 25-foot blue-colored Decepticon before firing his right forearm-mounted 120mm MG253 Smoothbore Tank Cannon. The 120mm APFSDS-T round struck the Blentron in the back but did very little damage to his armor. Blackout joined Tankor and fired his Energon Wave Cannon at Elphaorpha at full-power, making the Blentron stagger back a bit. The two 'Cons then charged at Elphaorpha, but said mech recovered quickly. Raising both of his arms, the Blentron brought them down upon his foes. Blackout was lucky that he managed to use his Whirl-Blades to deflect most of the force. Tankor was able to block the force with his own arms, only to get sent flying when Elphaorpha delivered a powerful kick to his chassis. The Decepticon crashed into the nearby wall and left a large dent in it.

Seeing this, Megatron raised his Fusion Cannon and fired a fully-charged blast. The impact did some damage to the Blentron, only for said mech to respond by unveiling his dual shoulder-mounted Solar Plasma Mortars. Megatron was forced to move as the projectiles were launched. Several Decepticon Protoforms weren't so lucky as they were torn apart by the explosions. A few Terrorcons were also offlined too. Elphaorpha then went back to using his Ionic Minigun and his left forearm-mounted Magma Frag Launcher to battle both Megatron and Blackout, while the Terrorcons dealt with the other Decepticons and Vehicons.

Above the battle, Starscream, Dreadwing, along with Alpha-Class Vehicons and Orbital Assault Fighters, were clashing with the Terrorcons that were in their Cyber-Wyvern forms. The undead Cybertronians would fire energy bolts from their mouthplates, said bolts would explode in the air or when they hit a target. However, Dreadwing and Starscream were proving too fast for the Terrorcons, dodging their attacks and downing many of them.

"Starscream, I need air support at the inner perimeter!" yelled Barricade through his comms unit. Terrorcons were swarming in that area as they cut down the defenders with extreme brutality. Back with Barricade, said 16-foot blue-blackish and white-colored mech was firing his Fusion SMG nonstop at the oncoming Terrorcons. Also with him was the recently-revived Bonecrusher, as said 25-foot tan-colored mech was gleefully tearing the Terrorcons apart with either his clawed servos, his tail-like mine-scoop, and his dual wrist-mounted Micro-LMGs. Bruticus was also there, firing his weapons and sometimes crushing a Terrorcon to death.

"Hold your pistons, Barricade! I'm already on route!" snarled Starscream as he made a sharp turn. As he neared the Scout's positions, he saw him fighting alongside several other 'Cons and Bruticus as they tried to hold off a wave of Terrorcons. Dropping eight GBU-39/B SDB-I PGGBs (Precision-Guided Glide Bombs), Starscream blew up at least thirty Terrorcons as he flew overhead. A few were still functional, but they were quickly dealt with by Barricade and his team. Bruticus, meanwhile, deployed his dual forearm-mounted Sonic Shock Cannons and fired at several Terrorcons until they were too shattered to move. A Terrorcon had transformed into its Cyber-Wyvern form and took to the sky, firing at the Combiner. Spinning up his left wrist-mounted Whirl-Blades, Bruticus deflected the energy bolts before swinging his left arm, slicing the undead Cybertronian in half.

Suddenly, a squad of Beta-Class Vehicons were destroyed by a series of explosions. Dropping from above in his 20-foot biped form was Rartorata. Before the opposition could react, the Blentron's right arm morphed into a Proton HMG, while he deployed his left forearm-mounted Automatic Sonic Shotgun. Firing both of his weapons at the same time, the orange, grey and red-colored mech offlined many Decepticon Protoforms and Vehicons before they had a chance to react. Rartorata didn't even seem to care when one of his shots struck a Terrorcon, not that the undead Cybertronian minded since it felt no pain. Even Bruticus felt the brunt of his attack, staggering backwards while using his Whirl-Blades to shield himself. Bonecrusher, Barricade, along with eight Decepticon Protoforms and two Beta-Class Vehicons were able to get to cover as the Blentron fired at them.

Above them, Dreadwing was leading a squadron of Alpha-Class Vehicons. He was about to launch an airstrike when three of the Vehicons were suddenly shot down. Flying at them in his alt-mode of a Cybertronian Jetfighter was Drancon. Transforming into his 20-foot biped form in midair, the bottle-green, magenta, orange and tan-colored Blentron fired his dual forearm-mounted Photon Cannons, destroying more Vehicons before tearing the rest of them apart with his bare servos. Drancon then lunged at Dreadwing, but the bluish-grey Seeker was able to avoid him before transforming into his 28-foot biped form and firing his left forearm-mounted 30mm GSh-30-1 Autocannon. The 30x165mm AP-IT (Armor-Piercing Incendiary/Tracer) rounds had little effect on the servant of Unicron, who just swapped his Photon Cannons for his dual shoulder-mounted Concussion Cannons before firing at Dreadwing. The one-optic Decepticon jumped out of the way in time but was sent crashing into the ground below.

Growling in frustration, Drancon shifted back into his alt-mode and prepared to do an airstrike of his own to finish off the Seeker. But his attention was shifted when another squadron of Alpha-Class Vehicons opened up on him, hoping to take out the Blentron with his back turned. That didn't work and now Drancon was after them. This gave Dreadwing enough time to fall back to friendly lines, though said lines were decreasing rapidly as the Terrorcons pushed the Decepticons back with every minute. The undead Cybertronians weren't giving the defenders a moment's rest.

(Meanwhile, in the laboratory of the Nemesis...)

Flatline watched from a bird's eye view as the Terrorcons invaded the base, swarming it while engaging the defenders. They were also slowly gaining control of the skies while battling the Decepticon flyers. Some of the undead Cybertronians on the ground would pounce on any of the Alpha-Class Vehicons that were passing by, ripping them to pieces with either their clawed servos or fanged dentas before feasting on their Energon. The base's turrets weren't being that helpful either, sure they would gun down several of the Terrorcons, but the undead would completely ignore their pain to fire back, eventually destroying the turrets. The 19-foot black and red-colored Decepticon Chief Medical Officer/Master Surgeon then noticed that some of the Terrorcons were making their way towards the left and right flanks. It wouldn't be long before they cut off any chance of escape. Turning to a 26-foot Alpha-Class Vehicon next to him, Flatline said: "Contact Shockwave."

(Back with Megatron...)

Said Decepticon Leader continued his fight with Elphaorpha. Around them were the offlined frames of Decepticon Protoforms, Vehicons, and Terrorcons. Blackout was lying off to the side, having been severely injured by the Blentron, while Tankor had been separated from Megatron as more of the undead Cybertronians started to pour in.

Dodging Elphaorpha's left fist, Megatron retaliated by swinging his Cyber-Matter Sword-Axe at the Blentron, leaving a large gash on the mech's chassis. Some Dark Energon started to pour out from the wound, causing Elphaorpha to wince. Megatron took that opening to fire a fully-charged blast from his Fusion Cannon, with the impact being strong enough to cause the Blentron to be knocked off his pedes and hitting the ground with a loud crash. The Decepticon Leader charged at him with his melee weapon raised as he prepared to slam it down onto Elpharopha's spark-chamber. But Megatron was denied his kill when a Proton Air-to-Surface Missile (ASM) nearly struck him. Jumping back, the Decepticon Leader watched as Thunderwing arrived. The silver-purple mech transformed into his 50-foot biped form as he landed in front of Megatron.

"Well, well, if it isn't Quintessa's little Cyber-Puppy," mocked Thunderwing. "I thought you would be offlined by now, Megatron."

Said Decepticon growled before declaring out loud: "Not until I have claimed what's rightfully mine! Starting with taking your helm from your offlined frame and using it for my future throne room!" He then fired his Fusion Cannon at Thunderwing's faceplates. The shot did little to no damage to the taller mech, who only smirked in amusement. Opening his mouthplates, Thunderwing released a powerful stream of flames at the Decepticon Leader. Megatron quickly activated his jet thrusters to move out of the way as the intense heat melted both the ground and the metal around him. Raising his Fusion Cannon, he fired more shots at Thunderwing. Deploying his dual forearm-mounted Concussion Cannons, the herald of Unicron returned fire, while ignoring the blasts that struck his armor.

Megatron did a roll as he landed right behind Thunderwing. Taking out his Cyber-Matter Sword-Axe, the Decepticon Leader brought it down on the larger mech's back, but the weapon merely bounced off Thunderwing's chassis without any visible damage being done. Before Megatron could recover from the recoil, Thunderwing slammed his left pede down on the Decepticon Leader, pinning him to the ground and causing Megatron to cough up some Energon from the impact.

"Rest easy, Megatron, for your frame shall be put to good use even after your offlining," taunted Thunderwing as he prepared to finish him off. Unfortunately, the offlining of Megatron wasn't his to claim. Flying at him and in his alt-mode of a light-grey JAS-39E Gripen was Nitro Zeus, launching four of his AGM-65B Maverick ASMs at the servant of Unicron. Moving on the ground was Shockwave in his alt-mode of a grey-purplish Cybertronian MBT. The Decepticon Scientist/Assassin plowed through several Terrorcons as he charged towards Thunderwing. Elevating his AstroMag Cannon, Shockwave fired an HEAT round that hit Thunderwing in the chassis, with said impact being strong enough that sent the larger mech stumbling back a bit. Transforming into his 35-foot biped form, Shockwave continued the assault. He was soon joined by his younger brother, Nitro Zeus, who transformed into his 22-foot biped form and let loose with his right forearm-mounted 27mm Mauser BK-27 Revolver Cannon. A dozen Beta-Class Vehicons also came in, under orders from Shockwave to assist him in protecting Megatron.

Thunderwing raised his right arm to shield his faceplates, which gave a recovered Blackout an opening to ram into the larger mech's right side. Thunderwing was forced to move his left pede off of Megatron, who was quickly pulled to the side by Tankor. The tank Decepticon brought Megatron towards Shockwave, as said one-optic mech fired another HEAT round from his right arm-mounted AstroMag Cannon.

"Lord Megatron, we must do a tactical retreat now," advised Shockwave.

"What?!" snapped the Decepticon Leader as he got up, with sparks appearing all over his armor. "I refuse to flee like a coward from the battlefield once more! We will repel these abominations!"

"With all due respect, my Lord, from my logical standpoint, we don't stand a chance of victory. The Terrorcons don't feel any pain nor the loss of their vital components. Furthermore, my analysis of Thunderwing's armor shows that 90% of it is covered in Ununtrium. Our current chances of delivering a fatal blow are less than optimal. We must abandon the base," explained Shockwave as Thunderwing tore through the Vehicons.

Megatron growled in frustration, but eventually conceded. His old friend's logic was usually right and from what his optics could see, the Terrorcons were pushing his forces further into the base. "Very well, order Soundwave to ready the Darksyde. Then sound the general evacuation and fall back!"

Transforming into his alt-mode, the Decepticon Leader took to the sky. "Decepticons, fall back! Abandon the base!" he ordered as he took off. Blackout, Starscream, Dreadwing, Nitro Zeus, along with Astrotrain, followed him in the air. Shockwave shifted back into his alt-mode and drove off, with Barricade, Bonecrusher, Tankor and any other surviving Decepticons behind him. The Vehicons were given the standing order to hold back the Terrorcons at all costs.

Thunderwing crushed the helm of the last Beta-Class Vehicon before his optics spotted Megatron flying away. Activating the jet thrusters under his pedes, the herald of Unicron flew up to get a better view of the battlefield. The Decepticons were in full retreat and were falling back to the crashed warship. The Terrorcons chased after them with wanton barbarism, tearing apart any Decepticon unfortunate to be caught in their clawed servos, followed by draining them of their Energon. Vehicons were being stationed to hold the undead Cybertronians back, while Tidal Wave and the Orbital Assault Fighters above them were providing cover fire.

Drancon flew up to him. "Your orders, Lord Thunderwing?"

"Keep up the assault and tell Megabolt that he can finally advance. The Decepticons wouldn't pull such a tactic if they didn't have an escape route already planned out. The moment that something unusual occurs, attack them with full power," ordered Thunderwing.

Within the wreckage of the Nemesis, numerous Decepticons were dashing towards a second warship called the Darksyde. Like the Knight Ship, it was also of ancient origins, having served as the Fallen's personal flagship during the Dynasty of the Primes. It had a dark-colored paint job, which gave it a menacing appearance, no doubt by its former owner. It had been recovered per the Fallen's orders and brought to Titan to be repaired for future use. Shockwave had continued to repair and customize the warship even after the Fallen's offlining. Now, it was finally being put to use as the 'Cons prepared to flee the moon. The Decepticons either ran up the ship's ramps or flew into the hangars. Orbital Assault Fighters were also coming in as they avoided the Terrorcons' energy bolts.

As the Decepticons entered the vessel either from the ground or in the air, Soundwave was watching everything from the bridge, while keeping an optic out for Megatron. With his enhanced audio receptors, the 16-foot dark-blue/lighter-blue mech could hear that the sounds of battle outside the Nemesis were getting closer and closer by the minute.

"Soundwave, I've picked up Megatron's Energon signature. He and his entourage have just entered the Darksyde's upper hangar bay, followed by Tidal Wave," reported Flatline as his four clawed servos were hard at work on the console he was using.

"Good. Prepare the engines for takeoff," ordered the Decepticon Communications Officer in his raspy monotone-like voice.

"Sir, I'm detecting a very large mass heading towards us. I have reason to believe that it's the enemy's HQ," reported a Decepticon Protoform from another console. "There's also a large number of them charging up their weapons. They might be preparing to barrage us the moment we take off."

"I've already calculated that situation. Initiate EMP blast and activate the EMP shields," ordered Soundwave.

As the last of the Decepticons boarded the Darksyde, the ship's loading ramps were raised, followed by energy shields covering the whole vessel. The warship began to rise, smashing through the wreckage of the Nemesis as it ascended. Outside, Thunderwing watched as the Darksyde appeared, just as Megabolt had arrived. He was about to order the Terrorcons to open fire when the EMP blast was activated, covering the entire Decepticon base. Despite being the undead, the Terrorcons were still Cybertronians and only paralyzed temporarily by the EMP blast. Even Thunderwing wavered a bit but quickly recovered in time to watch the warship's Dark-Matter Drive activate before blasting off from his sight. Leaving behind the undead Cybertronians, the offlined ones and the servants of Unicron.

Thunderwing landed on the ground, and was soon joined by the Blentrons, as well as Bludgeon and Mindwipe, who were both standing from a respectful distance. "Shall we pursue them, sir?" asked Elphaorpha.

Thunderwing was silent as he looked up. By now, Megabolt's alt-mode was hovering over the base and covering it in shadows. "No, we have already accomplished our goal to lower the Decepticons' forces. They aren't a threat for now," he said. "Have the Terrorcons gather the offlined and any other useful materials that Jhiaxus can use. Blentrons, I want the three of you to head to the next location and prepare for the second phase. Bludgeon, you and your partner will stay here. The time for our master's revival is near at hand!"

Notes:

Next chapter will be the first Avenger-Autobot teamwork.

Anyway, be sure to leave a kudo or comment!

Chapter 3: Meetings and Battles

Notes:

And here it is, the Autobots and the Avengers first battle together.

Enjoy and leave a kudo or comment!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(Somewhere in Outer Space...)

The ship, Statesman, which was carrying the Asgardian survivors of Ragnarok...was in ruins. Half of the Asgardians were killed by Gnaw and the Black Order, while the others were allowed to flee, led by Brunnhidle, aka Valkyrie, and the former gladiators Korg and Miek. All that remained of the Asgardians were Thor, Loki, Heimdall, as well as the Hulk.

"Hear me and rejoice! For you have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan himself. You may think this is suffering. No...it is salvation," declared Ebony Maw to the dead Asgardians as he walked past a grievously wounded Heimdall, while Corvus Glaive impaled one of the lingering Asgardians with his glaive before rejoining the rest of his fellow Black Order members who have surrounded Loki. "Smile, for even in death...you have become the children of Thanos."

Dragging Thor across the floor was Thanos himself, who was gripping the new King of Asgard by his head. He walked up to his adoptive children, with Gnaw joining them. Looking at Thor, the Mad Titan said: "I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail, nonetheless. It's frightening, turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say, I am."

"A very interesting theory, Thanos," said Quintessa as she floated down next to him. "Though, I suppose there is some truth to it."

"A Cybertronian?" questioned Loki as he shifted his gaze between Gnaw and Quintessa. "I would've never imagined I would see your kind, let alone with you."

"Me and Quintessa have a history together. And unlike you, along with some others that I could name, she can actually carry out her favorable promises," explained Thanos. "After all, how else do you think we were able to track the Space Stone to here?"

"Space Stone? I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," claimed Loki, whose face remained neutral and not showing anything. This, however, made Proxima Midnight hold the God of Mischief at knifepoint.

"Perhaps you know it by a different name: the Tesseract. So, you may as well stop with your lies. Right now, you have two choices: the Space Stone or your brother's head," explained Quintessa. However, Loki still held his poker face, and this caused the Great Deceiver to look at Thanos and gave him a brief nod.

The Mad Titan proceeded to activate the Power Stone and began to torture Thor by pressing the Infinty Gauntlet to his left temple. The God of Thunder tried to resist the pain at first, but eventually started to scream out hoarsely. Loki tried to show his lack of empathy towards his foster brother's plight. However, the torture became too unbearable for him to watch with his own eyes, causing him to lose his cool demeanor and step forward. "STOP!" he exclaimed, getting Thanos' attention.

"We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard when Ragnarok happened," said Thor, who was still recovering from the torture.

"Destroyed on Asgard?" asked Thanos. "Well, if it was destroyed, then why did Quintessa here track down the Tesseract's unique energy signature to this ship?"

Loki soon became very reluctant as he glanced at his brother like he knows what he doesn't truly know at all. Without hesitation, the God of Mischief lifted his right hand into the air to deactivate the cloaking spell and reveal the Tesseract, prompting Thanos and Quintessa to smirk at Loki's reveal.

"You really are the worst brother," groaned Thor in dismay.

"Don't worry, brother," said Loki reassuringly. "We'll survive this."

"Your optimism is noted, though misplaced, Asgardian," said Thanos as he made his way to take the Tesseract.

"Well for one thing, I'm not an Asgardian," corrected Loki.

Thanos cocked his head, a bit surprised as he recalled the times when Loki claimed to be one. However, the God of Mischief wasn't done yet: "And for another...we have a Hulk."

As if on cue, said green Avenger shot out from his hiding spot and tackled Thanos. Loki dropped the Tesseract and grabbed Thor, pulling him out of the way. Quintessa moved to the side as Gnaw stood protectively in front of his mistress. The Hulk then proceeded to punch Thanos relentlessly, giving the Mad Titan no chance to defend himself. Seeing this, Cull Obsidian prepared to come to his father's aid, but was stopped by Ebony. "Wait, let our father have his fun," said the Black Order telekinetic, who was confident in the Mad Titan.

And true enough, Thanos began his counterattack. Without the aid of the Power Stone or his adopted children, he delivered a fury of hard punches that overwhelmed the Hulk, who had no time to defend himself. Thanos finished it off by grabbing the Hulk by his shoulders before slamming him hard against the floor. He was about to finish off the green Avenger when Thor tried to attack him from behind by slamming a metal pipe hard against the Titan's head. Unfortunately, it didn't do a thing to Thanos. Quintessa then shot out lighting bolts from the tip of her digits and used them to telekinetically snag Thor before throwing him away from Thanos. Then, with a twirl of her right servo, the metal around the God of Thunder began to shift and bind the Asgardian down, immobilizing him.

Unknown to Thanos, Quintessa, Gnaw and the Black Order, Heimdall had seen everything that had happened from his spot. The fate of his people, his new king restrained and the Hulk defeated, the former Gatekeeper of Asgard finally made his decision for the very last time. Heimdall, despite being gravely injured, was able to reach the remains of Hofund. Gripping its handle, his final words were: "Allfathers, let the Dark Magic flow through me...one last time."

Immediately, a rainbow-colored beam flew out and covered the Hulk. Quintessa, Thanos, the Black Order and Gnaw watched on in surprise as the Biofrost Bridge carried the unconscious green Avenger away from the Statesman and who knows where to. With his objective accomplished, Heimdall meets Thor's right eye for the very last time.

Thanos saw what the former Gatekeeper of Asgard just did. Borrowing Corvus' glaive, he strolled directly towards him. "That was a mistake," said the Mad Titan before impaling Heimdall through the heart.

"HEIMDALL!!!!" yelled Thor in horror as he watched his best friend die, while powerless to do anything as he gave a murderous death glare at Thanos. "You will die for that, you bastard!"

The threat from the God of Thunder did very little to intimidate the Mad Titan when Quintessa approached Ebony. "Gag him," she ordered.

Ebony did so by levitating a piece of metal to muzzle Thor's mouth, shutting him up.

With Heimdall now dead, Thanos gave Corvus his weapon back. Ebony then knelt before his adoptive father while holding the Tesseract in his right hand. "My humble personage bows before your grandeur. No other being has ever had the might, nor the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones," said Ebony as he handed the Tesseract over to the Mad Titan. "The universe lies within your grasp."

With a powerful squeeze from his right hand, Thanos crushed the Tesseract into tiny pieces, unleashing a small blast of energy waves. When he unfurled his fingers, all that was left of the Tesseract were tiny pieces of glass and the blue-colored Space Stone. Blowing the remnants away, the Mad Titan gently fingers the Infinity Stone between his thumb and index finger to place it carefully on the Infinity Gauntlet. Just like with the Power Stone, a pulse of blue-colored energy shot out, causing Thanos to grunt as he felt the Space Stone's energy seep through him before relaxing.

Thanos took a moment to admire the Space Stone before looking at Quintessa. The Cybertronian Sorceress nodded before revealing: "Only three more stones left to go. The Reality Stone is on Knowhere, while the Mind and Time Stones are on Earth."

The Mad Titan looked at his Black Order. "Go to Earth, my children. Find them and bring them to me on Titan."

The four of them bowed. "We won't fail you, father," declared Proxmia.

"If I might interrupt," said Loki, getting Thanos' attention. "You'll be needing a guide if you're going to Earth. I do have experience in that area."

"I'm not sure if you can consider failure as experience," commented Thanos mockingly.

"I consider experience, experience," replied Loki before approaching the Mad Titan. "Oh, mighty Thanos. I, Loki, Prince of Asgard, son of Odinson," he paused as he gave Thor a secret glance. "The rightful King of Jotunheim. The God of Mischief." A knife was secretly conjured in his left hand. Thor saw this and realized what his younger brother was planning. "Do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity." Loki lowered his head, breathing carefully so not to give anything away, and then lunged his knife at Thanos' neck...

...only for the Mad Titan to stop the knife with the Space Stone. By warping the fabricate of space, he generated a powerful spatial pressure that froze both Loki's left hand and knife, which was just four inches away from his throat. "'Undying'?" repeated Thanos as he grabbed the God of Mischief's left wrist, twisting the knife out of his hand and slowly moving it away, despite Loki's attempt to break free. "You should choose your words more carefully."

Thanos then grabbed Loki by the neck and lifted him up. The God of Mischief struggles to break free from the suffocation by kicking the Mad Titan, but to no avail. In fact, Thanos looked almost amused. He then turned his attention to Thor, whose right eye was wide with horror, as if begging the Mad Titan to let Loki go. Instead, he looked back at the God of Mischief and started to squeeze his neck.

"You will never be...a god," choked Loki as his face turned deathly pale and veiny blue.

Thanos smiled cruelly before gleefully snapping Loki's neck. Thor's scream of horror was muffled by the metallic muzzle around his mouth as he watched the life of his dear mischievous little brother be taken from him, while being powerless to stop it. Still holding Loki by the neck, the Mad Titan walked up to Thor before dropping the God of Mischief's corpse in front of the new King of Asgard. "No resurrection this time," Thanos said to Thor, who couldn't tear his right eye away from his brother's dead body.

"If we're done here, I believe we should go now," said Quintessa as she hovered beside Thanos.

"Agreed," replied the Mad Titan as his adopted children and Gnaw gathered around them. Raising the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos activated the Power Stone, overloading the Statesman with energy. As the ship is on the verge of exploding, he then uses the Space Stone to open a portal to bring him, his children and allies out of the doomed vessel, leaving Thor all alone. Subsequently, the metal holding down the God of Thunder finally collapsed, allowing the grief-stricken and vengeance-filled Asgardian to crawl up to his brother's corpse.

"No...Loki," mourned Thor, shedding tears for all that he had lost. First was the remaining half of his people, then his best friend, Heimdall, and lastly his little brother as the ship exploded around him.

Outside, Thanos' massive warship, the Sanctuary II, headed out. With it were Leviathans, Q-Ships and thousands of Sharkticons in their animalistic-looking Cybertronian Hovercraft modes. Their next destination: Earth.

(Iacon, Cybertron)

The capital city of the Autobots was now fully rebuilt. Cybertronians were moving about, either working, patrolling or carefree. Sparklings ran about with their parents, for the first time free of worry of when their next Energon supply would be, or fear of attack. Tyger Pax, Simfur, Metrotitan and Burthov were also beginning to show signs of activity and would be ready for inhabiting. Meanwhile, scientists were starting to theorize that Hatchlings would be born soon with the increase of Energon. Despite the AllSpark being gone, Nova Prime's essence created a pseudo-Cube underneath Iacon that would be able to create newborn Cybertronians without two sparkmates conceiving a Hatchling together, but at a slower rate. And thus, the blueprints of a birthing center were being made.

Meanwhile, flyers flew overhead as they patrolled the skies over Iacon. To further increase the city's defenses, the Cybertronians built a massive wall that surrounded Iacon. Said wall was fitted with anti-personnel turrets, AA missile pods, watchtowers and it had a built-in energy field that extended up to five miles. The only way into the city was through the massive and heavily-guarded main gate. The spaceports were filled with ships of all sizes, with a very large one hosting the Axalon, whose crew was on standby if called for. Near the Autobot HQ was a deactivated Mass SpaceBridge, which was being overseen by Perceptor and Grindcore.

At Iacon's communications tower, Ultra Magnus, followed by Skyhammer, made his way to the main level. "We still haven't seen any new Decepticon sightings, nor any luck in finding their base. And I fear that the patrols are making the civilians uneasy," discussed the 20-foot dark-grey Autobot flyer.

"I don't like it either, but we're still in a dangerous position. Our forces are nowhere near large nor trained enough for us to expand out more throughout Cybertron. If the Decepticons manage to sneak a vanguard on the planet, then it is best that we be prepared," explained Magnus.

"Is that why you're having us patrol some of their former cities, like Kaon?" asked Skyhammer.

"Exactly. They're the most logical places for them to try and set up a base on Cybertron," answered Magnus before he added: "We've also been picking up a strange signal from an abandoned base just a few miles from Iacon." Soon, the two of them arrived at the main communications room. Said room was filled with Autobots at work. Some were delivering reports, while others were at their seats, going through various transmissions throughout the Solar System and from patrols on Cybertron or from outside the city.

"Blaster, has there been any news regarding the Decepticons?" Magnus asked the Autobots' Communications Officer.

Said Cybertronian was a 16-foot red and grey mech with a yellow-colored chassis. Blaster had landed on Earth this February and had taken the alt-mode of a 2018 Toyota Corolla Furia Concept. He had taken a liking to Earth's music, but eventually returned to Cybertron to help with communications of Iacon's defenses, as well as with the Autobots that were still on Earth. As the only Autobot being able to counter Soundwave, Blaster was a necessary part in their defenses.

"Nothing yet, Magnus, besides that distress signal we got a while ago. I already sent that to Optimus. Everything else are just boring transmissions from outside the Solar System," said Blaster. "Slag, what I'd give for some high-grade right now."

"No drinking while on duty, soldier," scolded Magnus. "There's no telling when the Decepticons might strike. We can't risk losing Cybertron after just getting it back. Even with the Autotroopers we managed to manufacture, we're still low on actual troops."

"Yeah, yeah," said Blaster as he went back to his console. He let out a sigh from his mouthplates as he continued monitoring transmissions. Suddenly, he went stiff, his optics shuttering as his sensors picked something up. "Whoa! I'm getting some of mad signals here!" yelled Blaster, getting Ultra Magnus' attention. "This are some whacked up beats."

"Is it Decepticons?" asked Magnus, standing behind Blaster.

"Parts of the signal are Cybertronian, but it's nothing like what the 'Cons use," replied Blaster as he tried to focus in on the source. "Also, there's another signal getting into the mix, but I don't have a clue of what it is."

"Skyhammer, have all of our aerial forces be on standby to repel a possible invasion," ordered Magnus.

"Understood," responded the Autobot flyer with a firm salute before taking off from out of the building.

"Can we get a visual of the source?" Magnus asked Blaster.

"Nope, nothing. Best I can do right now is track where they are going," informed the Autobot Communications Officer. "But I don't think they're heading for Cybertron, sir. And judging from the signal, it looks like they're heading towards Earth."

"Teletraan I, contact the Autobot Moon Base. Tell them of what's going on and see if they can get visual confirmation," Magnus ordered the AI who had been installed into the city's systems.

(Autobot Moon Base...)

Consisting of Camshaft, Rollbar, Smokescreen, Dune Runner, Hubcap, Cosmos, along with newcomers Bumper, Arctus, Slap Dash and Red Alert. Bumper can transform into a red and blue 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman S Concept, while Arctus had taken the alt-mode of a greyish-silver M2A4 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). Slap Dash has scanned an orange-yellow 2015 Noble M600 Speedster Concept, and Red Alert can transform into a white and red 2018 Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo EVO. The base on Earth's Moon had been set up to recover any remains of the Ark that Omega Supreme might've left behind, as well as act as an outpost for possible future invasions. Sky Lynx would also serve as transportation for the team too. During the construction of the outpost, the ten Autobots properly buried the sixty-nine Protoforms that made up of the Ark's original crew when it left Cybertron, and whose remains were left behind by Omega Supreme when he left the Moon to assist Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots during the Battle of Chicago back in 2011. On each of their graves was a tombstone marked with the Autobot insignia.

"Red Alert! In the name of Primus, calm your processor already," exclaimed Camshaft as he looked away from his console. The Autobot Security Officer had been complaining in paranoia for the past hour. It had begun to get on the 21-foot silver/blue-lined one-optic mech's processor. Near him, Dune Runner and Rollbar were checking on the north and east sides of the Moon respectively.

"But, Camshaft, this base has zero defenses! What if a Decepticon strike force comes or an infiltrator manages to sneak inside?" panicked the 17-foot white and red-colored mech.

"It does have defenses. Advanced scanners and a cloaking device. Anyone coming several miles away in space will be detected. Plus, we also have an underground shelter that could survive if the Moon exploded. If we add anything else, the human governments on Earth would give us slag about it," explained Camshaft.

"I find it weird that we're still giving into their demands even though we saved their world at least five times. Plus, why are we still defending this planet even after Cybertron was restored?" asked Bumper as he came inside. Said 16-foot red and blue-colored Autobot Trainee was carrying a crate underneath his arms. He and Cosmos had just returned from salvaging parts from Omega's old crash site.

"Optimus' orders. With Earth's core being Unicron, we can't risk something happening," said Camshaft.

"Besides," added Cosmos, said 20-foot green-colored mech with a round-shaped chassis and a red-colored helm was on the upper level of the base. "There's even a lesser chance of the 'Cons coming since they'll be more focused on Cybertron rather than Earth. Just relax, Red Alert."

The Autobot Security Officer rolled his optics before replying sarcastically: "Well, excuse me if I'm just taking in account of every possibility."

"Camshaft!" shouted a voice from outside the base. Standing near the long-range satellite dish was the 20-foot greyish-silver visor-wearing Arctus, with Smokescreen beside him. "We're getting a message from Cybertron."

Camshaft stopped what he was doing and headed over to the tower. "Camshaft here."

"Camshaft, we're picking up a Cybertronian signal of unknown origin heading towards Earth. Do you see anything from where you are?" asked Ultra Magnus' voice.

"Just a sec, sir," replied Camshaft. "Smokescreen, are the scanners picking anything up?"

"No, nothing. I'm not seeing anything," answered the 15-foot dark-blue and red-colored visor-wearing mech with swept-back audio horn receptors. There was a pause before he began speaking again: "Wait, wait! I'm getting something, or a lot of them. It's like they appeared out of nowhere. Oh, slag! They're nearly on top of us!"

At that moment, a large shadow engulfed the Autobots and their base. Looking up, the 'Bots saw two massive Q-Ships flying over them.

"What the scrap are those?!" yelled Slap Dash as he gazed out of the base. The vessels were completely ignoring them as they headed towards Earth. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the dozens of Sharkticons. Still in their alt-modes of Cybertronian Hovercrafts, the cannibals launched their Proton Torpedoes. The first wave destroyed the long-range satellite dish, knocking Camshaft, Arctus and Cosmos on their backs. More Proton Torpedoes struck the base, injuring some of the Autobots and causing them to lose their footing. Cosmos wasn't so fortunate as he was blasted off into space, with the explosion causing him to fly away from the Moon.

"COSMOS!!" yelled Camshaft as he managed to recover. However, there was no time to help his fellow Autobot as the Sharkticons were preparing for another bombing run. Quickly, the one-optic Autobot helped Arctus up. "Back to the base! Get into the bunker, now!" he yelled as the Sharkticons started their second bombing run. "Bumper, we need to tell Optimus about this! Message him, quickly!" ordered Camshaft as he and the others made a mad dash for the base.

"U-understood, sir!" Bumper stumbled as he headed to the base's communications console. Dune Runner, Red Alert and Rollbar were already opening the door to the underground bunker. Meanwhile, Smokescreen was preparing some of his equipment. By then, the Sharkticons had finished locking onto the base before launching another salvo. Camshaft had just shut the door to the underground bunker in time when the Proton Torpedoes hit, with the impacts releasing explosions that consumed the base. With their job finished, the Sharkticons took off and rejoined the others.

(Greenwich Village, New York City)

Adam and Izabella were walking through the Village. It was in the morning and nearing the afternoon and so far, the Yeager family had been to almost every part of New York City, including Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Now they were in Queens with their Autobot escorts, which included Bumblebee, Evac (in his new alt-mode of a blue 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sandstorm Concept), Cogman and Arcee. Cogman was using his holoform to make himself look like a middle-aged Caucasian man wearing a British butler suit.

The family had just taken a group photo in front of the Washington Square Arch. As Cade was thanking the photographer who took their picture, the others were discussing where to go next, while Cogman went off to try and find some new furniture or curtains to bring back to the Burton Castle. "I'd like to head to the Stonewall Inn. I remember my mom telling me about how she took part in the 1969 Stonewall Riots when she was a teenager," said Adam.

"Your mom was a supporter of both gay and lesbian rights?" asked Vivian Wembley-Yeager. She didn't sound disgusted, but rather more curious.

"Hey, my mom never really saw the difference between people who were attracted to the opposite sex and those attracted to the same. In fact, you'll be surprised how many Cybertronians have sparkmates with the same gender too," added Adam.

Off to the side were the other three Autobots in their alt-modes. While Arcee was keeping her sensors on their human charges, Bumblebee and Evac had their sensors scanning the area around them. Suddenly, they picked up a transmission from the Naval Support Facility at Diego Garcia, which was being used again as NEST's main base of operations. "This is Optimus Prime to all Autobots on Earth, we've lost contact with the Autobot Moon Base! Their last transmission was of several spacecraft entering Earth's atmosphere. Report any sightings of strange anomalies immediately."

Then, as if on cue, the wind around the area suddenly began to pick up, sending debris flying. People began to scream as they fled the source of the occurrence, which was a massive circular-shaped ship hovering above the city, which was just a few blocks away from where the Autobots were at.

"Uh, Optimus, I think we found it," reported Evac through his comms unit. Immediately, he and the other three Autobots transformed into their biped forms as their human charges ran over towards them. Cogman, meanwhile, deactivated his holoform before mentally calling his new frame which was disguised as a silver 2018 Aston Martin Lagonda Vision Concept.

Cade ran up to them. "Please tell me that's one of yours?" asked the inventor as he pointed at the massive ship.

"Definitely not one of ours. I can't think of any Cybertronian designing a ship like that," said Bumblebee. "Me and Evac will go and investigate. Arcee, you and Cogman escort them back to the Steelhaven. Then rejoin us as soon as you can. I have a bad feeling that this is gonna get messy." Then he and Evac shifted back into their alt-modes before taking off. Adam, Izabella and Cade quickly got into the Aston Martin, while Vivian got onto Arcee before heading towards the Atlantic Ocean, where the ship of the Guardian Knights of Iacon was hiding below the surface, near the entrance of New York Harbor.

(With Tony Stark...)

Tony had been having a good day so far. He and Pepper were taking a little stroll in Central Park, discussing their upcoming wedding, maybe even children. Then it started to go downhill when a magic portal suddenly opened in the middle of Central Park. Coming out was someone named Doctor Stephan Strange, claiming to be a wizard and said that he was needed. It was only when Tony's friend, Doctor Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, appeared next did he follow Strange. After that, Stark got the summary of events:

"At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then...boom. The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals, hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence," explained Wong as he showed them a holographic image of said stones. "Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind..."

"And Time, which is under our protection," added Strange as he revealed the green-colored Time Stone inside the Eye of Agamotto.

Stark took that all in before asking Banner: "Tell me his name again?"

"Thanos. He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets, he takes what he wants and wipes out half of the population. He sent Loki to retrieve the Tesseract, which was the vessel housing the Space Stone all this time. The attack on New York City by the Chitauri back in 2012, that was also him too," said Bruce.

Letting out a sigh, Tony looked around. "This is it... What's our timeline?"

"No telling. He already has both the Space and Power Stones, and this 'Quintessa' has the Soul Stone. And that currently makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe," explained Banner.

"And what about Quintessa? What's her threat level?" asked Stark.

"She's a Cybertronian. They're an ancient race that have been on Earth since its beginning, and one of the very few beings who are completely immune to the Infinity Stones due to them being formed from the primordial entity, Primus. The Time Stone was entrusted to the first Sorcerer Supreme by Alchemist Prime, one of the original leaders of Cybertron," explained Wong. "Recently, a faction known as the Autobots, have formed an alliance with humanity and have regained their homeworld. Quintessa is their enemy, which explains why she allied herself with Thanos to help him get the stones."

"Well, if Thanos needs all six, why not just throw this one down the garbage disposal?" asked Tony, pointing at the Eye of Agamotto.

Strange turned down the idea immediately. "No can do."

"We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our very own lives," backed up Wong.

"Also, this could be our best chance against Thanos," added Strange.

"Or his best chance against us," argued Stark.

"The fact is that we have this stone. Vision is out there with the Mind Stone, and we need to find him now," said Bruce.

Tony coughed uncomfortably before revealing: "Yeah, that's the thing. Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He's offline."

Banner was obviously shocked. "What?! Tony, you lost another super-bot?"

"I didn't lose him, he's more than that. He's evolving," said Stark.

"Who could find Vision?" asked Strange.

"Probably Steve Rogers," answered Tony. "Maybe. The thing is...the Avengers broke up a year after Sokovia. We're toast."

Bruce looked flabbergasted. "'Broke up'? Like a band? Lik-like the Beatles?!"

Stark sadly nodded. "Cap' and I fell out hard. We're not on speaking terms."

Bruce walked up to Stark. "Tony, listen to me. Thor's gone and Thanos is coming. It doesn't matter who you're talking to or not. We need to find Vision first before Thanos does."

Tony pulled out the flip phone that Steve mailed to him two years ago from his pocket and was about to use the one number programmed in it, when the screaming and a large rumbling noise caught their attention. Running outside of the NYC Sanctum, he, Banner, Wong and Strange watched as the massive Q-Ship levitated above the city. It was thanks to Strange that the powerful winds from the ship were neutralized. That allowed the four of them to meet their foes: Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, with the former beginning to speak: "Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos. Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributed to the balance-"

"I'm sorry, but Earth is closed for today!" interrupted Tony. "So, you better pack it up and get out of here!"

Irritated, Ebony looked at Strange. "Stonekeeper, does this chattering animal speak for you?"

"Certainly not, I speak for myself. And you're trespassing on this city and on this planet," declared Strange as he manifested twin Tao Mandalas, followed by Wong.

"He means get lost, Squidward!" ordered Stark.

Anything else was cut off by the sound of two car engines. Turning around, Tony, Bruce, Strange and Wong saw a yellow 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Concept with black racing stripes and a blue 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sandstorm Concept heading towards them. Their surprise only increased when the 'vehicles' transformed into the 16-foot biped forms of Bumblebee and Evac respectively. Evac deployed his dual forearm-mounted Concussion Blasters, while 'Bee morphed his right arm into his signature Solar Plasma Cannon.

"Uh, Tony, are these friends of yours?" asked Banner.

Before Stark could respond, Ebony beat him to the punch: "Ah, Autobots. So glad you could join us. Quintessa sends her regards."

Evac's and Bumblebee's optics widened at the name. Glancing at one another and then back at the two Black Order members, they then looked down at the four humans. "I understand that introductions haven't been fully made, but perhaps we should push questions aside until the matter before us is dealt with?" suggested Evac.

The two Avengers and two sorcerers looked at one another. Unable to argue, they decided to take the Autobots' help. Ebony didn't seem to be the least bit fazed. Snapping the fingers on his left hand, twelve Sharkticons descended from the Q-Ship before landing in their 16-foot biped forms. Colored in grey, purple and aqua, they had several shark-like features, including razor-sharp dentas and clawed digits with fins on their helms. They also had tails with mace-shaped tips banging against the ground, while their red-colored optics zoomed in on their six targets.

"Scrap," muttered Bumblebee as he looked at the Sharkticons. The Avengers and the sorcerers were also surprised by the sudden enemy reinforcements.

"Flying robot space sharks. That's definitely one of the top 10 weirdest things I've seen so far," commented Tony.

"Sharkticons, deal with the Autobots," ordered Ebony. "Cull, you know what to do."

Cull Obsidian let out a grunt as he lifted his Chained Hammer and began making his way towards the humans and the Autobots. The Sharkticons growled as they revealed their dual forearm-mounted Laser Blasters.

"Bruce, you want a piece?" asked Stark.

Banner looked at him and then at Obsidian before asking rhetorically: "Not really, but since when do I ever get what I want?"

"That's what I thought. Great to have you back, buddy," said Tony calmly as he waited for Bruce to transform into the Hulk.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. At first Bruce's skin turned green for a moment, but then rescinded. This earned some odd looks from the Autobots and sorcerers as Banner grunted in order to transform, but to no avail. Stark noticed the stares and looked at Bruce. "Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards and robots."

Bruce gasped as his skin returned to normal. "I-I don't know, he doesn't want to come out..."

"Okay, okay. Why don't you just sit this one out. Can you watch him?" Tony gently pushed Banner back until he was protected by Wong. Then he turned his focus on Obsidian, who was now charging at them. Pressing the chest piece, nanites began to swarm out, covering Tony Stark's entire body until he was now inside his brand-new Iron Man Mark 50 Armor. As Obsidian brought his Chained Hammer down, Tony materialized a shield from his right forearm, blocking the blow. With his left fist, Iron Man struck Cull in the lower jaw, causing him to stagger back. Iron Man followed it up by activating his Cluster Cannon, which was the combination of two Ion Cannons from apertures formed around each of the suit's hands, along with four additional Ion Cannons that came out of the suit's back. All six shots converged in a singular point to form a devastatingly powerful beam of energy that sent Obsidian flying backwards. He would've hit Ebony if the telekinetic being didn't alter his brother's angle to crash into some cars.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" demanded Banner. Hell, even Evac and Bumblebee were in a state of shock and surprise at the armor that suddenly materialized on Stark's entire body and what he could do with it.

"It's nanotech. You like it?" asked Tony.

"Guys!" shouted Bumblebee as he pointed ahead. Turning around, Stark saw the Sharkticons charging at them, while some of them fired their dual Laser Blasters at the humans and the Autobots. Acting quickly, Evac deployed his right shoulder-mounted Ion Cluster Rocket Launcher. Taking aim, he fired. The projectile hit one of the Sharkticons before dispersing its Mini-Ion Cluster Bombs, which detonated seconds later and offlined two more Sharkticons and injured a third. The remaining Sharkticons lunged at the Autobots, who shielded the humans from the tackle. The two mechs rolled backwards as they wrestled with their opponents. 'Bee managed to push his opponent off before ramming his Solar Plasma Cannon into another Sharkticon's chestplates before firing a fully-charged blast that tore the mech apart.

Ebony Maw wasn't remaining on the sidelines. Using his telekinesis, he sent Iron Man flying into the air before focusing on the two sorcerers. Raising debris around him, Ebony launched projectiles at Strange and Wong, with the latter getting in front and conjuring a magical shield to hold back the attack.

Turning to Bruce, Strange said: "Doctor Banner, if the rest of your green friend won't be coming..." Using his Sling Ring, he sent Bruce (and unintentionally a piece of a taxi) through a portal to Washington Square Park.

Back with the Autobots, they were still duking it out with the Sharkticons. One of them fired his dual Laser Blasters at Bumblebee, causing the Scout to grab a nearby car to use as a makeshift shield. 'Bee then charged at the Sharkticon and rammed it into a nearby building. Ignoring its flaying clawed digits as it tried to break free, Bumblebee began smashing the damaged car against the Sharkticon's helm before being tackled by another Sharkticon. This one struck him with its mace-shaped tail, sending the Scout rolling backwards. The Sharkticons fired their dual Laser Blasters, chipping away some of 'Bee's armor, but he recovered quickly enough to fire his Solar Plasma Cannon that offlined one of them and heavily damaged the other. Grabbing a nearby street pole, Bumblebee threw it like a javelin, impaling the second Sharkticon through the chestplates and offlining it instantly.

With Evac, he was struggling a bit more than his fellow Autobot as three Sharkticons ganged up on him. He had just punched one of them back before the second one latched onto his back. Opening its jaws, the Sharkticon bit down on Evac's left shoulder. The Autobot cried out in pain as he tried to shake it off him, while feeling the dentas chewing through his armor and into the wires. After a few seconds, Evac had managed to grab the Sharkticon and throw it off, causing it to crash into the third Sharkticon. Deploying his dual Concussion Blasters, the young Autobot fired at his opponents, offlining one of them and forcing the other two to scatter. Evac transformed into his alt-mode and raced after the Sharkticons, who fired their dual Laser Blasters at him. However, the Junior Knight of Cybertron easily avoided the shots before performing a transformation/leap at the Sharkticons. Tackling one, Evac fired his dual Concussion Blasters at the second Sharkticon, blowing it up in the process. The Autobot and Sharkticon rolled across the street until Evac managed to pin it down. The Sharkticon thrashed wildly underneath him as it tried to punch and scratch at the Autobot. Evac ignored the blows and instead focused on punching through the Sharkticon's chestplates, tearing through its wires and circuits before offlining it for good.

Evac's victory was short-lived as Iron Man flew over him. A claw was wrapped around his waist, which was attached to a chain as Iron Man crashed into the park. Evac watched as the chain was retracted and spun around to see Cull Obsidian charging towards him. Firing his dual Concussion Blasters, the shots were deflected when Obsidian turned his Chained Hammer into a shield. The large Black Order member then changed his weapon back to normal before smashing it against Evac's left leg. Despite being bigger, Cull's strength was enough to severely damage the Autobot's limb, forcing him to the ground. Obsidian ignored him as he continued towards Iron Man, with two of the remaining three Sharkticons following behind him.

"Bumblebee, I've been wounded! Go and assist the human who's wearing that nanotech armor!" shouted Evac as his internal self-repair system got to work.

"I'm on it!" replied Bumblebee as he headed towards the park.

Back with Iron Man, he managed to push Bruce out of the way when Cull's Chained Hammer nearly crushed them. Then he engaged the enemy with his dual repulsors, only for the beams to be deflected by Cull's shield. The large alien then swung his weapon at Iron Man, knocking Tony against the ground. He then charged and brought his Chained Hammer down on Iron Man, only to suddenly stop. Holding the weapon back was Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. "Hi!"

Turning to his mentor figure, Spider-Man asked: "What's up, Mr. Stark?"

"Kid, where did you come from?" asked Iron Man.

"Field trip to MoMA!" replied/yelled Spider-Man as he was tossed aside by Obsidian. With the battle resuming, Iron Man took to the air and fired at Cull, who merely shrugged it off as he tried to hit him.

Quickly recovering, Spider-Man got back into the fight. "So, what is this guy's problem, Mr. Stark?"

"He's from space, and he came here to steal a necklace from a wizard," answered Tony as he fired another blast at Obsidian, who retaliated by grabbing the taxi part and threw it at Stark, who dodged it. Swinging, Spider-Man fired another web at the taxi part, grabbing it before throwing it right back at Cull. And that's when the Sharkticons came charging in as they fired their dual Laser Blasters at Iron Man. "Oh, and he brought some robot fish with him too," added Tony as he dodged their shots.

One of the Sharkticons lunged at Spider-Man, who barely swung away in time to avoid its dentas. Instead, it took a bite of concrete, leaving a hole in it as the Sharkticon glared at the webslinger with an angry, evil expression written on its faceplates.

"Jesus Christ! How sharp are those things?!" exclaimed Parker.

"Boss, those teeth can bite through your armor. If they get their hands on the kid, he'll be their new chew toy," said FRIDAY, Stark's AI, in her Irish-accent.

"Have Item 17A ready for launch," ordered Iron Man as he continued fighting Cull.

The Sharkticons continued to pursue Spider-Man when Bumblebee came driving into the scene. Accelerating, he charged towards the Sharkticons before transforming and tackling one of them. With said Sharkticon pinned to the ground, 'Bee rammed his Solar Plasma Cannon into its chestplates and fired, blowing its spark away. The other two Sharkticons shifted their attention from Spider-Man to Bumblebee. Said superhero looked in amazement. "Holy shit! Did that robot just transform from a Camaro?!"

"Yeah, talking cars are the good guys!" replied Stark as he fired one of his Repulsor Cannons at Obsidian, making the Black Order member hiss out in pain.

It was at that moment an unconscious Doctor Strange came flying by, carried by his Cloak of Levitation. Following him was Ebony, who was levitating off the ground.

"Kid, that's the wizard! Go get him!" ordered Iron Man as he blocked a blow from Cull.

"I'm on it!" replied Spider-Man as he swung off after Strange. Bumblebee had just offlined the second Sharkticon and incapacitated the third before following after Spider-Man in his alt-mode. The duo was chasing after Maw, who continued to pursue the still-unconscious Strange. The telekinetic saw the boy and the Autobot and sent a billboard at them. 'Bee managed to avoid it, but Spider-Man got hit dead-on. Fortunately, the young teen recovered and continued the chase. "Not cool, man," he muttered.

Ebony then turned his attention back to Strange, bending several street lamps to grab the Cloak of Levitation. He eventually managed to snag the sentient cloak off of Strange and would've grabbed the man if Bumblebee wasn't firing his Solar Plasma Cannon at him. Levitating several cars as makeshift shields, Maw watched as Spider-Man managed to grab the still-unconscious sorcerer. Ebony snarled as he activated the Q-Ship's tractor beam. A blue light shot down from the large vessel and began pulling Strange up. Spider-Man, in an attempt to pull the sorcerer out of the beam, grabbed onto a nearby lamp post. That was the last straw as Maw ripped the lamp post from the ground, causing both Strange and Spider-Man to be pulled up. Ebony then launched his makeshift shields at Bumblebee, forcing him to dodge them, and that allowed Maw to escape towards the Q-Ship.

"Mr. Stark, I'm being beamed up!" shouted Spider-Man through his suit's installed comms unit.

"Hang on, kid!" replied Iron Man as he continued fighting Cull.

At that moment, the final Sharkticon managed to recover from Bumblebee's attack earlier and was firing his dual Laser Blasters at Stark. Iron Man was forced to dodge two opponents at once, which eventually became too much as Cull launched the upper part of his Chained Hammer into a snare that trapped Iron Man, who crashed on the ground. Transforming the lower portion of his weapon into a blade on his right forearm, Obsidian lunged at Iron Man, ready to deliver the final blow. But the Black Order member wasn't prepared, though, when Wong opened a portal that sent him to the Arctic. Cull tried to escape, only for Wong to close the portal on him and severing his left forearm, which landed next to Bruce who kicked it away in disgust.

The Sharkticon wasn't remaining silent as it lunged at Wong and Banner, but was stopped when Evac, whose left leg had fully-recovered, fired his dual Concussion Blasters at the Cybertronian, offlining it for good. Iron Man, meanwhile, was finally able to break free. "Wong, Mr. Jeep Wrangler, you're both invited to my wedding!" declared Stark before taking off after Spider-Man.

A few minutes later, Bumblebee returned. The young Scout let out a depressed sigh at his failure to rescue Strange.

"There's nothing we can do about it, 'Bee. We'll just have to contact Optimus and NEST and inform them of what happened," said Evac, trying to reassure his fellow Autobot.

"Um, excuse me," said a voice that caught their attention. Looking down, they saw Banner tentatively approached them. Wong had returned to the NYC Sanctum to guard it with Strange being captured. In the doctor's left hand was the flip phone that Tony was holding earlier. "Do you think you guys would mind giving me a lift? There's a place that I need to get to."

The two Autobots glanced at one another before shrugging. As Evac contacted Optimus and NEST, Bumblebee shifted into his alt-mode and opened his left side passenger door for Banner to get in.

Next stop: the New Avengers Facility.

Notes:

And there you have it folks, the first tag team of Autobots and Avengers. I hope you enjoyed it all.

Don't forget to leave a kudo or comment!

Chapter 4: Allies Meet

Notes:

Finally, the rest of the Avengers meets the Autobots. I hope you enjoy the surprises in this chapter. I also cleared up any confusion of why the Avengers didn't know much about the Cybertronians, Sector Seven, Mission City, NEST, Cemetery Wind and the TRF.

Please be sure to leave a comment or a kudo!

Also look for a hidden Madam Secretary reference.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, shortly after the attack at Greenwich Village…)

Following Cybertron's restoration, the TRF was shut down and its remaining elements absorbed into NEST. The former TRF soldiers that were allowed into NEST were those who were former American or British military personnel, like Santiago Santos, who hunted down and eliminated or captured Decepticons only. Using the remaining uninhabited isles as a foundation, the Autobots built Autobot City II, which became the Autobots' main settlement on Earth.

Presently, Optimus Prime, Prowl and U.S Army Ranger and NEST Field Commander, Colonel William Lennox, were in the command center, conversing with U.S Marine Corps General Chris Morshower, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom NEST reported directly to, on a screen.

"Still no contact from our base on the Moon?" Optimus asked his SiC. It was unlikely for Camshaft to stay silent for so long.

"Nothing yet," reported Prowl. "Their last known transmission was a report of several spaceships heading towards Earth. "Although it looks bleak, there may be a chance they are still online."

"Agreed. We'll dispatch Sky Lynx and a team to the Moon to look for survivors," ordered Optimus.

"NASA is currently trying to locate the ship if it's still near Earth," said Morshower through the screen. "Can we still communicate with Cybertron, even though the Moon Base isn't responding?"

"It's possible, but it will be difficult. Iacon's long-range communication systems haven't been fully restored yet. That's why we set up a base on the Moon, to act as a link between our planets. Currently, we're receiving garbled messages," explained Optimus.

"Is it possible that they might be involved with Unicron?" asked Morshower. Since NEST reported directly to him, he was privy to the fact that Earth's core was the Cybertronian Devil.

"No, these beings didn't give off Dark Energon that Thunderwing did. Plus, I don't think that Unicron's herald would ally with organic lifeforms," explained Optimus.

"We've also received word from Bumblebee and Evac that one of the ships had appeared over Manhattan before leaving shortly after. However, we've lost sight of the second vessel. Its last known location was above Edinburgh, Scotland," reported Lennox. "We're still waiting for any word from them."

"Sir!" shouted a voice. Everyone turned around to see Major Mike Graham of the British Special Air Service, and Lennox's SiC, run up to them. He was out of breath and had to take a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "Evac had just reported in. He's asking for a clean-up crew to recover the remains of twelve Sharkticons in NYC, and he and 'Bee are with the Yeager family and Doctor Bruce Banner. Presently, they're heading towards the New Avengers Facility. They didn't have much, but apparently, the aliens were after something called the 'Time Stone'."

"The Time Stone," said Optimus as he looked at Prowl. "One of the six Infinity Stones. Primordial objects that contain great power. They were sealed across the universe by the Thirteen, except for the Soul Stone."

"And who are the Avengers?" muttered Prowl. The two Autobots then quickly accessed the World Wide Web to learn more about them. The info they gathered was quite detailed: the Avengers were a team of unique and powerful individuals dedicated to protecting Earth. They made their first appearance in 2012, when a rogue Asgardian named Loki used the Tesseract to open a portal above Manhattan to allow his army, the Chitauri, to attack New York City. The Avengers were already there as they fought to save the city. Eventually, they were able to defeat the Chitauri and NYC was able to pick up the pieces.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to assist in the battle last year because of the rift that was formed in the team due to a set of legal documents known as the Sokovia Accords that were created back in 2016, and the Avengers were active during the years when the Autobots were forced to go into hiding, which is why the two sides had never meet. Now it seems like fate was bringing their forces together.

They had just finished their research when Lennox looked at Optimus. "Okay, we're assembling a task force to head towards the New Avengers Facility, which is located outside of New York City."

"I'll contact SecDef and let him know. He'll discuss with Ross about these events," reported Morshower before ending the live feed.

"Prowl, contact all the Autobots on Earth and have them assemble at the facility. We'll have Omega Supreme and Stratosphere pick up those who are too far away to arrive on their own," Optimus ordered the 15-foot white and blue-colored mech, who wasted no time in carrying out his orders.

(Meanwhile, back in New York...)

"So, do I make a right turn here?" asked Cade.

"No, you make a right on the next turn and then take a left on the third," explained Bruce.

Two hours had gone by since Iron Man had taken off to rescue Doctor Strange. With Wong returning to guard the NYC Sanctum, that just left Banner with the Autobots to contact Steve Rogers. At the same time, Cade, Vivian, Tessa, Shane, Adam, Izabella, Arcee and Cogman had rejoined their friends. Cade was amazed that 'Bee and Evac have both fought alongside the Tony Stark, aka Iron Man; and was now meeting Doctor Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. It had taken a few minutes for the Autobots and their human friends to explain who they were to the Avenger. They then agreed to take Bruce to the New Avengers Facility. Banner was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of riding inside a sentient being that can turn into a vehicle. Fortunately, Cade had brought a white SUV with them in case the family had decided to bring back souvenirs. The Guardian Knights of Iacon remained inside the Steelhaven, following them as they moved underwater towards the facility.

And that is where we find them, driving down the road with their four Autobot escorts following closely behind them.

"This is so wicked, I can't believe we're gonna meet the bloody Avengers," said Shane in excitement. "How many people can say that they've met actual superheroes in person?"

"Dude, you've been in a battlefield with alien robots, as well as being onboard alien spaceships," said Adam, who had his laptop out and was currently typing down keys at lighting speed.

"Well, yeah. But still, these guys are publicly known as celebrities," replied Shane.

Their conversation ended when Cade made the third left turn. After driving past rows of trees, the New Avengers Facility came into sight. It was still in pristine condition and yet there were no signs of people.

"I'm picking up a single lifeform inside the facility," reported Evac as they made their way up the driveway.

The humans and hybrid exited the SUV, while the Autobots transformed into their true forms. Bruce walked up to the front door and hesitantly rang the doorbell. There was a loud ring that followed it. A few seconds passed by before the sound of footsteps could be heard. The front door opened, revealing U.S Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, aka War Machine. Said Avenger was wearing leg braces so that he could walk due to his broken spine. The man was surprised to see Bruce after all these years. "Bruce?" asked Rhodes before noticing the others. He was especially startled when the Autobots came into view.

"Hey...Rhodey," greeted Banner nervously. "Think we could come in."

Rhodes nodded mutely, for his eyes were still locked onto the Autobots. The Yeagers and Cogman followed Bruce as they entered the facility. Following them were Wheelie and Brains, who had been on the Steelhaven during the attack. The family was amazed at all of the high-tech gear and top-grade furniture inside the base. The Autobots, meanwhile, walked over to the inner courtyard.

Bruce walked up to Rhodes. "I'm guessing you saw what happened at Greenwich Village?" he asked the Lieutenant-Colonel who closed the front door.

"Yeah, FRIDAY sent me a report not too long ago. I also got word from Rogers that he and the others will be here soon with Vision. Looks like whoever attacked you guys also tried to nab him too," replied Rhodes. "It's only a matter of time until Secretary Ross makes a call."

"Wait, Ross? As in Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross?" asked Bruce, remembering his ex-girlfriend's father, the same one who had been hunting him a few years back. However, the two of them didn't notice Adam's attention on them when they said Ross' name. He gave a look at Cogman, who nodded as he pulled out his built-in phone.

Suddenly, the main phone began to ring, making everyone tense. Rhodes walked over and looked at the contact info before grimacing when he announced who it was: "It's Ross. You all better hide while I take this."

Heeding his words, the Yeagers, Cogman, Wheelie, Brains and Bruce went to the next room and out of sight before a holographic image of U.S Secretary of State Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross appeared. He was currently sitting at a table with several of his advisers with him too.

"Mr. Secretary," greeted Rhodes.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Adam separated from the others, while dragging Wheelie, Brains and Cogman with him. Giving a few hand signals to Brains, said 1-foot silver-grey Mini-Con with fiber-optic strands for 'hair' nodded before transforming into his alt-mode of a Lenovo ThinkPad E420 Laptop. He then began to hack into the facility's servers, along with Ross' personal files.

"I trust you've been brought up to speed about the current situation, Lieutenant-Colonel?" asked Ross.

"FRIDAY sent me an update regarding that. NYPD and local rescue forces are helping with the civilians," replied Rhodes.

"And still no word from Vision?" asked Ross.

Rhodes shook his head. "Satellites lost him over Edinburgh."

"On a stolen Quinjet with four of the world's most-wanted criminals," stated Ross with a tone in his voice.

Rhodes frowned. Years ago, he would've respected Ross due to him being a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, which he won as a platoon leader in the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division during the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive. But the past two years since the Avengers Civil War had made Rhodes embittered towards Ross and the Sokovia Accords. "You know they're only criminals because you choose to call them that, right, sir?"

Not the least bit amused, Ross let out a grunt. "My God, Rhodes. Your talent for horseshit is starting to rival my own."

"If it wasn't for those Accords, Vision would have been right here," added Rhodes, who refused to back down.

That made Ross frown physically. Getting up from his seat, his image walked until he was face-to-face with Rhodes. "I personally remember your signature on those papers, Lieutenant-Colonel."

"That's right, and I'm pretty sure I paid the price for that," added Rhodes, gesturing to his leg braces.

"You're having second thoughts?" asked Ross in an almost threatening-like tone.

That was when the sound of the front door opening was heard, followed by multiple footsteps. Looking at the people, the Yeagers and Rhodes watched as WW2 veteran and U.S Army Captain Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, ex-KGB agent Natasha Romanova, aka Black Widow, Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, Vision, and former U.S Air Force Pararescueman and Technical Sergeant Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, with the latter helping Vision.

"Not anymore," declared Rhodes loudly.

"Holy shite..." murmured Shane as he took out his smartphone and took a flashless picture of the five 'rogue' Avengers.

Steve looked at Ross. "Mr. Secretary."

Ross glared at each one of them, as if wishing he was there right now, physically. "The four of you got some nerve. I'll give you that."

"You could use some of that right now, Ross," taunted Natasha.

Ignoring her, the Vietnam War veteran turned U.S Government official continued: "The world's on fire, and you think all is forgiven?"

Looking at him, Steve's response was: "I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost one of her best defenders. So, we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way...we'll fight you too."

Before Ross could say another word, the doors to his office opened. Walking inside was John Keller, the U.S Secretary of Defense, followed by several FBI agents, with one of them carrying a legal arrest warrant in his left hand. "Fortunately, Ross won't be doing anything for a while."

Everyone, except for Adam and the Autobots, were surprised at SecDef's sudden appearance. Ross and his advisers were clearly the more nervous ones. "Keller, w-what are you doing here?" stuttered Ross.

"Well, word got to me that some of the world's greatest heroes were gathering after an alien attack in New York City, and I thought to just greet them," replied Keller, who was amused at Ross' nervousness. "But more importantly, a very reliable source just sent me some very interesting news regarding a case I've been trying to solve back in 2014. And I think that they are in the New Avengers Facility, somewhere."

"That would be us, I believe," said Cade as he and his family stepped into the room. Arcee walked up to the window outside, knocking it gently to get their attention, with Bumblebee and Evac standing beside her. The newly-arrived Avengers were also surprised at the Autobots' presence.

Ross pointed at the family and said angrily: "You do know that this is a U.S military-based facility and that civilians aren't supposed to be here."

"You should follow your own words, since you have no authority here," retorted Adam as he walked up to the holographic image, with Cogman right behind him.

"And what would a teenager know?" growled Ross.

"Oh, a very good deal," said Adam as he began to count several things off his fingers. "One, although the U.S Secretary of State is part of the U.S National Security Council, the Joint Chiefs of Staff report directly to the U.S Secretary of Defense, who in return reports directly to the President, not you. Meaning you can't boss the Lieutenant-Colonel here. Secondly, the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the U.S Government from using the U.S Armed Forces in law-enforcement, except in cases and under the circumstances expressly authorized by either the Constitution or from an act by Congress. However, the PCA doesn't apply to the U.S Coast Guard in peacetime or to the U.S National Guard in Title 32 or State Active Duty status. Also, the order to arrest Captain Rogers and his group without a legal warrant is in strict violation of the Fourth Amendment. And finally, the arrest order is an illegal one because the Sokovia Accords are completely unconstitutional. I think I've said everything both politically and legally-related, have I not?"

The only response the hybrid got was clapping from Cogman. Everyone else was silent, with the Yeagers, the Avengers, the Autobots and Keller looking amused. Ross, meanwhile, looked like he was about ready to blow a vein.

"And while I'm talking to you, Ross, I thought you might want to look at this. Cogman, Brains, Wheelie, if you would be so kind."

"Right away, sir," replied Cogman as the Headmaster lifted the two Mini-Cons onto the table, where Brains shifted into his alt-mode and downloaded the data, while Wheelie projected numerous video clips. These video clips showed all of the various actions of the defunct Cemetery Wind.

"For those of you who don't know, these people are, or were, a part of Cemetery Wind," explained Adam.

"'Cemetery Wind'?" asked Steve.

"A CIA paramilitary black ops unit that was shut down back in the summer of 2014. I never really got much detail on why or what their purpose was due to us having to deal with major HYDRA cells around the world," responded Natasha. "But it looks like we're about to find out the 'why' part, though."

Indeed, each video showed Cemetery Wind operatives attacking Autobots and Decepticons, mercilessly cutting them down whether they were armed or not. Along with that, CW operatives like Cemetery Wind Field Commander James Savoy and the traitorous ex-NEST soldier Staff Sergeant Brandon J. Khendsovan murdering Sam Witwicky and his wife Mikaela, Lucas Flannery, along with 122 American and Cuban civilians who were Autobot sympathizers and witnesses in order to cover up their tracks. The next videos then showed Lockdown assisting the rogue CIA black ops unit, particularly in Jetfire's brutal murder near the outskirts of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was then followed by KSI clean-up crews transporting the remains of the offlined Cybertronians to their HQ in Chicago to be melted down in order for them to create their own man-made Transformer drones, with the rogue Cemetery Wind Director Harold Attinger speaking with KSI CEO Joshua Joyce.

"Did you guys remember what Keller said earlier about a case that he's been trying to solve back in 2014? Well, it turns out that a high-ranking officer in the U.S Army was secretly financing these scumbags from the start until he had a near-fatal heart attack back in 2013 while playing golf. And does anyone know who it was?" asked Adam dramatically. With a snap of his fingers, a new video clip appeared. This time, it showed Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, back when he was a Lieutenant-General in the U.S Army, speaking with Attinger. "Our current Secretary of State himself."

And with that, all eyes/optics were on Ross. The Avengers were giving the man very contemptuous looks. But the Yeager family and the Autobots, however, were both absolutely livid as they shot murderous death glares at the man who had a hand (although not directly) in both their misery and the deaths of many of their Autobot comrades and the human sympathizers who sheltered them.

Ross, having now lost his stern expression, backed away as if he was actually there. He then looked at SecDef. "Keller, I had no idea that Harold was committing atrocities against both the Autobots and our fellow humans; or that he even made an illegal contract with a Cybertronian Bounty Hunter. I swear, I thought I was only helping him for the good of-"

"For the good of our country, I'm sure," interrupted Keller, for he had heard this speech before. "But you are still being charged for illegally financing a CIA black ops unit that secretly went rogue from the start, and I have approval from both the President and the Attorney General to have you removed from your post and appoint Deputy Secretary McCord as the Acting Secretary of State. For the time being, you will be detained, and your advisers questioned for their involvement. Gentlemen." Keller gave the signal to the FBI agents, with several of them handcuffing Ross and his advisers, while the other FBI agents read them their Miranda rights as they escorted Ross and his advisers out of the office.

Keller then looked at the Avengers. "Lieutenant-Colonel Rhodes." Said man straightened himself. "A NEST task force led by Colonel William Lennox of the U.S Army's 75th Ranger Regiment will be arriving soon. For the time being, you'll be under the command of General Morshower until the current crisis is dealt with."

"Understood, sir," replied Rhodes with a salute.

Keller then turned to the 'rogue' Avengers. "Captain Rogers, until we can find the time where we can work out a full pardon for you and your colleagues, I'm going to have to ask you to work alongside NEST and their allies."

"I understand, sir. Thank you," replied Steve before giving a salute in respect. Like Ross, Keller had fought in Vietnam, but unlike the now-disgraced U.S Secretary of State, he started out as a Navy SEAL and did three tours with SEAL Team Two in Vietnam, which earned him four Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Navy Cross. Keller later retired from the U.S Navy with the rank of Rear-Admiral in 2002 before being appointed as the U.S Secretary of Defense in early 2007 and was one of the very few U.S Government officials who was strongly against the Sokovia Accords ever since they were created, thus earning him the respect of the 'rogue' Avengers.

"Good, keep me informed of any new developments," said Keller. And with that, the line ended.

The next few seconds were quiet as everyone took in what had just happened. Finally, Rhodes spoke up: "Well...that went a lot better than I thought it would, if I'm being honest."

That seemed to have broken the tension as the Avengers greeted one another, while the Yeagers and the Autobots stood to the side as they watched the friends converse with one another.

"Wow, you guys really look like shit. Must've been a rough couple of years," commented Rhodes.

"Yeah, well the hotels weren't exactly five-stars," joked Sam.

"I think you guys look great," said a new voice.

Walking out of the other room, Bruce finally made his appearance. There was a tense moment as the Avengers laid their eyes on a comrade they hadn't seen since the Battle of Sokovia back in 2015. Bruce gave them a weak wave. "Yeah, I'm back."

His eyes then locked onto Natasha, who just said: "Hi, Bruce."

"Hey, Nat'," replied Banner.

It was at that moment did Falcon comment on the situation: "Well, this is awkward." This earned him looks from both Wanda and Vision.

Steve decided to change the subject as he walked up to the Yeagers. "So, I suppose 'thank you' are in order, given how we just got out of dealing with Ross," he said to Cade and his family before raising his left hand. "Mr...?"

"Cade, Cade Yeager," answered the inventor as he shook Rogers' hand. He was currently having a hard time comprehending that he was personally meeting the Captain America. "And, uh, it was no problem. Assholes like Ross always get their comeuppance. Right?"

"I hear that," replied Falcon as he passed Vision over to Wanda. "Gotta admit though," he continued as he looked at the Autobots. "When I saw you guys from the Quinjet, I thought you were more of Stark's robots."

That got some complaints from the Cybertronians, causing Falcon to raise his hands in defense as he tried to ward off their voices.

Then the sound of multiple engines was soon heard, getting louder with each second. Looking up at a nearby security screen, Rhodes saw multiple 2008 Hummer HX Concepts and 2009 Hummer H3T Standard Crew Cab Pickup Trucks, all of them showing the emblem of NEST on their doors as they drove up to the facility. Also with them were an assortment of vehicles too, both civilian and military.

"Well, it looks like the reinforcements are here," commented Rhodes as went outside to greet them. Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda, Cade, Adam and Cogman followed him, while the others stayed inside, with Vivian offering a chair for Vision.

Driving up the road was indeed NEST, who parked their vehicles along the grassy field. Behind them were all the Autobots that were currently on Earth. From front-to-back were Optimus Prime, Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Arcee, Chromia, Elita, Sideswipe, Jolt, Skids, Mudflap, Mirage, Wheeljack, Leadfoot, Roadbuster, Topspin, Steeljaw (riding on top of Leadfoot), Hound, Drift, Crosshairs, Cliffjumper, Hot Rod, Brawn, Salvage, Longarm, Inferno and Armorhide. Flying above them were the Aerialbots, along with Blazemaster (now sporting a brand-new blue and orange color scheme), Wingblade, Highbrow and Tomahawk. Stratosphere had already landed and was currently unloading Fixit and Warpath, while Depthcharge was coming down the river in his alt-mode of a blue Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Dinobots could be seen approaching the New Avengers Facility from the left side, having been dropped off already by Omega Supreme, who was in his alt-mode and had already landed in the inner courtyard.

All the Autobots (minus the Dinobots, who were already in their bipedal forms) changed into their true forms, towering over the Avengers. Said people couldn't show their stunned expressions. Though they had faced terrorists, aliens, rogue AIs, hell they even had a god as a teammate, but to see giant sentient alien robots who could change into vehicles was something else entirely. And the fact that they had been on Earth for so long made the Avengers wonder how they could've missed them.

Approaching them were eighteen figures. Sixteen of them were Lennox, U.S Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps, Graham, former American TRF Field Commander and U.S Army Major Santiago Santos, First Sergeant Roy Perkins, Master Sergeant Brian Burke, Sergeant First Class Jake Eckerson, Sergeant First Class Aaron Mongo, Sergeant First Class Mikal Hooch, Staff Sergeant Patrick 'Don' Donnelly, Staff Sergeant Michael Tanaka, Staff Sergeant Josh Stone, Staff Sergeant Marc Larson, Sergeant Eddie 'Hardcore Eddie' Speight, Sergeant Marcus 'Baby Face' Zimmerman and former Sector Seven agent Tom Banachek. The last two were very familiar to the Avengers: former SHIELD Director Nick Fury and former SHIELD Deputy Director Maria Hill.

"Keep your mouths open like that and a fly will go in," joked Fury.

"Fury, you son of a gun," commented Rogers. "We weren't expecting you here."

"Well, somehow I got spotted and SecDef, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Attorney General and POTUS all gave me the option of becoming temporary liaison for NEST and their alien friends. Speaking of, the 28-foot guy in flaming red and blue is their leader."

Optimus got down to one knee, getting as close as he could to the humans. "Cade, Adam, it has been a long time," said the Autobot Leader to his old friends. He then looked at the Avengers. "Greetings, Avengers. My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I have heard much of your achievements. It is an honor to meet you all in person. Especially you, Captain Rogers," said Optimus as he extended his left servo outward.

Carefully, Steve took the servo, or rather pinky digit, with his much smaller right hand and shook it. "An honor for me too, Prime."

Seeing the confused and cautious looks on the Avengers' faces, Nick said: "Why don't we head inside and give you guys the rundown."

(A few minutes later...)

The Avengers, NEST officers and senior-ranking NCOs, and the Yeager family were inside a large hangar. Some were standing while most were sitting on top of crates as they gathered around an oval table that had been moved. Outside of the hangar, the rest of the NEST soldiers were checking over their weapons and equipment, while the Autobots walked around the inner courtyard. The exceptions being Optimus, Jazz and Prowl as they stood alongside the others for this meeting. Maria Hill was standing at the front of the table, opening a laptop, which was connected to a holographic screen that showed multiple images. The first set consisted of the emblem of Sector Seven, a frozen Megatron in the Hoover Dam and the AllSpark.

"Originally, the threat of extraterrestrials and the study of their technology was done by Sector Seven, which was founded in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson when they discovered what was called the 'AllSpark' and Megatron, the leader of a hostile Cybertronian faction known as the Decepticons, in the Arctic. Megatron was kept frozen in a cryo-stasis chamber that was built for him, while the AllSpark was transported to an abandoned salt mine in Nevada and was kept there until 1936, when FDR personally ordered both the Cube and Megatron to be transported to the newly-built Hoover Dam in order to keep the AllSpark's energy signature from being detected by anyone outside. From Megatron, many modern day technologies that we use today were reverse-engineered from his body by Sector Seven. Only SHIELD agents with Level 8 clearance or higher knew about Sector Seven," started Banachek. Hill then shifted towards an image showing the three founding members of SHIELD, U.S Army Colonel Chester Phillips, SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve) agent Peggy Carter and Tony Stark's father, Howard, meeting with the Director of Sector Seven at the time.

"When SHIELD was formed, both agencies worked alongside one another when our interests were aligned, though mainly we were independent of each other, in order to ensure no info could be leaked. Our kind's actual involvement in the Autobot-Decepticon Civil War began in 2007 when Blackout, the Decepticon Tracker, destroyed the SOCCENT Forward Operations Base in Qatar," said Hill as she took over from Banachek before showing images of Blackout and his alt-mode. "The main objective of his attack was to hack into the base's mainframe, since SOCCENT was subordinate to U.S Central Command, and search through Sector Seven's database for any info related to Megatron or the AllSpark. His efforts were thwarted by the base commander, U.S Air Force Major-General John Sharp, who personally cut the hardlines with an emergency fire-axe at the cost of his own life. He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for that.

There were 2,225 American and Qatari military personnel at the SOCCENT FOB when the attack happened. Only the Qatar Ranger Team, made up of U.S Army Ranger Captain William Lennox, Chief Warrant Officer Two Jorge 'Fig' Figueroa, Air Force Combat Controller and Technical Sergeant Robert Epps, Army Ranger and Sergeant Brian Burke, Corporal Jake Eckerson, Private First Class Michael Tanaka, along with a Qatari teenager named Mahfouz were the only ones to survive by fleeing into the desert. Their only evidence they had of Blackout's destruction of the SOCCENT FOB was a video that was taken by a custom-made digital recording camera that Tech Sergeant Epps had on his person. A member of their unit, Army Ranger and Private First Class Patrick 'Don' Donnelly, was back stateside while recovering from a 'million-dollar' wound when the attack happened.

A day or two later, Frenzy the Mini-Con, successfully hacked into the national defense network at the Pentagon via the POTUS mainframe aboard Air Force One to find about Sector Seven's Project Ice Man or Megatron, while killing three Secret Service agents in the process," continued the former Deputy Director of SHIELD as she pulled up images of Frenzy and his alt-mode. "Just before the Pentagon managed to stop Frenzy's hacking by cutting off all server hardlines, the Decepticon managed to upload a computer virus before escaping. Sometime later, the virus shut down the Pentagon's National Military Command Center and all of its communication resources by using the U.S military network to spread itself around the world to cause a total communications blackout. Thankfully, the one thing that the virus didn't affect were shortwave radios, which the Pentagon was still able to use to communicate with their forces via using the National Guard frequency. Surprisingly, the virus was eliminated the minute that Frenzy was terminated.

Meanwhile, Mahfouz and the Qatar Ranger Team made their way across the Qatari desert towards Bedouin Village, Mahfouz's home, hoping to use the village's old telephone line to call in an extraction. But what the seven of them didn't know was that they were being stalked under the desert sand by Blackout's partner, Scorponok, with orders to hunt down and eliminate the survivors." Hill then released a holographic image of the Cyber-Scorpion's size, causing Falcon to shiver in fear due to him being an arachnophobic. "The group had just reached the outskirts of the village when they were suddenly ambushed by Scorponok, with Figueroa sacrificing himself to save Mahfouz from being fatally skewered on the Cyber-Scorpion's barbed tail. The remaining members of the Qatar Ranger Team and Mahfouz ran like crazy into Bedouin Village. Burke, Epps, Eckerson, Tanaka and the village militia took up defensive positions as they held off Scorponok, while Lennox desperately tried to make an emergency Pentagon call on a flip phone that Mahfouz's father gave him. After getting through, Lennox tossed the flip phone to Epps as the former joined in the firefight.

The firepower from the Qatar Ranger Team, who were armed with whatever weapons and ammo they managed to grab during the chaos of the SOCCENT FOB attack, along with that of the village militia weren't doing that much good on Scorponok; with the villagers and their militia suffering heavy causalities from the Cyber-Scorpion's weaponry. In the middle of all that, Epps was using the flip phone to coordinate with both the Pentagon and the nearest AWACS in the region with an emergency airstrike, consisting of two Warthogs and an AC-130H Spectre Gunship, on Scorponok. The airstrike injured the Cyber-Scorpion enough to force him to retreat, while leaving half of his barbed tail behind. The surviving members of the Qatar Ranger Team, along with Figueroa's body and Scorponok's severed tail, were later extracted. The group were flown to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, where they were reunited with PFC Donnelly. The Qatar Ranger Team was then picked up by Sector Seven agents and flown to the Hoover Dam. The group later had a key part to play in the Battle of Mission City, which was the first major battle in the Autobot-Decepticon Civil War on Earth."

Banner and his fellow Avengers couldn't help but glance at Lennox, Epps, Donnelly, Burke, Eckerson and Tanaka with shock/disbelief/amazement/sorrow/deep respect written on their faces at what these six men had been through.

"Sector Seven was later terminated on the President's direct orders after Mission City due to the group's gross incompetence and inability to contain the situation," continued Hill as the next images that showed up were video clips of the Battle of Mission City; the first clips showed Bumblebee getting his lower legs blown off by Starscream's AGM-65E Maverick ASMs (Air-to-Surface Missiles), followed by Ironhide and Ratchet temporarily putting down Brawl with help from Lennox and his team (consisting of Epps, Tanaka, Donnelly, Burke, Eckerson and a detachment of Sector Seven commandos). The next clips showed Megatron arriving in the city before he was attacked by a newly-born 15-foot AllSpark Mutation, which was once a normal vending machine. The AllSpark Mutation put up one hell of a fight before the Decepticon Leader ripped the 'little cretin' in half below the waist with his clawed servos before ripping out its spark and crushing it. Followed by Optimus arriving in Mission City and taking on Megatron, with the latter temporarily putting the Autobot Leader down before heading deeper into the city to retrieve the Cube from Sam Witwicky. The clips following them showed Bumblebee, with help from Mikaela Banes, aiding Lennox's team in taking down Brawl for good; with the Decepticon Heavy Weapons Specialist being terminated by a single shot from 'Bee's Solar Plasma Cannon. Meanwhile, Ratchet finished off a heavily injured yet still very dangerous Bonecrusher, and Frenzy being killed by a 40x46mmSR HEDP (High-Explosive Dual-Purpose) round from Eckerson's M32 Multiple Grenade Launcher (MGL).

The next clips showed Optimus Prime reengaging Megatron, while Ironhide took on Barricade in a solo fight, causing the latter to get heavily injured and forcing him to retreat. The next clip showed Starscream attacking Ironhide and Ratchet and heavily injuring them both before he too was heavily injured by Lennox and his team, causing the Decepticon Air Commander to withdraw from the battle. The next clip afterwards showed Lennox commandeering an abandoned black and red 2007 Aprilia RSV 1000R Motorcycle to slide underneath Blackout and fire his M32 MGL at the Decepticon Tracker's crotch just at the same time the F-22A Raptors of the U.S Air Force's 474th Fighter Wing (stationed at Nellis Air Force Base) launched their deadly payload of AGM-65E Mavericks (which were laser-guided in by Epps using a AN/PEQ-2A ITPIAL (Infrared Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Light) Designator to mark Blackout), offlining the 'Con. The final clip showed Sam using the AllSpark to offline Megatron, ending the Battle of Mission City.

"They were replaced by the Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Team or NEST, which was built around Lennox and his surviving men from Mission City, who worked alongside the Autobots to counter Decepticon activities around the globe. During that time, our job was to assist in the shadows by supplying NEST with intel regarding any Decepticon activities and Cybertronian-related matters, as well as ensuring that no Cybertronian tech fell into the wrong hands," said Fury as he took over from Hill before showing the next video clips; said clips showed the NEST soldiers and their Autobot allies taking on Decepticons or hostile AllSpark Mutations in San Francisco, Rome, Peru, Florida, Zambia, Shanghai, the Western Australian Outback, Detroit and Chernobyl, with the final clip showing Optimus facing the Fallen during the Battle of Giza back in 2009.

"Unfortunately, NEST was decommissioned following the Battle of Chicago back in 2011," explained Nick. The next video clips that were shown were Orbital Assault Fighters, along with Orbital Assault Gunships and Decepticons attacking and killing defenseless civilians while the corrupt Sentinel Prime deployed his mobile SpaceBridge Pillars. Then it shifted to NEST soldiers, Navy SEALS, National Guardsmen and the Autobots attacking the Decepticons as Cybertron began to appear above Earth. The battle ended in victory for the Autobots and their human allies with the capture of the human traitor/Decepticon collaborator Dylan Gould, Cybertron being sent back through the wormhole, the remaining Decepticons retreating and Optimus personally executing his former mentor. "After that, public views towards the Cybertronians went downhill and Cemetery Wind was formed as the successor of NEST, which you can all guess how that went."

The Avengers remembered the video clips that Adam showed them of the war crimes and all of the other atrocities committed by the renegade CIA black ops unit. "They were immediately shut down and labeled as a criminal/terrorist organization when the truth of what they were really doing behind the President's back got out, but the damage was already done; with twenty-five Autobots and 125 American and Cuban civilians paying the ultimate price. Harold Attinger, the Director of Cemetery Wind, committed suicide rather than suffer the disgrace of being tried as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court at The Hague, knowing full well that he would definitely be receiving the death penalty for his heinous actions," continued Fury. The next video showed the Autobots fighting the KSI drones, Decepticons and Vehicons in Hong Kong, ending with the Knight Ship appearing over the city before being shot down by Omega Supreme. "After the Battle of Hong Kong back in 2014, the Autobots went into hiding with their friends, Cade Yeager and Adam Nova here. Cemetery Wind was replaced by an international paramilitary group called the Transformers Reaction Force or TRF, and they were somewhat better than their rogue CIA predecessor. What followed next was the fate of both our world...and theirs." The final video clips were the Autobots and their human allies fighting the Decepticons on Cybertron, which had arrived towards Earth, ending with the planet's restoration and the Autobots returning home. "Afterwards, the TRF was shut down and NEST was recommissioned."

"Hold on a second," said Sam as the images ended. "Okay, I get the first few fights, you know, black ops and shit. And I did hear about Chicago. But how the hell didn't we see flying bits of a planet over our heads?" The other Avengers had to agree that they would've seen something like that.

"The battle last year took place on the other side of the world, and most of you were more focused on not getting caught while on the run," replied Nick. "Anyway, now isn't the time nor place for this kind of discussion. We have bigger problems. First, I'll have Prime here fill you all in on the one who helped Thanos attack Banner and Thor."

Optimus nodded and projected a holographic image of Quintessa for everyone to see. "This is Quintessa. She was part of the first generation of Cybertronians born from the AllSpark after Primus and the Thirteen Primes defeated Unicron. A personal student of Quintus Prime, her desire for power and the belief that she was the Prime of Life made her betray both her mentor and the Dynasty of Primes, leading it to ruins. Later, she was banished to another planet across the universe by Alchemist Prime. I believe that Quintessa's rescue from that world was due to Thanos finding her during his search for the Infinity Stones," explained the Autobot Leader. "I fear that Quintessa wishes for Thanos' aid in conquering Cybertron and the destruction of Earth."

"Wait. Why would Quintessa want to destroy Earth?" asked Rogers.

The three Autobots glanced at one another, debating if they should reveal the secret or not. But with the current situation as it was, they had to come clean in order to prevail against the coming threat. "This secret is only known to a few Autobots, along with the closest members of NEST. Earth's core is in fact the remains of our version of Satan, Unicron. A primordial entity that once sought to bring chaos to the entire universe before he was vanquished by his brother and our god, Primus, and the Thirteen Primes. Quintessa had tried to offline Unicron when she foolishly believed that she could transfer his energy to restore Cybertron. I fear she believes that offlining him will prove her divinity."

That made the Avengers look at one another. The surprises just kept piling up, and to hear that their planet's core was the Cybertronian version of the Devil just now was still quite a shock. Still, they were used to these kinds of things.

"Can she actually do that? Kill Unicron?" asked Natasha.

"She could, if she had all six Infinity Stones," answered Optimus. "But even if Quintessa collects all six of them, she won't be able to use them herself."

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Rhodes.

Optimus activated a holographic image on the table. It showed Iacon back during the age of the Dynasty of Primes. Across the city, the Knights of Cybertron and the Guardian Knights of Iacon, led by the Thirteen Primes, fought against large robotic beings that weren't Cybertronian. One of whom was carrying a staff that had a purple-colored object embedded into it. "Long before their fall, the Dynasty of Primes was besieged by a group of entities called the Celestials. These beings saw our existence as an insult to their beliefs and waged a genocidal war on us. With them, they used the Power Stone to try and destroy our homeworld, which was also Primus," explained the Autobot Leader. The holographic image then showed the Cybertronians decimating the Celestials, while unaffected by the Power Stone as Prima killed its wielder. "However, as a primordial entity born at the beginning of the universe, Primus was completely immune to the power of the Infinity Stones. And this immunity was passed onto the Thirteen, and to a degree, other Cybertronians, with the major side effect being that we ourselves cannot use the stones. After the Celestials were defeated, the Primes hid the Power Stone, along with the Space, Reality, Mind and Time Stones across the stars."

"So that's why Quintessa needs Thanos. To use the Infinity Stones," summarized Rogers.

"Correct," replied Optimus. "In his current state, it is possible to offline Unicron with all six of the Infinity Stones. His existence is a threat to all life throughout the entire universe, including Thanos. In return, Quintessa supplied him with the Soul and Mind Stones, if I'm reading Doctor Banner's report correctly. In return, he will help her in conquering Cybertron with his army, alongside her Sharkticons, which are carnivorous Cybertronian creatures."

"If that's the case, then they'll be coming after Vision and the Mind Stone. Which means we have to protect them both," declared Natasha.

"No, we have to destroy it," announced Vision from his spot at the table. Thanks to Ratchet, the wound he got from Corvus Glaive back in Edinburgh was healed. "I've been giving a very good deal of thought to this entity in my head, not only about its nature, but also its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently exposed powerful energy source that is very similar to its very own signature, perhaps it's molecular integrity will fail."

Wanda immediately knew what he was talking about and cut him off by declaring firmly: "Yeah, and you with it. I'm not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the Mind Stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get his hands on it," replied Vision calmly as he looked at Wanda.

"That's too high a price," declared Wanda as she continued to disagree with him, even though there was a wavering in her voice.

"Only you have the power to pay it," said Vision as he took both of Wanda's hands into his own. "Thanos threatens the entire universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

This time, it was Optimus who spoke: "It is basically the same as sacrificing both Earth and humanity to offline Unicron in order to save the universe. We cannot condemn one life just for the sake of victory."

"Optimus is right," added Steve. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"But you might have a choice," said Bruce as he walked up to Vision as he began to explain. "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the Mind Stone. All of them mixed together, and all of them learning from one another."

"You're saying that Vision isn't just the Mind Stone?" asked Rogers.

"What I'm saying is, if we take out the Mind Stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts," replied Banner.

"Can you do that?" asked Sam.

Unfortunately, Bruce shook his head. "No, not me. And definitely not here."

"What if we took him to Cybertron then?" suggested Tanaka. "Wheeljack and Perceptor could take the Mind Stone out of Vision in no time."

"Unfortunately, we don't have that time," said Prowl. "We lost contact with our base on the Moon around some time ago, along with the prototype Mass SpaceBridge too. Even if we could get to Cybertron, we don't know when Thanos might attack and Iacon's defenses aren't 100% ready to repel a massive assault yet."

"Well, if we're looking for a place that has the tech to safely remove the Mind Stone from Vision, I know one," suggested Rogers.

"I know what place you're thinking of, Captain. Hopefully they don't mind a lot of visitors," said Nick before looking at Lennox. "Colonel, have your team ready to move out. We're heading for Africa."

"Wait a second. How do you plan on moving a mix brigade of human troops and giant alien robots halfway across the world?" asked Rhodes.

Suddenly, a large shadow engulfed the New Avengers Facility, and the wind began to pick up. Seeing this, everyone ran out of the hangar just in time to see the Steelhaven hovering above them. It began to descend as one of the ship's loading ramps was lowered for the troops to enter.

"Oh, that will work," commented Rhodes.

"In that case, we should begin boarding-" Optimus' order was cut off when the Matrix of Leadership inside his chassis began to glow. At the same time, the Mind Stone on Vision's forehead began to shine, as well as the AllSpark inside Adam. Both Vision and the two Primes began to cry out as energy levels began to increase, confusing the others around them as they tried to help them. Meanwhile, images began to appear in their minds and processor. The first images they saw was a massive army of demonic-looking Cybertronians on Neptune. Among them was Thunderwing, who was bowing before a 35-foot mech who looked like the Devil himself with horns on his helm. Then the images shifted towards a neutron star orbiting an Alderson-like disk. After that were the Thirteen Primes before they changed into various objects. Said objects became embedded into a halo that surrounded the Matrix of Leadership. It then showed Cybertron surrounded by said halo as the planet itself began to change into a giant shadowy figure, with glowing blue optics.

Once the images were done, the three of them collapsed to the ground. Izzy, Lennox and Donnelly ran to Adam's side, while Wanda and Sam helped Vision and Optimus was being steadied by Jazz and Prowl.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Cade to no one in particular.

Optimus, who had just gotten his balance back, spoke in a grave tone: "I fear that a far greater threat than Thanos is on the horizon...and we may have been shown an answer to our survival."

Notes:

Yep, Ross is arrested. He deserved it for a couple of VERY good reasons:

1. He is indirectly responsible for the experiment that turned Bruce into the Hulk by lying to both him and his daughter Betty, telling them that they were recreating a serum from the Cold War that was designed to prevent radiation poisoning; when in reality, Ross, who was the head of the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project, was trying to recreate Doctor Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum.

2. Ross broke a great number of both international and U.S laws while hunting Banner, who wasn't even a threat to U.S national security and just wanted to be left alone in peace as he was trying to find a cure for his Hulk personality at the time, without consulting the President and the National Security Council.

Ross had developed a deeply-seated irrational hatred for Banner/Hulk due to the injuries his daughter suffered at the hands of the Hulk during his first transformation, despite the fact that Banner wasn't in control of his actions when it happened and was wrought with shame and guilt afterwards.

Also, the illegal international manhunt for Banner nearly drove Ross insane due to him being obsessed with getting the Hulk's DNA since it could be used as a major asset for the U.S Armed Forces.

3. Ross personally stole an imperfect version of the Super Soldier Serum from cold storage and covered up the theft. What Ross didn't know was that this version of the serum had several major side effects, including both physical and mental deteriorations.

Ross then illegally had Captain Emil Blonsky of the British Royal Marines, who volunteered of his own free will, injected with the imperfect version of the Super Soldier Serum. He was given a low dose during the first time around as two separate injection infusions, with the first one going into the deep muscle and the second going into his bone marrow (ouch!).

During the Battle of Culver University in Virginia, the Super Soldier Serum increased Blonsky's speed, strength and durability. Unfortunately, the serum made the Royal Marine cocky and arrogant, which was why he stupidly walked up to the Hulk (ignoring Ross' orders to pull back) unarmed and taunted him. This resulted in the Hulk kicking Blonsky in the chest with such force that launched the latter across the field, and body slammed into a tree that broke almost every bone in his body.

If it wasn't for the Super Soldier Serum, Blonsky would've been dead already, and the serum healed his injuries in less than twenty-four hours. The Royal Marine voluntarily agreed to be injected with a higher dosage of the Super Soldier Serum this time.

Unfortunately, this dosage gave Blonsky a protruding spine and made him mentally unstable, power-hungry and more aggressive. Shortly after Bruce's capture at Grayburn College, Blonsky knocked out U.S Army Major Kathleen Sparr (Ross' personal aide) during her interrogation of Doctor Samuel Sterns. The rogue Royal Marine then forced Sterns, despite the latter's warnings, into administering him with a transfusion of Banner's gamma-irradiated blood as he wanted the Hulk's power for himself.

In other words, Ross basically created the Abomination by proxy and was partially responsible for the destruction at Harlem.

4. Ross had the Strategic Operations Command Center (SOCC), storm Culver University to capture Banner in direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which flat out forbids the U.S Armed Forces, except for the U.S Coast Guard and National Guard, from being used as law-enforcement. Ross also did it again in New York City, despite coordinating with the NYPD this time.

5. And finally, Ross refused to listen to Tony when the latter had concrete evidence that Baron Helmut Zemo framed Bucky Barnes for the bombing at the U.N meeting at the Vienna International Centre to ratify the Sokovia Accords, along with orchestrating Barnes' rampage/escape from the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building in Berlin.

Also, just to let you guys know that in this version, Steve doesn't have a beard and Natasha still has her hairstyle that she had in Civil War. And along with that, Ross has his near-fatal heart attack in 2013 instead of 2011.

The rank of Rear-Admiral and Rear-Admiral (Lower-Half) are both separate officer ranks in the U.S Navy and Coast Guard. The rank of Rear-Admiral (Lower-Half), sometimes referred to as Commodore, is a one-star rank. If he or she were in the U.S Army, Marine Corps or Air Force, they would be a Brigadier-General. The rank of Rear-Admiral, sometimes referred to as Rear-Admiral (Upper-Half), is a two-star rank. If he or she were in the U.S Army, Marine Corps or Air Force, they would be a Major-General.

Chapter 5: Decisions towards War

Notes:

Plans are being made by many sides towards a single point!

I forgot to add this in my last chapter, but Steve still has his Vibranium Shield. Not only that, but Ross will also answer for both the disgraceful actions he committed, along with the damage he caused in the Incredible Hulk film in the form of a court-martial in front of the U.S Army's Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps.

Be sure to leave a kudo or comment.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(Unknown Location, the Darksyde)

The Decepticon survivors were recovering from their ordeal from escaping Saturn's moon. Aboard the Decepticon warship, they were working very hard to repair the damage done to said ship during its escape from the Terrorcons. Tidal Wave was currently in his alt-mode, having taken damage during the evacuation and couldn't fit in his true form anyway. Those that weren't patrolling the ship's hallways, manning the turrets, checking systems or simply lounging around, were wondering what would happen next.

Inside the Darksyde's CIC, Megatron was surrounded by his officers as he sat in his chair. Around them were Decepticon Protoforms at their stations, looking over data or the ship's systems. Flatline stood beside Megatron's right, working on repairs to his leader and making sure that no damage had been done to Megatron's right forearm-mounted Fusion Cannon.

It was Shockwave who spoke first: "Using the Vehicons to hold back the attack, we have over 1,000 of them, and 700 Decepticon Protoforms left. Of the 500 Orbital Assault Fighters that we originally had, only a hundred is all that we have left. We were also very fortunate that we decided to stash the majority of our Energon reserves on this ship, and thus we're not in imminent danger."

"What about Thunderwing and the Terrorcons?" demanded Megatron. "Are they pursuing us?"

"Negative. Scans indicate they have not left Titan," reported Soundwave. "However, we are currently blocking our signal at the moment and monitoring all transmissions passing by."

"On a side note. We've managed to intercept Autobot communications," brought up Brawl. "It was fuzzy at first, but it appears that Quintessa had indeed survived, and she has allied herself with someone called 'Thanos'".

"The Mad Titan?" asked Megatron out loud. He knew of Thanos, and how he wipes out half of the population of each planet he invades.

"And word is that he's been searching for the Infinity Stones," added Barricade.

"The Infinity Stones. Objects of great cosmic power," mused Megatron, remembering the Fallen telling him of those items. How a race, known as the Celestials, tried to use one of them to conquer Cybertron in ancient times and failed. Neither he nor Megatron had any real interest in them, since Cybertronians couldn't use the Infinity Stones in return for being completely immune to their powers. Then why would Quintessa be working with Thanos...unless it was to use all six Infinity Stones to offline Unicron. "Could all six stones be used against Unicron?" Megatron asked Shockwave.

The Decepticon Scientist/Assassin mused as he calculated the possibility into his processor. He soon said: "If Unicron was at full power, all six Infinity Stones wouldn't affect him as he is a primordial being. However, in his current state, the Infinity Stones could be used to offline him for good. It is most likely in return for helping Thanos retrieve the stones, he will help Quintessa offline the Chaos Bringer and then conquer Cybertron. Unicron is a major threat for whatever goal the Mad Titan has."

Megatron growled lowly. He didn't care if Unicron was offlined, taking those human insects with him. However, the idea of Quintessa ruling Cybertron didn't please the former Lord High Protector one bit, especially when she double-crossed him. Unfortunately, the Decepticons were in no position to fight both the Great Deceiver and the Mad Titan on their own. Megatron knew there were forces on Earth and possibly elsewhere that would defy the two. And with the threat of both Thunderwing and the Terrorcons, Megatron would have to make some unorthodox decisions. "Set a course for Earth. It is time for me and Optimus to have a long talk."

The Decepticons didn't question their leader. They immediately got to work as they carried out his orders and informed the troops. Megatron then looked at Shockwave, the one-optic 'Con had guessed that his leader had more orders. "Bring Shatter and Dropkick here. I have a mission for them. And I also believe it is time we initiate Operation Trypticon."

"As you command, my Lord," replied Shockwave before walking off to contact both his younger brother and Astrotrain, whose assistance he will need.

(Earth's Moon)

Flying towards the Moon was Sky Lynx, a 50-foot white, blue and red dinosaur-like Autobot who could transform into a Cybertronian Space Shuttle, while his lower half could detach and transform into a blue and red-colored Cybertronian Crawler-Transporter. Aboard him were Sunstreaker, Bob, Grindcore, Daytrader, Hoist and Trailbreaker. The team had been sent to search for the Moon Team after contact with the latter had been lost.

"We have arrived," said Sky Lynx in a regal tone as he landed near the remains of the base. Bits of the facility were floating in the void of space, with no signs of life whatsoever. Either way, Sky Lynx lowered his loading ramp down for his passengers to step out. Sunstreaker frowned as he scanned the area, trying to pick up any Energon signatures.

"Anything?" asked Grindcore as Trailbreaker and Hoist went to check out the wreckage of the base. Meanwhile, Daytrader was picking up anything useful he could find.

"Nothing," replied Sunstreaker. Beside him was Bob, who was shuffling his clawed pedes against the Moon's sand. "Either they're masking their signatures or-"

"Guys!" shouted Trailbreaker, getting everyone's attention. He and Hoist were beside a large pile of debris. At the very bottom of said pile was what appeared to be a crack in the ground. However, this one was completely straight and not one made from numerous explosions.

"I think we found something," said Hoist as he and Trailbreaker began moving the scraps away.

The other Autobots headed over to help out, while Sky Lynx transformed into his biped form and remained on standby. After a few minutes of moving debris and other stuff to the sides, the Autobots were greeted with a crash-vault door that was similar to the one that Sentinel Prime was hiding behind during his years of emergency stasis lock aboard the Ark. And there was also the same button to open it present, which Sunstreaker pressed.

The door retracted to reveal the members of the Moon Team. They were all badly damaged, with Bumper, Dune Runner, Rollbar and Hubcap in emergency stasis lock, while Camshaft, Smokescreen, Slap Dash, Red Alert and Arctus were still online.

Camshaft's single optic shuttered when he saw who it was. "About fragging time you guys found us," he said as his chassis gave off sparks.

"Sorry about the delay. A lot of stuff happened," said Sunstreaker as the retrieval team helped their fellow Autobots. The ones that were in emergency stasis lock were moved first and taken to Sky Lynx, who had supplies on board that Hoist could use to treat the wounded. The other members of the Moon Team were helped up after.

"Grindcore, see if you can get the comms tower back online. I'm sure that Optimus will want to make contact with Cybertron as soon as possible," ordered Sunstreaker.

"What about the ones who attacked us?" asked Camshaft as Trailbreaker helped him up.

"They attacked New York City back on Earth, but left soon after," answered Sunstreaker. "Right now, we need to get back in touch with home."

A few minutes later, all the members of the Moon Team were in recharge inside Sky Lynx. Grindcore and Daytrader were currently working on getting the comms tower back up and running again. Meanwhile, Hoist spoke to Sunstreaker: "Their wounds aren't as serious as we originally feared. But the ones who were found in emergency stasis lock will need to remain in recharge for a bit longer."

Sunstreaker nodded, while absentmindedly scratching Bob's helm. "Well, at least they'll make it. But I'm more concerned about the others on Earth. They reported that Adam had left with a small group aboard the Ark based on some vision makes me worried."

Daytrader and Grindcore had succeeded in repairing the comms tower. The moment it came back online, the satellite dish began giving off a ping every five seconds. "Hey, it looks like we're getting a message from Cybertron."

Appearing on the screen were Cybertronian letters forming into sentences. To any other species, it would look like gibberish, but the Autobots were able to read it as clear as day. And what they read made them grim.

"We need to re-connect this to Earth, now," ordered Sunstreaker.

(Meanwhile, with Nova's group...)

Having been convinced that the vision was given to him by Primus, Adam decided to set out and find the place that said vision had shown him. With the Autobots and NEST needed on Earth, Nova took only Evac, Ramhorn, Sqweeks (who had been sent by Izzy to keep an eye on her boyfriend), Cogman and the Guardian Knights of Iacon. Despite it being lost to their fighting forces, the group had taken Omega Supreme, whose built-in Dark Matter Drive was perfect for making a long-distance travel short.

As Omega Supreme was preparing his Dark-Matter Drive, Nova looked at the others. "This is the place I saw," he began as he activated a hologram from his right palm, which showed the very same neutron star in his vision. "Does anyone know what this is, besides the obvious?"

Stormreign got down to one knee as he examined the hologram. His optics shuttered as his memory core processed the image. "If my memory is correct, then that is Nidavellir, home of the Dwarves, and also part of the Nine Realms."

"Both the Asgardians and the Dwarves were close allies with the Dynasty of Primes. The Dwarves especially held a deep respect towards Solus Prime, the sole femme of the Thirteen and the greatest blacksmith in Cybertronian history," added Cogman.

Evac rubbed his chinplates before asking: "You're thinking that something of hers might be there?"

"The only thing I can think of is her personal forge," answered Stormreign. "It's a powerful hammer that was used to forge many of the relics used by the Thirteen, along with other objects such as the Sun Harvester. If Solus' hammer is truly there, it could provide us a key to stopping Thanos, Quintessa, and perhaps even Unicron."

"Then our course is set," declared Nova. "Omega, take us to Nidavellir."

"Copy that. Setting coordinates for Nidavellir. Preparing Dark-Matter Drive in three...two...one," said the large Autobot. Seconds later, the Ark blasted off into deep space.

(Back on Earth and somewhere over the Indian Ocean...)

"It's good to see you again, Clint," said Steve as he shook hands with former SHIELD agent and fellow Avenger Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye.

The Avengers that were on Earth had assembled on board the Steelhaven. With them were the Autobots and NEST soldiers, as well as the latter's vehicles. It had taken them a while to get everything inside the Guardian Knights' ship, as it wasn't made to act as a massive transport craft. But with a little creativity from both Wheeljack and the Wreckers, they had managed. All that was left was to pick up both Hawkeye and Ant-Man, the former who was already on board. And speaking of humans, there had been some debates of whether the Yeager family should be brought to Wakanda or not. While they couldn't provide any actual support, it would be very risky to leave them alone back at Burton Castle. Instead, they were moved to Autobot City II, along with Canopy and the Sparklings. The city's security system would be more than enough to protect them and/or buy them time to escape should the enemy try to use them as hostages.

Cade had first resisted this idea, saying he could help. But Optimus countered that with most of the Autobots on Earth protecting Vision, they would need someone they could trust to protect the Sparklings, which were the future of the Cybertronian race. The Autobot Leader had also given Cade an item that would be useful for protecting both his family and the young Cybertronians. It was shaped as a white circular device, but Optimus had claimed that it would transform into invulnerable armor. With these words, Cade caved in and agreed to stay behind.

Back in the present, Hawkeye said: "Yeah well, when you told me that Ross got arrested for his complicity in an attempted mass-genocidal/illegal war profiteering conspiracy with a corrupt CIA agent, and FBI agents coming to my farm to remove my GPS ankle monitor and telling me I'm no longer under house-arrest. Not only that, but I've also received a full pardon from the President, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense themselves; and that the fate of the universe was at stake, it wasn't like I could say no to that. Besides, now I can tell my wife and kids when I get back home that I flew in a giant alien ship with sentient alien robots that can turn into vehicles."

Chuckles were passed around when the hangar bay doors on the Steelhaven opened up. Flying in was Stratosphere in his alt-mode of a grey-colored C-5M Super Galaxy, who had gone out to pick up the last Avenger, as well as Landmine who had been with Simmons and Dutch. The large Autobot landed without a problem before lowering his rear cargo loading ramp down so Landmine, who was in his alt-mode of a blue-grey Chenowth DR2 Assault Buggy, can drive out. Sitting in the former LM-1 Drone/AllSpark Mutation were Simmons and Dutch, and walking behind Landmine and wearing their respective suits were both ex-cat burglar Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, and Hope van Dyne, aka Wasp. Dutch and Simmons exited Landmine, who promptly transformed into his 11-foot biped form.

"Scott!" called out Steve, getting the man's attention. The former thief, along with Hope, had been looking at the Autobots' ship in awe.

"Cap'," said Scott as he shook Rogers' right hand. "This...is...this is...wow," murmured Ant-Man as he and Hope continue to look at the Steelhaven's interior. Just an hour ago (after his two years under house-arrest was over), he had been working with Hope and her parents, Hank and Janet (the original Ant-Man and Wasp), in gathering Quantum energy for a former enemy of theirs named Ava Starr, aka Ghost, who was slowly dying due to a lack of Quantum energy that she involuntarily harnesses.

They had just managed to temporarily stabilize Ava's abilities when Simmons had arrived, announcing that Hope and her parents had received a full pardon from the President, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense themselves; but required Scott for a mission regarding the fate of the universe. Then Landmine transformed into his biped form to show that Simmons was telling the truth, scaring the living shit out of Scott and the Pym family; and somehow caused Scott to get hit by Quantum energy that turned him into a baby, a child, a teenager, an old man and back into his proper age.

"First time on an alien spaceship?" asked Steve jokingly.

"Definitely," replied Scott before gesturing to Hope. "By the way, this Hope van Dyne, aka Wasp. She decided to tag along."

"Captain," greeted Wasp as she shook Rogers' right hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Hope," said Steve in return. "Follow me and I'll explain to the two of you what is going on."

Not too far away from the Avengers, Autobots and NEST soldiers, Nick Fury was sitting on a metal chair. Watching the group interact with one another, the former Director of SHIELD decided to fiddle with a pager in his right hand. Said pager's screen was displaying a symbol of a golden star with red and blue around it.

Hill, who saw what Fury was doing, commented: "I thought you said that we wouldn't need her."

"That was before I found out that we were dealing with genocidal galactic warlords, evil alien robots and the possibility of our planet being destroyed," replied Nick.

"Friend of yours?" asked Natasha when she spotted Fury and Maria.

"You could say that," replied Nick. "Knowing her, she'll be here in a few hours."

Meanwhile, in the ship's CIC, Optimus was speaking to Jazz and Prowl about where they were heading: "According to Captain Rogers, Wakanda is a small isolationist landlocked nation bordering Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. But more importantly, it is a country more advanced than any other nation on Earth. They are also the source of the metal, Vibranium, which is hailed as the strongest metal on Earth. Was Wheeljack able to learn anything after scanning the Captain's shield?"

Prowl nodded. "According to his results, the metal is indeed foreign to Earth, but that wasn't what surprised him. At its molecular core, the Vibranium is in fact Cyber-Matter."

That made the Autobot Leader, and his Saboteur look in shock and surprise. Of all the possibilities they had thought of, they hadn't expected Cyber-Matter.

"Whoa, for real, Prowl?" asked Jazz.

"Wheeljack was positive. The Cyber-Matter on Rogers' shield appears to have been heavily-altered so that it can absorb vibrations. That is how it's indestructible, by absorbing kinetic energy. He also theorized that it would be quite useful in negating earthquakes," explained Prowl. "However, Wheeljack said that the alteration was too precise and too grand to have been done naturally, which can only mean..."

"The change was done deliberately," finished Optimus. He rubbed his chinplates and had a thoughtful look in his optics.

"Something wrong, Optimus?" asked Jazz.

"Nothing...except this all reminds me of something I had read from Alpha Trion's secret pile of data logs," replied the Prime. "If Wakanda and Vibranium are related to it, then it can only be fate that we are heading there to remove the Mind Stone from Vision."

The Steelhaven's loudspeakers came to life as Crosshairs announced: "We have arrived at Wakanda, and we're now making contact with their capital." 

(The Golden City, Wakanda)

As the Steelhaven hovered over the city's main airfield, several Dragon Flyers flew out and surrounded the Cybertronian ship. They weren't there to attack or capture, but merely hovered in place and to assure the civilians in the city. The Autobots were moving about on the airfield or standing inside the Steelhaven. Some were looking around at the buildings while others had their optics on the Dragon Flyers. Meanwhile on the ground, several of the Wakandan Royal Guards had already set up positions as they helped NEST transport their vehicles off the ship while keeping an eye on their guests. The Avengers and Lennox were walking in one group. Approaching them was T'Challa, the King of Wakanda and the current bearer of the Black Panther. With him was the Dora Milaje, along with their general, Okoye.

"This place is quite impressive. Kind of reminds me of Cybertron before the war," noted Wheeljack as he stared at both the buildings and the Dragon Flyers with interest. The 15-foot white mech with red and green racing stripes had been busy with upgrading some of the Avengers' weapons and armor, such as adding dual shoulder-mounted Micro-Rocket/Missile Pods on the Iron Man Mark 48 Armor, aka the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor, that they had brought.

"This Vibranium they've used does indeed have very similar properties to Cyber-Matter. You might be right, Wheeljack," noted Ratchet.

"I'm more interested in their weaponry. According to Rogers, their weapons are sonic-based," noted Ironhide.

Hound raised an optical ridge. "You mean like Soundwave? Ugh, just thinking of that creep sends shivers over my circuits."

Back with T'Challa, Okoye commented: "When you said you were going to open Wakanda to the rest of the world, this isn't what I imagined."

T'Challa seemed to be very amused by her words. "And what did you imagine?"

The general of the Dora Milaje simply shrugged. "The Olympics or a Starbucks."

Chuckling, T'Challa looked at the Avengers and Lennox. His eyes then drifted towards Optimus, who was following behind the humans. With him were Ironhide and Prowl. Naturally, a few Wakandians were a bit nervous at the Cybertronians, but they did their best to hide it.

Optimus got down to one knee as he approached the King of Wakanda. "Greetings, King T'Challa. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

T'Challa bowed his head in return. "And to you as well, Optimus Prime. It is a personal honor to finally meet the legendary Autobot Leader."

Nodding, Optimus then said: "I know that we're pressed for time, but I was hoping to discuss with you about your people's technology, more importantly about its origins to be exact."

"So, how big of an assault should we be expecting?" asked T'Challa to no one in particular as he began leading the group.

"Very big, your Majesty," answered Bruce. "Even with the firepower that we had managed to bring, I'm not sure if it's going to be enough."

"Don't worry, you'll be having us for support," assured T'Challa. "Including the Wakandan Royal Guard, Okoye and her Dora Milaje, the Border Tribe..."

"And one washed up old soldier," finished WW2 veteran and U.S Army Sergeant James 'Bucky' Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. The formerly brainwashed assassin for HYDRA had a new left arm made out of Vibranium and was carrying a heavily-customized Mark 48 Mod 1 MMG (Medium Machine Gun) in his right arm.

As Steve and Bucky reunited, Vision was brought to Shuri's lab. Ratchet decided to accompany, as well as Wheeljack. Meanwhile, in the Steelhaven's cockpit, Crosshairs was making some adjustments as he parked the massive ship. Then suddenly, the ship's radar began picking up two Energon signatures. Frowning, the 17-foot neon-green and black 'trenchcoated' Paratrooper zoomed in on the sources and could only say: "Scrap."

(Wakanda Medical Center)

Rogers, Banner, Natasha, T'Challa, Wanda, Okoye, Lennox, Nick and Hill had moved to the Wakanda Medical Center, or to be more precise, Shuri's lab. The Princess of Wakanda and T'Challa's younger sibling had Vision lie down on a table before she brought up a holographic image of his brain. This allowed Shuri to examine it and the Mind Stone inside Vision's head and its connection with his functions. Also present were Ratchet and Wheeljack, or to be more precise, holographic images of their helms since their frames were too big to fit in the room.

"The structure is polymorphic," commented Shuri as she examined Vision. Beside her was Banner (wearing his glasses), while Ratchet's holographic helm looked at the android's brain from behind Shuri's left shoulder.

"Right. Me and Tony had to attach each neuron non-sequentially," replied Bruce.

"Then why didn't you and Stark try to reprogram..." began Shuri.

"...the synapses to work collectively instead?" finished Ratchet, with Wheeljack giving Banner a 'yeah, why didn't you?' expression.

"Exactly! Finally, someone who understands," complimented Shuri, who was very happy to have someone or two that have equal intelligence as her.

"Because we didn't think of it?" answered Bruce awkwardly as he realized he was being ganged up, especially when Vision gave him a flat look that screamed 'how badly created am I?'

"I'm sure you and Stark did your best," said Wheeljack as Shuri got back to work.

"Can you remove it?" asked T'Challa, who clearly didn't understand what the four of them were saying.

"Vision has two trillion neurons inside him, and removing them isn't going to be easy," commented Ratchet.

"He's right, brother," added Shuri. "This will take time to disassemble them."

Suddenly, a holographic image of Crosshairs' helm appeared in the room. "Heads up, you lot. The ship's scanners are picking up two Energon signatures approaching after just entering the country. They're definitely Decepticons."

Lennox quickly contacted the rest of his fellow NEST soldiers and Autobots and informed them of what Crosshairs had discovered.

"Impossible," said Okoye as she checked her Kimoyo Beads, which showed no visuals. "Our satellites are detecting nothing on our borders."

"That's because your technology was never designed to work on Cybertronians," said Optimus as a holographic image of his helm appeared in the room. "Crosshairs, can you tell us what they're doing?"

"From the looks of it, those two are just flying about. They just sent a message saying they want to speak with you while under the protection of parley," replied the Paratrooper.

"Hmm...this is very unusual for Megatron. Tell them to land at the airfield. I will meet them there," ordered Optimus. He then looked at T'Challa. "Your Majesty, I apologize, but can you please order your forces to hold their fire until I speak with these 'Cons?"

The King of Wakanda frowned. Naturally, he was uncomfortable with letting possible hostile forces so close to the capital. However, he could tell that Optimus would never deliberately endanger civilians. "Very well but permit to accompany you as you converse with these Decepticons."

(Back at the Golden City Airfield...)

The allied forces all watched a red and black TAV-8B Harrier II and a light-grey and blue AH-1W SuperCobra Attack Helicopter flying over them. They had their weapons ready but made no move as Optimus and T'Challa walked towards the open part of the airpads. Behind them were their escorts, who stayed at a respectful distance, but were ready to act should all hell break loose.

Spotting the Autobot Leader, the two Decepticons did a dive just a few meters away from them. Before they made contact with the ground, the Harrier II and the SuperCobra transformed into a 1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX Coupe and a 1973 AMC Javelin AMX Coupe respectively. Once they were close enough, the Plymouth transformed into a 20-foot femme with skull-like faceplates, while the AMC Javelin transformed into a 21-foot mech. Their red optics shined dangerously as they looked at the 'welcoming committee' before focusing on Optimus.

"Greetings, Optimus Prime. I am Shatter," said the red and black femme as she introduced herself before gesturing to her fellow Triple-Changer. "And this is my partner, Dropkick."

"Wait a minute, didn't Kup put you down in London last year?" asked Sideswipe from the back as the 15-foot silver Frontliner looked at Dropkick's new frame.

Said 'Con growled but was stopped by Shatter who said: "The past is not what we came to speak of."

"Then why are you two here in Wakanda?" demanded T'Challa.

Unlike Optimus who got down to one knee as a sign of respect to the King of Wakanda, neither of the Decepticons did that. "That's none of your concern, insect," hissed Shatter.

"This is the monarch of the country you two have entered, and it was by his mercy that none of you were shot down before we could have this discussion," said Optimus, which earned him a nod of gratitude from the Black Panther. "Now, what is your purpose here?"

Shatter and Dropkick glanced at one another before the former shifted her optics back to Optimus. "Lord Megatron wants to discuss a temporary truce...against a common foe," she announced to the surprise of both the Autobots and the NEST soldiers present.

Notes:

Yep, Shatter and Dropkick are here, and I'm using their designs and alt-modes from the Bumblebee film. I know that Shatter was 15-feet tall as shown on the scale chart, but for the sake of my story, I've decided to make her 20-feet tall instead.

Today is the 18th anniversary of 9/11. I was only four years when it happened and didn’t know about it till I was older. And to this day, seeing those videos of the two hijacked planes crashing into the Twin Towers on the 9/11 documentary still horrifies me.

Chapter 6: Marching towards War

Notes:

We're slowly reaching the Battle of Wakanda. But for now, let's go back in time a little bit and then see what Megatron wants.

Please be sure to leave a kudo or reviews!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(A few hours ago in Outer Space...)

As it turns out, a few people had managed to pick up the Asgardian distress signal before the Statesman was destroyed. The first group were the Guardians of the Galaxy, consisting of Star-Lord (Peter Quill), Gamora, Rocket the Raccoon, Groot, Drax the Destroyer and Mantis. Hoping to save some lives and get paid for it, what the Guardians found instead were the floating remains of the Statesman and Asgardian bodies floating through space...and Thor, alive.

Bringing Thor aboard, the God of Thunder awoke. After calming down and eating some soup, Thor recounted what had happened, revealing Thanos as the one behind the attack. Shocked that it was her stepfather, who now possessed two of the Infinity Stones, Gamora told the tale of Thanos' agenda, wiping out half of life throughout the entire universe through the use of the Infinity Stones. A brief showdown between Thor and Gamora nearly happened; but was stopped when a massive ship suddenly appeared. Nowhere near the size of Thanos' warship, but large enough that it could take in the Benatar and still have plenty of room.

Rocket was the first to recognize the ship's design. "Oh, shit! Cybertronians?!"

"Do you think they're aligned with that 'Quintessa'?" asked Drax as he went to get a rifle.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Everyone to your seats! We're getting out of here!" said Quill as he made a dash for the pilot's seat.

"Wait, we don't know if they're friendly or not," said Gamora, trying to get everyone to calm down.

"The only other Cybertronian I heard of was a Bounty Hunter named Lockdown, and you would not believe how many Ravagers he and his crew have killed when I was with Yondu," replied Quill as he and Rocket prepared to warp.

"Wait, I know a way to find out," said Thor, making his way to the communications terminal and pressing a few buttons.

"What the hell are you doing?!" demanded Rocket.

"Confirming if they're hostile or not," answered Thor before speaking through the mike. "Hello, this is Thor, the recently-appointed King of Asgard."

A minute had passed with silence. Then, through the communications terminal's speaker, a voice said: "Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong."

Perking at the response, Thor repeated at what the voice had just said.

There was a moment of silence aboard the Benatar. The Guardians looked at the communications terminal, then at Thor, the communications terminal and then at Thor again. Finally, Quill asked: "What the hell was that?"

"The Cybertronian universal greeting. Everyone on Asgard knows that," replied Thor.

As if to prove his point, the giant ship did a 180-degree turn, showing its rear. A large loading ramp suddenly opened, welcoming the Guardians to land their ship.

"Told you," said a smug Thor, causing Quill to roll his eyes.

"Fine, we'll take their offer. But if it turns out to be a trap, I will throw you back into space," he said before guiding the Benatar towards the open ramp. Lowering the thrusters, the Guardians' ship hovered as it entered the larger vessel. The loading ramp slowly raised behind them as Quill and Rocket safely landed the Benatar on the steel floor. At the same time, Rocket readied his Laser Cannon while Quill pulled out his dual Quad Blasters. Drax pulled out his Dual Knives while Gamora readied Godslayer, and Mantis stood by for support. Groot, meanwhile, continued playing Defender on his handheld gaming console. The Benatar's loading ramp was lowered, and the Guardians slowly walked out, searching for anyone waiting for them. It was Drax who first heard footsteps coming towards them.

"It's an enemy!" he roared before rushing towards it, assuming it was the enemy. Ignoring his teammates, Drax ran off the ramp and the first person he spotted was a humanoid teen looking at him in surprise. He charged towards him, but before he could get within four meters of the boy, a large Cybertanium Mace slammed on the floor between the two. The weapon's sudden appearance caused Drax to lose his momentum and fall on his ass. The Cybertanium Mace was followed by a Cybertanium Claymore and more weapons, each one forcing Drax to crawl backwards.

Stormreign snarled before declaring out loud: "You shall not harm Nova Prime!"

"Drax!" shouted Quill. He was about to activate his Jet Boot Attachments when something slammed into him. Rolling on the ground, Quill found himself face-to-face with Ramhorn. Gamora was about to attack the Cyber-Rhino from behind with Godslayer, but a left servo grabbed her from behind, knocking the weapon out of her hands and lifted the former Black Order member off the ground. Turning around, she found herself face-to-face with Evac.

Mantis attempted to help, but she quickly found herself in a chokehold by Cogman. "I strongly recommend that you don't do anything that will force me to tear your head off, miss," said the Headmaster.

"Okay, that's it!" said Rocket. He charged his Laser Cannon and pointed it at Evac. "Nobody moves or I'm gonna vaporize this huge guy's ass!"

Suddenly, he found a Solar Plasma Cannon in his face and its owner was none other than Sqweeks, who exclaimed: "Chihuahua!"

Rocket blinked as he stared at the bottom of the Mini-Con's weapon. "Touché."

"Okay, look. Can we all just calm down for a moment or two," said Adam, getting everyone's attention. "I'm not sure how this all turned out this way, but I have a very good feeling that it was this idiot's fault," he said, looking at Drax, who had a stain in the middle of his pants due to the several large Cybertronian weapons pointed at him. "But since you guys did the Cybertronian universal greeting, I'm guessing your original intentions were non-hostile."

"That would be correct, my young friend," said Thor as he got off the Benatar.

The boy's eyes widened when he saw the God of Thunder himself. "Sweet Primus, y-y-you're Thor! From the Avengers!"

(A few minutes later...)

After things had calmed down, the Autobots, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy all sat down, while sipping tea that had been prepared by Cogman.

"I see, so that's how you all met," said Nova. "Well, Thor, I'm sure that Doctor Banner will be very happy to know that you're still alive."

"Yes, and I am also pleased to know that he survived too. At least Heimdall's last act wasn't in vain," replied Thor in a somber tone. He then added: "Plus, seeing how we have a common foe, I was wondering if you could take me to the place that I need to go to."

"Wait a minute, shouldn't we be going to where Thanos is going?" stated Gamora.

"Oh, that's easy: Knowhere," answered Thor.

Mantis looked confused. "But he must be going somewhere."

"No, Knowhere. It's a place, we've been there, and it sucks," explained Quill.

"Why would Thanos go to Knowhere?" asked Gamora.

"Because for years, the Reality Stone has been safely under the protection of the Collector," answered Thor.

"If it's with the Collector, then it's not safe. Only an idiot would trust that man with an Infinity Stone," retorted Quill.

"Or a genius," rebuked Thor.

"Either way, we have to go to Knowhere," declared Gamora.

"No. Where we need to go is Nidavellir," said Thor.

"That's a made-up word," said Drax before taking a sip from his fifth cup of tea.

"All worlds are made-up," replied Thor.

"Nidavellir is real?" asked Rocket. "Seriously? I mean, that place is a legend. They make the most powerful, horrific weapons to ever torment the known universe. I would very much like to go there, please."

"The rabbit is correct and clearly the smartest one among you," said Thor as he complimented Rocket.

"Rabbit?" asked Rocket confusingly.

"Well, if you're going to Nidavellir, we can take you there since we're just heading there ourselves," said Nova.

"Oh, that would be wonderful," said Thor, thanking him.

"Why do you even have to go to Nidavellir anyway?" asked Quill.

"So that Eitri, King of the Dwarves, can make me a weapon," answered Thor.

"What kind of weapon?" asked Drax.

"The kind that can kill Thanos," said Thor simply.

Quill nodded slowly. "Well, don't you think we should all have something like that?"

Thor immediately brushed off the idea. "No. You simply lack the strength to wield them. Your bodies would crumble as your minds collapsed into madness."

"Is it weird that I want to try it anyway?" asked Rocket curiously.

"Kind of," commented Thor.

"What happened to your old weapon?" asked Nova.

"Long story," replied Thor.

"If we don't stop Thanos from getting another Infinity Stone, he'll be too powerful to stop," insisted Gamora.

"He already is," replied Thor plainly.

"I got an idea! Me and Groot will go with the pirate angel and the Cybertronians, while the morons head off to Knowhere to stop Thanos. Cool? Cool," declared Rocket.

"So cool," said Thor.

"Oh, great. Now I have to deal with cleaning up the raccoon's fur," muttered Cogman as he put the dishes away. Thankfully, Rocket didn't hear him or else he would have gone berserk at that.

"Oh, don't make such a fuss about it, Cogman," Nova said to his Headmaster butler. At least with an Asgardian, we'll have better luck reaching Nidavellir."

Quill looked at Rocket. "For the record I know you're just doing this because they're going to go where Thanos isn't," he said accusingly at the raccoon, who merely shrugged it off.

Despite those words, the Guardians, minus Rocket and Groot, boarded the Benatar. As Omega lowered his loading ramp again, the others waved goodbye to them.

"Good luck, morons," said Thor.

"Yeah, and don't get killed," added Evac.

Once the Guardians' ship was out of sight, the Ark prepared to head towards Nidavellir. Thor looked around the ship in awe. "You know I've always wanted to ride in a Cybertronian vessel. My father would sometimes tell me stories about the Cybertronians during the alliance between my people and the Dynasty of Primes when Asgard was ruled by my grandfather."

"Yeah, I get ya. Cybertronian weapons are some of the best in the universe," said Rocket as he dragged Groot, who was still focusing on his handheld gaming console. "Though me and Groot had to deal with some crazy Bounty Hunter named Lockdown who was trying to knab us for our own bounties."

"Lockdown?" asked Nova in a surprise tone. "That guy was offlined in Hong Kong back in 2014."

"Seriously? I definitely need to hear about this," said Rocket.

Soon, Nova began to explain to the three about the recent happenings of the Cybertronians.

(Golden City Airfield, Wakanda, present time...)

"It's definitely a trap," said Ironhide.

His opinion was shared by many of the Autobots and humans who knew the Decepticons personally. After coming out of their shock upon hearing that Megatron wanted a temporary truce, many of the Autobots began voicing their objections to this. The Decepticon Leader wanting a ceasefire? That would be the same as saying Scraplets didn't like metal.

"Ironhide is right, Optimus," said Prowl. "This doesn't sound like Megatron at all. It's way too suspicious."

"True, Prowl," said Optimus before looking at Shatter. "For what reason would Megatron propose such a thing?"

Dropkick growled as he took a step forward, but Shatter stopped him. "Our base was attacked by Unicron's herald, Thunderwing," said the Decepticon femme. That earned surprise looks from the listeners, including the Avengers who had already been told about the Cybertronian Devil. "He now leads an army of Terrorcons, which overran us and forced us to flee. And who knows what else is serving him."

"Terrorcons?" asked Steve.

"An old Cybertronian legend," answered Ratchet. "Undead Cybertronians, given life by Dark Energon, which is the lifeblood of Unicron. They feel neither pain nor fear."

"Great, now we got alien robot zombies to worry about," muttered Sam.

"After all that we have witnessed, I'm willing to believe any legend has truth in them," commented Optimus. "However, we have other problems to worry about. Still, this could present an opportunity..."

"Optimus, my man," said Jazz as he pulled his leader over to speak with him privately, and out of the range of the Decepticons' audio receptors. "You aren't really going to buy this, are you? This is probably some trap that Megatron has set up for us."

"Perhaps," replied Optimus. "But they might be telling the truth. Between Thanos, Quintessa and Thunderwing, the latter is a far greater threat. And with no means to communicate with Cybertron, we definitely need help."

Jazz frowned, but he couldn't deny that Optimus was right. The Autobot Leader turned to face Shatter and Dropkick. "I will meet with Megatron, but I shall bring four of my Autobots with me as well."

"Understood," replied Shatter.

(At the outskirts of the Golden City, 30 minutes later...)

Optimus, Bumblebee, Jazz, Ironhide and Ratchet had stopped a few miles outside the city, transforming into their biped forms as they waited for Megatron. Shatter and Dropkick were already there, staring at the Autobots who looked back at them. No words were said from either side.

Then the sound of jet engines filled their audio receptors. Looking up, they saw Megatron, in his alt-mode of a Cybertronian Jet, flying towards them. Behind him were Soundwave and Starscream. On a small hill, about a mile away, were Perkins and Mongo. Both men were wearing ghillie suits and were currently watching through their high-powered binoculars as the Decepticon Leader shifted into his true form upon landing.

"This is Top," said Perkins into his NEST Mark 1 Integrated Intra-Tactical Radio (IITR), using the slang term for First Sergeant. "Megatron has arrived. I repeat: Megatron has arrived, and he's brought Starscream and Soundwave with him."

(Command Center, Golden City)

"Copy that, Perkins. We have the mortars ready in case things get ugly," replied Lennox, referring to the twelve 60mm M224A1 Lightweight Mortars that NEST brought with them to Wakanda to provide fire support, along with several Dragon Flyers being mobilized for a possible conflict.

Currently, everyone in the command center was looking at the main screen that was showing them a live feed of the Decepticons.

"That's Megatron, huh?" asked Clint as the main screen zoomed in on the Decepticon Leader. "Well, he definitely does give off the appearance of a tyrant."

Steve looked at Lennox. "If things go south, how bad would the aftermath be?"

The Colonel sighed. "The two he brought with him, Starscream and Soundwave, are some of the toughest 'Cons I've ever seen. And if the other Decepticons are nearby, it won't be a quick fight."

(Back at the meeting place...)

"Prime," said Megatron.

"Megatron," replied Optimus in a neutral tone.

A few seconds of silence passed by as both sides sized each other up. Eventually, it was Megatron who spoke first: "This place...Wakanda, am I right? It feels much like Cybertron." The Decepticon Leader eventually noticed the surprised look on his former brother's faceplates. "Oh please, Optimus. Haven't you forgotten that I was taught by one of the Thirteen. The Fallen told me all about your late mentor's project. But I digress. You know why we are here, and I know why you are here."

"So, you're already aware of the Infinity Stones," stated Optimus.

Megatron nodded. "And you definitely know that I have no interest in them, since our kind cannot use them. However, I'm fully aware of the threat that Quintessa and Thanos both present together. That backstabbing femme has an army of Sharkticons and Allicons, as well as an armada of ships. If she were to ally herself with Thanos, Quintessa could easily conquer Cybertron. And if Unicron is successfully revived, nobody or nothing, including all six of the Infinity Stones, can stop him. Which is why I am proposing a truce..."

"Which will be over once all three of them are dealt with," finished Optimus.

"Correct. We both know that your ranks may have increased a little since our last battle, but they definitely cannot stand up against such a force. Even with the humans' help, your chances to emerge victorious are still slim," stated Megatron.

Optimus didn't say anything as he silently thought of his current options. It was true that their human allies were limited in their resources, and they couldn't exactly reveal that Unicron was the Earth's core to the world leaders without risking a potential backlash that would definitely be worse than Chicago and Hong Kong combined. Concerning his own people, the Autobots still didn't have a standard fleet, just a collection of modified starships. And there were also the Cybertronian civilians to worry about. Allying with Megatron might be the best choice he had available so far, though Optimus was under no delusion that his former brother would double-cross him when given the chance, but the Prime also knew the Decepticon Leader was prideful and would want revenge against Quintessa and Thunderwing. And despite his ruthlessness, Megatron did care for Cybertron, in his own twisted way.

"Very well," said Optimus. "I will agree to this temporary truce."

Megatron showed a fanged grin on his faceplates as he and Optimus shook servos.

It was at that moment that Crosshairs spoke on the comms: "Hey, Boss Man! Sunstreaker and his group have found the Moon team, and they're receiving a message from Cybertron. Better get here quick!"

(Golden City Airfield, a few minutes later...)

Under Megatron's orders, Soundwave and Starscream returned to the Darksyde, while Dropkick and Shatter remained with their leader. The Autobots and the humans kept their optics/eyes on the Decepticons, while T'Challa ordered the forcefield protecting the capital city to be activated in order to repel the assault by Thanos and Quintessa's combined forces that was soon to come. The Autobots on the Steelhaven were trying to clear static from the message coming from Cybertron.

Meanwhile, back at the Wakanda Medical Center where the Avengers, T'Challa, and most of the Autobots and senior-ranking NEST officers and NCOs were gathered, Optimus revealed a secret-a connection between Cybertron and Wakanda.

Millions of years ago, when the Thirteen discovered that Unicron was Earth, they decided to seal the Chaos Bringer instead of destroying the planet. Under the careful instructions of Alpha Trion, the Cybertronians created a heavily-modified Seed. As Earth had already been seeded beforehand by the Primes, the planet still had some Cyber-Matter that was buried very deeply underground. The heavily-modified Seed would release a heavily-altered version of Cyber-Matter that would absorb vibrations that was meant to keep Unicron's supply of Dark Energon suppressed and prevent it from reaching the surface, and linkup with the remains of the unaltered version of Cyber-Matter that was buried deep in the crust of the Earth.

However, something went very wrong. While on trajectory towards Earth, the heavily-altered Seed/meteorite suddenly went off course and impacted a part of Africa that would one day become the country of Wakanda. The heavily-altered Cyber-Matter spread all across that location and altered the environment and wildlife. Though it didn't spread far as intended, the heavily-altered Cyber-Matter/Vibranium, did its job and kept Unicron in stasis lock for all these years; though it couldn't completely prevent the Dark Energon from rising to the surface every once in a while, where it caused numerous natural disasters.

"As a member of the Disciples of Primus, Quintessa most likely knows about this. According to Wheeljack's hypothesis, if one were to manipulate the Vibranium deeper towards the Earth's core, which is Unicron's spark, it would definitely cover the entire planet in metal, including all organic beings. Quintessa probably wants this, so that she can kill the Chaos Bringer and have plenty of Cyber-Matter to create a new generation of Cybertronians; and all under her rule," finished Optimus.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the group, particularly the Wakandans who were present. All this time, they had thought the meteor that brought them Vibranium was a chance of fate, only to just learn that the source of their civilization had come from a different race of beings (even though by sheer accident) had left them deeply affected.

T'Challa, however, saw this differently. "Then it is all the more reason to stop this madwoman. My people have worked so long and so hard to master the power of Vibranium. And whether it was by sheer accident or fate, we are here and will ensure that neither Quintessa, Thanos or Unicron get their hands on our Vibranium or the Mind Stone," he declared.

The Wakandans present seemed invigorated by the words of their king. Before Optimus could reply, Crosshairs' voice spoke through the nearby loudspeakers: "We finally got through the static. Here comes the message, folks. Sounds very serious."

(Iacon, 24 hours earlier...)

It was a usual day in the reborn capital city of the Autobots. Mechs and femmes were enjoying being back on their home planet, with Younglings and Sparklings playing about. However, they didn't know what was to come.

Near the main gate watchtower was Clocker. The 16-foot light-blue mech was currently coordinating the patrol groups with Scattershot beside him. The majority of which were made by Autotroopers, who were 20-foot white-colored drones with blue lines and were built as Triple-Changers. They were armed with Neutron Assault Rifles and right shoulder-mounted Thermo Rocket Launchers. Like their Decepticon counterparts, the Vehicons, the Autotroopers were created to make up for the Autobots' low combat forces and also to assure that no Decepticons landed on Cybertron without the Autobots knowing. Although more compact than the Vehicons and also capable of higher thought processing, the Autotroopers were nowhere near being on the same level as actual Cybertronians.

"Looks like nothing new for today," reported Clocker. "Can't say I'm a little disappointed."

"That's true. The only unusual thing to happen so far was that very strange Energon signature that's coming from the Sea of Rust," commented Scattershot.

"Wasn't a team sent out for that?" asked Clocker.

"Yeah, Broadside, Firestar and Moonracer went there to check," answered Scattershot. "We are to be ready just in case they call."

"Understood, we'll have our audio receptors listening," replied Clocker with a sigh.

Suddenly, the nearby large radar screen began to blink rapidly, startling all the Autobots in the observation room. "What the frag is going on?!" demanded Clocker.

"Sir, we're picking up multiple signals coming from orbit," reported an Autobot from his station.

True enough, multiple red dots began to show on the large radar screen as they got larger and larger; and they were heading right towards them. "Bring it up on screen, and contact all our posts and Ultra Magnus, now!" ordered Scattershot.

"Yes, sir!" responded an Autobot. In seconds, a holographic screen popped up to show dozens of large Cybertronian-made cruisers that were slowly spinning on their axis and thousands of smaller warships. Zooming in, Clocker spotted a symbol in the shape of a green helm with fanged dentas. He immediately recognized it from an image that Optimus had shown during an officers meeting once-the insignia of Quintessa's faction.

"Clocker, they're powering-up their weapons!" shouted Scattershot.

"Activate the turrets and take down as many of them as you can!" ordered Clocker. "Get the energy field online and evacuate non-essential personnel!"

From nearby small towers, turrets armed with either Thermo Rocket Cannons, Neutron HMGs or Heavy Solar Plasma Autocannons came to life. Turning upwards, the weapons fired a massive barrage at the oncoming invaders, destroying numerous smaller warships and even downing a cruiser. In response, the surviving warships launched several Proton HE Rockets or fired their Heavy Photon Autocannons, while the cruisers fired their ball turrets that were armed with dual Heavy Neutron Autocannons. Numerous tower turrets were destroyed, along with parts of the wall. Even the main gate watchtower was shaken up by the onslaught. Then, an unarmed tower was destroyed by the constant barrage and the energy field around Iacon began to dissipate.

"The generator's been destroyed and we can't maintain the energy field!" reported an Autobot.

"Clocker, some of the cruisers are heading towards the city!" announced Scattershot.

True enough, several of the cruisers made crash-landings while using landing stabilizers to keep themselves balanced when they did it. Once that was done, hatches all across the crashed cruisers opened up and out came 16-foot bulky, bestial-looking Cybertronians armed with either Solar Plasma Assault Rifles or Electro-Spears. According to one datapad left behind by Alpha Trion, these were called Allicons. Several Orbital Jet-Skis also came out from the wrecked cruisers, with each one having two Allicons onboard, with one firing the Orbital Jet-Ski's dual front-mounted Light Neutron Autocannons. They immediately engaged the Autobots and Autotroopers, while the smaller warships took on the Autobot-manned Orbital Assault Fighters or flyers.

"The main gate watchtower is lost! Evacuate and regroup with our forces outside! We need to push these slaggers back while protecting the civilians!" ordered Clocker as he deployed his dual forearm-mounted Solar Plasma Cannons, preparing himself for the fight to come.

(At the center of Iacon)

Panic had already begun to spread across the Autobot capital city when the energy field collapsed. Civilians were screaming/fleeing to the underground shelters. Parents immediately grabbed their Sparklings or Younglings the moment the energy field went down, and the enemy began to bombard the city. The Autobot forces were split between escorting the non-combatants and fending off the invaders.

Fortunately, Ultra Magnus and Optimus had been prepared in the event of a massive-scaled assault, even though it was originally meant for a possible Decepticon attack as the city's defenses were turned on. All AA guns and AA missile pods of different varieties were activated across the city in tactical positions as they began to target the invaders. Multiple ships were hit with some being destroyed, but that didn't stop the Allicons from launching their ground troops. Orbital Jet-Skis came flying down as the pilots fired its dual Light Neutron Autocannons, while the other Allicons on board fired their Solar Plasma Assault Rifles.

In a certain area of Iacon was Perceptor; the 20-foot red and black Autobot Scientist/Physicist was currently looking through his left shoulder-mounted scope, zooming in on the enemy ships. He could clearly see that the Allicons outnumbered his fellow Autobots both on the ground and in the air, and more of the Allicons were landing by the minute, despite the AA defenses bringing down several of the warships and a few cruisers as well. Multiple Autobot flyers and Orbital Assault Fighters had taken to the air and were currently engaging the Allicons' warships and Orbital Jet-Skis. The sky around Iacon was soon covered in explosions and the sounds of battle.

Turning around, Perceptor saw Magnus, in his alt-mode of a 2012 Freightliner Revolution Innovation Concept, driving up to him. With him were Springer, in his secondary alt-mode of a dark and light-green T-98 Kombat Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV), and Blurr, another former racer who taken the alt-mode of a light and dark-blue 2010 Koenigsegg Agera Concept. Following behind them were two femmes. Lancer, a 15-foot orange and purple-colored femme who had taken the alt-mode of a 2008 Suzuki B-King Motorcycle, and Greenlight, a 16-foot yellow-greenish femme who had taken the alt-mode of a 2008 Ducati 848 Motorcycle. Perceptor ran up to the group as they transformed into their biped forms. "Sir, my cursory evaluation of the Allicons' capabilities indicates a distinct tactical deficiency," reported Perceptor.

"In other words, Perceptor?" asked Magnus.

"He means we're basically outnumbered!" translated Springer as he quickly pointed to an incoming Orbital Jet-Ski. Acting quickly, the 21-foot visor-wearing Triple-Changer swiftly brought out his left forearm-mounted 30mm M230E1 Chain Gun and fired two 30x113mmB HEDP (High-Explosive Dual-Purpose) rounds that struck the Orbital Jet-Ski, causing the two Allicons to abandon ship.

Magnus immediately gave out his orders: "Perceptor, get to Blaster and tell him to contact Optimus. Springer, head over to Skyhammer's position and aid him. Greenlight, you and Lancer are with me. We'll head to the frontline and coordinate the defenses there."

Suddenly, Blurr zoomed up front on his wheeled-pedes. "But what about me, sir. I can help, I want to help. What should I do?" asked the 16-foot mech in his usual fast-moving talking.

"Blur, I want you to help evacuate the civilians to the underground shelters. Also look for any stragglers and guide them to safety," ordered Magnus as his processor took a minute or two to take in Blurr's words.

"Oh, absolutely positively! I can do that, sir! I'll get the job done 'cause nobody does a better job than me! Absolutely!" said Blurr as he swiftly transformed into his alt-mode and took off.

Springer took to the air in his primary alt-mode of an AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter, while Perceptor drove off to Iacon's communications tower in his alt-mode of a 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser 200-Series TRD Concept.

"Let's go, ladies! We need to immediately reinforce the frontlines!" ordered Magnus as he, Greenlight and Lancer swiftly shifted into their alt-modes and took off, while avoiding falling debris and explosions as they drove.

"Sir, what about Moonracer and her team?" asked Greenlight. "They're outside the city."

"There's nothing we can do for them right now, Greenlight," responded Magnus. "We need to focus on holding the Allicons back while giving the civilians time to get to safety."

A few minutes later, the group arrived at a skirmish, with the Allicons engaging both Autobots and Autotroopers that were under Kup's command. Guzzle was there too, firing his left forearm-mounted Proton Heavy Machine Gun (HMG). Kup, meanwhile, was firing his Solar Plasma Tactical Shotgun, terminating an Allicon. The majority of the defenders had taken cover as they fired on the advancing enemy, their durable frames making them almost hard to kill.

Ultra Magnus swiftly transformed when he saw an Allicon trying to flank Kup and the others. Bringing out his Magnus Battle Hammer with built-in rocket thrusters from subspace, said thrusters increased the hammer's speed as Magnus did a powerful swing. The impact crushed the Allicon's spark and disfigured its helm as it was sent flying. The former commanding officer of Cybertron's Elite Guard put away his Magnus Battle Hammer and brought his Neutron Assault Rifle out from subspace; firing a barrage from his eight-barrel weapon, Magnus, Greenlight and Lancer raced over to the others, with the femmes firing their right forearm-mounted Photon Cannons.

"Glad you could make it, sir!" said Kup before quickly terminating two Allicons with his Solar Plasma Tactical Shotgun as Magnus joined him. "These slaggers have been hammering down on us ever since this whole thing started. Not only that, but we've also been trying to link up with Clocker's group to form a tighter line; the problem is that these Allicons are everywhere."

"Okay, we'll assist you. We need to hold out until the rest of the civilians have reached safety," ordered Magnus as he fired his Neutron Assault Rifle from behind cover.

"You got it, sir," replied Kup. "Okay, lads! Let's give these buggers what for!"

(Meanwhile...)

The sky around Iacon's communications tower was filled with explosions as Autobot spaceships, flyers and Orbital Assault Fighters fought the Allicon armada, while the Autobots on the ground were engaging the Allicons who made landfall. A makeshift barricade had already been formed to keep the Allicons away from the comms tower, and at the very top of the comms tower was Blaster, who was currently sitting in the gunner's seat of a Heavy Ion Flak Cannon.

"Get a shout out!" cheered Blaster as he shot down another Orbital Jet-Ski. All non-essential personnel had evacuated when the fighting broke out, and with the exception of a security team, the communications tower was pretty much deserted.

At that moment, Perceptor had finished climbing up the ladder to reach Blaster's position. The mech had a few scorch marks on his frame due to him having to deal with a few Allicons along the way.

"Hey, Perceptor! What's shaking, beside this comms tower?" asked Blaster.

"Blaster, Ultra Magnus wants us to contact Optimus back on Earth," ordered Perceptor.

The Communications Officer grinned as he jumped out of the gunner's seat. "Alright! Cover your audio receptors, Perceptor." The two of them took the elevator down to the main comms room. Once at the main console, tendrils came out of Blaster's upper chassis to help him amplify the signal and once that was done, Blaster began sending the message: "Optimus Prime, do you read me? This is Blaster! The Allicons are blitzing Iacon and we're really taking a pounding! I don't know how much longer we can hold out without reinforcements!"

As he kept sending the same message, several of the Allicons on Orbital Jet-Skis detected the signal. With a roar, they dove towards the comms tower. Firing the Orbital Jet-Skis' dual Light Neutron Autocannons, the Allicons blew a massive hole through the comms tower's roof. The explosion knocked Perceptor and Blaster off their pedes, with the latter getting detached from his link to the main console. Coming out of the smoke were six Allicons armed with Electro-Spears. One of them lunged at Perceptor, but the Autobot Scientist/Physicist swiftly brought out his Solar Plasma SMG and filled the Allicon's frame with holes. The second Allicon was dealt with by one of Blaster's dual Sonic Machine Pistols, leaving it almost unrecognizable.

The four remaining Allicons immediately pounced on Perceptor, causing the latter to lose his weapon in the process as the Allicons tried to tear him apart. "Run, Blaster! Save y-yourself!" shouted Perceptor as he punched an Allicon in the faceplates.

"No way!" exclaimed Blaster. "I got a tune for these fools!" The Autobot Communications Officer then released a powerful sonic shockwave from his dual forearm built-in Sonic Battle Speakers. The blast fried not only the Allicons' circuits, but also sent them flying out through the main window and to the city down below.

Blaster helped Perceptor back onto his pedes while handing him back his Solar Plasma SMG. "Thanks, Blaster. But did your message get through to Earth?"

"Let's hope so," replied Blaster as the two of them looked out through the wrecked main window at the battle taking place in Iacon.

(Back in Wakanda, present time...)

...and we're really taking a pounding! I don't know how much longer we can hold out without reinforcements!"

The entire room was silent as the message was abruptly cut off. On everyone's mind/processor was that the message's timing was terrible. "If it is the Allicons, this means that it can only be Quintessa's doing. Either she wants to deny us from getting reinforcements from Cybertron, force us to leave Earth and assist Iacon, or she's trying to capture Cybertron without Thanos' help," explained Prowl.

"Either way, we can't lose Cybertron. Not after we just got it back," huffed Cliffjumper.

"And yet we cannot leave now, not when Quintessa and Thanos' forces. I don't know where..." trailed off Optimus as a plan began to form in his processor. It was a very dangerous plan, but it could possibly work. Without saying a word, Optimus, with his fellow Autobots and human allies (except for the Avengers and T'Challa) in tow, headed back towards the airfield. Megatron was still there, along with Dropkick and Shatter.

"Megatron," began Optimus, getting the Decepticon Leader's attention. "Can your forces get to Cybertron in time to help repel the Allicons?"

"WHAT?!" shrieked Ratchet, who was caught completely by surprise at Optimus' question. He wasn't the only one as every Autobot and human were absolutely shocked. "Optimus, have you lost your fragging processor?! You want the Decepticons to go to Cybertron?!"

"Doc's right, Prime. What's to say that his goon's won't try to take over Cybertron once the Allicons are dealt with?" questioned Brawn.

"Megatron's troops are armed and quite capable of leaving to assist Iacon's defenses," explained Optimus. "Plus, I know Megatron would never allow Cybertron to fall into the servos of somebody like Quintessa, who tricked him."

The former Lord High Protector let out a chuckle. "As much as it pains for me to admit, you're absolutely right, Prime. Besides, I would rather not risk my current fighting forces against both your troops and Quintessa's at the same time. I shall inform Soundwave and-"

"I said your army can go to Cybertron. But you, Megatron, shall remain here," interrupted Optimus. The reason for this was something everyone present figured out. Despite certain elements in their own forces (particularly a specific Seeker), the majority of the Decepticons were fiercely loyal to Megatron and wouldn't abandon him, as he was the only one holding them together. And with Megatron here as basically a hostage, his fellow Decepticons wouldn't be able to conquer Cybertron unless they wanted their leader back. Soundwave, Shockwave, Blackout and Brawl would see to that.

Megatron, who also realized this himself, was impressed rather than displeased. "Well, it seems you have learned something from me, Prime. Very well, Dropkick and Shatter shall remain with me as well. And besides, being here gives me a better chance of personally offlining that backstabbing witch," said Megatron before excusing himself to give his orders to Soundwave via the comms.

It was at that moment a massive rumbling sound from above was heard. Looking up, the humans and Cybertronians watched as a massive Outrider Dropship was descending towards them. "They're here..." murmured Optimus.

The Outrider Dropship collided with the energy shield dome surrounding Wakanda at a high speed, causing it to implode on contact. No damage was done as the debris from the Outrider Dropship fell down the entire slope of the energy dome. "God, I love this city," muttered Bucky.

"Don't get too excited, guys. More of those things are landing outside the perimeter," reported Rhodes (who was in his brand-new War Machine Mark 4 Armor) as more Outrider Dropships landed nearby. Following them were a dozen beams of blue light. Onboard the Steelhaven, Crosshairs zoomed in with his goggles and watched as hundreds if not thousands of Sharkticons were arriving in their alt-modes before swiftly transforming into their true forms. And with them were Chitauri soldiers and Chitauri Chariots, along with Chitauri Gorillas and Chitauri Hovertanks. Also flying down from the upper atmosphere were several Leviathans.

"Boss Bot, the enemy are coming here in large numbers," reported Crosshairs on the comms.

At that moment, the Avengers, T'Challa (now wearing his Panther Mark 2 Habit) and Okoye had arrived at the airfield. "Evacuate the city and engage all defenses! We must hold the enemy back until Shuri removes the Mind Stone from Vision's head," the Wakanda King told Okoye.

Meanwhile, Lennox, along with his fellow NEST officers and senior-ranking NCOs were contacting their troops and ordering them to take up defensive positions on the hills.

Optimus Prime looked at his fellow Autobots, they had already gathered with their weapons at the ready and their faceplates showing nothing but grim determination. With a nod, the leader of the Autobots gave the order;

"Autobots, roll out!"

Notes:

The Battle of Wakanda is about to begin!

Please be sure to leave a kudo or comment!

Chapter 7: Battle of Wakanda: Part 1

Notes:

The Battle for Wakanda begins now.

Be sure to leave a kudo or comment.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(A few hours ago...)

His systems were slowly coming back online as Cosmos came out of stasis lock. Shaking his helm and getting his sensors oriented, the mech realized that he was floating in outer space. It took a moment, but his processor finally recalled what had happened. When the Sharkticons began their bombing run on the Autobot Moon Base, Cosmos was a bit too slow to get back to the outpost. So, he had to alter his course by jumping backwards to avoid being caught in the explosions. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for how strong the blast was, as the shockwave sent Cosmos flying into space. Primus must've been smiling down on him since the Sharkticons didn't notice him.

As his remaining functions came back online, Cosmos spotted something from out of the corner of his left optic. Heading towards him was a massive Q-shaped spacecraft-the very same one that the Sharkticons had been escorting. Unable to move in time, Cosmos had no choice but to allow himself to get whacked by the Q-Ship, but he just barely managed to grab on before he was flung away. Digging his digits into the vessel, Cosmos noticed that he was next to an emergency airlock hatch that was at least his height. Pushing a button on a nearby console, the hatch opened, and Cosmos swiftly dove into the airlock as the hatch closed behind him. And not a moment too soon as the Q-Ship soon entered a wormhole, and Cosmos would've been seriously damaged by the sudden jump if he was still outside the vessel.

After exiting the emergency airlock and regaining his bearings, Cosmos' scanners were picking up three human signatures onboard the Q-Ship. While adjusting his audio receptors as he walked, he could hear two of them.

"Wow, you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" said a male voice.

"Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty..." said a second, though younger, male voice.

It was very clear that the older male was annoyed as the younger one began speaking rapidly: "I know what you're gonna say to me."

"You shouldn't be here."

"I was gonna go home."

"I don't wanna hear it!"

"But it was such a long way down and I just thought about-"

"And now I gotta hear it."

"And by the way, this suit is ridiculously intuitive. So, if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here..."

"What did you just say to me?!"

"Sorry, I take that back. And now I'm here, in outer space."

"Yeah, and right where I did not want you to be. This isn't some field trip or Coney Island, it's a one-way ticket. Do you hear me? And don't pretend that you thought this through."

"I did think this through. You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood." There was a short pause after that statement. "Okay that didn't make sense, but you know what I'm trying to say."

By the end of their conversation, Cosmos had walked upon the two human males...and a floating cape? According to his scanners, both humans were wearing advanced nanotech-based armor. The sound of Cosmos' pedes hitting the walkway they were on drew the group's attention to him, with the oldest of them aiming both of his repulsors at the Autobot.

"Whoa, whoa," said Cosmos as he raised both of his servos in defense. "I'm a friendly."

Tony Stark kept his repulsors raised until he noticed a familiar insignia on Cosmos' frame. "You're with the Camaro and Jeep Wrangler robots?"

Cosmos tilted his helm, taking a moment to register whom he was referring to. "You mean Bumblebee and Evac? Yeah, the three of us are part of the same faction. I'm guessing the three of you, including Mr. Floating Cape here, also ended up here because of whoever is piloting this weird ship."

"Basically, yeah," replied Stark. "But right now, though, we need to save a wizard."

As if to prove Iron Man's point, a loud painful scream vibrated across the Q-Ship, startling the group of stowaways. "Look, I'm willing to help, but I'm picking up a ton of non-human lifeforms aboard this ship, near to where the third human is. All of whom I'm guessing aren't friendly."

"Yep. But first, we need to do some recon, then we work out a plan. Okay?" said Stark as he led the group towards the noise.

Not too long later, the group were looking over a balcony. Down below was Doctor Strange, being held telekinetically in midair by Ebony Maw. Surrounding Strange were dozens of needles that were sticking through his cheeks. Finally, there were dozens of Chitauri soldiers armed with either Chitauri Directed-Energy Particle Rifles (DEPRs) or Chitauri Rifle-Staffs. Some of them were beside Ebony, while others were either behind Strange or up on different walkways.

"This is not a good situation," commented Cosmos. "Just one of them could hold your friend at gunpoint and we still have those who are covering from above."

"Yeah, this ain't gonna be a walk in the park," added Tony in agreement before looking at Peter. "How about you, kid, you got any ideas?"

Peter remained silent as he kept studying the situation. He then said: "I got one. Have any of you seen how Ripley got rid of the Xenomorph Drone and the Xenomorph Queen in the first and second Alien films respectively?"

Back with Ebony Maw, the Black Order member continued his interrogation. He smirked sinisterly as he noticed Strange's discomfort. "Painful, aren't they?" asked Ebony, indicating the needles. "They were originally designed for microsurgery. As a matter of fact, any of them could..." His explanation was cut off when he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, Maw saw it was Iron Man with his repulsors at the ready. 

"I'm gonna to ask this once, Squidward. Let the doc go," warned Stark.

Several of the Chitarui soldiers aimed/pointed their weapons at the Avenger, while the others did the same to Strange. Maw, meanwhile, merely gave Iron Man a glare. "You demand when the odds are clearly stacked in my favor?" he asked mockingly.

At that moment, Spider-Man (who was wearing the Iron Spider Suit, aka Item 17A) made his move. Crawling on the ceiling, the teenage superhero shot several numerous spider-nets at all the Chitarui who were on the upper walkways. The alien soldiers howled as they couldn't break free of their bindings. "I always make sure to have a very good hand when betting, pal," said Iron Man.

"Even without them, I could still end your friend's life in an instant," replied Maw, his confidence still unchanged.

"I gotta tell ya, he's not really my friend. Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy," said Stark nonchalantly.

"Your powers are completely inconsequential compared to mine," growled Maw. To add to his point, several objects were floating beside him.

Tony smirked beneath his facemask. "Yeah, but the kid has seen more movies."

At that moment, Cosmos made himself known as he fired his right forearm-mounted Magma Frag Launcher, blasting a hole through the Q-Ship's hull. The vacuum of space kicked in instantly, and Ebony Maw let out a short scream of terror as he and all the Chitarui were swiftly sucked out into space. Strange would've joined them if Cosmos hadn't quickly grabbed him. Iron Man, meanwhile, sealed the hole in the vessel with his dual wrist-mounted Zero Cannons; the nanite spray closing it shut.

Once that was done, Cosmos released Strange, with the Cloak of Levitation returning to his master's shoulders. The Autobot stared at the now-closed hole and then at the humans. "Well...that was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

(The Sea of Rust, Cybertron)

A Cybertronian dropship was making its way over the Sea of Rust. Below it was a silver and red-colored K130 Braunschweig-Class Corvette that was sailing across the Sea of Rust, completely unaffected by the acidic liquid. They were both currently heading towards a large base that was located near the edge of the Sea of Rust. The base was colored primarily in white and grey, with bits of black and red too. Towering over the buildings of the rebuilt Autobot capital city of Iacon and despite the damage done to it and the dozens of areas covered in rust, the base still held an aura of magnificence in its own way.

As it got bigger as they got closer, Moonracer, the 15-foot teal-colored femme checked her scanners. "This is definitely where the Energon signal is coming from. But I can't find any records of this base, not even from the ones that Alpha Trion managed to save."

"Whatever it is, it's still worth checking out," said Broadside through the comms.

Once the corvette was close enough, it transformed into a 50-foot mech. The dropship landed and its loading ramp was lowered, allowing the femmes to exit the craft. "Broadside, we're going to scout on the ground. Take to the air and tell us what you see," said Moonracer.

"Copy that," replied Broadside as the Triple-Changer shifted into his secondary alt-mode, a C-17A Globemaster III, and took to the sky. He immediately began scanning the base, while taking in its defenses. "The base is surprisingly in good condition. Besides the patches of rust, I'm not seeing much damage. Also, it looks like the only entrance is the main one."

"Got it," replied Firestar as the 15-foot red-colored femme and Moonracer transformed into a 2008 MV Agusta F4-R312 Motorcycle and a 2017 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Motorcycle respectively and drove off towards the base. Thirty minutes later, the duo arrived at what appeared to be a small doorway. Activating their built-in lights, the two femmes entered, their optics and scanners focused as they walked through the dark corridor. Just like the outside, the base's interior was filled with numerous rust spots, but the damage wasn't that bad.

"This place is quite sturdy to remain in good condition after all this time," commented Firestar.

"Or somebody has kept it like that," added Moonracer. "We may not be the only ones here."

"You're starting to make me feel uncomfortable, Moonracer," said Firestar.

The two femmes continued exploring the base, searching for any signs of life. Eventually, their venture led them to a large room that looked like a security station. There were several large screens next to one another with a console underneath them. "Looks like a command console," commented Firestar.

"A good place to start," said Moonracer as the two femmes approached the console. Typing in, the duo managed to bring the screens to life. Searching for any info, they discovered that the base they were currently in had been around for a very long time, since the Dynasty of Primes and had also been used against the Celestials when they invaded. Moonracer frowned. "How could something like this base, which has been around during the Dynasty of Primes, been rediscovered until now?"

"It could be like you said-maybe somebody was keeping this place intact and out of sight," said Firestar as she gave her own response.

Suddenly, a very loud thud was heard from somewhere nearby, causing both femmes to jump before spinning around, weapons at the ready. Moonracer had her right arm-mounted Photon Cannon focused on the ceiling, while Firestar aimed her Photon Assault Carbine at the entrance.

"Or maybe, that somebody is still here," said Moonracer.

(Nidavellir)

The Dwarves are known for a lot of things, but leaving a mess isn't one of them," said Thor (who was wearing a prosthetic left eye he just recently got from Rocket to replace the original one he lost at the hands of his half-sister Hela) as he touched a dusty piece of metal with a finger.

Omega Supreme had arrived to where the Dwarves lived not too long ago. But instead of finding a thriving civilization, the group was met with a dead neutron star and a damaged Alderson disk that surrounded it. The place was lifeless as Cybertron once was. It wasn't a pleasant sight to behold, nor did it inspire hope for them.

Once the Ark landed, a group consisting of Adam, Cogman, Thor, Evac, Rocket and Groot disembarked to explore the abandoned Realm. So far, the group had found no signs of life, not even a single Dwarf. There wasn't even a single forge being used. "Personally, I always thought that the Dwarves of Nidavellir might be a little untidy when doing their work, but this is something else," said Cogman as he tried to find something that could tell them what had happened.

"But they gotta be somewhere...right?" asked Rocket, while making sure Groot didn't get lost as he continued playing his handheld gaming console.

It was then that something caught Adam's attention, causing him to freeze in place. "Uh, Mr...Thor..."

"'Thor' is fine, my young friend," replied the Asgardian.

"Thor. I'm sorry for bringing up old memories, but you did say that Thanos was using a gauntlet for the Infinity Stones, right?" asked Adam. When Thor nodded, the young Prime continued: "Well, did it look something like that?" He raised a finger and pointed to his left. Following his gaze, the others saw a left-handed version of the Infinity Gauntlet resting on a pedestal.

A horrifying realization came upon the entire group before they were suddenly attacked by a large mass that was 13-feet tall. The attacker used a beam to knock Evac's pedes out from under him before swiftly swatting Thor aside. He then tried to stomp Rocket and Groot, with the former pulling his living tree friend out of the way. Cogman, meanwhile, pulled Adam to safety as their foe prepared to charge at Thor.

Thor, who had just gotten up, looked at his attacker. His eyes widened when he immediately recognized his attacker. "Eitri, wait! Stop!"

True enough, the being that attacked the group was none other than Eitri, King of the Dwarves and ruler of Nidavellir.

That's a Dwarf?!" whispered Adam to Cogman. "But are they supposed to be...shorter?"

"A misconception, my Lord. While most Dwarves are, the ones of Nidavellir are taller than most humanoids. To be more precise, those of the royal bloodline are," answered Cogman.

"Thor..." mumbled Eitri once he stopped his charge upon recognizing Odin's son, while Evac managed to get back up. There was a mixture of both grief and rage in the Dwarf's eyes. "You were supposed to protect us. Asgard was supposed to protect us!"

Understanding his friend's rage, Thor still defended himself: "Asgard is gone, Eitri. It was destroyed when Ragnarok happened." The Asgardian then pointed to the left-handed Infinity Gauntlet. "But, the gauntlet, Eitri. What did you do?"

Eitri's face soon changed into one of both shame and guilt as he sat down on top of a pile of metal. It was then that everyone noticed that both of the Dwarf's hands were covered in metal, forever forming fists. "300 Dwarves lived on this ring," began Eitri. "I thought that if I did what he asked, they would be spared. I made him what he wanted-a device capable of harnessing the power of any of the six Infinity Stones. But he killed everyone, anyway, save for me. 'Your life is yours', he said to me. 'But your hands... Your hands are mine and mine alone'."

Thor could see how hard this all hit him. Losing both his hands and his people, along with being responsible for giving the Mad Titan the means to complete his mass-genocidal plan, Eitri probably felt like the lowest scum of the entire universe. But Thor knew differently. "Eitri, believe me, I know how it feels like when all hope is lost. Trust me, I've been there before. But all the weapons you've made all over the centuries, swords, hammers, axes and so on. None of those were made by your hands, but by your head. And now, I need that head of yours, to help me kill Thanos and avenge both your people and mine."

Clang! Clang!

The sound of two heavy objects hitting the floor caught their attention. Before Eitri's feet were the two metal cuffs that once covered his hands, now twisted and opened, allowing them to slip out. Near Eitri was Adam and Cogman, who looked at both him and Thor. "Although the ideas did come from his head, it wouldn't hurt for him to use his hands again," said the young Prime who used electromagnetism powers to free Eitri of his bonds.

Adam then looked at the Dwarf King. Said person was looking at his now-freed hands, still trying to comprehend that he could now use them again. "My name is Nova Prime," said Adam. "And I believe you have something that belongs to me."

(A few minutes later...)

Eitri led the group deeper into the ring, far away from where they had first met. "Solus Prime was somebody that my forefathers deeply admired. Her smith skills were considered as a thing of beauty by many, and she also shared some of her secrets to us with honor. When Alpha Trion came to us to protect her Forge from falling into the wrong hands, we couldn't refuse."

The group then stopped in front of a wall that was currently covered by a pile of scrap. Moving aside the said pile, Eitri revealed a symbol on the wall. The Cybertronians immediately recognized it as Solus Prime's personal sigil. "The moment Thanos came, I ordered it to be hidden out of fear that if the Mad Titan found it, he might try to use her hammer for his own ends; even if he couldn't bring out its full potential," added Eitri.

Pressing his right hand against the symbol, it recognized Eitri and glowed momentarily. When it stopped, the wall parted, revealing it to be a door. A door to a vault, and inside the vault was a few items. At the back of the vault were five large Cybertronian stasis pods. In front of them, located in the vault's center and floating in midair thanks to a gravity projector, was a large golden hammer. Just like the vault's door, it too bore the personal sigil of Solus Prime and radiated an aura that one would call divine.

Adam carefully approached the hammer, while the others did nothing. Slowly, he raised his right hand towards the hammer. As if recognizing him, the hammer began to shift, plates began to fold inwards, and it started to shrink. Once done, the now human-sized hammer floated downwards until it was in Adam's hands. The Prime of Life gripped the hammer, feeling it and the power that seemed to flow through the device.

"What is it?" asked Thor.

"It's the hammer, the Forge of Solus Prime," declared Adam as he looked towards the others.

"Great!" said Rocket. "Then let's get to work on making that Thanos-killing weapon."

"I don't think I can properly use it right now," said the young Prime. He then looked at the neutron star, which was still dead, and the cold and unused forges. "But I think I can get it to power up the rest of this place. Then we can really get to work on making that weapon for Thor."

"If you can get the forges working again, I'll gladly make the weapon that will avenge my people. A king's weapon that will be the greatest in Asgard's arsenal. It shall even summon the Bifrost," promised Eitri with a look of determination and vengeance in his eyes.

"Does it have a name?" asked Thor.

"Stormbreaker," answered the Dwarf King.

Leaving the vault, the others prepared to get Nidavellir operational again. Adam, however, paused for a moment to look back at the stasis pods. He could sense spark signatures inside the pods, but the Cybertronians inside them appeared to be in a life and death state, which was something the Prime of Life had never seen before. Another point of interest that Adam noticed was that each stasis pod had a single, yet different Cybertronian letter inscribed on them. From left to right, they were: N-E-X-U-S

(Wakanda)

Heading towards where the highest concentration of Outrider Dropships had landed, the allied forces headed out to meet them. Riding in Wakandan Troop Transports were Captain America, Black Widow, Bucky, Ant-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Okoye and her fellow Dora Milaje, the Wakandan Royal Guard and the Border Tribe. Flying/driving beside them were the Autobots, the NEST soldiers, three Decepticons, Falcon, War Machine, and Bruce inside the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor. The Dinobots had already gone ahead to prepare for the upcoming battle. From the rear were several Dragon Flyers, ready to provide close air support.

When they reached where the Dinobots and the Jabari were at. The humans disembarked and got into formation, while the Cybertronians transformed and readied their weapons. The NEST soldiers, meanwhile, took up positions in an old trench system (which was recently refurbished by the Border Tribe) on top of a hill. During the planning, it was agreed by both Lennox and Steve that the former and his fellow NEST soldiers would be held in the rear to provide sniper/anti-air/fire support.

Optimus Prime, who was still in his alt-mode of a 2014 Western Star 5700XE Phantom Sleeper Cab Semi-Truck, drove up towards the edge of the dome shield. T'Challa, Natasha and Steve were also there as well. Steve was wearing his signature Vibranium Shield over his left forearm, while also equipped with a Wakandan Shield over his right forearm. On the other side of the dome were Gnaw, Cull Obsidian and Proxima Midnight. Obsidian was wearing a mechanical left forearm to replace the one he lost. Proxima had a sword strapped to her back while running her spear across the dome, testing its strength. She stopped when she saw the group of four approaching.

"Where's your friend?" asked Natasha upon noticing that one of the Black Order members was missing. Said missing person was Corvus Glaive, whom he and Proxima attacked Vision and Wanda back in Edinburgh in an attempt to take the Mind Stone from the former's forehead. Their attempt was foiled by the arrival of the 'rogue' Avengers, with Natasha wounding Corvus with his foster sister's spear.

"You will pay for his life with yours," snarled Proxima as she glared at the Black Widow.

Optimus looked at Gnaw. "And what about your mistress? Where's Quintessa?"

Gnaw only growled as he gave the Autobot Leader the digit instead.

"Enough. Thanos will have the Mind Stone, one way or another," declared Proxima.

Steve frowned. "Over our dead bodies," he replied defiantly.

"You're in Wakanda now," said T'Challa. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

"Unlike you, we...have blood to spare." Was all Proxima said before raising her spear, a signal to begin. Back in the woods behind her, the Outrider Dropships began to unload their 'cargo', which consisted of thousands of Outriders. They were soon joined by Chitauri soldiers and Chitauri Chariots, along with Chitauri Gorillas, Chitauri Hovertanks and Leviathans. Gnaw let out a roar and the Black Order's impressive army was soon joined by Sharkticons, with some of them in their alt-modes of Cybertronian Hovercrafts while the others were in their true forms, revealing their fanged dentas and claws.

By then, Optimus and the others had returned to their own lines. Transforming, the Prime stood beside Megatron. "Shockwave had just contacted me and informed me that he and the others have linked up with your team on the Moon. They gave them your message of our temporary truce and are now on their way to reinforce Cybertron," said the Decepticon Leader. Around them, the Wakandans were chanting their war cry of 'Yiambe!' over and over again.

"Just make sure your troops abide by our agreement, Megatron," reminded Optimus.

"Mine? Yours tend to be overly dramatic most of the time," chuckled Megatron.

Their conversation was cut off when the enemy finally appeared on the other side of the energy dome. Many of the defenders practically gawked at their large numbers. "What the hell?" murmured Bucky.

"Looks like we royally pissed them off," said the Black Widow. Beside her was Clint, who was wearing the brand-new Hawkeye Mark 1 Combat Goggles that were made for him by Wheeljack. Linked to his brand-new Hawkeye Mark 3 Quiver (again made by Wheeljack), the heads-up display (HUD) on his combat goggles allowed him to select which arrowhead to be used for his Trick Arrows.

The first ones to reach the dome were the Outriders and the Chitauri Gorillas, followed by the Sharkticons. The Outriders were simply clawing/biting at the energy shield, not caring how it burned their flesh along with the Chitauri Gorillas, who were using their fists. The Sharkticons were merely firing their dual forearm-mounted Laser Blasters, striking with either their mace-shaped tails or clawed servos. Those who were in their Cybertronian Hovercraft alt-modes launched Proton Torpedoes at the dome. The Chitauri soldiers were attacking as well, shooting at the dome with either their Chitauri DEPRs or their Chitauri Rifle-Staffs on the ground or on their Chitauri Chariots. The Chitauri Hovertanks fired as well, while Gnaw and the two Black Order members stood where they were.

Okoye seemed both shocked and somewhat disturbed at what she saw next; several of the Outriders barely managed to break through the dome by sheer animalistic willpower, only for them to either get amputated, beheaded or bisected at the waist. "They're killing themselves..." she murmured.

Unfortunately, some of the Outriders managed to break through, along with several Chitauri Gorillas and Sharkticons (with minor burns). On the Black Panther's orders, the Border Tribesman immediately activated their Vibranium Energy Shield Capes, while the Wakandan Royal Guards and Bucky readied their Sonic Spears and heavily-customized Mark 48 Mod 1 MMG respectively. At the same time, the Autobots and Decepticons, along with some of the Avengers, prepared their own firearms.

"Fire!" ordered T'Challa in Xhosa, and the Royal Guards and Bucky opened up on the attackers. Their combined firepower swiftly killed many of the Outriders and Chitauri Gorillas, though the Sharkticons were brought down mainly by Cybertronian weaponry. A few shifted into their alt-modes as they tried to take to the air but were shot down by NEST soldiers using FIM-92J Stinger Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS).

Flying overhead were Falcon (in his brand-new EXO-8 Falcon Wingsuit that was made for him by Wheeljack), Wingblade, War Machine and the Aerialbots. Falcon did a spin before unleashing his Cybertanium Feather Flechettes, which would magnetically return to the wings a few seconds later. The razor-sharp blades slashed through the Outriders and even damaged a Sharkticon's left optic before the flechettes returned to Falcon's wings. Sam then fired his dual collapsible Steyr SPP Machine Pistols at a Chitauri Gorilla, killing it. He then let out a frightened yelp when a few Sharkticons suddenly jumped up and nearly snagged him, letting Falcon get a very good look at their dentas. "Holy shit! Did you guys see the teeth on those things?!"

"Their dentas, or 'teeth' as you call them, can easily bite through Cyber-Matter. An organic like you would be torn apart by them in a few seconds," said Silverbolt, who was in his alt-mode of a grey and red-colored F-16C Fighting Falcon, before releasing two Mark 77 Mod 5 Incendiary Bombs. They left a blazing trail as they incinerated multiple Outriders and roasted several Chitauri Gorillas. Air Raid and Breakaway (who were in their alt-modes of a green and white F/A-18C Hornet and a brown and tan cameo-pattern F-35B Lightning II respectively) followed his lead, killing more of the invaders. War Machine flew near the dome and dropped numerous Stark Industries Mini-Bomblets from two bomb dispensers from the back of his armor, killing those who were directly below. Wingblade, in his alt-mode of a grey A-10A Thunderbolt II with lime-green trims, was letting loose with his 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-Style Autocannon, tearing apart Outriders, Chitauri Gorillas and Sharkticons with ease.

Mirage was checking his Ion Sniper Rifle when the 15-foot rosso corsa mech's optics caught something. "Optimus, over there!" exclaimed the Autobot Spymaster/Sniper in his thick Italian-accent, pointing at what he was seeing. True enough, the enemy forces began circling the dome; it was clearly an attempt to bypass them and flank the defenders, as well as reach Vision.

"Guys, if they get around us and through the dome, there'll be nothing between them and getting to both Vision and the Mind Stone," said Banner.

"Then we better keep their attention on us," replied Optimus, with Steve and T'Challa nodding in agreement.

The King of Wakanda then contacted Dome Control. "On my signal, open Southwest Section 19."

There was a pause on the other end. "Requesting confirmation, my King. You want us to open the barrier?"

"Yes, but on my signal only," replied the Black Panther.

Hearing T'Challa's plan, Optimus looked at the others. "Autobots, we will charge first, weakening the enemy forces so that the humans can worry less about being slaughtered by the Sharkticons."

"About time we got some real action," grumbled Ironhide as the 22-foot black mech fired another Armor-Piercing (AP) round from his Heavy Iron 2.0 Battle Rifle. When the last Sharkticon was terminated, the Black Panther ordered the Border Tribe to deactivate their shields. Walking forward, T'Challa looked at the remaining hostile forces. Then, without any hesitation, he shouted: "WAKANDA FOREVER!" before materializing his helmet. His fellow Wakandan warriors all let loose their own war cries and followed their king as they rushed forward. They were quickly joined by both Bucky and the Avengers.

"AUTOBOTS, ROLL OUT!"/"DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!" yelled Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively in unison as they took off, the Cybertronians easily outrunning the humans. Then, to the surprise/utter shock of the charging Avengers, Bucky and the Wakandans, the Dinobots swiftly shifted into their Cyber-Dinosaur forms, with Swoop taking to the air and joining the other flyers. The Black Panther then gave Dome Control the order and a part of the dome was opened. The Outriders, Chitauri soldiers, Sharkticons and the Chitauri Gorillas all began pouring in. The opening was large enough for the Chitauri Chariots to fly in, as well as let three Chitauri Hovertanks and a Leviathan to enter at a time.

The Autobots and the three Decepticons were the first to meet them. Outriders and Chitauri were crushed or smacked aside by their larger foes. Optimus and Megatron were the first to strike, with the former using the Sword of Judgment to skewer a Sharkticon through the spark, while the latter used his right forearm-mounted Fusion Cannon to destroy a Chitauri Hovertank. The Dinobots had wrecked many of the invaders just by trampling them, impaling them or biting them with their dentas. Grimlock went the extra mile by unleashing his flaming breath, roasting anyone unfortunate in its path. The defending flyers immediately engaged the invading flyers. The Chitauri Chariots were small and nimble, but they weren't very effective against the Autobot flyers.

By then the humans had mixed into the battle. The first were the Black Panther and Captain America, the latter throwing his Vibranium Shield and bisecting two Chitauri soldiers, while stabbing an Outrider with his Wakandan Shield. T'Challa had managed to collect enough kinetic energy into his Panther Mark 2 Habit and release it into a powerful blast that sent a nearby Sharkticon flying. Soon, the rest of the Wakandans, Bucky and the Avengers got into the battle. They would either fight the Chitauri soldiers and Outriders one-on-one, or gang up on a Chitauri Gorilla until it went down for good.

In the air, War Machine had landed on Stratosphere, who was currently in his Stealth Force mode as he took on the enemy flyers. His Stealth Force weapons consisted of two ventral turrets that were each armed with a 105mm M102 Light Field Howitzer, along with three dorsal turrets (the one closest to the cockpit was armed with twin-mounted 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Rotary Cannons, while the other two turrets were armed with a single 40mm Bofors L/60 Autocannon). Several Chitauri soldiers attempted to land on Stratosphere's fuselage, intending to break into his hull. But they were quickly dealt with by the Autobot's dorsal turrets, with War Machine giving him an extra hand with his armor's custom-made MGs.

Back on the ground, Warpath was destroying Chitauri Hovertanks with his heavy weaponry with Ironhide, who was currently dual-wielding his Heavy Iron Rifles. The Autobots and their human allies were working together to gang up on some of the invaders. Skids, Mudflap and several of the Jabari were attacking a Chitauri Hovertank; with the Chevy Twins tearing off the turret and throwing the crew out for the humans to finish off. Bruce fired several Micro-ATMs (Anti-Tank Missiles) from the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor's brand-new, dual shoulder-mounted Micro-Rocket/Missile Pods that Wheeljack installed, blowing up several Chitauri Hovertanks. Natasha was currently using her brand-new, dual wrist-mounted Mark 2 Black Widow Bites (that were made by Wheeljack) on several Outriders who were trying to climb onto Bumblebee's back. Jazz used his recently-equipped Tyrrenium Telescoping Sword-Lance to behead a Chitauri Gorilla that was harassing several members of the Dora Milaje. Ant-Man swiftly morphed into Giant-Man and punched a Leviathan in the face, causing it to land on top of several Chitauri Hovertanks. Wasp was flying around her boyfriend, shrinking and enlarging as she knocked away anyone that tried to shoot such a large target. Clint fired three Trick Arrows that were tipped with explosive arrowheads in quick succession from his brand-new collapsible Hawkeye Mark 3 Recurve Bow (made by Wheeljack) at three Chitauri Gorillas, exploding seconds later. Elita and her two sisters were running around the battlefield, slicing/shooting any enemy they saw. The Aerialbots and their fellow Autobot flyers were attacking the enemy flyers, making sure they wouldn't harass the ground forces. Shatter and Dropkick also joined them, transforming and shooting down several Chitauri Chariots and Sharkticons.

Several Chitauri Chariots, with a Leviathan leading the way, unfortunately made it past the battlefield and were heading towards the Golden City. "We got several hostiles inbound! Light 'em up!" ordered Lennox upon seeing them.

The NEST soldiers fired their FIM-92J Stingers at the Leviathan once it was directly over their heads in order to get a clear shot at the creature's soft underbelly, causing it to crash into the nearby river. Some of the Chitauri Chariots were shortly downed by Stingers, but five Chitauri soldiers managed to abandon ship in time and ran towards the trench line.

"Shit!" exclaimed Eddie as a Chitauri soldier tackled him, knocking his M249E3 Paratrooper Squad Automatic Weapon or M249 Para SAW out of his hands. The Green Beret quickly grabbed a spent Stinger launch tube to stop the alien from impaling him with its Chitauri Rifle-Staff. Eddie swiftly retaliated by slamming the launch tube into the Chitauri soldier's face before quickly pulling out his 3rd Generation Glock 21 Pistol from his left thigh holster and emptied a full magazine of .45 ACP Armor-Piercing rounds into the Chitauri's chest, killing it. Burke and Stone tackled a second Chitauri soldier and stabbed it multiple times in the back and neck with their custom-made combat knives. Santos spotted a third Chitauri soldier pulling out a Chitauri Anti-Personnel Fragmentation Grenade (AP-FG). The Delta Force operator slammed the butt of his Remington ACR Assault Carbine into the Chitauri's face, causing the former to drop it, only for Santos to see in horror that the grenade's pin had been pulled out. Without hesitation, Santos slammed into the dazed Chitauri soldier like a football player and causing them to both to fall to the ground, with the Chitauri landing on top of the grenade. Said grenade went off a second later, with the Chitauri soldier taking the full brunt of it and Santos getting a minor cut on his left forearm. The last two Chitauri soldiers were killed by Lennox and Marc. The remaining Chitauri Chariots were shot down by the Dragon Flyers, who were now joining the battle.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther had killed another Chitauri soldier before contacting his sister: "How much longer, Shuri?"

(Wakanda Medical Center)

"Wheeljack and I have barely begun, brother," replied Shuri.

Guarded by the Wakandan Royal Guards, the Scarlet Witch and Ayo, Shuri was hard at work in removing the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead. Wheeljack was also present, or rather a holographic image of his helm. The Autobot Scientist/Inventor was assisting the Princess of Wakanda with the progress. Even with his help, though, removing something as possible as the Mind Stone wasn't an easy task. One wrong move could kill Vision or worse, set off a chain reaction that could destroy the Golden City or all of Wakanda.

(Back with the battle...)

"You both might want to pick up the pace!" said T'Challa before he was sent flying two seconds later due to being backhanded by a Sharkticon.

It had been just a few minutes, but the defenders were slowly being overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers. The Wakandans were already suffering casualities of their own and losing a few Dragon Flyers too. War Machine had been brought down by Obsidian as he, Proxima and Gnaw entered the battlefield. Gnaw fired his left forearm-mounted Neutron HMG, killing several Wakandans and even two members of the Dora Milaje before firing his right forearm-mounted Mega-Magma Frag Launcher, knocking Warpath off his pedes while sending Cliffjumper crashing into Bumblebee.

Meanwhile, Captain America, Bucky and the Black Panther were being mobbed by Outriders as they desperately tried to shake them off. Brawn was shielding Okoye and her surviving Dora Milaje from laser fire coming from a Leviathan. Tomahawk had been shot down and was now firing his left forearm-mounted 30mm GIAT 30M-781 Revolver Cannon while slicing a Sharkticon vertically in half with his right wrist-mounted Whirl-Blades. Ant-Man was forced to shrink back to normal size before he was killed by a barrage of Chitauri Hovertanks. Armorhide held up an offlined Sharkticon as a makeshift shield while firing his right forearm-mounted Ion Pulse Cannon. Above him was Wingblade, the 20-foot mech was hovering while firing his right forearm-mounted 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-Style Autocannon at the enemy flyers, trying to keep them off the ground forces. Prowl was covering Hawkeye and Black Widow with his left forearm-mounted Energon Riot Shield. Many of the defenders were forced to take cover from the Chitauri Hovertanks. Bruce managed to punch through a Sharkticon's chestplates and ripping out its spark and crushing it before multiple Outriders pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.

"There's too many of them!" screamed Bruce as the Outriders were clawing at the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor.

Just when all hope seemed lost, a rainbow-colored beam suddenly shot down from the sky. When it hit the ground, several Outriders, Chitauri soldiers and Chitauri Gorillas were outright killed. Seconds later, an object came flying out, releasing electricity as it flew. Chitauri and Outriders that were in its path were electrocuted to death, while the Sharkticons were left badly damaged. Those that had the defenders pinned down were killed. When the pillar vanished, it revealed Thor, Cogman (in his 20-foot Headmaster mode), Rocket, Ramhorn, Groot, Sqweeks and Evac. And behind them was Omega Supreme in his 105-foot biped form. Thor raised his right hand and caught Stormbreaker, a two-handed axe/hammer that was made in the forges of Nidavellir and using living wood that Groot sacrificed to make the handle for it.

All the combatants paused as they looked upon the new arrivals. Many of them (except for the NEST soldiers and Autobots) were surprised and in awe of Omega Supreme's presence, which overshadowed much of the battlefield. Banner retracted the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor's helmet while laughing. "You guys are so fucking screwed now!"

Omega raised his left arm and fired his left servo built-in Mega-Laser Cannon. The beam incinerated dozens of Outriders, Chitauri soldiers, Sharkticons, Chitauri Gorillas and Chitauri Hovertanks. Walking calmly out of the smoke was Thor, who was glaring with righteous fury at the remaining enemies. "BRING ME THANOS!!!!" bellowed the King of Asgard before running.

Taking to the sky, Thor pulsed with electricity as he gripped Stormbreaker with both of his hands. Eyes glowing, he let out a war cry as he landed in the middle of the army and slammed his weapon into the ground, releasing a devastating shockwave.

Notes:

Jazz's melee weapon was based off the Autobot Jazz toy from the 2007 Transformers movie toyline.

Be sure to leave a kudo or comment!

Chapter 8: Defense of Autobot City II (In-Progress)

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(The Sanctuary II)

Gamora stared at the throne sitting in the center of the large chamber with hate in her eyes. She couldn't even count at how many times she had seen it. Coming in here to meet her 'stepfather', while watching as he sat in that very chair. What things had Thanos seen while sitting on that throne? How many worlds had he conquered, along with the many lives he had destroyed? The amount of blood spilled in his so-called quest for 'balance'. These thoughts had always crept into Gamora's mind as she finally realized the monster that treated her as his flesh and blood.

And speak of the Devil, the door to the throne room opened and in came Thanos. He was alone with his helmet off, but still had his armor on. He was still wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, now holding the recently-acquired Reality Stone in it. In his right hand, he carried a bowl of soup.

"I brought you some food," said the Mad Titan gently as he held the bowl to his stepdaughter. "Thought you might be hungry."

Gamora stared at it, even though she immediately recognized the soup from her homeworld of Zen-Whoberi; which was also the home planet of the Zehoberei species, her people. Gamora's mother would make it for their family every night. The memory of her mother hurt her even more than her wounds. And it only angered the former Black Order member more as she roughly grabbed the bowl from Thanos and threw it hard and with all the hate she had in herself. The bowl shattered upon making contact with the throne. Thanos said nothing as he looked at Gamora.

"I always hated that chair," she snarled.

Thanos hummed as he stood beside her. "So, I've been told. Even so, I'd hoped you would sit in it one day," he admitted.

Gamora shook her head in absolute disgust at the thought. "I hated this accursed room, this ship, I hated my life," she told him.

"...you told me that too. Every day. For almost twenty years," replied Thanos as he sat down on the steps.

Gamora looked away; the fact having made her realize just how long she had been with her stepfather. "I was a child when you took me."

"I saved you," said Thanos sternly.

Gamora shook her head. "No, no, I was happy on my home planet," she declared.

The Mad Titan scoffed, not believing her for one bit. "Going to bed while hungry. Scrounging for scraps. Your homeworld was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who stopped that," he said as he sat down. "Did you know what's happened to Zen-Whoberi since then? The children born there have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It's a paradise."

"Because you murdered half the planet!" exclaimed Gamora with clear righteous anger in both her eyes and tone of voice.

"It was a small price to pay for salvation," retorted Thanos calmly.

Gamora looked at him with pure contempt. "You're insane."

The Mad Titan got up and walked over towards his adopted daughter. "Little one, it's a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources, finite... if life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction."

"YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW THAT!" yelled Gamora.

"I'm the only one who knows that," stated Thanos calmly. "At least I'm the only one with the will to act on it. For a time, you had that same will as you fought by my side, daughter."

"I'm not your daughter," sneered Gamora as she glared at him. "I hated everything about myself that you taught me."

"But in doing so made you one of the fiercest women in the galaxy," replied Thanos. "That's why I trusted you to find the Soul Stone."

"Sorry that I disappointed you," said Gamora sarcastically.

"I am, but not because you didn't find it," said the Mad Titan softly before glaring at his stepdaughter. "But because you did...and you lied."

Gamora froze, her eyes widened with a hint of fear in them.

"Though not entirely," continued Thanos. "An old colleague of mine told me that the Soul Stone was indeed kept on Vormir, but she had taken it long ago."

"What...?!" she whispered in shock upon hearing that the Soul Stone had been long since found. "Then why don't you just take it from her?"

"Unfortunately, the Infinity Stones aren't effective when used on Cybertronians directly. As one of the first Cybertronians to be born, Quintessa has a rather strong resistance towards them. However, we each owe a debt to one another, and thus the formation of this pact. She helps me gather the rest of the Infinity Stones, and in return I help Quintessa conquer Cybertron. Upon giving me the Soul Stone, I will destroy a very certain threat to all of us and complete my plan to bring true balance to the universe," summarized Thanos.

The Mad Titan then looked at Gamora and noticed the fire in her eyes; the very same fire that he saw in her when she was a child all those years ago, and she looked ready to kill him on the spot. "I can tell that you're ready to kill me on the spot, but I strongly recommend you from reframing to do that, along with staying in this room, child. Otherwise..." he paused for a moment as a holographic projection appeared in front of them. It was a live feed that was showing another room aboard the Sanctuary II. And in it was Nebula, a Luphomoid cyborg and Gamora's stepsister.

"Some time ago, your sister snuck aboard this ship to kill me, and she nearly succeeded," said Thanos as Gamora looked on in horror at her stepsister's current condition. "I don't think I need to explain what will happen to her if you try anything. Remain here in the throne room until I return." And with that, he departed, leaving behind a despairing stepdaughter.

As Thanos left, a figure passed by him. It was a 16-foot Cybertronian called a Junkion, who were descendants of the ancient Cybertronian colonists. Quintessa had enslaved them a long time ago as a slave labor force for both their endurance and their durability. She was able to keep them in line by implanting a chip in their frames and when activated, the chips would destroy both a good portion of their frames and their sparks, offlining them instantly.

Speaking of said Cybertronian Sorceress, Quintessa hovered over towards Thanos while ignoring the passing Junkion. "I trust that you've finished talking with your stepdaughter. I hope that we have nothing to worry about her being on board."

The Mad Titan glared at Quintessa. "That's none of your concern," he said firmly. "Ebony's ship is about to reach Titan. Supergiant will command the Sanctuary II while we rendezvous with Ebony and collect the Time Stone before heading to Earth to retrieve the Mind Stone. Once done..."

"I'll give you the Soul Stone as we agreed," finished Quintessa. "In return, you will destroy Unicron and help me reclaim Cybertron."

"And be sure to remember that," reminded Thanos. "Now, leave me. I have other things to prepare for."

Quintessa watched as the Mad Titan left. Unbeknownst to Thanos, the Cybertronian Sorceress was making her own preparations. She had lived long enough to know what the Mad Titan was thinking. Oh, he would destroy Unicron, that was for certain. Not even he could ignore the threat the Chaos Bringer posed. But she doubted that Thanos would help her conquer Cybertron. Instead, he would probably retreat to whatever planet he chosen to live on after completing his mission.

In that case, Quintessa had to ensure that the Mad Titan had no allies to rely on once she took the Infinity Stones from his corpse. And she knew the perfect way to do it, as the human saying went: 'Two birds with one stone.'

(Autobot City II, Diego Garcia, sometime later...)

Despite the upcoming battle about to happen in Wakanda, work continued as usual at the Autobot-made settlement. Autobots and their human allies were moving about on patrol, doing maintenance, training, meetings or just hanging out. At the NEST section of Autobot City II, Green Beret and Major Nolan Reynolds was overseeing things, having been left in charge while Lennox and the majority of NEST were deployed to Wakanda. Among the Autobots present in Autobot City II were Depthcharge, Breacher and Seaspray. The three of them were currently patrolling the waters around the settlement. They, along with all other Autobots and NEST forces, had been notified to remain on standby and await orders from either Optimus or Lennox.

Deeper inside Autobot City II's NEST section and inside one of the hangars was Cade and his family, as well as Jimmy, Simmons, Dutch and Shane. Also with them were Landmine, Canopy, Wheelie, Brains and Eject. Eject was a 3'5-foot tall blue and silver-colored Mini-Con, or to be more precise, an AllSpark Mutation. He was accidentally created by Adam a few months ago when the former was testing out his new powers. Eject was just an Arri Alexa LF (Large Format) DMPC (Digital Motion Picture Camera) before he was given life and, in many ways, was the younger brother of the late Rewind. Not only that, but he was also equipped with the same hyper-reactive trans-scanning/reformatting system that Rumble has. Since then, Eject had been living at Burton Castle, but mostly chose to remain isolated as he learned more about human and Cybertronian histories and customs.

Cade was presently resting his right elbow against a table. He was absentlymindedly tapping his finger against the device that Optimus gave him before departing for Wakanda. Said device was a white-colored disk that was around the same height as Cade's chest with black markings on it. He had a mixed expression on his face as he stared at the nearby wall.

"Cade, could you please stop that?" asked Viviane as she sat beside Izzy. "You've been doing it for over an hour, and it's not going to change anything."

Cade rolled his eyes, but nevertheless stopped tapping. "Fine, but this whole thing of just sitting around is killing me. Maybe Reynolds has something that I can do," he said as he got up to find the Major.

"You know he's just going to have you come back here, right," said Eject from his spot. The Mini-Con was currently playing a friendly game of poker with Shane and Simmons, with Eject winning at that. "I think you'll have better luck figuring out that device Optimus gave you."

Cade was about to say something when several things happened. The first was that it became dark outside the hangar doors, like nighttime had suddenly come. The ground then began to shake a little, finally followed by explosions and people shouting and screaming. Startled, the group quickly ran outside to see what was happening, and what they saw shocked them.

(Command Center, NEST section of Autobot City II)

"What the hell is going on?!" demanded Major Nolan Reynolds as he walked into the command center with his NEST Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) on. He was one of the newest members of NEST and was currently surrounded by technicians who were already hard at work. Screens were lit up, people yelling at one another, trying to get things back in order.

"Sir, comms went offline just a few minutes ago. We're completely cut off from the outside world," reported U.S Air Force Staff Sergeant Harrison, the senior enlisted man in the command center.

Reynolds cursed under his breath. "Get a team to check it out and run repairs. Contact the Autobots and see if they can get through. In the meantime, try the emergency channels. With most of our forces out, we don't have a lot of manpower for our defenses."

Suddenly, the command center began to shake, knocking several NEST personnel over in the process. Reynolds was able to recover in time as he used a nearby chair to get up. The main screen in front of them switched to show the sky, which had become dark despite it being morning.

(Above Autobot City II...)

The Sanctuary II's ten Lancer Heavy Laser Projectors had all lined up and began a short bombardment on the Autobot settlement that lasted for a minute. Once that was done, dozens of Chitauri Chariots and Necrocrafts came flying out, while hundreds of Chitauri soldiers and insectoid Sakaarans were beamed down from the Sanctuary II before attacking Autobots and NEST personnel. The attackers were soon joined by Outriders as they rushed at the defenders, with the Chitauri Gorillas right behind them. The Chitauri Hovertanks were also being deployed as well.

All over Autobot City II, Autobots and NEST personnel rushed to organize a response as alarms were blaring all over the settlement as the attackers began to spread out. Autobot flyers quickly shifted into their alt-modes and took off, soon joined by Autobot grounders piloting Orbital Assault Fighters as they began to engage the enemy flyers. Their quick movement providing cover and time for the NEST flight crews to get up in their AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters to provide close air support for their fellow NEST soldiers on the ground. The response was slow, though, as the invaders had taken NEST by surprise. Eventually, though, the defenders were able to fight back; with NEST officers like First Lieutenant Nicholas 'Nick' W. Tosetti of Delta Force and NCOs like Staff Sergeant Carlton 'Carl' A. Cahnay of the Army Rangers shouting over the gunfire and explosions as they got their men moving, halting the alien advance on Autobot City II.

Meanwhile, several Necrocrafts and Chitauri Chariots went off to attack Depthcharge. Said Autobot was in his 27-foot biped form, his pedes were both morphed into water-skis, allowing him to surf through the water. He held his Energon Cutlass in his left servo, while firing his right forearm-mounted 57mm Mark 110 Mod 0 L/70 Naval Automatic Gun at the enemy flyers. Depthcharge managed to shoot down a Necrocraft before jumping into the air and cutting another one in half with his Energon Cutlass.

"Breacher! Seaspray!" shouted Depthcharge. His two fellow Autobots were also fighting in the water. Breacher, who was in his 20-foot blue-colored biped form, was standing in Seaspray's alt-mode (which was a white and blue-colored LCAC-1 (Landing Craft Air Cushion) Hovercraft) while firing both his right forearm-mounted 20mm M693 (F2) Autocannon and his left forearm-mounted 90mm Denel GT-2 Smoothbore Cannon. "Head towards Autobot City II and help the others. I'll stay here and keep the enemy flyers busy!"

"You got it!" replied Breacher as he downed a Chitauri Chariot. Seaspray immediately took off towards Autobot City II, dodging shots from enemy flyers while Breacher covered him.

Depthcharge turned his attention back to the sky, glaring at the massive warship that was hovering near Autobot City II. So far, the Sanctuary II wasn't showing any signs of bombarding the Autobot settlement again, but it was releasing what seemed like an endless supply of flyers and soldiers. None of the Autobot flyers and those piloting the Orbital Assault Fighters couldn't get near it with the warship's weaponry protecting it, not to mention the energy shield around it. For now, though, Depthcharge would have to deal with the enemy flyers.

(Back with Cade...)

The moment the explosions came, everyone took cover.

"Get down!" shouted Cade as he ushered his family back into the hangar. More explosions came appearing from behind them. Cade fell behind a turned over table that was knocked over from the earlier impacts. Viviane shielded Izabella as they and Tessa took cover behind another turned over table. Shane and Jimmy scrambled to find cover; the latter screaming his head off as the hangar shook and debris fell from above. Meanwhile, Simmons and Dutch hid behind some pillars, with Brains and Wheelie hiding under a bucket. Eject jumped around to avoid flying debris before quickly shifting into his alt-mode.

A few minutes later, several Sakaaran soldiers came into the hangar, Necroblasters at the ready as they searched for any sign of humans. They completely ignored Eject's alt-mode as their attention turned towards Viviane, who was shielding Tessa and Izzy.

"There!" exclaimed one of the Sakaarans in his native tongue as he took aim with his weapon. Unfortunately for him, that left him open to Eject. Said Mini-Con quickly transformed and jumped on top of a table. He quickly pulled out from subspace an Electro-Bola Grenade Launcher and fired two Electro-Bolas. The first shot entangled two Sakaarans, while the second nabbed three more. All five of them were immediately electrocuted to death as Eject whipped out his Photon SMG from subspace and fired on the remaining Sakaarans. Said aliens quickly took cover as they returned fire on Eject, but the Mini-Con was jumping all over the place.

Cade managed to recover in time to pull out one of his dual Mini-Photon Battle Pistols. He fired a bolt that fatally struck a Sakaaran square in the chest. Cade then ran from cover to reach his family, while firing his weapon at the same time. Said family were taking cover as a Sakaaran homed in on them but was forced back when Cade started shooting at him. The Sakaaran tried to shoot Cade with his Necroblaster, but was knocked down by Wheelie, who was in his alt-mode of a blue RC Monster Toy Truck with Brains riding him. That Sakaaran was quickly killed by both Dutch and Simmons, the two of them having brought AA-12 CQB (Close-Quarters Battle) Automatic Shotguns.

When Eject dealt with the last invader, the others quickly regrouped. "We need to get out of here," said Cade, who was under no illusion that the hangar they were currently in was no longer safe.

And as if to prove his point, a Necrocraft appeared, hovering several feet off the ground as it faced the group. The Sakaaran pilot manning it prepared to open fire, but suddenly, the Necrocraft was hit by a barrage of laser bolts that caused it to explode. Coming towards the flaming wreckage was Canopy, the 20-foot yellow mech was carrying an Ion Displacer. He kicked the wreckage aside as he moved closer towards the hangar entrance.

"Canopy!" exclaimed Izzy in relief, as she was happy to see her Autobot friend. She and the others began making their way towards the Autobot. Around them, the sounds of battle continued. Wreckages of human and Cybertronian-made vehicles, along with the invaders. The dead also filled the battlefield, though thankfully the enemy's dead outnumbered the defenders. While the Autobots and NEST personnel had the homefield advantage, the enemy had better numbers and seemed to lack the self-preservation that the defenders possessed.

"We need to move deeper into the city where the underground shelters are at. It's not safe here," said Canopy as he ushered them outside immediately. His optics were looking for any signs of the enemy. The first to leave was Eject, weapons at the ready. He was followed by both Simmons and Dutch, who had their own firearms ready. Next were Tessa and Shane, along with Viviane and Izabella, with the former protecting Izzy. Brains and Wheelie followed next, with the former still riding on the latter. And finally, Cade brought out the rear, while holding one of his dual Mini-Photon Battle Pistols in one hand and holding the Cybertronian disk in the other.

Suddenly, a Chitauri Gorilla and three Chitauri soldiers came charging out of the smoke created by the explosions all around them. The beast tackled Canopy, causing the Autobot to drop his weapon as he tried to wrestle the Chitauri Gorilla off of him. The three Chitauri soldiers focused their attention on the humans and the smaller Autobots. At the same time, a Chitauri Chariot had taken notice and made a nosedive, preparing to blast them into oblivion.

Eject tackled one of the Chitauri soldiers and made quick work of it with his clawed digits, while the humans were forced to deal with the other two. Simmons and Dutch tried to fire their AA-12 CQBs, but one of the two Chitauri soldiers was quicker as he used his Chitauri Rifle-Staff to smack them aside, causing them to both crash into Shane. Tessa quickly grabbed Dutch's AA-12 CQB that landed right next to her and, despite not having any firearms training, unloaded a full magazine of 12-gauge FRAG-12 High-Explosive Armor-Piercing (HEAP) rounds into the staff-wielding Chitauri soldier and basically shredded it. The remaining Chitauri aimed its Chitauri Directed-Energy Particle Rifle at a helpless Tessa...

...only to be stopped when Cade smacked it on the back of the head with the Cybertronian disk. "Bastard!" he cursed as he attacked the Chitauri soldier that threatened his daughter. The blow caused the Chitauri to lose its focus and balance, falling on its knees as it tried to avoid Cade's next blow.

"DAD!" shouted Tessa in warning as she saw the Chitauri Chariot coming towards them. By that time, Dutch, Simmons and Shane had recovered, with Tessa handing Dutch back his weapon.

Hearing his daughter's cry, Cade looked up to see the Chitauri Chariot heading straight towards him, Viviane and Izzy. Without thinking, Cade clutched the Cybertronian disk to his chest as he tried to shield them. At that moment, several things happened; the Chitauri Chariot fired its weaponry at them while the Cybertronian disk began to shift and expand. The energy projectiles struck head-on, causing dust to rise and making everyone else get to cover.

"NO!" cried Tessa as she tried to spot her father, with only Shane holding her back from danger.

But her worries were unneeded as the dust cleared to reveal an unexpected sight. Towering over the humans and Mini-Cons was none other than Cade. This time, though, he was encased in a large silver-colored armor with blue glowing trims. Size-wise, it was at the same height as Canopy, and the only sign that Cade was in it was because of the glass-like visor that showed the inventor's surprised face.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Cade, who was just as shocked as everyone else. He flexed his left hand and the armor's own limb did the same. Cade was snapped from his shock when Canopy let out a grunt, as he was still trying to get the Chitauri Gorilla off. Moving the armor's legs, Cade rushed over and grabbed the beast and pulled it off of Canopy, before slamming it against the ground with a sickening crack.

"Woah," commented a new voice. Approaching the group was Seaspray, in his 22-foot biped form, and Breacher. The duo was a little worse for wear but otherwise fine. "Is that the Apex Armor?" asked Seaspray.

"A-Apex Armor?" asked Cade as he looked at the armor he was in at awe. "You guys know what this is?"

Breacher nodded. "An old relic of the Thirteen. Forged by Solus Prime herself; whoever wears the Apex Armor becomes impervious to any attack, as well as enhance the wearer's strength. Guess Optimus figured that you might need it."

"Looks like he was right," added Seaspray "We're getting reports all over the city. The enemy is beginning to push deeper in. Countermeasures are underway, but that warship is making things difficult. Last I heard, Major Reynolds is preparing the Experimental Energon Railgun to shoot through that thing's shield."

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, followed by a surge of energy that nearly knocked everyone off their feet/pedes. Looking up, the group could see that two of the Sanctuary II's twelve Heavy Mass Drivers were firing. "Scrap!" swore Breacher as he scanned the damage done to the Experimental Energon Railgun before accessing his comms unit. "Whatever that blast did, it disconnected the railgun from the rest of the city. Reynolds says we can't link back up with it."

"I might be able to help," said Eject as he tossed aside the dead Chitauri soldier that he killed. "Just need to find a good computer or server for me to hack into, and I should be able to link up to the railgun myself."

Cade nodded in agreement. Now wasn't the time to hesitate. "Okay, I'll take Eject and find somewhere he can do his personal magic. Canopy, get the others to safety...and no arguing, you two!" he added, followed by giving a very firm look at Tessa and Izzy before they could speak.

Seaspray and Breacher nodded. They had learned how Cade had led his Autobot group with Prowl's help during the years of Optimus' absence from Earth. They knew to trust his words. The group quickly split up after that, with Canopy leading the humans and two Mini-Cons in the direction he had originally been taking them, while Breacher and Seaspray headed off to help with the defenses. Cade and Eject, meanwhile, dashed off to where the computers and servers were at.

(Aboard the Sanctuary II...)

Inside one of the many prison cells, a lone Chitauri soldier was watching over the unconscious Nebula. The Luphomoid cyborg was currently being held in the air by a gravity field, keeping her immobile as the guard slowly put her back together. The sounds of battle outside the ship could barely be felt, save for the echoes of explosions.

Suddenly, the gravity well went down, causing Nebula to crash to the floor. The Chitauri soldier was clearly shocked as he looked around for what had caused the power failure, while ignoring the now-freed prisoner whom he thought was still unconscious. This proved fatal as Nebula's black eyes suddenly snapped open and with precision, struck the Chitauri guard in the legs, knocking it off balance. She then quickly grabbed him by the neck and twisted it with a sickening snap before the Chitauri soldier could let out a sound.

Getting up and stretching her limbs, along with pushing her left bionic eye back into place, Nebula began limping out of the room. She opened her cell and was soon met by a 16-foot Junkion mech. Like the rest of his kind, his frame was a mix of brown, orange and bits of red, giving the impression of being mismatched and dirtied. His helm was orange and rather wide. Not only that, but he also had a long metallic, red-colored beard and mustache. His blue optics locked onto Nebula, but rather than attacking her, he began speaking in broken Cybertronian.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Wreck-Gar," said Nebula as she understood the leader of Junkions before cracking her stiff neck. "But you could have dropped me a little gentler, though?"

Wreck-Gar then said something that sounded almost apologetic.

Nebula just rolled her eyes. "Fine, I get it." She paused as she pulled out a chip from her left cybernetic arm. Nebula had managed to keep it hidden there when she first infiltrated the Sanctuary II to kill her stepfather and continued to do after her capture. "Take this and free the others. I'll meet up with you once I get Gamora."

Wreck-Gar nodded as he gently took the chip from her before giving Nebula her dual Electroshock Batons and Electric Blaster before heading off to where his people were usually kept. The chip that Nebula had given him would allow Wreck-Gar to free his fellow Junkions from the chips that kept them from rebelling against Quintessa. And with the warship's communications equipment, Wreck-Gar could send both the frequency and code to the other places that his people were being kept at.

Meanwhile, Nebula had finally made it to the throne room, where Gamora was being held. She quickly took out the two Chitauri soldiers that were standing guard before opening the door. Sure enough, sitting near the throne with a bowl of food beside her, was Gamora. Said woman looked up and was surprised to see her stepsister here.

"Nebula?! What...?" asked Gamora but was cut off when Nebula tossed her a Chitauri Rifle-Staff that she took from one of the two dead guards.

"Long story. Short version is that I made a deal with the Junkions before our dear old stepfather stopped my failed attempt on his life," said Nebula as she led her stepsister out of the throne room. "But it looks like that witch Quintessa is trying to pull a fast one on Thanos. She has the Sanctuary II attacking a city with humans and Cybertronians. They're getting hammered right now." Nebula readied her Electroshock Batons before looking at Gamora. "Wanna cause some mayhem."

Gamora blinked for a moment, before a cocky smile appeared on her face as she charged the Chitauri Rifle-Staff. "Hell, yeah."

(Meanwhile, at the Sanctuary II's bridge...)

Supergiant, a blue-skinned female alien with white irises, watched from the captain's chair. The large bridge was surrounded by Chitauri soldiers overseeing the assault on Autobot City II. Before her, the large holographic screen showed multiple images of her forces engaging the defenders. The surprise attack had indeed taken both the Autobots and their human allies by surprise, and they were now pushing them back.

'Still, it's quite strange that father order us to launch an attack like this. We could've been more useful in supporting my siblings in acquiring the Mind Stone,' thought Supergiant. "Well, this does ensure that our enemies cannot support each other. Plus, I can finally prove myself to Lord Thanos that I'm better than my other siblings."

"Same as always, Supergiant," said a familiar voice. "You always can't handle being the inferior one."

Supergiant's eyes widened as she spun her chair around in time to see Nebula take down a Chitauri soldier with her Electric Blaster and Gamora killing a Sakaaran with her recently-acquired Chitauri Rifle-Staff. By now, the rest of the occupants on the bridge became aware of the two intruders and were already preparing for battle.

The Black Order member snarled. "Kill those two traitors!" ordered Supergiant as the Chitauri soldiers and the Sakaarans opened fire. Gamora and Nebula immediately fled. Not willing to let her two former stepsisters escaped, Supergiant chased after the duo with several of the crew following her.

That proved to be very unwise. As Supergiant and her troops exited the bridge and made a left turn, they quickly found themselves facing Nebula, Gamora and several dozen Junkions. All of them freed and very pissed off. With the chips that Quintessa planted in them deactivated, the Cybertronians unveiled their weapons, with Wreck-Gar standing over the two stepsisters with both his Tyrrenium Quad-Bladed Axe and his Tyrrenium Round-Spiked Shield out.

Gamora and Nebula both had calm expressions on their faces, with the latter looking up at the Junkions. She said exactly two words: "Get 'em!"

(Back at Autobot City II...)

Eject tore off a panel, facing the many screens, buttons and other components. "Ah-ha! Here we go!" exclaimed the Mini-Con as he found a server. He immediately split his two arms into four as he got to work. Multi-tasking, Eject began hacking into the server; working to establish a link with the Experimental Energon Railgun to get it operational again. Earlier, he and Cade had managed to reach the desired building that had a server room in it. The invaders were by then more focused on pushing deeper into Autobot City II, leaving places that were considered unimportant...for now.

Hopefully, it would be enough for Eject to get his job done. In the meantime, Cade had taken to guarding the building outside, ready in case any of the attackers came their way.

"How's it going in there, Eject," asked Cade as he used the Apex Armor's comms unit to speak with the Mini-Con.

Eject pressed a few buttons. "So far so good. I just need to find the right signal to interface with the railgun," he said as he took out a cable from his right hip and plugged it into a port and began uploading his personal commands. "Just a little heads up, but if the railgun is too damaged, then we came here for nothing."

Cade snorted. "I doubt we're that unlucky," he commented as he looked back at the Sanctuary II. Was it just him or did it seem like the massive warship was tipping to its port side a bit? And was that smoke coming out from the front?

The inventor had little time to ponder as a roar caught his attention. Charging towards him were two Chitauri Gorillas, followed by a dozen Sakaarans and Chitauri soldiers, and Cade could make out a Chitauri Chariot flying towards him too. Without wasting a moment, Cade tore off one of the doors to the building and flung it at the oncoming enemies. The door immediately bisected one of the Chitauri Gorillas, while the other one closed the distance and pounced on Cade. Unfortunately, despite its cybernetic enhanced strength, the beast couldn't even put a dent in the Apex Armor. Cade immediately grabbed the Chitauri Gorilla by the neck and fatally snapped it. 

By then, the rest of the enemies had arrived and opened fire. Naturally, their energy projectiles had no effect on the Apex Armor, allowing Cade to charge them without a care. With the armor's large servos, he swat the Chitauri soldiers and Sakaarans like flies, or simply crushing them underneath his armored pedes. He even grabbed one helpless Sakaaran soldier and threw him it at the Chitauri Chariot, knocking the pilot off and sending the craft crashing. All the time, Cade made sure that none of them got close to Eject, who remained focused on his task. The mech concentrated as he began a diagnostic check on the Experimental Energon Railgun.

'It's not too damaged from the bombardment. But its mobility has been greatly diminished,' thought Eject as he began powering-up the weapon. 'And the power level has gone down, meaning I'll probably get only two or three shots. Got make them count.'

The Mini-Con's concentration was nearly broken when a loud explosion shook the building. Outside, a Chitauri Hovertank had fired upon the building. Noting how Cade was focused on protecting the server room, the tank's crew decided to shoot at the facility. Cade saw this and acted. Though the Apex Armor had no range-based weaponry, there was plenty of stuff around him to use as makeshift projectiles. Picking up the scorched remains of the crashed Chitauri Chariot, Cade threw it straight towards the Chitauri Hovertank.

The wreckage struck the vehicle head-on, causing the Chitauri Hovertank to lose its position and knocking its aim off. This momentarily lapse gave Cade the chance to rush the tank and grabbed it with both servos before ripping it apart, killing the crew inside. He then threw the remains of the Chitauri Hovertank at another group of Sakaaran soldiers that had just arrived.

A loud BOOM caught Cade's attention. The inventor turned to see the Experimental Energon Railgun had been fired, showing that Eject had managed to gain control of the weapon. Its first shot pierced right through the Sanctuary II's energy shield. The second shot that followed damaged the port side of the alien warship. The massive explosion from the impact could be seen from where Cade was. All it would take was one more shot, which Eject was already preparing to do.

(Meanwhile, back aboard the Sanctuary II's bridge...)

The uprising had begun to spread. With the chips that once threatened them with pain and death now deactivated, the Junkions were holding nothing back. Whether with their weapons or limbs, they slaughtered the crew of the warship that was once their prison. Sakaarans and Chitauri soldiers found themselves being overwhelmed, though not by sheer numbers, but by both firepower and strength. Although the Junkions were few in numbers, ranging to no more than about fifty on board the Sanctuary II, their size and incredible endurance made up for it. The fact that many places on the warship were wide enough for several Junkions to walk alongside one another made it easier for them to beat back the ship's crew.

At the ship's bridge, the battle was beginning to end. Wreck-Gar and the few of his fellow Junkions who were with him at the time, were slaughtering the rest of the personnel while Nebula and Gamora were dealing with Supergiant. By then, said Black Order member had used her special ability, which was expanding both her size and figure into ginormous height, thus increasing her strength to equal that of her stepbrother, Cull Obsidian.

With a roar, Supergiant lunged at the two. The two former members of the Black Order were able to dodge, with Supergiant's right fist imbedding itself into the metal floor and causing a massive dent in doing so. She let out another roar when Nebula struck her in the back with her dual Electroshock Batons. "Argh! Damn you, traitors!" cursed Supergiant as she swung her left arm, forcing Nebula back.

Gamora came in next as she swung the Chitauri Rifle-Staff at Supergiant's face. This forced the Black Order member to shield herself with her arms. She hissed whenever the rifle-staff's blade made contact with her skin, the shocks having only a small effect on her current physique. Supergiant was eventually able to push back by knocking the Chitauri Rifle-Staff out of Gamora's hands before landing a devastating punch on her stomach. Gamora just barely blocked it, but the impact sent her flying back a few feet.

Supergiant proceeded to tear off a nearby panel and began using it as a makeshift weapon, swinging it a Nebula and keeping her back at the same time. However, the fighting was paused when the warship shook, making a few of those present lose their footing. Looking outside the large main viewport, everyone could see the energy shield that surrounded the Sanctuary II go down, followed by smoke and fire rising from the ship's port side. Suddenly, another explosion occurred, this one was louder and making the bridge shake once more.

Realizing that the Sanctuary II was in very serious trouble, Supergiant put her own fight with her two former stepsisters on hold as she began shouting orders: "Get the emergency shields up! Quickly! Move us away from the city before-"

Her warning came too late as a third shot came from Autobot City II. This one pierced the starboard side of the ship near the stern, damaging the engines there. The shockwave from the impact damaged the bridge and shattered the reinforced main viewport, sending everyone flying about. A few unlucky Chitauri soldiers and Sakaarans were sent flying out through the broken main viewport to their deaths.

Eject's third and final shot from the Experimental Energon Railgun had been the coup de grace that doomed the Sanctuary II. Combined with the damage done internally by the rampaging Junkions, the giant warship was unable to remain stable in the air. It slowly started to descend as the warship headed towards the waters of the Indian Ocean. The Chitauri Chariots and Necrocrafts who had been protecting the Sanctuary II were either crushed or smacked aside violently by the larger vessel. Autobot flyers and those manning the Orbital Assault Fighters had already spread out as the warship began to fall. Meanwhile, Depthcharge immediately moved out of the way due to being in the predicted crash site.

Back aboard the doomed warship, Nebula had been sent flying by the previous explosion and was unfortunately trapped by fallen debris. "Nebula!" cried Gamora as she ran over to help her stepsister. Using all her strength, she slowly began lifting the metal that was on top of Nebula.

Neither of them noticed Supergiant, who also had been sent flying, had recovered quickly with her enhanced strength. The first things she saw were Nebula and Gamora. Rage began to consume the Black Order member, were it not for them, none of this would be happening. With the Sanctuary II doomed, the only way for Supergiant to redeem herself in Thanos' eyes was to bring the severed heads of those two traitors.

With a snarl, Supergiant made to lunge at them. But her attempt was thwarted before it could begin by Wreck-Gar. The Junkion Leader had spotted the Black Order member and swiftly pulled out his Decelerator Laser Rifle. With a glare, Wreck-Gar fired his weapon right at the organic alien. The shot pierced right through Supergiant's durable body; the result was now a decapitated corpse with the entire left arm severed. Her body summarily caused a loud noise when it landed on several destroyed panels.

The act didn't escape Gamora and Nebula, the two stepsisters were monetarily surprised by Supergiant's death. Wreck-Gar then came over and assisted Gamora in freeing Nebula before picking them both up. With the Indian Ocean coming closer, Wreck-Gar and his fellow Junkions immediately fled the destroyed bridge to a safer part of the warship.

Notes:

Major Reynolds is from the DOTM video game.

Harrison is an OMC of mine from TBAM: DOTM.

The AA-12 is one of the most recognizable shotguns in popular culture, such as the Expendables and Predators (2010). The CQB is one of two variants of the AA-12, the other being the regular version. The weapon is also well known for its use of the FRAG-12 High-Explosive Armor-Piercing (HEAP) round.

Yep, the Apex Armor from TFP makes its appearance.

Series this work belongs to: