Darkest Hour

by Phantom

Chapter Nineteen

(for those who have the Botcon CD, play "Ground Zero" while reading this)

Rodimus cringed inside as they grew ever closer to the behemoth in the sky. 'I must be strong! So many are depending on us. If we fail, the entire galaxy will not survive.'

"You can do it, Rodimus," the jet beneath him said confidently. "You were destined to carry the matrix. You have been designed to carry it and use it, just as Optimus was. But you are the one who must save the galaxy."

Faith and encouragement from such an unlikely corner bolstered Rodimus' spirits. "Here we go," he muttered as they approached.

"What is this?" Unicron said, laughing. The laughter died in his throat when he sensed something all too familiar. The object held in the puny robot's hands seemed insignificant, just a gaudy jewel, but something told him it was so much more. There was a force emanating from it, something at once familiar and detested.

"Primus!!!" he roared. "What sort of trick is this? You think you can defeat me with your pathetic creations? It is impossible! I am Unicron, ravager of galaxies! I will not be stopped!"

"Don't be so sure," Rodimus said grimly.

Unicron opened his mouth and spewed out toxic, burning smoke. Rodimus felt the matrix surround him and his transport with a protective force field, allowing them to pass through unscathed into Unicron's body.

Unicron was stunned. How could something so ludicrous happen to him? He prepared to activate his internal defenses, but was interrupted by a powerful weapon blast. While it barely scorched him, it got his attention at least. He was beginning to feel angry at the latest turn of events, and he wanted something to strike out at.

He focused on the daring construct that had dared to inflict damage on him. He was quite amused with his findings. "Ah, Megatron," he chuckled. "It is fortunate that you are here. Now I won't have to search for you once I destroy your home."

Megatron roared in outrage. "I will never serve you, monster! I have seen what I will become, and I will never let such a thing become of me! I'd sooner die by my own hand than stand by your side." He fired the surface-to-air cannon again and again.

Unicron flinched at the barrage. "It is pointless to resist. I need a servant, one that is strong-willed enough to retain autonymity while bending to my wishes. You will not do as you are, but once I reform you, you will suit my purposes well."

Megatron pushed the "fire" button again and again, ignoring the sparking and crackling of the weapon. The barrel was white-hot, and he could see the heavy armored shells through the now-transparent metal. "I will never become Galvatron! He is a mockery of all that I am! He is nothing but a toady gone mad, shaming the Decepticon name!"

Unicron's features twisted in anger. "Nobody defies the will of Unicron! If you will not serve by my side, then you will be reduced to atoms!"

Megatron braced himself as he saw the monster's eye beams charging. This was it; this was the end. He would prefer to die on his feet than live on his knees. With his disintegration would come the reassurance that he would never become the short-fused abomination that was Galvatron. And, with a little luck, he might have bought some time for the suicide squad to do their thing.

He stared upward, expectantly, awaiting the deadly blast. It never came.

Chapter Twenty

Starscream stood tall, allowing the pure white glow to wash over him as Rodimus held aloft the matrix, preparing to fulfil the ancient prophecy. He was the chosen one, plucked out of the lowest ranks of Autobots, to light their darkest hour and defeat an unstoppable foe. Feeling the power surging in him, he knew that nothing could stop him now.

Unicron roared in fury as he finally realized what was happening. "How can this be possible? You no longer exist, Primus! I destroyed your body the last time we fought, and the only reason these pathetic, scurrying creatures survived was that you had hidden them so well. They are lower than insects to me, taking millions of years even to defeat themselves. Yet I sense your chokingly pure presence nonetheless."

"You *will* be defeated," Rodimus said firmly as he grasped the matrix by the hand-holds on each side. "Primus still exists, and he will never die until you yourself are destroyed. Now, Primus, I call upon your divine power. Help me defeat the one who has plagued the universe since its conception."

He felt his body swell with barely containable power as the shadows were banished from the hollow cavity that was Unicron's body. Rodimus felt a burning, as if all of his circuitry were being electrified by the light, then he pulled mightily on the matrix. "Now, light our darkest hour!"

The energy surrounded him in a crackling field, rushing out from the matrix in waves. It sought out the dark energy inhabiting the vast metal body and destroyed it, rupturing conduits and fuel lines.

Unicron screamed as he felt himself being torn apart by the fantastic amount of energy. "No! I have survived too long to let it end this way! Primus! I will not rest until you have been utterly destroyed!"

He watched with incredulity as his leg blew apart from his body, twisting through space. His optics shattered next, removing one of his most effective weapons. His body had taken on a life of its own, twisting and dancing to a beat all its own. With one last shriek of mingled rage and pain, his head rocketed off his shoulders as his whole body self-destructed. At last, the cranial chamber gave way, and the neuroprocessor was fried to dust. For all intents and purposes, Unicron's corporeal incarnation was dead.

The explosions were drowned out by the raucous cheering on the planet Cybertron. Weapons fell from hands too blistered and cramped to hold them any longer. Enmities and grudges were, for the moment, forgotten, as Autobot and Decepticon reveled together, some hugging exuberantly, others slapping each other on the back. The final prophecy had come true. This was the day that, for one crucial moment in time, they had worked together for their own survival. Now, for a single frozen moment in time, all were one.

Chapter Twenty-One

As the revelry began to die down a bit, Ultra Magnus asked the crucial question. "Where is Hot Rod?"

While they had had their hands full saving their collective butts, the assembled Transformers had nonetheless witnessed the transfer of leadership. What did this signify? Had the Autobots received a new leader, only to lose him in the space of a heartbeat? And what would the Decepticons do with their second-in-command gone?

Luckily, those questions would not have to be answered that day. Rodimus and Starscream suddenly appeared in the thick of the crowd, hovering slightly above the ground in a force field bubble. They were lowered gently to the ground, and the field disappeared.

Starscream looked dazed. "Wh -- what happened? Are we still alive?"

The mood of the crowd immediately skyrocketed. The cheers commenced once again, and the two were surrounded by those eager to congratulate them and get the whole story. They accepted the accolades somewhat calmly, and Starscream showed amazing modesty at his actions. Rodimus looked down at the matrix in his hands. He opened up his chest cavity and inserted it inside, amongst raucous celebration from the Autobots.

The fervor slowly died down. Rodimus became aware of a powerful presence, and soon the feeling spread to all those gathered around him. They looked at each other in confusion, then their gaze was drawn upwards. "I just don't believe any of this!" Megatron exclaimed.

"Primus!" Rodimus spoke reverently, he and Starscream bowing their heads.

Far above them all, yet still dominating the sky where parts of Unicron still fell like meteors, hovered the ghostly image of their lost god. Primus smiled kindly at them all. Those assembled turned to stare at Rodimus. It was plain to see why he was the chosen one, for their features were strikingly similar.

Primus spoke gently, yet his voice echoed off of the buildings still standing. "My children," he boomed, "today I am so proud of you. You were designed as a last defense against the return of Unicron, the chaos-bringer and devourer of worlds. He is a fallen god, one that I have fought since creation. Only by standing together and buying the Chosen One the time he needed could you succeed. The consuming need for survival has brought Autobot and Decepticon together like never before. Despite what happens next, you will all carry this moment in your hearts always."

He turned to glance at Optimus Prime, where Alita was still holding his head. She was staring attentively at Primus, but the tears still rolled down her cheeks. "Do not weep, my child," Primus said comfortingly. "Optimus Prime will live again. His followers need a strong leader, one that they trust. And your child will need his father." A blinding white light, much like that which destroyed Unicron, enveloped the fallen leader. Any in the crowd that had had doubts immediately became true believers as they watched the fatal damage to Prime's midsection restore itself. Not a trace of Unicron's destruction was left. His whole body shone like it was brand new, and the fluids that he had shed no longer stained the ground.

Prime's optics flickered to life. "Alita," he breathed softly. Then his gaze was drawn skyward. "I don't know how to thank you. Now I can be with Alita when our child is brought into this world."

Primus nodded at Alita One. "Your child marks the beginning of a new era. You will no longer be able to create ready-made warriors using Vector Sigma. Its new purpose will be to become the hub of a stronger, planet-wide defense system. I'm not exactly sure how Unicron managed to find you after searching for so long, but I suspect that he sensed the shift in the balance of power caused by the Decepticon victory. The children will be a defense against him sensing your whereabouts again if he ever returns."

Megatron was incredulous. "But we just destroyed him!"

Primus regarded him. "You destroyed his body, but not his mind. He is able to take on many shapes, and can never be truly destroyed, unless I die with him. We are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot exist without the other." His creations looked dismayed at this news.

Crystal spoke up hesitantly, intimidated by the god. "H -- how do the children fit into all of this? How can they be a defense against Unicron?"

"I am pleased that there is another life on the way," Primus told her. "Unicron is able to home in on my distinct life essence. Part of this essence is within you all, and a great concentration remains in the matrix. To insure that Unicron cannot find you, this homing signal must be erased through procreation. All of you have the capability to create a child. Through the generations this distinguishing signal will be muted, although you will never lose the special qualities that make you my creations."

"Did we always have this ability?" Chromia asked.

Primus laughed in amusement, nearly knocking the robots off their feet with the impact of the soundwaves. "You have always had the ability to unite, as many of you know quite well." Optimus hid his face in his hands, wishing he could dig himself a hole in the metal planet to hide in. "I wanted you to become used to the process in case I ever had to implement my plan. As I sensed the Decepticons gaining an upper hand, and Unicron's sudden change in course towards this planet, I knew that it was time. The process for procreation is remarkably similar to that of organic beings that I have observed. Any of your questions can be answered by consulting the medical database, which I have just programmed with the necessary information to care for your children and create new ones."

Primus grew solemn again. "Only one task remains." He reached out once again with a blinding light, this time surrounding Starscream with its glow. "Arise, Guardian, and take your place in this brave new world." As the glow died down, the changes became apparent. While very little had changed about his structure, Starscream's paint job was now a vibrant blue and silver.

As he opened his mouth, Megatron became aware of several other changes. "Forgive me, my leader," he said humbly. His voice, while still maintaining its high tones, had lost its irritatingly shrill and whining quality. Starscream knelt in front of Megatron, acknowledging his leader's power and authority. "I know that I have challenged you many times in the past, and you could have quite rightly destroyed me without a second thought. I lusted blindly for power without understanding its root cause. I was designed to be a Guardian, to shield the matrix bearer from harm and assist him in times of great peril. Now I know what it is I have been searching for all of my life. My selfish actions have shamed the Decepticon name, and I am no longer worthy to wear its proud badge. If you will give me one last chance, out of the many you have so graciously granted me in the past, I swear to serve you loyally."

Megatron's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Starscream's vow to turn over a new leaf seemed, for once, genuine. He doubted that his lieutenant was trying to pull something, since Starscream had never been known for his subtlety. Could it be possible that Starscream's incessant lust for power, something that he himself could appreciate but not condone, had been quenched?

At last Megatron was able to activate his vocal circuitry. "I accept you back into our ranks, and you may remain there as long as you prove yourself."

Starscream rose up slowly to face his leader. "That is all I ask for, Mighty Megatron." There was not a trace of sarcasm in his words.

Megatron frowned as something occurred to him. "How can you protect the matrix bearer if he's an Autobot? Our enemies would never let you near him."

"That's where you're wrong, Megatron," Rodimus said solemnly, approaching and placing his hand on Starscream's shoulder. "This battle -- our own creation -- has always been bigger than our petty civil war. My function as Matrix Bearer and Starscream's as Guardian go past the allegiances of Autobot and Decepticon, uniting us as Cybertronians, as the children of Primus. Despite the ingrained impulse to fight, to never surrender, it is time that we looked past our differences for the good of our planet, and the survival of the universe."

"Such fine words," Primus said with pride in his voice. "I knew that you would be perfect. You and Starscream already share the knowledge necessary to insure your survival. The arduous task remains of convincing your respective factions of what needs to be done. Autobot and Decepticon must set aside their enmities and work together. What makes each faction special does not have to be lost, for each side has its own merits and gives its followers a sense of identity. Both sides must unite into a stronger whole. I know that it will not be easy, my children, for you have struggled against each other for so long, and it saddened me to see your suffering, but I could not interfere. Now, with this last great battle, united as one, the doorway has been opened for peace. Use this chance well, for it may never come again, and your fate will be sealed." With those prophetic words, Primus slowly faded from the sky and back into the pages of history.

end of Chapters 19-21

go to Chapters 22-25
go to Table of Contents

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