Having escaped from Soundwave’s clutches, the Autobots return to earth to discover that MECH has united under a new leader and been bestowed highly advanced technology from mysterious alien entities. Outnumbered, they call for reinforcements from the elite Autobots of Team One.

Episode 2 of Transformers: Odyssey, a fan-written continuation of the beloved Transformers: Prime series.

Transformers: Odyssey

Ep. 2 – Team One

by Williamson Knox

OPEN ON:

INT. NEST BASE, HOLDING CELL – NIGHT

[We see Shockwave huddled in the back of a makeshift holding cell, partitioned off from the hall by a glowing blue force-field. Bulkhead and Ratchet appear outside, lowering the force-field and striding in.]

BULKHEAD

So…You helped us?

SHOCKWAVE

I find myself in a better position having arrived on Earth with you rather than without you.

BULKHEAD

Well, we don’t want to seem ungrateful or anything, but helping us out of a jam doesn’t make up for a lifetime of war-crimes…

RATCHET

When this is over, you will be turned over to High Command and stand trial.

SHOCKWAVE

Your conclusion is…logical. But know that if escape was my intent, there would be little you could do to stop me.

RATCHET

So what’s holding you back?

SHOCKWAVE

…The fact that our enmity as Autobots and Decepticons…pales in comparison with what is to come…

TITLE CREDITS

CUT TO:

INT. NEST MISSION CONTROL

[Ratchet and Bulkhead, followed by Shockwave, enter a hangar with a prominent mezzanine, surrounded by cat-walks and scaffolding buzzing with the activity of NEST operatives. Arcee is there, waiting by herself. Bulkhead rests a hand on her shoulder.]

ARCEE

*sigh* I should have been there…

RATCHET

Now, don’t you start too. As resident cybertronian, I should have been first in the line of fire. Instead, I ended up getting abducted with you two…

MIKO

(resentful)

Well, she’s got a point, Ratchet. don’t take all the credit…

[Miko, followed by Raf, arrive on the mezzanine. She tries to disguise the betrayal in her voice and avert her gaze from Bulkhead.]

MIKO (CONT’D)

I mean, you were all just a space-bridge away and we still don’t see you for ten years…?

BULKHEAD

(abashedly)

It’s not that, Miko. Not a rotation went by that we didn’t want to see you again. It’s just, with everything going on, rebuilding Cybertron and all…

SHOCKWAVE

–Ten of your cycles are the blink of an eye to our kind.

[The Autobots looked surprised by his interjection, but the Decepticon scientist continues without notice.]

SHOCKWAVE (CONT’D)

Our war began when you were climbing trees. We will have rebuilt by the time you are extinct. Come to peace with the transience of your existence, and spare us your histrionics…

[Miko’s face flushes red with outrage and she storms out of the mezzanine.]

ARCEE (irate)

Was that you trying to help?!

SHOCKWAVE

Merely an observation.

BULKHEAD

(annoyed)

Next time we’ll ask if we want your “observations”.

[Director Fowler paces out onto the mezzanine with a portfolio in his hands.]

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Now, everyone, this is a briefing, not a soap. We need to focus now on how we’re going to avenge Agent Darby.

ARCEE

(cracking her knuckles)

We’re in.

[With that, the large viewscreen behind Agent Fowler flares to life with data feeds and readouts.]

DIRECTOR FOWLER

I’ll be blunt with y’all, this whole mess caught us flat-footed. We didn’t even know the Decepticon warship had returned to Earth until our communications with Cybertron were jammed several days prior. Whatever you did a few hours ago forced the Nemesis to drop its cloak and sensor jamming field for a short time, allowing us to trace its trajectory from Low Earth orbit to the coordinates of the recently discovered MECH installation in the Balkans.

(to Shockwave)

Am I to take this as a sign the Decepticons have thrown in with MECH?

SHOCKWAVE

The Decepticons no longer present a unified front, human. And even if they did, it would be the least of your concerns at present…

[The tension builds in the room as all present dread to think of a worse menace than the Decepticons.]

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Oh…?

SHOCKWAVE

Soundwave taking control of the Nemesis from within another dimension. Your MECH insurgents obtaining technology far more advanced than their means. These feats are beyond even Cybertronian capability, and only one force in the universe could possibly surpass us in this manner…

RATCHET No…You can’t mean…?

SHOCKWAVE

The Quintessons have returned…

[The room erupts into gasps and exclamations of disbelief on the part of its Cybertronian occupants.]

ARCEE

The Old Ones? You can’t be serious?

BULKHEAD

(dismissive)

He’s not. The Quintessons are just a story old bots like Ratchet use to scare us Third-Gen brats… *chuckles* (quailing) …right?

RATCHET

Don’t be absurd, Shockwave. The Usurpers were destroyed long ago. I was there to see it!

SHOCKWAVE

Not destroyed. Imprisoned in what you call “the Shadowzone”. And they now have a willing thrall bent on releasing them thanks to your meddlesome human friends.

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Well, if you wouldn’t mind letting us meddlers into the loop, could you tell us what exactly these “Quintessons” are?

RATCHET

Exactly what I called them, Director Fowler. Usurpers…

[The scene changes to a series of painted vignettes as Ratchet recounts the story…]

RATCHET (V.O)

Cybertron was in the grip of a dark age. Since the time of the ancients, so much knowledge had been lost or forgotten that we became as ignorant to the universe as humans are now. It was then that they came…

They approached us through drones and constructs–the cowards–blasphemously declaring themselves as our creators, having returned to uplift us into a golden age of enlightenment. We were too eager to explore the cosmos, too naive to see their ruse for what it was…

As promised, they bestowed us the lost art of building space-bridges, and “taught” us the power of transformation, but all to suit their designs. Our alt-modes became vehicles for their use. New generations emerged from the All-Spark as emotionless automatons. We were slowly being turned into machines…

Coming to realize their duplicity, many of us fought a desperate war for our freedom, seemingly too late. If you thought the war with the Decepticons was bloody, you should’ve witnessed our struggles then. Our cause seemed doomed until one day, Quintus Prime, the greatest scholar and philosopher of the Thirteen, returned from his voyages through the universe. With his great artifact, the Emberstone, he paralyzed their hordes of constructs, allowing us to win the day and throw off their yoke of tyranny.

To commemorate his victory and brand the Usurpers with a mark of shame, they were dubbed and known ever-after as the Quintessons…

END MONTAGE

RATCHET (CONT’D)

…They are an old foe, vanquished long ago. Nothing more. We need fear them no longer-

SHOCKWAVE

–Not as vanquished as you believe. We witnessed only a fraction of their power in the War of Wrath, merely destroying the avatars of god-like beings we could scarcely fathom.

RATCHET

Blasphemy! I expected better of a scientific mind, even one as twisted as a Decepticon’s!

[Shockwave leans into the Autobot medic, his voice taking on a grave tone.]

SHOCKWAVE

They have returned. I can feel it in my struts…and it may mean the end for us all…Autobot and Decepticon alike.

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Well, whoever’s behind all this, MECH getting hold of more firepower and a means of space-travel spells the end for us here on Earth. We can’t let them take control of that ship.

BULKHEAD

(pumped up)

Right! Wherever we’ve been the past ten cycles, we’re here now. Let’s make up for lost time!

ARCEE

Just give the word. We’re ready to go.

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Not yet, we’re not. I’m not taking any chances on this one. We took advantage of the window you gave us to send an S.O.S to Cybertron. We’re expecting some reinforcements-

RAF

–Director! We’ve got a confirmed space-bridge, just off base.

[Raf is seated behind a data terminal nearby, beckoning over Director Fowler. ]

DIRECTOR FOWLER

Speak of the devil!

EXT. HIGHWAY – NIGHT

[A green space-bridge portal opens onto a desert highway. Several vehicles pour through and speed down the stretch of road.]

ELITA(VOX)

Team Prime, do you read? This is Elita One. The cavalry’s arrived.

INTERMISSION

FADE IN

EXT. HIGHWAY – NIGHT

[There are four vehicles in the caravan: a police cruiser, a black pick-up truck, a streamlined sports car and a gold-yellow fire engine. They glide past a view of Jasper Nevada on a moonlit desert night.]

PROWL

Beautiful…Even this planet’s deserts are picturesque.

IRONHIDE[i]

Oh, here we go again. The ninja-bots are drooling over another moss-covered dust ball. When will I hear the end of it?

JAZZ[ii]

What’s not to drool over? This planet has everything! Did you know these organics even have a genre of music named after me? Give it a listen-

[The knobs on a stereo in Jazz’s dashboard tune in to a jazz radio station, humming out a mellifluous tune through his sub-woofers. He does a slow, low-riding serpentine across his lane to the cadence of the music, his engine revving with pleasure.]

JAZZ (CONT’D)

Ooooohhh yeah…That’s what I call a tribute…

IRONHIDE

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Don’t let it go to your head.

PROWL

Too late.

ELITA[iii]

Playtime’s over, boys. We’re on a mission, not a furlough.

TEAM ONE (in unison)

Sir!

ELITA

(over comms)

NEST, we’re en route.

DIRECTOR FOWLER (VOX)

We’ve left the back door open for you.

[The caravan pulls into the NEST compound, weaving its way into the heart of the base. When they arrive outside mission control, they transform from their vehicle modes and fall in a neat line, saluting Director Fowler and Team Prime.]

RATCHET

(bashful)

E-Elita! *clears throat* Good to see you again.

ELITA

Likewise, old-timer. Team Prime, meet Team One. Yours truly, Ironhide, Jazz, and Prowl. Though, some of you may know each other already…

[The newcomers walk up and greet Team Prime.]

JAZZ

How’s it tickin’, Doc?

IRONHIDE

Bulkhead. Long time, no see…

Prowl tries to look indifferent, but Bulkhead snatches him in a bear-hug, to the former’s begrudged delight.

RATCHET

We’re honored. It seems Ultra Magnus sent us some of his finest.

ELITA

Don’t flatter. We were just in the neighborhood and I owed blue-boy a favor. Now, we can catch up later. What’s our plan of attack?

RAF

I am.

[The Autobots turn to see Raf striding toward them, zipping up his NEST jump-suit.]

RAF (CONT’D)

Last time, I was working from the outside. If you can get me in their base, I can crack it wide open. (determined) I won’t sit on the sidelines this time.

JAZZ

Sounds like we missed quite the party…

IRONHIDE

I’ll say. (to Elita) Commander. We’re not working with organics now, are we? We’re better off handling this op on our own.

DIRECTOR FOWLER

We prefer to clean up our own messes, but with MECH co-opting Cybertronian technology, we both have a horse in this race.

ELITA

He’s right. And besides, Team One works with what it has. That’s why we’re–among–the best.

SHOCKWAVE

Then my presence should be of little disruption.

[Shockwave strides out to join them, met with astonished looks from Ironhide, Jazz, and Prowl.]

SHOCKWAVE (CONT’D)

In order to quickly recapture the Nemesis, you will require my assistance as well. It is the only logical option.

IRONHIDE

First organics. Now Decepticons? What is this world coming to?

ELITA

Things will be…interesting, to say the least. But when have things ever been boring for us?

[Elita strides between Team Prime and Team One, embarking on a motivational speech with a finesse that could only have come from practice.]

ELITA

Optimus came to this planet because he saw the same spark of life, the same yearning for freedom and hope in humanity that we Cybertronians carry deep in our cores. In his memory, I’m willing to go to any length to keep that spark alive…

Are you?

TEAM ONE (IN UNISON)

Yes, sir!

[Team Prime all salute in affirmation.]

ELITA

Then,–if you don’t mind me quoting the big lug–Autobots! Roll out!

CUT TO

INT. MECH BASE, CHOP-SHOP – NIGHT

[MECH operatives crowd the floor of what appears to be a horrid butcher-shop for robots. Cybertronian body parts adorn the walls and hang from the girders by chains. They busily saw through metal appendages as a grizzled looking man in tattered military fatigues paces over a grid-iron cat-walk above them. He is obscured in shadow, gently humming a tune to himself as he watches them work.]

ZADOK

Hmm hmm hmm–Southern trees bear strange fruit–hmmmhmmhmm–blood on the leaves and blood at the root–hmmmmm-(to his men) Brothers! Come, rest a spell. I have good news to share!

[The men cease their work and gather beneath him. He clicks a remote, activating a jury-rigged plasma tv sloppily mounted on a far wall. On it appears the image of the Decepticon warship hovering over their base.]

ZADOK (CONT’D)

We have impressed our benefactors and earned our reward! The vessel of our ascension has arrived!

[His goons all holler and cheer with frenzied approval.]

ZADOK (CONT’D)

To think we’ve come so far after Silas left us all to rot,-

[The name is met with boos and scoffs.]

ZADOK (CONT’D)

–vindicates the idea upon which MECH was founded, if not the man who founded it. Unlike that cur, I intend to share the spoils with all of you!

[More cheers.]

ZADOK (CONT’D)

Let us make preparations, my brothers. It is time for our apotheosis!

[Again he is met with howls of approbation, his henchman all pumping their fists in the air and chanting his name. He paces away down the cat-walk with a satisfied grin on his face. He starts humming to himself again as he passes beneath the limply hanging robotic appendages in the rafters.]

ZADOK (CONT’D)

Hmmmhmmmhmm–Bodies swingin’ in the southern breeze–hmmhmmhmm—Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees…

EXT. BALKAN MOUNTAINS, UKRAINE – NIGHT

[A ground-bridge portal opens on top of a snowy mountain shelf. The Autobots file out of it and assume battle-ready poses. They can see the MECH base sprawled out across a peak below them and begin their descent, scaling down the cliffside in short leaps and bounds. They come to rest behind a ridge where they huddle up and receive their orders.]

ELITA

Alright, ninja-bots. It’s your time to shine.

PROWL

That would be counterintuitive…

[Without so much as a nod, Jazz and Prowl’s silhouettes dissolve and vanish, a trail of footprints leading away in the snow. As the camera pans over the base, the only indicator of their incursion is a spontaneously bent fence rail and a panicked guard.]

INT. MECH BASE, SERVER ROOM

[A MECH operative emerges from a server room, yawning as he leaves for a bathroom break. As he walks down the hall, Prowl decloaks behind him and gently flicks him in the back, knocking him out cold.

Jazz decloaks beside him, a panel in his chest opening to release Raf who clambers down to the MECH guard’s body and frisks him for a pass-key. Raf then scurries into the server room, slides his key into a computer terminal and begins frantically typing commands into the system.]

RAF

(into his headset)

Alright, their defense grid should be powering down…now.

EXT. MECH BASE

[Outside, the Autobots bear witness to his handiwork. Auto-cannons freeze in their turrets and guards confusedly rush between their posts in a panic.]

ELITA

Alright! We’re moving in!

[The Autobots transform into vehicle mode and rush the MECH perimeter. They plow over fences and gun down hapless MECH-guards in their assault.]

DIRECTOR FOWLER (VOX)

Roger that. We’ll throw a party in the front. You raise some hell in the back.

[A squadron of NEST helicopters appears over the mountain peak and joins in the attack.]

INT. MECH BASE, SERVER ROOM

[Raf is still in the server room, furiously clicking away at the keyboard.]

RAF

I’m almost through. I’m downloading as much of their database as I can before the rest of their system crashes. Maybe we’ll get the final word on where they’re getting their tech…Wait…what’s this?

[He pauses as the screen displays feeds from various security cameras across the base…]

INT. MECH LABORATORY

[Zadok sits on a medical table wearing a gown, almost vulnerable looking were it not for his look of serenity. He lays down on the table as a number of operatives in scrubs prep him for a bizarre procedure. He is connected to an assembly of monitors and wheeled in a machine resembling an MRI.

We see the interior of a monitoring room behind a two-way mirror. It overlooks a nearby hangar containing a large machine mysteriously hidden under a sheet.

In the lab, Zadok closes his eyes as he’s drawn into the humming MRI machine. Behind the mirror, the MECH technicians fiddle with dials and knobs as the machine roars to life.]

TECHNICIAN

All functions nominal. Finalizing the transfer…–wait, what was that?!

[The lights and screens all flicker as the base is rocked by explosions.]

MECH SOLDIER (VOX)

We’re under attack!

TECHNICIAN

Keep the transfer online! Switch to backup power if you have to! Don’t lose him!

INT. HANGAR

[As bedlam erupts in the monitoring room, we see the mysterious machine in the hangar begin to rouse from its slumber. An arm reaches out and peels the curtain of its frame, revealing the silhouette of a cybertronian. Its optics peel open, glowing a sickly shade of yellow through the darkness.

The robot examines its new body, taking in its own features with unrestrained awe. It resembles a Decepticon with olive-green armor covering all except its head. Its face is bare of any plating, looking almost skull-like.]

LOCKDOWN

Marvelous…sublime…exactly as I envisioned it…

[The hangar shakes with the tremors of battle, sobering the creature that was Zadok from his rapture.]

LOCKDOWN

Men, prepare for battle! It seems we have uninvited guests…

[Lockdown rises from his slab and paces further into the hangar as the overhead flood-lights begin flickering back to life. They reveal a host of other dormant robot bodies, rows of them connected to banks of other MRI machines. By the dozens, other MECH soldiers implant themselves into their new cybertronian bodies and awaken for combat.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D)

…I want nothing to spoil this day…

[He looks down at his arm, eyes strained in concentration. His hand then transforms itself into a chain-saw looking blade. Pleased, he revs his new appendage with a menacing roar.]

INT. NEST MISSION CONTROL

[Director Fowler and Doctor Darby watch the ensuing battle play out on a tactical map overlayed on the main screen.]

RAF (VOX)

Director Fowler, come in!

DIRECTOR FOWLER

(into his headset)

What is it, son?

RAF (VOX)

We’ve got a situation! I need you to load up Jack into Ratchet and get ready to ground-bridge him to these co-ordinates on my mark-

DOCTOR DARBY

Are you insane?! Jack’s in no condition to be moved anywhere–!

RAF (VOX)

This is worth the risk. I’ve found something. There may be a way we can help him. We can save Jack!

[The pair exchange looks of astonishment.]

INT. HANGAR

[The last of the MECH Armatures file out of the hangar, rushing to the fray of battle. Only a few guards and technicians remain but are then quickly subdued by seemingly invisible assailants. Jazz and Prowl decloak and lay Raf down by one of the MRI suites. He rushes to a control panel and frantically configures the machinery as a ground bridge portal opens in the aisle.

Ratchet, transformed into vehicle mode, pulls into the hangar, Doctor Darby getting out of the passenger seat.]

RATCHET

What is it? What have you found?

RAF

The MECH armatures. They aren’t being remotely piloted like we originally thought. MECH is literally uploading the nervous systems of its soldiers into cybertronian bodies!

RATCHET

What?! That’s–!

DOCTOR DARBY

–So this is your plan?! To dump his brain into some tin can and-and–!

RAF

Jun, look at him…This might be his only shot…

[Doctor Darby pauses, unsure what to think. With great reluctance, she opens the back doors of Ratchet’s ambulance mode and wheels out Jack’s body. Prowl and Jazz anxiously loiter nearby when Jazz picks up a signal.]

ELITA(VOX)

Jazz. Prowl. Where are you? We’ve almost reached the ship. We need your help getting in…

JAZZ

Don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but we don’t have time for this…

RAF

(distracted)

Fine. Then go. We’ll manage on our own. (to June) I need your help hooking him up. Ratchet, help me with this terminal-

PROWL

If you stay, you’ll be killed.

RAF

…We’re all taking risks today…

JAZZ

What’s this all about?

[Raf pauses before explaining:]

RAF

He’s my friend…I let him down. This is my only chance to make it up to him.

[Moved by his determination, Prowl turns to Jazz.]

PROWL

Go. You rendevous with the squad. I’ll stay and protect the humans.

JAZZ

You sure about this, Prowl?

PROWL

You’ll do well enough on your own.

JAZZ

(clasping his shoulder)

Never took you for the sentimental type.

PROWL

Let’s just say, I think I finally see what Optimus was on about…

[He gazes at the humans with a look of impressed fondness.]

PROWL (CONT’D)

…There’s more to these humans than meets the eye…

[Jazz gives an understanding nod before transforming and speeding away.]

EXT. MECH BASE

[The Autobots, supported by NEST vehicles and attack helicopters, fight through legions of MECH soldiers. They fight their way to the base’s central courtyard where the Decepticon warship hovers ominously above the tarmac. It levitates low to the ground, its gangplank extended to allow MECH operatives to load equipment.]

SHOCKWAVE

Where are your infiltrators? We will require their assistance.

ELITA

We’ll just have to make do.

[Elita and Ironhide escort Shockwave up the gangplank while ducking enemy fire.]

IRONHIDE

Keep your blaster where I can see it, Con.

[Shockwave turns and fires a shot at a MECH armature trying to creep up on Ironhide’s blindside.]

SHOCKWAVE

Enjoy the spectacle…

[As Shockwave moves to enter the seemingly dormant ship, a pair of mechanical tendrils snake out of its interior and knock him back. He tumbles down the gangway, colliding with Elita and Ironhide. All land on the tarmac, rising to see the ship rise into the air and turn to face them. It’s batteries of blasters all swivel and train themselves on the Autobots and their allies.]

IRONHIDE

…Scrap…!

[The Autobots scatter for cover as the ship lets loose a salvo of blasts. The harrowing gauntlet of fire takes out most of the NEST vehicles and helicopters, forcing the surviving operatives to do the same. With that, the MECH soldiers, bolstered by newly arrived armatures, begin regaining their ground.]

INT. HANGAR

[Doctor Darby and Ratchet hasten through the procedures to put Jack’s body through the MRI machine. Raf speedily enters commands into a control panel, preparing the machine. Meanwhile, Prowl stands vigilant for any intruders.]

PROWL

So..your friend…what is he like…

RAF

(over his shoulder) Jack…? He’s loyal and brave. He wouldn’t have thought twice about risking his life for me…

[The neural refractor whirs to life as Jack is slowly fed into the resonance chamber.]

PROWL

Reminds me of a bot I once knew…Bluestreak was his name. I know what it’s like to feel you’ve let an old friend down…

[He paces over to Raf’s side, giving him a look of reassurance. As the transfer begins, Prowl notices something amiss.]

PROWL (CONT’D)

Wait. Someone’s coming.

[Raf turns, but Prowl has disappeared. Instead, he sees Lockdown, accompanied by a retinue of MECH armatures, pacing into the hangar with a malevolent grin.]

LOCKDOWN

What’s this now? Saboteurs?

[He brandishes his chain-saw blades and draws closer. Before he gets far, Prowl decloaks and drops from his hiding spot in the rafters, crushing one of the armatures under his heel and taking on the others.

He holds his own against nearly a dozen of the robot soldiers, but two of them break away and attempt to rush towards the neural refractor.]

RAF (to Ratchet)

Go! We’ve got it from here!

[Ratchet manifests his scalpel blades and fends off the two armatures as best he can. Meanwhile, Prowl has nearly taken out the rest, but now crosses blades with Lockdown.]

EXT. MECH BASE

[Autobot and NEST soldier alike are pinned down by the Nemesis’ hail of laser fire. MECH forces steadily encroach on their positions, pushing them back.]

JAZZ

(decloaking)

What did I miss?

ELITA

Getting our skid-plates handed to us…

IRONHIDE

Nice of you to finally show up. Where’s Prowl?

JAZZ

Occupied. He’ll catch up. In the meantime, I left our friends a few party favors on my way here.

[Jazz then produces a small detonator and presses the activator. We see various det-packs scattered around the MECH base begin to overload and detonate. The explosions engulf the MECH vehicles and armatures, giving the Autobots a chance to counter-attack.]

INT. HANGAR

LOCKDOWN

Exhilirating! Fighting as one of your kind is no less-

[As he’s talking, Prowl aims a swipe for an exposed section between Lockdown’s armor. His slicing, shuriken-like blades draw a stream of Energon.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D)

–Gah!

(smiling) …Visceral…

PROWL

Give it up. You’ve only been a cybertronian for all of five microcycles.

LOCKDOWN

Yet it feels like I’ve been doing this my whole life! Have you ever felt like you were born as the wrong species, robot?

PROWL

You should talk to Jazz…from inside a cell, of course.

[They continue their duel. For a moment it seems like Prowl has the upper hands with his martial arts prowess, but then he is restrained by the remaining MECH armatures. At first, having looked too wounded to fight, they limp and crawl to their master’s aid, fueled by a fanatical zeal.

MECH ARMATURE 1

Lock him down, Zadok!

MECH ARMATURE 2

Ascension is inevitable!

[They grasp at Prowl’s arms and legs, slowing him down long enough for Lockdown to get a firm cleave on his armor. He gasps with pain, his Energon spattered by Lockdown’s revving chain-saw.]

RATCHET

PROWL! NO!

[Seeing Prowl wounded, Ratchet fights back furiously, but more armatures begin piling on top of him. Lockdown looks on his work with satisfaction before noticing the humans.]

LOCKDOWN

Wait!

[Obeying, his soldiers relent on their assault of Ratchet. Lockdown turns to regard Raf and June.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D) You merely wanted to use our neural refractors to spare your wounded comrade…? You need only have asked!

[They, and Ratchet included, can hardly mask their surprise, but their revulsion of Lockdown doesn’t betray any regret.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D) Short-sighted fools like Fowler are simply too stubborn to acknowledge our path. Our ascension is the right of all humanity! I am only too happy to let you share in our rapture. After all, it would only go to waste…

[Lockdown turns to leave and beckons his soldiers to follow. They hesitantly back away from Ratchet and leave with him.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D) We have grander horizons to sojourn. Our masters are waiting for us.

RATCHET

Masters…?

[On his way out, he strides over Prowl’s body.]

LOCKDOWN (CONT’D) Do not stand in our way…

[As they leave, Ratchet and Raf rush to Prowl’s side and try to tend to him. Prowl stops them, using the last of his strength to ask:]

PROWL Did…*cough*Did it work…?

[Raf looks back at the neural refractor, hearing it slowly rev to a halt, its display screens indicating a successful transfer. Raf turns back to Prowl and gives him a bittersweet nod of affirmation.]

PROWL (CONT’D)

Then it seems…we’ll both be reuniting with old friends soon…

[With that, Prowl’s last breath leaves. With a somber sigh, Ratchet closes his optics.]

EXT. MECH BASE

[As the Autobots continue their fight it takes another turn for the worse. The Nemesis manifests its dormant stasis canon and begins paralyzing the Autobots one by one. The NEST soldiers seem doomed until Lockdown and his entourage arrive on the scene. They parade across the tarmac in vehicle mode and begin boarding the warship.]

LOCKDOWN

(transforming)

Come, my brothers! Our fight here is finished! The stars await us!

[His remaining soldiers and armatures all eagerly disengage and load up into the awaiting warship. The NEST forces can only reconvene and watch as the Nemesis then takes to the skies and disappears into space. Shortly thereafter, the Autobots’ stasis begins wearing off.]

IRONHIDE

Did we just…lose…?

[He flinches as a loud crash erupts next to him. A seemingly unoccupied crater appears beneath the source of the sound, before Jazz de-cloaks in its place having just fallen from the sky.]

IRONHIDE

Great Primus! Jazz, you scared the scrap outta me!

JAZZ

*panting*…Just securing our consolation prize.

[He clutches another detonator in his hand, pressing its activator with glee.]

EXT. NEMESIS, UPPER ATMOSPHERE

[Lockdown paces down the corridors of his new ship, inspecting every artifice with satisfaction. He arrives on the bridge where his crew takes their new posts.]

LOCKDOWN

Well, men? Ready to go where no man’s gone before–?

[He’s interrupted as an explosion rocks the ship. Alarms sound and fire extinguishers spray in their faces.]

LOCKDOWN

*coughing*…Report! (fanning away smoke) Where have we been hit?!

MECH 1

Sir, our engines have sustained damage…but are still operational.

LOCKDOWN

Get repair teams on it, straight away!

MECH 2

Sir, our technicians are unfamiliar with this vessel’s technology. It may be some time before we’re back to full operational efficiency…

LOCKDOWN

*growl*…An…unfortunate setback… (regaining composure) But the Quintessons have waited this long to make their return…they can stand to wait a bit longer…

[The Nemesis continues its trajectory into the far reaches of space, a cloud of smoke trailing in its path.]

EXT. MECH BASE

[The Autobot and NEST forces cheer as they see the warship limp off into the distance.]

ELITA

Nice work, Jazz!

ELITA (CONT’D)

(into an ear-piece) All hands, I want a sit-rep! What’s the damage?

RATCHET (VOX)

(somber)

Ratchet here…we have a casualty…

[The Autobots’ spirit crestfalls when they turn and see Ratchet pacing across the tarmac, carrying Prowl in his arms. Ironhide brushes past the rest, his shock the greatest.]

IRONHIDE

Prowl…?! PROWL!

[He rushes to the fallen Autobot’s side, his shouts echoing across the ruins of the base…]

INT. NEST MISSION CONTROL

[Prowl’s body is sealed in a metallic casket that levitates above the ground. Arrayed on one side are the Autobots, on the other a retinue of NEST soldiers, all saluting the fallen Autobot hero as the casket is guided into a space-bridge portal back to Cybertron.

Ironhide seems the most mournful of all, even distraught. He mutters, almost under his breath:]

IRONHIDE

We fought three campaigns against the Decepticons together…everything Megatron’s cronies had to throw at him and how does he die…?!

Here, on this wretched world…and for what…?

[He stares resentfully at the humans occupying the control room mezzanine.]

JAZZ

Easy, Ironhide…He gave his life doing what any of us would have-

IRONHIDE

Speak for yourself! You spent all those cycles filling his head with rubbish about how great organics are! You left him alone to die…! This is your fault.

[As Ironhide leans into him, Jazz simply averts his gaze in shame.]

ELITA

Cool it, soldier! This isn’t easy for any of us.

BULKHEAD

Yeah, we’ve all fought by Prowl’s side at one point or another.

RATCHET

And he chose the manner of his departure…a noble sacrifice. You would question his judgment?

IRONHIDE With all due respect, doctor, Optimus Prime himself couldn’t convince me these creatures are worth dying for. They are a savage, barbaric race.

RATCHET

Were we any different?

IRONHIDE

(nodding towards Shockwave)

Who’s “we”?

ELITA

That’s enough. Ironhide, since you feel so strongly for his loss, I grant you leave to return with him to Cybertron and hold his vigil. You are dismissed.

IRONHIDE

Thank you, commander. Was getting tired of this place anyway…

[Ironhide paces away and disappears into the space-bridge portal before it closes. Elita turns and addresses the congregated humans.]

ELITA

Please excuse him. He’s had it rough these past few hours.

DIRECTOR FOWLER

We understand. He hasn’t exactly seen humanity’s good side today…

RATCHET

Humanity is what Prowl gave his life to preserve, and it was not in vain. Everyone, there’s something I want to show you…

INT. MEDICAL HANGAR

[Ratchet leads the Autobots into the mezzanine, with their human compatriots following on cat-walks. They see what appears to be a MECH armature sitting on Ratchet’s medical table, being examined by various NEST technicians. They all look taken aback, but Ratchet approaches the robot without fear.]

RATCHET

How are you feeling?

JACK

Uh…fine, I guess. But this still feels weird. It’s like I’m inside a huge mascot suit or-

[He freezes, looking up and seeing Arcee approach him.]

JACK (CONT’D)

Arcee?

ARCEE

Jack…? (emotional) Is that…is that really you?

JACK

Arcee!

[Overjoyed, she collides with Jack’s metal body in a firm embrace. June is close enough to reach out and fondly stroke his head, while Miko outright clambers over the railing, climbs his shoulder and kisses his cheek in excitement. Bulkhead pats him on the back and all else gathered smile fondly at his return.]

TO BE CONTINUED…[iv]

[i] It was stated that Ironhide was supposed to be slated for the original cast in place of Bulkhead, but the creators decided on the latter given their vision of Ironhide was so similar (and to avoid spoiling the canon of the movies in which Ironhide perished). This decision always perplexed me, since it seemed that the protective, but contentious Ironhide of the movies bared little semblance to the gentle giant that is Bulkhead. Since I’m under no such constraints in my personal head-canon, I imagine him with the vindictive personality and British/Australian accent of his movie incarnation. Compare him to Bigwig from Watership Down.

[ii] In the novel Exodus, Jazz is shown to have been one of Optimus’s closest friends (curiously neglecting to mention Ratchet) since he was Orion Pax, a data-clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records. They held lengthy philosophical discussions and even sparred with each other to train in self-defense. A relationship like this would imply a level of seniority over Optimus, like a big brother, yet all his voiced incarnations have seemed young and hip, hardly sounding like contemporaries to a bot with Peter Cullen’s deep, gravelly voice. If I had any clout in casting, I’d want Jazz to be voiced by someone like Keith David to better match Cullen’s baritone, sounding older and wiser, while still suave and cool.

[iii] I was surprised by just how little Elita One featured in the Aligned Continuity given her close ties to Optimus in previous incarnations. Therein she is described as a member of the Council of Thirteen in the time before the War for Cybertron, her only distinguishing characterization being “continuing to counsel for more research and time before acting”. It just seems a little dull for a character having once been a love interest for Optimus in the original cartoon series to be relegated to little more than a politician.

As such I’ve decided to take some more drastic liberties with her character. In my version, she was an officer in Cybertron’s Elite Guard and the protegé of Ultra Magnus. At the time, the Council of Thirteen had just heard Orion Pax’s inspiring speech and were deliberating over possibly naming him the next Prime. With Megatron waging war, they decided to test Orion’s leadership potential by granting him a field-commission as a low-ranking officer. With Ultra Magnus busy leading the war effort, he expected Elita to take the young file-clerk under her wing and train him to be a leader. It just seemed like Optimus’ meteoric rise from a civilian to a soldier and then to a planetary leader was a big vaguely fleshed out. Someone had to have been showing him the ropes in that time, and it just made sense that someone like Ultra Magnus would’ve been the one to do it.

She resented her post at first. To her, it seemed that Orion was just being handed a position she had worked all her life for so the Council could save face on being called out for their ineptitude. However, she gradually came to soften towards Orion and helped him become a leader and fighter worthy of the mantle of Prime. She even came to have romantic feelings for Orion, but the events of the war and the weight of their duties precluded them from ever having a relationship. Additionally, it seemed that Orion was growing into a firmly stoic and Olympian figure who rarely showed any kind of emotion. Now that the war has ended, she looks back on her time with him fondly but laments that he never took the chance to grow close to anyone or let his guard down.

Conversely to Optimus, her style of leadership is more familiar. She frequently socializes with her troops (playing lob-ball, drinking Energon ale, etc.) to solidify their mutual loyalty and trust. She is a confident, tenacious, rough-and-tumble leader, based in some ways on Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. I imagine her with a husky, yet energetic voice, something along the lines of Wendy Malick or Jennifer Hale. Physically she is as tall and bulky as other bots from Cybertron’s “leadership caste” like Ultra Magnus or even Optimus himself. She sports the gold and navy color scheme of her incarnation in Transformers: Animated, even having a ponytail of sorts, comprised of two metal plates hanging off the back of her head from a hinge.

[iv] It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to make Prowl the “sacrificial lamb” of this series, alongside Cliffjumper from Prime. It’s a rather grim tradition, and even I was on the fence over axing my favorite character from Animated. However, if you’ll give me a moment to defend my decision, my rationale was this:

In this series, I’m intent on exploring how the Autobots, particularly Ironhide, come to see the value in humanity, both as allies against the Quintessons and as beings with wisdom and tenacity all their own. For Ironhide, this journey comes laden with personal conflict as he views organics as inferior beings unworthy of his protection. For a bot so close to him to willingly sacrifice himself to protect an organic comes as a deep personal blow and a parody of his worldview. From my research into the continuity of the Aligned canon, the bot closest to him, by all accounts, was Prowl.

I was browsing the Transformers Wiki’s entry on The Covenant of Primus when I came across a section that intimately detailed a scene between Ironhide and Prowl. Prowl had broken ranks to try and rescue his friend, Bluestreak, from a distant planet that had fallen into the grip of a deadly rust plague. To do this he hijacked a space-bridge portal and attempted to bring Bluestreak through, but Ironhide gently (though no less firmly) urged him to stand down for fear of exposing Cybertron to the deadly contagion. In a touching scene, Ironhide consoles Prowl as he begrudgingly closes the portal, safeguarding the greater good at the cost of losing his closest friend.

I’m not sure whether this scene was part of a graphic-novel tie-in or something of that nature, but to me, it seemed to fit perfectly into the direction I was going with Odyssey. In case it seemed odd as to why Prowl would stick his neck out for a species he never encountered before, this story gives him a reason to sympathize with Raf over failing to protect Jack, seeing a parallel in his failure to save Blue-streak. It also somewhat aligns with his incarnation in Animated seeing the beauty in organic life and his willingness to give his life for his friends.

For Ironhide, the blow that comes with losing Prowl would also be reflected in the audience, since Prowl is a favorite of many Transformers fans, myself included. From sharing his grief, we could see that Ironhide’s resentment comes from more than misplaced bigotry towards organics, but from the seeming futility of Prowl’s loss. Ironhide’s character development will involve coming to accept the reasons why Prowl made his sacrifice and finding respect for what humans can offer Cybertron in his stead.

I understand if you might still disagree with this direction, but if it’s any consolation, decisions like this have been made on much more bogus logic than mine. For instance, the decision to snub Ironhide in Prime’s original run as I had alluded to earlier. Apparently one of the producers believed that with Ironhide’s death in Dark of the Moon, it would confuse viewers to see him portrayed in a cartoon after the fact…despite the series clearly being set in an entirely separate continuity from the movies…*shrugs* I don’t know. You tell me…