EPISODE III: DOUBLE CROSS!
Elita-1 had never felt so guilty in all her life. How could she have been so foolish? She made the worst mistake of letting her emotions get in the way of her purpose: to fight evil. After Optimus died, she let her grief get to her, and forgot to continue with her task.
Now, due to her foolishness, she was being held captive by this Jhiaxus character, tied up and unable to escape. If only she had never left Cybertron, she might be with Optimus now instead in this lunatic�s clutches. The worst part of it all was that she was the reason for her love coming to fight Jhiaxus, probably coming to his death.
�So, my dear,� Jhiaxus asked, breaking the silence. �What is Optimus Prime really like? I only knew him for a little while, and I figured you�d be an expert.�
Elita-1 glared at her captor. �First of all, I am not �your dear.� And if Optimus is still the same as he was all those years ago, he is probably the greatest warrior who has ever existed. He is gracious, merciful, brave, compassionate, and powerful.�
Jhiaxus rolled his eyes. �You�re making me sick.�
Elita-1 smiled. �He will defeat you.�
�Not likely,� Jhiaxus retorted. �Prime had a rough enough time trying to fight me 15 years ago, and I am twice as powerful as I was then.�
�He�ll find a way.�
There it was: J�Asik. Optimus Prime piloted his transport, and hit the scanner for any life forms. Almost as soon as he activated it, two blips came on the screen. Jhiaxus wanted Prime to find him.
He set the ship down on the planet�s surface. As he left the cockpit, he thought back over his life once again. One thing in particular hung in his mind: the Quintesson who had revived him the final time. It had said that once he had been reanimated, it would never be possible again.
Okay Prime, he thought, this may be your last fight: better make it a good one.
He grabbed his rifle and walked out of the ship.
�I knew you�d come!� Jhiaxus said. �Welcome to this barren world. I hope it becomes a good tomb.�
�Yes, I�m here,� Optimus Prime said. He looked to the left of his enemy. �Hello Elita. Are you all right?�
She looked in his eyes and wished they could have met under different circumstances. �As good as I can be, Optimus. It�s great to see you again. You know that you shouldn�t have come, though. You�re too important to the Autobot cause.�
�Okay, enough with the sappy reunion,� Jhiaxus said. �Prepare to die, Prime.�
�Wait,� Optimus said, halting his foe. �Let Elita-1 go first.�
�What, so she can attack me once you�re down?� Jhiaxus replied. �Not likely! If you defeat me, then you can free her yourself. Until then, fight!�
Jhiaxus charged, and tackled Optimus Prime. Kicking his enemy off of him, Prime jumped to his feet and punched Jhiaxus square in the face. Sprawling backward, the Cybertronian hit the ground hard. He had just struggled to his feet to see Optimus in truck mode run straight into him. Launching himself into the air, Prime transformed and fired off his rifle at Jhiaxus several times. With every shot, the evil general shrieked until he fell to the ground in a slump.
�You see, Jhiaxus,� Optimus Prime landed on his feet next to the body, lowering his rifle. �While you may be vastly improved, I have been fighting far more powerful enemies than you, and have won. Never underestimate an Autobot.�
He walked away from Jhiaxus and rushed over to Elita-1. �Are you okay?�
�I am now,� she said. �I can�t believe you did that. It was over so quickly!�
�I know,� Optimus said. �I wish I didn�t have to be so unmerciful, but you can�t reason with beings like Jhiaxus. It was imperative that I get it over quickly. The important thing is that you�re safe.�
�Oh Optimus,� Elita-1 said. �You really haven�t changed. You�re still the same after all these years.�
�Thank you,� he said. �I don�t want to stop this reunion, but I fear something else might be lurking around here. We need to get back to Cybertron.�
Optimus helped Elita-1 to her feet. As soon as she got up, she pointed over at Jhiaxus�s body. Prime followed her gaze, and saw that his enemy�s body was no longer there!
As soon as he noticed that, he felt a crushing blow to the back of his head. Optimus fell to the ground and turned over to see Jhiaxus there, laughing. Elita-1 jumped up and tried to hit him, but he just knocked her aside. He looked back at Prime, who was lying on the ground, not moving.
�Oh come on, Prime!� Jhiaxus bellowed. �Do you really think I�d be defeated that easily? My armor is a heavily dense alloy, your rifle shots merely dented it.�
With that, Jhiaxus punched Optimus Prime in the chest, and opened the cavity. There it was! The Matrix! Grabbing it, Jhiaxus felt triumphant. He threw it in the air and transformed, opening his cockpit. The Matrix fell right inside. Shutting the cockpit, Jhiaxus flew off toward Cybertron, cackling loudly. Elita-1 ran to Optimus Prime�s side.
�Optimus! Say something!� she said.
Suddenly, Optimus sat up. He was in pain, but was still able to chuckle.
�Don�t worry about me,� he groaned. �Just help me up. Everything will be okay, I promise.�
He had done it! He had defeated Prime and taken the Matrix! Cloaking himself as he neared Cybertron, Jhiaxus was prepared for anything the Autobots might have ready. He was riding on such a high, he felt that their whole army couldn�t possibly take him on.
Jhiaxus landed and transformed. Oddly enough, he did not see many Autobots around, but he figured it was just due to their distaste for their leader�s actions. As idiotic as Prime�s departure was to save Elita-1, it was their leader�s decision and his soldiers should have supported him. If Jhiaxus was in charge, anyone who talked back to him would receive swift punishment. These damn Autobots and their compassion, it really was their greatest weakness.
Ah, here it is! Jhiaxus had finally reached the giant supercomputer known as Vector Sigma. Noticing no one around, he turned off his cloaking device and approached the computer. Taking the Matrix out, he inserted it into Vector Sigma, hoping to gain access. Jhiaxus planned on uploading a great deal of power, giving the computer a surge and causing a chain reaction that would destroy the planet. The Autobots wouldn�t even see it coming, and it would be the end of this miserable planet�s existence.
There was a problem. The console was still not active! How was this possible? Then, at that moment, Jhiaxus heard a horrible noise: the sound of metal on metal. It was a gun barrel up against his head.
�Don�t move you piece of Decepticon trash,� a voice said.
Suddenly, on all sides of the room, Autobots appeared from nowhere. One in particular stepped forward. He looked familiar, although Jhiaxus couldn�t tell where he had seen him before.
�I suppose you have never met me, Jhiaxus,� he said. �My name is Rodimus Prime.�
�Rodimus Prime?� Jhiaxus gasped.
�Yes, that�s right,� Rodimus said. �The Autobot formerly known as Hot Rod, in fact. Upgraded to my current condition due to the power of the Matrix.�
�The Matrix!� Jhiaxus said.
�Oh, you mean you didn�t realize that�s a fake?� Rodimus Prime said. �Optimus Prime just happened to manufacture that just shortly before he left to face you. He may not have been thinking clearly when he went to fight, but Prime isn�t stupid.�
�Never have been,� a new voice said. Jhiaxus didn�t have to look back to know who it was.
�I left you dying, Prime! How did you recover?�
Optimus Prime stood in the back, leaning on the shoulder of Elita-1. �It�s been 15 years, Jhiaxus. In those years I have toughened up a little. Maybe it had to do with me dying, I don�t know. But I do know that it takes more than a couple of dents to kill me.�
�That�s right, Jhiaxus,� Rodimus said. �Us Autobots are a little more resilient than you�d think. Mirage, keep that gun right there.�
�Sure thing Rodimus,� Mirage said. �You see Jhiaxus, I also have the ability to cloak myself. What just happened here was a trap. You�ve been set up!�
�How did the rest of you cloak?� Jhiaxus asked.
Another Autobot stepped forward. �Oh that was my doing,� Perceptor said. �I�ve been tinkering with a machine that bends light and makes you appear invisible. Glad it works?�
Jhiaxus was furious, but he didn�t dare move. That gun barrel was digging a hole into the back of his head and there wasn�t a whole lot he could do. Damn these Autobots! That blasted Prime, he was so conniving! He had actually tricked him into thinking that thing was really the Matrix! The anger was building in Jhiaxus, building very quickly�
�Aaah!!� Jhiaxus screamed a monstrous war cry as he did a 360 degree turn, knocking the gun away with one hand and punching Mirage with the other. The movement was so quick that the Autobots had very little time to react as Jhiaxus transformed and flew out of the room.
Flying as fast as he could, Jhiaxus cloaked himself as he left the tunnels. He had escaped, but that wasn�t exactly a great thing. Jhiaxus�s master would be angry at his failure to destroy the planet. He cursed himself for underestimating Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader was smart, and had outdone him again. At least they didn�t know where he was heading.
Jhiaxus didn�t know how wrong he was. At that same moment, Optimus Prime, Elita-1 and Rodimus Prime were in a shuttle followed by an Autobot battalion in two military transports. They were able to track Jhiaxus due to the effects of the fake Matrix that he had in his possession. Before he left to save Elita-1, Optimus had approached Perceptor about constructing a realistic false Matrix. Inside the container that the Autobot scientist had made, Perceptor placed a substance that gave off small amounts of radiation. This radiation was not harmful, but would remain on a surface for a long period of time. Using a special tracking device that detected the radiation, the three Autobot leaders were following Jhiaxus back to his hideout.
In order to follow the plan, Optimus ordered Ultra Magnus to equip a few shuttles with heavy weapons. Following his leader�s orders, Magnus stocked two shuttles with heavy laser cannons and concussion missile launchers. Prime was concerned with a greater evil and wanted to be prepared for whatever would happen.
�Look!� Rodimus said. �Jhiaxus has landed.�
Elita-1 looked at the screen. �Optimus, his headquarters were at J�Asik all along. There should have been no mystery of where he was headed.�
�That may be true,� Optimus replied. �But the real mystery is what else is down there.�
Jhiaxus landed, and approached his master. The massive being was sitting, speaking in a strange language with its eyes closed. Suddenly, its eyes flashed open and glared down at the Cybertronian. Jhiaxus felt very uneasy, very quickly.
�YOU FAILED, JHIAXUS,� it said simply. �YOU FAILED, AND NOW THE AUTOBOTS HAVE FOLLOWED YOU TO ME.�
�What?� Jhiaxus said. �That�s impossible!�
�IT WAS THAT FALSE MATRIX YOU FOOL. IT RADIATED A SUBSTANCE THAT GAVE THEM A WAY TO TRACK YOU!�
�I couldn�t have known that,� Jhiaxus pleaded.
�DON�T WORRY,� it said. �I�M GLAD THEY FOLLOWED YOU. JUST LIKE YOUR PREVIOUS MASTER, THE LIEGE MAXIMO, I PREFER TO HANDLE THINGS PERSONALLY.�
�What on Cybertron is going on?� Rodimus said.
The shuttle that was leading the way to Jhiaxus was suddenly plummeting towards the planet�s surface. Some giant blast had been shot from somewhere below. Optimus reached for the radio.
�Ultra Magnus, have you been hit as well?� he asked.
The radio crackled. �Optimus? No, we can�t even get through the planet�s atmosphere! Some kind of force field is keeping us from entering!�
At that moment, the radio went dead. Rodimus looked at his friends.
�Better grab a hold of something, I�m going to try and land this thing.�
The ship slammed into the ground. Fortunately, Rodimus was an excellent pilot and made sure it was a survivable crash. Wincing, Elita-1 shoved the rubble off of her body and looked around.
�You two guys okay?�
Optimus got up slowly. �I�ll be fine.�
�Not that bad,� Rodimus said. �What hit us?�
�I�m not sure,� Elita-1 replied.
�Well, there�s one thing I do know,� Optimus said. �Jhiaxus isn�t the only one out there. We better get our weapons ready.�
They did so and headed towards the exit. After leaving the craft, they looked around at the barren planet of J�Asik. This planet had actually been a place where life had thrived, but it was all stopped when an entity known as the Swarm passed through. This force, created as an offshoot of the Cybertronian spawning, had a corrosive touch that destroyed anything it touched. Optimus Prime couldn�t help but notice the coincidence, and knew it had to be anything but.
�WELCOME AUTOBOT LEADERS.�
The three turned to see a massive figure stand over them. It was a metallic being like them, easily the size of Metroplex and had a head with three horns. Its face had narrow eyes, a large mouth with horrible teeth, and something that resembled a beard jutting from its chin. It carried a massive ax in one hand, and smoke rose from its mouth. They were horrified by the ominous being, and were even more so by what it had to say:
�MY NAME IS OMNICRON, DEVOTED WORSHIPPER OF UNICRON. PREPARE FOR DOOM IN THE NAME OF MY MASTER.�
TO BE CONCLUDED