Pacing, something that Hotshot didn’t like his best friend engaged in.
After the war between Decepticons and Autobots, there had been 500 years of peace and prosperity. Hotshot had become a great writer and mainly wrote about his adventures on Earth. He missed the kids indeed. Sometimes he would ask for a pass to the warp gates so he could see them again, but times were still a little rough. There was a lot of fixing up to do still, and all of the Transformers were needed.
Sitting in his room at the newly built base underground below Hexatron, Hotshot mused over the recent attacks on the cities. No one had any idea what the new threat could possibly be, and they only had small indications to what it could be. Hotshot was one of the few transformers that had sustained his personality though the whole peace making operation. There were some who could not cope with the new peace, and they now rested at an institute on the other side of the planet. Left to live in their own peace: A war training camp.
Hotshot looked up at his comrade and roommate Sideswipe. Over the years he too had become a much better fighter than he was so many years ago. He was more mature now, but he still liked to call Hotshot ‘bro’ on odd occasions. He was now an accomplished weapons scientist.
“I really wish I knew what could’ve caused that much destruction to the New ones.” He said, finally ceasing his pacing.
“It’s odd, but not impossible.” Hotshot replied, stretching out on his recharge pad.
“Yes well that’s obvious.” Came the sarcastic reply, “But the question isn’t how-“
“It’s who.” Hotshot finished, looking at his friend and then out the window.

***

‘Man, I’ve missed this place.’ Optimus thought as he looked over the area he once called home.
Standing on one of the 5 pillars that surrounded the ruins of the once proud city, Optimus became saddened. There was a rare wind today that ruffled his black cloak, making it fan out just like when Scavenger’s had when he arrived on Earth. Oh sometimes he missed Earth. The perilous adventures he had once filled his spark.
But such emotions were gone now.
As was what he used to be.
He spoke to the wind, “I am no longer Optimus Prime. I am simply Optimus…”
His cloak whipped aggressively in the suddenly strong wind. His head turned sharply. He sensed it. A gesult.
”PRIME! YOU WILL PAY!”
A booming voice reached Optimus’s audio receptors. Lesser mortals would’ve cowered under such vocal pressure, but he did not.
An explosion sent shrapnel and debris everywhere. Optimus shielded himself with his arms and waited for the metallic dust to clear. But he did not need it to clear for Optimus to know who it was.
“Silverbolt.” He acknowledged and jumped down, landing with a thud on the hard ground. He crouched, readying his blade beneath his cloak. Fighting and winning against a gesult was tough, but not impossible. The New ones were strong against normal weapons.
But his weapons were not normal. And more to the point: They destroyed the alloy that made up the new ones. Killing them. Eating them from the inside out.
“YOU ARE A TRAITOR, AND A FOOL TO OPPOSE US!” Silverbolt roared. “NO ONE WHO IS A TRAITOR DESERVES TO LIVE!”
“I find that hard to believe.” Optimus growled.
The huge transformer lunged at the black-cloaked figure below him. Optimus was quick to move and jumped out of the way of the sudden lunge. Grasping his sword, Optimus swung out and slashed the brute’s hand as Silverbolt reached out to grab him.
He screamed, feeling the energy that resided in the sword pierce the alloy of his skin. Optimus saw his chance as energon splatted on the ground and on his cloak. He jumped up and ran up Silverbolt’s arm, dodging lunges made by the giant gesult. He was shot down though, as Silverbolt grabbed his gun and pierced him though his arm. He took no heed to the stabbing pain and continued his journey.
The assassin made a huge leap up and swung the sword down on the New one’s head. He screamed, an energon-curdling scream that made Optimus’s optics glow in pain and anger. Gallons of the liquid flowed out of the gesult’s slitted helmet, the energy from the blade sending pain up every ligament. Finally, he fell. A great bulk of steel landing with an almighty CRASH! on the ground below. Optimus jumped off his shoulder just in time and landed with a much softer crash on the ground. But the gesult wasn’t gone yet.
“I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS PRIME!!!” He screamed and attempted to punch his killer. Optimus growled and ran forwards, throwing a grenade inside the great silver transformer’s slashed head.
And Optimus transformed, and sped away as fast as possible. Five seconds later, the fallen gesult exploded…
The force sent Optimus into the air. He quickly transformed and landed with little grace on one of the pillars. He knelt down in exhaustion for a moment, before recovering and standing up straight again; he put his sword back in subspace.
Looking over the newly created crater, he saw fragments of silver littered the area. He wished he hadn’t got this job … after all, didn’t he love peace?
So why did he love the job as much as he hated it?
A sudden sound of clapping alerted him. Spinning around, hand on the hilt of his sword; he saw another figure on one of the pillars, clad, like him, in a cloak.
But his cloak was that of a midnight blue.
Optimus tried to guess whom it was, but he could not. By it’s posture, the new arrival looked male. And familiar somehow…
The figure crouched, and sprang up, landing on the next pillar and doing the same for the next three that separated him from Optimus, but he did it so fast he didn’t have time to register what happened next.
He hugged him.
It was not a hug of greeting, not of welcome. It was the type that punished a long lost person in the others life…
It was over so fast, that Optimus could not prevent the other figure from attaching a stunning device to the back of his neck. He began to feel drowsy immediately and asked, “Who’re you?”
His vision went blurry as he saw the other figure lift up his hood and look down at him with that classic smirk…
Optimus went offline and fell into the others arms. In one of his hands held a shredded piece of blue alloy…
He smirked again and replied to the prone figure,
“Your brother.”

***

At another place, on the other side of the planet, a strong looking transformer made his way down to his boss’ office. The base he was at seemed like one of those ancient churches to worship people or gods. The walls were incredibly high even for transformers, and they were beckoned with many symbols and inscriptions.
“You wanted to see me boss?” The bot asked as he entered the office.
A back of a chair was all he saw. He knew his boss didn’t show his face to anyone who was an underling.
“Status report.”
“Silverbolt has fallen in battle with an unknown-“ Began the transformer, but he was interrupted by a wave of his master’s hand.
“I know that. I meant the project.”
“Near completion.” His underling replied.
“Very well. Tell the other workers to hurry it up.” Was the cold response.
“Yes sir!” The bot replied and saluted the chair.
“You may go. That is all.”
The bot left.

A smile that he had not shown in many days appeared on his face. “You're back, and such a convenience it is too…”