Transformers Until one

Chapter Two - Part Nineteen

After the defeat at the Battle of Paradron,
the Decepticons returned to their stronghold—
not a trace of sorrow or disappointment in their optics.
Only a smoldering madness, growing ever more uncontainable.

They didn't see loss as failure.
To them, defeat was fuel—
a spark for their frenzy, their bloodlust.
The joy of destruction, the scream of battle,
the long-overdue vengeance
against the High Council and the rotten system
that had oppressed them for countless cycles.

Laughter echoed throughout the Decepticon base—
wild, guttural, victorious.
Some shouted as they recounted scenes of gore,
some displayed enemy scraps as trophies on their armor,
while others prepped their weapons,
modifying their bodies for the next kill.

Victory wasn't the real goal.

"It's war—WAR is life!"
The voice of a frontline soldier boomed from within a chamber
filled with radicals.
They were born of oppression,
outcasts branded "abnormal" simply for craving violence.
Now unshackled from the chains of their past,
there was no force left to restrain them.

And the most terrifying part...
They didn't feel like they were losing.

They were "awakening."
Awakening into the war they believed
should have existed all along.
And they wanted more—
more and more,
until there was nothing left to burn.

While chaos consumed parts of the base,
with mad laughter and objects hurled in a frenzied haze,
a different kind of chaos erupted in the medbay.

CRASH!
BOOM!

"Why... why did I lose to him!? That damn Prime!! AARGH!!!"
Megatron's roar shook the walls,
accompanied by the sound of shattering equipment.
His massive form was thrashing violently.
Wounded patients nearby froze,
watching in horror from the corridor.
None dared enter.

Nickel, the tiny medic,
stood outside the door with arms crossed,
clearly fed up.

"This is a medbay, not a gladiator pit... For Spark's sake."
"And why take your tantrum here, Your Lordship?"
She wanted to intervene, but as a Minicon,
even she knew confronting Megatron in this state was suicide.

Knock Out, who had been tending to Megatron's injuries,
had already backed off and turned toward Flatline.

"Uhh... Flatline? Mind... taking over for me?"
Flatline sighed,
his voice as tired as his expression.

"Figures it'd come down to me again... What a pain."
He picked up his signature giant hammer,
making Knock Out flinch.

"Wait, wait! I meant calm him down, not break him!"
But before the words had left his mouth,
THUD—
The hammer struck Megatron's back—not hard enough to injure,
but strong enough to deliver a surge of electricity
that instantly knocked the giant warlord unconscious.

Megatron crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Knock Out gaped in disbelief
as Flatline casually began dragging the Decepticon leader
to the medical bed, ignoring the stunned silence.

Everyone outside the medbay froze,
staring at Flatline's calm, steady steps
and the unconscious Megatron behind him.

"...That actually worked?"
Knock Out muttered, wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Unbelievable..."
The patients exchanged glances of stunned amazement.
Someone had actually subdued Megatron...
with nothing but a hammer.

Meanwhile, in Shockwave's private underground lab...

"The first battle ended poorly...
But to me, it was an opportunity."
His voice was cold and emotionless.
His single eye stared through the thick glass
of a massive test chamber
filled with glowing green fluid and scattered biomechanical parts.

He traced a clawed finger along the glass thoughtfully,
then turned to a table
where a map of Cybertron lay spread out.

"Now then... which city shall be next?"
He muttered as he leaned closer.

"Karnyx... the city of Quintus Prime.
A place long ignored by the Autobots and the High Council."
"Once the cradle of the Quintessons...
hated by all Cybertronians.
How deliciously twisted and potent hatred can be."
His finger landed on the map—on Karnyx.

"Yes. That one.
Because there, lies something I need."
He picked up a schematic and murmured:

"Emberstone...
If I can obtain it,
my experiments will evolve to a new level of perfection."
The hum of machinery echoed throughout the lab,
as if responding in agreement—
a silent rhythm to the dark plans unfolding within.
Plans that would never stop.

The lab doors slid open with a faint hiss.
A small green-and-gold Cybertronian entered,
arms full of documents.

"Forgive the intrusion, sir. I've brought the latest reports."
Point offered the file respectfully.
Shockwave approached,
took the documents, and scanned them swiftly.

"Excellent.
Your reports are flawless.
As expected from one of my former students."
Though the words were clinical,
Point beamed with pride—
a simple praise from Shockwave meant the world to him.

"It's all thanks to your guidance, sir.
I'm truly grateful for everything."
Shockwave leaned in,
his red optic glowing dimly.

"You possess capabilities far beyond what your system permits.
A pity you were built without a T-cog.
Sentinel must have intended for you to suffer in silence."
"But I will reward your loyalty.
After your long service to me...
I will grant you an Empurata."
Point's eyes widened in shock and joy.
He rushed in and hugged Shockwave's leg without thinking,
overwhelmed by gratitude.

"Thank you, sir...
Your kindness means everything to me.
I won't let you down!"