Prime Effect 3 [Fanfiction]

[Apollo-XL5]

CHAPTER 20

 

Jack was sure he was going to be dead this time, there was no way he could have survived even a brush against the beam that Harbinger fired at him and Optimus. All that he could hope was that he had managed to push his mentor and friend far enough away so that he could continue the fight.

Maybe Grimlock and the others had made it too, it was a lot to hope for considering how the Reaper was ripping Hammer apart, but that was all he had left. But yet he could still feel the rain hitting his face, the wind brushing against his skin and hair. He focused on those feelings and suddenly his body began to ache like nothing he had experienced before, it felt like his entire being had been burnt to a crisp.

He then heard voices in the distance and turned his face, slowly opening his eyes as painful as it was. He could see along the ground from him was the body of a Krogan lying face down on the ground, his holo-tool was on but fluctuating as the Prime figured out what he was hearing.

"My god…, they're all gone." he could hear Dreadwing say with fear and despair in his voice over the active com link (being broadcast by the holo-tool).

"Did we get anyone to the beam?" an unknown female voice asked back.

"Negative, our entire force was decimated." the former Con replied, making Jack's heart sink as the words burned into to his core.

'We failed!' he thought as he then looked back up to the sky to see the Reaper Beam reaching up into the heavens as the storm clouds continued to battle each other around it's light.

"It's too much, we have to retreat. Pull back to the buildings." Dreadwing finished before the power source for the Krogan's holo-tool stopped and it deactivated. Jack then saw Harbinger lift off the ground from behind the Beam, it's yellow eyes not even bothering to look at the devastation it had caused as it headed back up into orbit.

The Prime moved his hands and tried to lift himself up, but the pain he felt was so agonising that he collapsed back and grimaced as he felt blood trickle down over his lips from his nose. Suddenly two figures were seen standing over him but could not make out who they were, due to the bright light of the beam stopping him from focusing his vision in his fragile state.

He then felt something grab hold of his legs and focused to see the two figures beginning to drag him across the ground and towards the Reaper beam, it's light growing ever brighter the closer he was brought to it. A sound of power building up could be heard as the figures dragged him into the light and suddenly Jack felt himself suddenly thrusted up into the air at velocity.

He tried to keep his eyes open but the force that was being pressed upon him as he was being accelerated up was forcing his eyes shut, but he could only making out streaks of white light flying past before everything went dark again.

Then just as quickly as he passed out, he was brought back to consciousness by the painful feeling of being dropped down onto a cold, hard floor. He opened his eyes and slowly looked around to see that he was somewhere else. The room was vast and had a metallic look to it.

"Where….am…I?" he said as he heard footsteps approaching him from behind.

"Where do you think, Darby." a familiar voice said as the footsteps stopped just ahead of him.

"…Silas…." Jack replied as he tried to look up at the MECH leader, but could not find the strength to do so.

"Pick him up."

Suddenly the Prime winced as he felt the two figures grab his throbbing arms and lift him to his feet. Jack looked down to the floor and saw that his Prime armour had been damaged beyond repair, he could even see through to his burnt torso underneath via the odd burnt through section's of his armour.

"Look at me, Darby." Slias said, gaining Jack's attention, his eyes widened at what he saw.

"What….the hell have you done to your…" he started to say before feeling like his brain was being squashed inside his head, just after seeing his adversary's face. It had now looked like Silas was halfway into becoming a Husk, with Reaper modifications all over his face. His optics were no longer glowing yellow, but bright blue instead. He smiled at Darby slyly.

"Save your strength, unless you wish to end up like Optimus over here."

Silas stepped aside to reveal the Autobot Leader on his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"Let Darby go and secure him." the MECH leader said as he pointed over to the fallen Prime. Suddenly Jack felt his arms being released and looked to see that it was a Marauder and a Cannibal that had been keeping him subdued, he watched as they picked up Optimus and lifted him to his feet. The Commander then noticed that Silas was still grinning at him.

"I warned you, control is the means to survival. Control of the Reapers and of you… if necessary."

Jack gritted his teeth as he attempted to move towards his enemy but then Silas just lifted his hand to him, and suddenly Jack's brain felt like it was going to explode as he screamed out loud. The muscles in his legs froze and he could not move from his spot as he put his head in his hands.

"I told you to save your strength, your part in this is over Darby. I have control of you all now." the MECH leader replied, but then Optimus lifted his head and stared daggers at Silas.

"No, they are controlling you." he spat as the Husks held him in place, but from where Jack stood, he could of sworn that Optimus was saying it to him. The MECH leader turned and faced the older Prime, his expression was one of annoyance.

"I don't think so, Prime." he replied with disdain.

"Controlling me and a few Husks is not the same as controlling a Reaper." Jack said back as he tried to move, but found himself being held in place by some unknown force. Silas then turned back to the younger Prime and looked at him coldly, his blue optics glowing brightly.

"Have a little faith." he replied before he began to walk around the pair.

"When the Cybertronians uplifted Humanity, when we found that there was more to galaxy than we had ever imagined. There were some who thought that we were progressing too fast, that our god-like allies were pushing us too far. They were scared of what we would become, of what we would find. But look at what Humanity has achieved, in spite of the Cybertronians influence. Since that moment, we have advanced more than the last ten thousand years combined. And the Reapers will do the same for us again, a thousand fold. But.." he stopped and stared at Jack, making the Prime's head ache even more.

"..only if we harness their ability to control."

"No, there is no controlling the Reapers. We have to destroy them before they destroy us." Optimus said back, regaining the MECH leader's attention as Jack put his hand to his throbbing head.

"And waste this opportunity, never." Silas said as he walked back round the pair. The Commander then looked back at MECH leader.

"But your messing with things that you don't understand, with power you shouldn't be able to use."

"I…" Silas said as he stopped and looked up to the ceiling, as if he heard voices speaking to him.

"…don't believe that." he continued as he regained his composure and looked back at the Primes.

"If we can control it, then why shouldn't it be ours?" he finished.

"Because we are not ready." Jack replied as Silas looked at him.

"No, this is the way Humanity has to evolve."

"There is always another way." Optimus said while looking directly at the younger Prime again, confusing him even more. Silas though stood as though his confidence was at it's highest.

"I have made it my life's goal to study the Reapers since their discovery, and I know with certainty that the Crucible will allow me to control them. The device is just down there." he said as he pointed down the hallway that had appeared behind him.

Jack looked at him with an unconvinced expression.

"And then what?"

"Look at the power they hold, look at what I can do with it." Silas then said as he clenched his fist, which made it glow with purple energy, causing both Jack and Optimus to suffer seizures as the two Husks holding the older Prime suddenly turned to dust. Everything went white for Jack as the overwhelming pain took his attention before it finally stopped and both he and his mentor breathed heavily as the MECH leader stared at them.

"I see what they did to you." Jack spat back at him in anger.

"I took what I wanted from them, made it my own. This isn't about me or you, it's about things that are so much bigger than all of us." Silas replied as he stretched his arms out and looked up to the ceiling.

"He's wrong, don't listen to him." Optimus said as Jack looked over to him, only for Silas to stand beside the older Prime.

"And who will you listen to Darby, an old Prime who is stuck in his ways. Seeing no way to end this conflict but down the barrel of a gun. And what if he is wrong, what if controlling the Reapers is the answer. Because while you two were unconscious, the Crucible has docked with the Citadel…and with the three of us are aboard, if you hadn't noticed."

Jack shook his head in response.

"It doesn't matter, because if we destroy the Reapers now, then it ends today. But if you can't control them.."

This gained an angry reaction from Silas as he gritted his teeth and flapped his fist at the Prime.

"But I can!" he spat back, not even attempting to hide his rage.

"Are you willing to bet Humanity's existence on it." Jack shouted back as suddenly Silas's expression changed to uncertainty before looking down to the ground and holding his hands in front of his face.

"No, No, it will work." he replied as if trying to convince himself of it.

"You can't, can you. 'They' won't let you do it." the younger Prime said back as he could see the MECH leader's resolve begin to falter. But then Silas looked back at Jack, his face full of rage and he violently pointed back at him.

"No, I'm in control. No one is telling me what to do!" he spat back at the Commander.

Optimus just stood there and looked between both the men.

"Listen to yourself, you're indoctrinated." he said, and the older Prime's words seemed to echo throughout Jack's mind as he looked at Silas.

"No, No! The two of you are so self righteous. Do you think power like this comes easy, there are sacrifices." the MECH leader said back with little conviction, but much anger in his tone.

"You sacrificed too much." Jack said confidently, as if he knew some hidden truth all of a sudden. Silas though was almost rabid as he began to move franticly.

"Darby, I… I only wanted to protect Humanity, the Crucible can control them. I know it can…..I …just." he said before trailing off and looking up as if hearing things.

"It's not too late, let us go. We can do the rest." Jack said calmly, hoping that he might be able to get through to the MECH leader. Silas then put his hand up to his brow and thought for a second.

"I…. I… cannot do that, Darby." he said as his voice and expression showed the inner struggle he was facing with himself.

"Of course you can't, Silas. You are theirs now." Optimus replied before looking back at Jack.

Silas then walked behind the older Prime and took his pistol out from it's holster on the Autobot's utility belt.

"You, you would undo everything I have accomplished." the MECH leader said as Optimus fell to his knees. Silas then pointed the gun at the older Prime's head.

"I cannot let that happen." he said as Jack watched.

Because of you, Humanity is already undone." Jack replied.

"That's not true!" Silas spat back as he started to lose control again.

"The Reapers have the Citadel, they have us fighting each other instead of fighting them!" the younger Prime spat back, his own anger now boiling over.

"I just need to…." the MECH leader replied in a rage as he stepped towards Jack.

"You did exactly what the Reapers wanted. Your still doing it now, because they control you!" the Commander shouted back, causing Silas's erratic behaviour to continue as he began to pace from left to right, waving the pistol about.

"No, No,…" he shouted.

",You were supposed to protect Humanity, but you failed!" Jack continued to say, as Silas held his head in his hands, looking like he was in great pain before staring daggers at the younger Prime and charging at him.

"NO! I am the savior of Humanity, the pinnacle of our species." he shouted as he lunged at the Commander, but then Jack found that he could move all of a sudden and then dodged Silas's attack, grabbed his arm and twisted it. The MECH leader winced as Jack pulled the pistol away and turned around to face his adversary before pulling the trigger, sending Silas flying on to his back before smoke began to rise up from the bullet hole in his chest. Jack looked down to see the blue light from the MECH leader's optics and other Reaper modifications fade to nothing.

"You have done well." an unknown voice spoke out from behind the younger Prime, it sounded old and wise, but gentle and warm. Jack turned round to see Optimus standing there, looking completely fine. His eyes though glowed with a white light as he smiled at the Commander.

"Step into the light." he said, the voice certainly wasn't Optimus's, as whoever this was pointed to the hallway that Silas had gestured to earlier. Jack looked back to see that a bright white light was shining from the bottom of the hallway. He had no idea what was down there, but he felt that he could trust this being who was impersonating Optimus. So he nodded back to him and began walking down the hallway, leaving Silas's dead body and that room behind him as white light surrounded him.

PRIME EFFECT 3

The Prime could not believe his eyes when the white light died down to reveal that he was in a completely new location, not dark and metallic like the room that he faced Silas in. His surroundings from the mountains that he saw in the distance, to the very ground that he stood on was made of crystal. But not in an artificial way, it all looked like it had formed naturally.

It all looked so perfect and beautiful, the Prime lost himself in his surroundings as he stared wide-eyed before up into the sky to see it full of stars. He also saw what on Earth would be called the ' Northern lights', as the waves of blue and green coloured light moved through the night sky effortlessly.

"Those stars are the sparks of Cybertronians that have past beyond your world." that voice spoke again from behind Jack, as a bright light shone from the same direction. The Prime turned around only to be nearly blinded by intensity of the white light as it moved toward him.

"You need not fear me, for I am both a friend and watcher of you, Jackson Prime. You have carried a part of my essence with you after all." the light spoke, Jack's eyes widened again as he realised who was speaking to him.

"Primus!" he said with a half gasp before the white light then dimmed and reformed to take on the an almost ghostly image of Optimus Prime.

"Yes, Disciple of mine. I am Primus and I bring you here within the Matrix, so that I can I bestow on you the wisdom to prevent the apocalypse that is about to by unleashed." the deity said in return as Jack still stood there completely dumbstruck.

"I'm…. in the matrix?…. Wait, what happened back there. I mean with Silas, I mean I realise now that Optimus was…. He was you in there wasn't he."

"Yes, I was there to help you see the truth."

"What truth?" Jack asked with a confused look.

"The truth that everything you have just witnessed has been a lie." Primus replied, gaining another dumbstruck look from the Prime, before anger took over.

"Don't lie to me, I saw my friends and the woman I loved die back there!" he spat back at the apparition before it changed again, this time to a human sized Alpha Trion.

"I do not lie, Disciple. I bring you only the truth. Sinice you are a Prime, you know that all connected to me via the matrix only speaks truthfully. I am no different." he said as he looked at Jack with a knowing but supportive expression.

"Then when did this….." the Prime was about to ask before looking down at himself to see that his armour was back to it's untouched state, his injuries were gone as well. It then clicked in his mind.

"I am dreaming aren't I. The last thing I remember was our tank being overturned by an explosion."

"That is correct, you are as of this moment still lying unconscious inside that tank on the battlefield, in the city you call London." Primus replied with a nod.

"Well I guess I have picked a great time to be dreaming, haven't I." Jack replied in a half joking tone, earning a slight smile from the deity.

"Now there is the man that I bestowed with the Human matrix of leadership, the shadow that has been cast over your soul for so long has finally faded away."

"What do you mean by that?" the Prime asked, earning a stoic look from deity.

"This may be hard for you to hear, but for the last year you have been under the threat of Reaper indoctrination. You were almost under their complete control before I stepped in."

Jack's expression changed to one of complete shock.

"What!, when did this happen and how?"

"You remember when you came in contact with the Reaper artefact that your people called 'Object Rho'?" Primus said as an image of Jack approaching and being zapped by it played in front of him.

"Yes, I do. I remember that only too well. But I felt fine after and was even given a clean bill of health."

"Perhaps so, but Reaper indoctrination is a very dangerous method of control. It is subtle at first and slowly breaks down the will of those under it's thrall, until they become mere puppets of the Reapers. Those under the effects of indoctrination will begin to have hallucinations…" the deity said as another image played out in front of Jack, this time of the boy back on Earth. The images shown were of him playing in the park, hiding in the air duct and his death at the hands of the Reapers. Jack just stood there and watched.

"The boy wasn't real, was he? And then there were the dreams." he said before thinking about them as Primus watched.

"Yes, the boy was not real. His image was used by the Reapers or more in particular the one called Harbinger to try and break your will, therefore progressing the indoctrination further. And then taking into account the friends that you have lost, the battles that went against you. These also helped to further weaken your resolve."

Jack then had an expression of understanding as he looked at the deity.

"I can see that now, the last final dream I had. I saw Harbinger in it, why didn't I think more of it at the time?"

"Because the Reapers whispers into your mind, prevented you from doing so. When it came to the final push, Harbinger connected to you again while you were unconscious and played an elaborate faux that showed the ones you cared for the most dying before you. This tragedy would then have you fall completely under their thrall. That was when I stepped in, I originally believed that the matrix would offer you some protection, but with everything that has happened to you over the last year. I needed to take action myself." Primus replied before Jack looked at him curiously.

"Wait, why would the Reapers want me under their control? I would think that they would rather kill me."

"Because you, Jackson Prime, are what they call a 'nexus', you turn one way and the whole galaxy has a tendency to turn the same way. The Reapers knew that the galaxy would listen to you and help you bring their plan to fruition." the deity replied.

"You seem to know a lot about the Reapers, why? What are they planning?" Jack asked as he let his curiosity get the better of him.

"I am old, Jackson Prime. My time goes back as far as what your species call the 'big bang', the very creation of the universe. And in that time I have seen many, many things. I will tell you about the Reapers and what their true goals are, but you must listen to my story to know the whole truth." Primus replied, earning an surprised and alert expression from Jack.

"But we don't have time, you say that I am still very much in the fight. Then we are wasting time with this now."

"Time has no meaning right now as only a few moments will pass in the waking world, for your mind is within the matrix. When you awaken, you will be ready for what lies ahead. But for now….., listen to my story."

Suddenly Jack found himself surrounded by space and stars while Primus's voice spoke.

"At the beginning of the universe, when you and your species were not even a thought amongst the cosmos. There was the first beings, the first life forms to achieve sentience, to evolve and expand throughout their own galaxy, That was my species and we called ourselves 'Aeons'. After a time we came to find that we were not the only ones to have been blessed with the gift of life, as we found that many galaxies had worlds that had given birth to life, though no where near our level of evolution. We decided to watch these young species and guide them when necessary, for we knew that there was only one absolute in cosmos, one constant that kept the universe in sync. And that was the balance between light and dark, order and chaos. What you would call good and evil. We had learnt this because each Aeon was born with a brother that was the opposite of them, the mirror image if you will. I was no different and my brother was the one you would know as Unicron."

The Prime kept quiet as an image of Unicron and Primus standing side by side appeared before him, both looking like the other, but with immediate differences.

"Unicron was always impatient and quick to anger, while I myself was more composed and reserved. But we always kept each other in balance."

"How did you watch the galaxies?" Jack suddenly asked out loud, feeling curious at what he was looking at.

"There are an infinite number of galaxies in the universe disciple of mine, as there are also an infinite number of us. Each pair of Aeons receives a galaxy to watch over and guide, to help keep the balance of light and dark for that cluster of stars. And so Unicron and I were given what you would call 'The Milky Way' and we took this galaxy into our arms to watch and nurture. And at first, everything went as it should have as life began to appear throughout your galaxy, the first sentient beings of the very first cycle of the Milky Way. But then we saw something that began to trouble my brother, the new life forms had begun fighting each other. Starting wars and wiping out the others. Unicron became enraged by this, saying that free will was a poison and that we Aeons should be more hands on with the younger species, but I always believed that if left alone and given the chance, the younger ones would see the error of their ways and work together for the common good of each other. My brother would not hear of it, he was convinced that he was right and the two of us would argue for entire ages about this as the galaxy continued to turn and grow. Soon enough I began to see this change in the species that spawned in our galaxy but Unicron, he had become a stranger to me as all he saw was the wars and death that a number of the young races would bring to each other, and so my brother chose to act. He took the form of a planet, a planet that could consume and purge anything in it's path. He chose to destroy those species that had chosen war and death, believing them to be unable or unwilling to change their ways." Primus said as Jack then saw the planet form of Unicron, it looked more natural and biological than machine and he watched as it started to feed off and destroy entire worlds.

"My brother had broken the one rule that we Aeons were never to break, which was to not physically interfere with the natural order of a galaxy. So I chose to react, but I did so in a way which kept the rule unbroken in my case. So I brought life to thirteen special sparks, they had synthetic bodies, but I gave them sentience. The one thing that the synthetics that my race originally created had none of. For after seeing how the younger races of this galaxy fared, I believed that this merging would produce beings who would prove themselves worthy. Not only of being my children, but also of putting a stop to my brother's evil ways. But they would need something special to help them, so I gave them a piece of my spark to use so that they could stop my brother, since the two of us are linked together."

An image appeared in front of Jack that showed the silhouettes of this group and that one of them held an object that glowed brightly, the Commander recognised these people instantly.

"The Thirteen Primes and the Matrix of Leadership."

"Yes, my Disciple, and I gave the first matrix to the lead Prime, the one called 'Prima'." Primus replied as an image of the Prime appeared before Jack and he was holding the Star Saber in his hands.

"Wait, the first matrix?"

"There have been three matrices that I have passed down to those I found worthy of becoming my disciples. The first was to Prima, the second was to Optimus and the third and 'final' one was to you Jackson Darby. May I continue?" the deity asked somewhat frankly, which surprised and embarrassed the Commander.

"Sorry, yes…. Please contiune."

"Thank you. The Thirteen fought many battles against my brother and stopped him from devouring many worlds, but still he managed to wipe out a number of civilisations in our personal war. But then one day, my disciples managed to injure Unicron and prevent him from changing his form to that which he had used to wipe out billions. And he then disappeared into the darkness, for what would feel like an eternity. The Thirteen searched the galaxy several times over while looking for my brother, until they found him and finally defeated him. And while his body floated through the galaxy, I gave my disciples a home, a world….. And they called it Cybertron. I then chose to relinquish my physical form and so joined my spark with the core of this world, so that I could then bring my creations new life, and from the well of All-sparks the entire Cybertronian species were born. And as I watched my children build a world that any father would be proud of, little did I know that Unicron still had his claws dug into this galaxy. For though his body had drifted through space until it became the first rock of your home world called 'Earth', he had already left a legacy of his own."

"The Reapers, I know how they were created. Lucifer showed me." Jack said as images of the black behemoths appeared around him.

"Yes, the first three Reapers. Harbinger, Sovereign and the one you named Lucifer. After the later had gone rogue, the other two purged several civilisations and converted them into more of themselves before going quiet suddenly. But I had not noticed since I was more engrossed with how my own children were growing, under the leadership of the thirteen before they joined the All-spark. Then in what took several hundred million years, the Cybertronians had mastered space flight and also built the Space bridge network. It was now what my children would call the 'Golden Age of Cybertron'. They had begun reaching out to other worlds and species and working with them. It was also at this time that the Citadel appeared, no one knew what it was, but the organic races that found it, believed that it once belonged to a race long since dead. So they made it the heart of the galactic community. But then something happened, it was something that I should have seen coming far sooner as the signs were already there." Primus said as an image of two of the Thirteen appeared before Jack.

"Just before fading away, the Thirteen were betrayed by one of their own, his name was Megatronus. He had turned on and murdered Solus Prime in what appeared to be a fit of jealously and rage, after she had chosen another for herself….a spark mate if you will. But I fear that my brother before his defeat had managed to poison Megatronus' spark. Because before that day, none of the Thirteen would have acted in that manner. At the time I thought the incident was over, but since what happened later, I fear that Unicron had a hand in the events that followed." the deity continued as Jack then saw the end of the golden age and the start of a conflict that he knew only too well after being told about it by Arcee and the other Autobots and experiencing it's twilight years.

"The Great war."

"Yes, my children had done the one thing I believed not possible of them. The Cybertronian race was split right down the middle, Autobots and Decepticons. And worse still, the Decepticons leader was called Megatron (having named himself Megatronus before), it is ironic that it was that name he had chosen for himself. After spending the ages arguing with Unicron about the nature of free will and what he believed it would ultimately lead too… war and destruction, and yet now he was being proven right. For millions of years as the war ravaged the surface of Cybertron, I felt each and every bomb that went off or city that was destroyed. I had lost faith in my own creations as the lineage of Primes had failed, but that was until one day when one in particular appeared before my very spark."

"You mean Orion Pax." the Prime replied.

"I looked into his spark and saw the very same values and courage that the Thirteen had within them originally and so gave him the second Matrix, thus reformatting him into Optimus Prime. I placed with him the last hope I had of ending this conflict. But it would still be millions of years before that day would come." Primus said.

"I know how that war ended, I was there. But what about the Reapers during all of this?" Jack asked.

"Forgive me, Jackson Darby, but at that time I was still in mourning for the failure that my children had shamed me with during the great war. I am as guilty as they were for focusing in on themselves and not noticing the cyclical purging of organic life from the rest of the galaxy every hundred thousand years for the many of millions of years that the war transpired. It was not until you were made a Prime and given the third matrix, then I accessed your memories and saw the Reapers. I then looked back through the countless cycles of the past and saw the countless harvests of organic life in the galaxy. Centillions of lives lost in the time between the start of the war and the point in which they were about to return for your cycle. I also saw that the Reapers had never once touched a single Cybertronian life, and it was in that moment that I realised that the war that had split my children in two was really his doing and was a way to spite me for my beliefs. And that was why the Reapers, his creations never attacked Cybertron. He was ensuring that my pain in seeing my children fighting each other would continue forever. The Reapers had a stranglehold on the galaxy and used both the Space bridge network and the Citadel, a device of their own construction to ensure that their master's will would carry on."

"You said that the Reapers have goals? What else is there other than the purging of all organic life every cycle?" Jack asked.

"In the countless cycles that the Reapers have destroyed all life in the galaxy as they also built up their numbers, I have seen that Harbinger is indeed the one leading them in their master's absence. It has learnt what the value of hope is to the organic races that they purge, and so during one early cycle the Reapers left a blue print for the next cycle to find. This blue print would offer hope to those that would face the next culling a hundred thousand years later.

"You mean the Crucible. Are you saying that it is not the salvation that we were led to believe?" the Prime asked.

"The Crucible will only ensure your destruction, Jackson Darby. Because it will resurrect my brother…. Unicron the Chaos Bringer."

"I don't understand, I thought Optimus extinguished Unicron's spark years ago. When he used the matrix on him." Jack replied.

"No, my brother was only put back into stasis lock. When I created the matrix, I ensured that it would only defeat him, not destroy him. Because I did not want to see Unicron die, I only wanted to help him see the error of his thinking. He is after all…still my brother." Primus answered.

"Wait, you mean he is still…." the Commander said as he realised what the deity meant.

"Yes, Unicron's spark is very much alive, down in the core of your world. Why do you think the Reapers attacked and lay siege to Earth before any other planet in the galaxy. They wanted ensure that their master was safe and prepare for his return." the Aeon replied which earned a look of horror from the Prime.

"My god, how does the Crucible achieve this?"

"Once it joins with the Citadel, they will form Unicron's new body, but it is not the only attempt the Reapers have made to resurrect their creator, for you have already destroyed one once before." Primus said, earning a curious expression from Jack.
"It was when you destroyed the Quintesson home-world just over a year ago." the deity added, earning a wide-eyed expression from the Prime as he remembered.

"The Human Reaper, that was meant to be a body for Unicron."

The apparition nodded in return.

"Yes, you see after waiting for so many cycles and witnessing the organic races of each fail to successfully build and deploy the Crucible every time, Harbinger became impatient. So during the cycle that came before yours, it harvested and re-purposed the Lithone species. And made it their mission to find one that it would consider worthy of harvesting and building into the body for their master." Primus said.

"And it chose Humanity because we defeated it's brother Sovereign and ended the Reapers original invasion three years ago." Jack replied, warning a nod in return from the deity.

"But even though you destroyed that prototype and ended the threat it presented, they still had their original plan to fall back on. You see when the Crucible and Citadel are together along with the Reaper beam that is connected to the Earth, which is not unlike an umbilical cord. It will transfer my brother's spark into it and his new body will take form from the combined two (the crucible is like a blank protoform). Once complete, Unicron will finish what he began and destroy all life with his children at his side. And then he go about rebuilding the galaxy as he sees fit."

"Then let me wake now, I still have time to stop it." Jack replied.

"I am afraid that it cannot be stopped, the Reaper's and my brother's endgame is already under way. But there is a way to end the threat posed by both once and for all." Primus said with a stoic expression.

"I'm all ears, tell me what to do." the Prime said.

"Like I said before, my brother and I are linked. One cannot exist without the other, so if the power of the matrix is unleashed into his spark. It can destroy him."

"But you said that the matrix isn't powerful enough to do that, what aren't you telling me, Primus?" Jack asked with a curious and stern look.

"I see that there is no point withholding the truth from you, Jackson Darby, as you know the matrix is a piece of my very spark. As you are a keeper of such a piece, it connects you to me and I to you. Now if the matrix is released into my brother's spark, I will add my very essence to it as well and so my spark and Unicron's will cancel each other out, the resulting release of energy will then destroy the Reapers as well." Primus replied.

"But such a release of energy would only effect a sector of the galaxy, how do you plan to have it cover the entire galaxy?" Jack then asked, suddenly feeling confused.

"Have faith, Disciple of mine." the Aeon simply replied with a smile, then it was then that Jack realised what he meant.

"The space bridge network, since Unicron will have the Citadel as part of his body, then it will connect him to it. The energy release will then spread out and cover then galaxy." the Prime answered, earning a nod from Primus.

"You are indeed wise Jackson Darby, yes the very device that the Reapers created to control the space bridge network can also be used to end them."

"Okay, so I just need to wait for Unicron to reawaken and then enter his body via the Reaper beam. And then unleash your's and the matrix's energy into his spark to end this war." Jack said with confidence, but this was met by a stern expression from Primus.

"No, Disciple. You are still Human, if you were to unleash the matrix's energy then you would likely not survive the exposure. Plus the Human Matrix of Leadership is not meant for this crisis, but for one many centuries from now."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, again feeling curious about the Aeon's words.

"Focus on the here and now, Prime. You and Optimus must enter Unicron and it is he who must unleash the power of the matrix he carries. As he is Cybertronian, Optimus will be able to survive the release of it's energies and mine." Primus replied with a stern but stoic tone, gaining a nod from Jack, but then the young Prime looked to the horizon and his eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on him.

"If this works, you and Unicron will cancel each other out, then that means that Cybertron will truly become a dead world and everything that is connected to you will die out too." he said while holding his hand over his chest plate and feeling the pulsing energy of the matrix under it.

"No, Prime. The matrix you carry will allow a piece of me to survive this, I assure you." the deity said while placing a transparent hand on Jack's shoulder, but he just looked back with worry written on his face.

"But what about the well of All-sparks, it is still the only way for Cybertronians to gain new sparks, and ensure their future. If you die then it will go dark and you will condemn your children to extinction."

Primus though continued to offer Jack a gentle smile.

"As I said, have faith and trust in me, Jackson Darby. Because for every door that is open, then one must close. And for every door that closes, one must then open. I will not leave my children to such a fate, because since they met Humanity, not only has the war come to an end, but they have also gone on to make a positive impact on the galaxy. That is all down to your race's positive influence, you have helped my children evolve and grow past their old ways and in turn they have too helped yours over come the troubles that have plagued your species since your creation."

"Primus, I must ask. You have been so against killing your brother, why the change now?" Jack then asked.

"Because I am tired and I have lived far too long, as my brother has too. And I believe that it is time to free this galaxy from the shackles that we have wrapped it in. Too much life has been lost in our names and it must stop, and if we must lay down our lives to do so….then so be it. It is now it is time for you to reawaken, Jackson Prime. I ask you and Optimus to help me end this conflict once and for all. Farewell, till all are one." Primus finished before everything around Jack went white before going black.

Jack found himself in darkness yet again and yet completely peaceful, like everything he had just witnessed with Primus was just a dream. After his conversation with the Cybertronian deity, Jack now knew the truth and also a way to stop it. All that was left was to reawaken and make it happen, he just hoped that there was still time to do so.

So he focused on that on waking up and so he felt himself begin to stir as mumbled sounds started to echo in the darkness around him and slowly they became clearer until they were the voices of those he recognised only to well, as they spoke around him. One of them was of a person that he loved more than anything, she sounded quite distressed at the moment.

PRIME EFFECT 3

"Come on, Jack, wake up."

"Arcee, still no change?" Garrus said.

"No, I don't get it. The crash knocked us all out, but surely Jack would have come too by now?" the femme replied with worry and concern in her voice."

"Optimus is exactly the same, Arcee, I can't help but feel that there is a connection." Jazz could be heard saying from just aways as Jack began to force his eyes open, banishing the darkness around him as light flowed over his being.

"Wait, he is coming too." Arcee said as the Prime squinted, his eyes readjusting to the over abundance of light that they were exposed too. Until the lights formed an image in front of him, one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen smiling back at him with relief in her expression.

"Jack, are you alright?" the femme asked as she cupped his face in her hands and stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"I think so, how long was I out? Jack asked before his lover pulled him up in to a hug as he sat there.

"Not long since we woke up, Pal." Jazz said as he turned and looked over to the partners, giving Arcee a knowing smile.

"Arcee was worried." he added gaining an embarrassed smile from the femme before A groan could be heard from Optimus as he too sat up.

"Optimus, take it easy. Don't know if you might have suffered a concussion of something." Jazz said, but the older Prime ignored him and looked at Jack.

"Jackson, I had a vision."

the Commander looked over to his mentor, his eyes widening in response.

"A vision?"

"Yes, from ... Primus." Optimus replied as the tank suddenly went quiet as everyone took in what he had just said.

"Me too." Jack said, making Arcee look at him with he same curiosity as she had the older Prime. But before she could say anything, Jack was on his feet and he tapped his com link.

"Jackson Prime to Admiral Bryce, come in. I repeat Jackson Prime to Admiral Bryce, do you read?"

But all he could hear was static.

"Damn, Garrus. Do you think you can help me get a transmission to the Ark?" Jack asked as Garrus stood beside Grimlock and Smokescreen. the Turian activated his holo-tool, but then shook his head after seeing the data on it's screen.

"I don't know, Jack. With our close proximity to the beam, the interference it is giving out is pretty high."

The younger Prime walked over to a console and turned it's holo-interface round so that he could read it (the tank has overturned).

"What if we boost the transmission by sending it via this tank's sensor array."

Garrus walked over and joined him at the console and looked at the screen, he smiled at what he saw.

"Yes, this could work. It will take a few minutes."

"Get it done as fast as you can, Garrus. We need to warn Admiral Bryce not to use the Crucible." Jack replied earning a more confused look from everybody (minus Optimus).

"Why do we now not want to use the Crucible, it's the only way we have to defeat the Reapers." Smokescreen asked, gaining the Commander's attention.

"Because believe me when I say, if we use the Crucible then Unicron will return and we will all be dead."

Meanwhile flying through the heart of the battle high above the Earth, Admiral Bryce was watching it all unfold before his eyes as the fleet was still in this fight against the Reapers despite the losses they were experiencing. He had seen a good many of their ships being destroyed in this fight already, but since calling Lucifer in, at least they were now starting to get more into this fight (which was far more one sided before hand).

He looked out through the Bridge canopy and saw a Turian dreadnought, an Asari cruiser and a Quarian life ship take out a Reaper with combined firepower, that was one of only a few casualties that they had imposed on the Reapers in this battle before Lucifer had shone up. He then looked over to see the enemy sending more ships at the Crucible which had only entered the battle a few minutes prior.

"All ships, this is Admiral Bryce. Defend the Crucible, we need to protect it at all costs." he said into his com link, before seeing more of his ships being destroyed with ease. This gave him a stone faced expression before looking down to his com officer.

"Any word from Hammer?"

"Negative, Sir. We are picking up interference from the beam. It is dampening communications with our forces on the ground." the officer replied, making the Admiral just stare back out at the battle.

'Come on, someone open those arms already, we can't keep suffering losses like this.' he thought as he hen moved his gaze to the Citadel which was still locked down.

On board the Council station, a man was walking through it's shiny metal hallways as he casually made his way towards the council Chamber. He then caught sight of his reflection on a glass screen that was deactivated. Silas smiled at himself as he looked back at his glowing blue optics.

'These Reaper upgrades are working better than I would have imagined.' he thought before he caught sight of three figures running around the corner at the end of the corridor towards him. Silas then smiled as he got a better look at them, they were Husks. He then placed his hand up and they stopped there in front of him.

"Stand aside." he said back and they did just that, allowing him to walk on uninterrupted.

'That has been the one of several groups of Husks that I have easily gotten passed with the aid of my implants.' he smiled as he continued down the corridor until it opened up into the Citadel gardens. As the MECH leader looked around, he saw the they were full of Husks, Cannibals, Marauders and Banshees. But they did not even waste their time with a look, his grin simply widened as he walked right through the middle of them and then up the stairs that lead to the council chamber. Once he was right outside of the next room, he tapped his com link.

"Team Alpha, it's time. Open the arms." he said before walking into the chamber.

"Arms opening. Good luck, Sir." the team's commander replied.

Bryce's eyes widened as he watched from the Ark's bridge while the Citadel's arms began to open and spread out.

'My god, he did it.' he thought, before tapping his com link.

"This is Admiral Bryce, move the Crucible into place, I repeat, move it into place. It is time to end this war."

The massive super weapon then began to move around the Citadel while the station's arms continued to open, revealing the city-like wards on their inner sides.

In the Crucible control room, Kranix and a team made up of scientists and officers from every world involved in the war, were busy monitoring the super weapon's systems. The Lithone walked up to a Turian who was piloting the Crucible.

"That's right, keep it steady." he said before Bryce's voice came through on the inter com.

"Ark to Crucible, this is Admiral Bryce. can you read me Kranix?"

The Lithone tapped his com link.

"Admiral, we read you loud and clear. We are all ready here, bringing the Crucible in for final approach and dock."

"Very well, Kranix. The show is your's now. 'Shield' and 'Sword' fleets will keep the Reapers off your backs."

Kranix then closed the transmission and watched as they began turning the Crucible to face the back of the Citadel as the station's arms began to move out further, giving the station a star-like shape.

Bryce and his command staff watched the Crucible as it was on final approach before Jack's voice came up on the inter con, though it had interference blended with it.

"thi... Jack...ime. Adm...an...ou...hea..."

Bryce looked down to his com officer.

"Clear that up, that interference must be messing with their signal from the Citadel."

The officer shook his head in return as he brought up the signal and it's location on his holo-screen.

"Sir, the signal is not coming from the Citadel, it is coming from Earth."

Bryce stared at him in disbelief.

"Clear it up, Ensign, and put it on all speakers."

The Young officer nodded and typed on his holo-controls before the Prime's voice came through perfectly.

"Admiral Bryce, this is Jackson Prime. Do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Prime. Could you please tell me why you are not onboard the Citadel?" the Admiral asked frankly.

"Sir, none of Hammer made it to the beam, Harbinger wiped them out. Smokescreen has had a look outside, its a graveyard out there apparently." Jack replied.

"Well someone made it, because the Citadel arms are open and we are docking the Crucible as we speak." Bryce said back as he continued to watch both the Lithone device and the Citadel nearing each other.

"Stop it now, don't connect them!" Jack shouted back, startling the Admiral.

"Why the hell not?" he replied with the same tone.

"Sir, the Crucible and Citadel will not destroy the Reapers, they will instead bring about the return of Unicron!" Jack answered, making the Admiral's expression become one of shock.

"Unicorn?" he replied back.

"Unicron, Sir. Look, I haven't got time to explain. But if you have ever trusted me, then I ask you to trust me again now. We have all been duped by the Reapers, the Crucible was never our salvation...it is their's. Stop it now!" Jack said with urgency in his voice. Bryce look around with shock on his face before tapping his com link.

"This is Bryce. Kranix, belay my last order. Do not dock the Crucible. I repeat, do not dock the Crucible!"

In the super weapon's control room, the scientists all looked at each with confused expressions as they heard the Admiral's voice on the intercom.

"Do not dock the Crucible!"

The pilot turned to the Lithone with a worried look on his face.

"Sir, I will stop the docking procedure."

"That will not be necessary." Kranix replied with a blank expression which confused the officer and his colleagues as they stared at both men.

Bryce watched as the Crucible continued to move closer to the Citadel.

"Why haven't they stopped? Kranix, this is Admiral Bryce. Cancel the docking procedure, do you read?"

The ensign looked up from his console.

"Sir, someone has just cut off the transmission."

"What?" the Admiral said back with a confused expression before looking back at the Citadel and Crucible outside.

Back in the control room of the Lithone device, the only person still standing was Kranix, he holstered his pistol and looked at all scientists that lied dead around him, all had smoking bullet holes either in the back or front of their heads. He smiled and turned back to the console and activated his holo-tool.

"Bagu, it is time. Begin integration protocols." he said as the Lithone VI appeared beside him and nodded.

"by your command..., Creator."

The console then came to life as it's screens began showing data scrolling down them. Meanwhile on the Citadel, Silas's smile grew even wider as he walked through the Council chambers towards the podium. His holo-tool activated on it's own and beeped at him, so he typed a command on it's keyboard interface and suddenly heard the sounds of machinery activating and working from behind the chamber's walls.

Then on the podium, a column suddenly rose out of it, then two rods slid out of the front of the column.

'I forgot to thank Sideways for his role in this, since he attacked the Citadel and gained the data for me. He made this moment possible.' he thought as he walked up to the two handles. Suddenly the Citadel shook as both it and the Crucible connected, resulting in the column powering up. A bright purple holo-screen activated over the rods and began scrolling data.

'At long last, everything that I have accomplished with MECH, all the sacrifices that had to be made. And it all comes down to this. Control of the Reapers is now in my grasp.' he thought has he reached for the rods, the MECH leader could feel static electricity around the rods, as they hummed with the power coursing through them. He then gripped them tightly as a maniacal smile grew on his face. Silas could feel the energy of the entire Reaper species as he held onto the rods, he could hear all of their collective minds whispering inside his own.

"Now you will listen to me, obey me!" he MECH leader said arrogantly before all of a sudden he cried out in pain as the rods in his hands began to heat up extremely fast.

"What...is...happening?" he screamed out as he gritted his teeth, his hands became bright red and started to burn as smoke began to rise from them.

"We thank you for your contribution, Silas. You have done everything we have wanted you to do and more." a voice spoke in the MECH leader's mind, it was made up of millions of voices all speaking in unison.

"No, I am supposed to be controlling you!" he winced before collapsing on to one knee, but he was unable to remove his hands from the white hot rods like some invisible force was holding them in place.

"We were in control of you, Silas, whispering into your mind. But you have now served your purpose and once the energy transfer is complete, you will be re-purposed." the Reapers voice replied.

"You cannot control me, I am not even Human anymore!" Silas said back as he bit his lip.

"But you forget, Silas. Your brain is still organic and is therefore...easy to manipulate and corrupt." the Reapers voice replied, earning a look of horror from the MECH leader as he finally realised what it all meant.

"What have I done...wait...Aaarrrrrggggghhhh!" the man screamed as he felt the skin on his hands and then up his arms begin to burn, the pain was unbelievable as it then washed over his whole body and began to transform it.

The pain felt like he was being boiled alive as Silas continued to scream, his skin then started to change it's pigmentation, becoming greyish blue with a metallic look to it. His screams echoed throughout the chamber and the gardens next to it, but no one was bothered as the husks just stood where they were.

When the transformation finally as finally complete, the rods let go of Silas and he began to look around until he caught his image in a piece of reflective paneling on the wall.

He moved toward it until the reflection showed a husk staring back at itself, it's blue optics glowing brightly. A sound could be heard in the adjacent room, the Husk turned and screamed an unholy sound toward it's location before mindlessly running off into the shadows to investigate.

PRIME EFFECT 3

Jack held his hand to his com link as his team mates and Optimus surrounded him inside the overturned tank.

"Admiral, what's going on up there?" he said with an urgent-like tone.

"Oh my god, you should go outside and see for yourself, Prime." Bryce replied over the com. Jack then turned to Grimlock who was standing by the hatch.

"Open it up, it's time we got some fresh air."

The Dinobot nodded before grabbing the hatch with both hands and forcing it open with a grunt. Jazz nudged Smokescreen's shoulder, gaining his attention.

"I could just imagine him doing something similar to you, if you hadn't shut up earlier." he joked, earning a smug look from his friend.

"What? Me and Grimlock are like this." he replied while gesturing to his hand, showing two of the fingers, one crossed over the other. He was about to say something else when he suddenly saw the Dinobot just staring at him.

"...I'll keep quiet." Smokescreen then said with an embarrassed tone, earning a grin from Jazz.

"Move out." Jack said as they began exiting the tank. Arcee was the first to climb out before her eyes caught sight of the area around the Reaper beam.

"By Primus..." she gasped, her eyes widening in response. Everyone else got out and went to her side as they too saw the utter devastation lying in front of them. The area was covered in destroyed tanks and MAKOs, while burnt bodies were scattered all over the place.

"I told you it was bad." Smokescreen said, while trying to sound sympathetic.

"This is what just one Reaper did and our entire ground force ended up like this. What chance do we have against..." Garrus said, before out of nowhere, an extremely bright blue light flew down the Reaper beam and hit the ground hard with a deafening sound, causing the ground to shake hard, knocking everyone on their asses.

"What's going on?" Smokescreen asked as the ground continued to shake strongly.

"Earthquake anyone?" Jazz replied.

"London let alone Britain is not known for having earthquakes, Jazz." Jack answered before meeting Optimus's gaze.

"Jackson is correct. It is more likely that the Reaper beam has now been given enough power to tunnel all the way down to the planet's core... to Unicron."

"I still can't believe that after all these years, that we have to face the Chaos Bringer again. But with what I heard back in the tank, who am I to argue with two Primes." Arcee replied with a slight smile.

"Well what do we do now?" Garrus asked as he readied his weapon.

"We have to get to the beam and ride it up to Unicron's body." Jack said back with a stoic tone as he readied his rifle in one hand, while activating his star saber in the other. Arcee then stood beside him.

"And then one of you unleashes the matrix on Unicron's spark again." she said while looking at Jack's chest plate.

"Yes, but it will be I that does that, Arcee." Optimus said as he joined them and unsheathed the star saber off of his back.

" Since Jack is not Cybertronian, he would likely not survive if he were to open the matrix. So I instead."

"Well, the quakes have died down somewhat. If we are going to do this, then I suggest we go now." Grimlock said as Garrus looked down at the battle site through his sniper scope.

"There are more than a few Husks down there, but we can handle them." he said as they all stood beside the two Primes.

"Well then, let's not waste anymore time, roll out!" Jack said as they began to move forward, but then suddenly the ground shook again. Nearly making them lose their footing.

"What the…" Jazz said before he was cut off by the deafening roar of a Reaper right behind them. The group all turned to see Harbinger standing directly over them.

"Impossible, no one has ever broken free of our indoctrination before." it said angrily as Jack stepped forward.

"Well I guess there is always a first time." he replied with grin before he glanced to Optimus and nodded.

"Now!" he shouted, before both Primes charged their Star sabers and unleashed a double energy wave which hit the Reaper full on…but had no effect. Jack collapsed to his knees and breathed heavily as everyone looked dumbstruck as Harbinger was still standing, like nothing had happened.

"We find your continued resistance tiresome, but you have served us well, Prime. By leading all the fleets of the galaxy here, we can now wipe them all out in a single go. But most importantly you pushed for everyone to help build the Crucible, therefore enabling our Master's return. So before we kill you all, you will bear witness as Unicron returns….now!" Harbinger said before the ground shook strongly again, Jack lifted his head and looked with his team towards the beam, just as a giant glowing purple ball of energy shot out of the ground and rode the Reaper beam up into the night sky. Optimus just looked up with everyone else and sighed.

"So it has begun, our darkest hour is upon us."

[Apollo-XL5]

CHAPTER 21

Jack and his team had just seen what could only be Unicron's spark moving up the Reaper beam into orbit from where they standing as Harbinger towered over them, his shadow cast over the area where they stood.

"Now you will witness the rebirth of our Master!" it roared as it's yellow eyes glowed brightly, which immediately made the entire team hold their heads in their hands as they suddenly could see the spark flying up the Reaper beam right in front of their eyes.

Far from the what was happening on the ground, the battle above the Earth continued as a Reaper flew in close to an Alliance dreadnought and clamped it's legs around the it's bow before moving, bringing the captured vessel with it and smashing it into the side of a Turian cruiser.

The Defiant meanwhile, fired on a reaper that was plaguing the Destiny Ascension, firing a spread of torpedoes that blew off one of the behemoth's legs, therefore allowing the Council flagship to continue to aid the other ships in it's immediate area. The Defiant the turned around and began descending to the planet below.

Meanwhile the Ark continued to fight as it orbited the now connected Crucible/Citadel. Admiral Bryce was looking down at the holo-screen beside him as he listened on his com link.

"We are on our way, Admiral." he heard Hotrod say from his end, the Admiral nodded in return.

"Good luck Defiant, Bryce out." he replied before one of his officers turned to him from his console.

"Sir, our sensors are picking up an extremely strong power signature rising from the planet surface, and it is heading our way….. fast." he said with worry in his voice. Bryce looked at the officer and mirrored his expression before turning back to the bridge canopy, just in time to see the ball of purple energy ride up the beam right into the Citadel.

Then suddenly the outer layers of the crucible came to life as it's surface began to shift and change, the entire super-weapon started was transforming right before the Admiral's eyes as he and his bridge crew were frozen in fear and shock by what they were seeing. In fact the entire battle had stopped as the Reapers watched, along with the remaining galactic fleet. The crews of each ship staring with fear and shock at the ever changing form of the Crucible.

Inside the super-weapon's control room, Kranix looked around with an expression of utter glee as it's walls began to shift and change around him, the holo-form of Bagu stood beside the Lithone and was just as transfixed.

"This is it, Bagu. Our Master's time is at hand." he said as he watched the room transforming around him, the bodies of the dead crew either falling through the gaps in the moving parts of the ground or being crushed by sections that moved into the room.

"Farewell, my Creator, take this blessing with you into the next life." the VI replied before a bulkhead suddenly moved across the room, going straight through Bagu and squashing the indoctrinated Kranix against the far wall, splattering his remains out over it in the process.

As the transformation continued, a pair of arms and legs began to grow and stretch out as the Crucible took on the shape of a bipedal form. On the left arm, a section moved back up it's forearm to reveal a hand, it flexed out it's fingers as if it was mimicking the 'morning stretch'. While on the right arm, a similar section moved back to reveal a large blade like weapon. On the legs, sections on the lower parts folded out into what looked like Cybertronian feet. As the torso remoulded itself to look like a metallic representation of the Chaos Bringer's, the Citadel remained in it's star like shape on torso's back, but moved round until four of the arms looked like wings (two either side) and the bottom arm covered over the aft of the body. Then a section between the shoulders receded and the head rose up into view, with a pair of long horns on either side of it (trademark of Unicron). The familiar face of the Chaos bringer then formed before it's optics suddenly glowed bright purple.

"My children, I have returned and I command you to join me and purge this galaxy of life. Destroy it all, in the name of Unicron"

Then at that very moment all around the galaxy, millions of Reapers suddenly appeared from the shadows as they began blotting out the skies of every world as the complete annihilation of all life begun.

The battle above Earth suddenly reignited as the Reapers carried on from where they started and began destroying both 'sword' and 'shield' fleets with much more ferocity than before. Unicron himself waded into the battle, smashing his fist and arm blade through any ships that were unfortunate to get too close. On board the Ark, the communication officer received a message through his com link, and he gave the Admiral a worried look.

"Sir, sensors are picking up thousands of Reapers entering Earth space. And we are getting reports of more appearing over our allies home worlds...every world in fact."

The Admiral just looked out of canopy at the battle raging around them as the Reapers reinforcements came into view in the distance.

"...My god." he said before Lucifer caught his eye, the Rogue Reaper was heading straight for Unicron. It fired its beam weapon which swept along the surface of The Chaos Bringer's elbow, gaining the deity's attention as he looked down at it from the Asari dreadnought he had just destroyed.

"traitorous son of mine, you dare fire on your creator." he spat at the behemoth as it continued to fire, it's beam attacks not even leaving a scratch on Unicron's new form.

"We are the memory of the those you harvested and we will have our revenge." Lucifer replied coldly.

"I think not." the Chaos Bringer said back before reaching down with his hand and grasping the rogue Reaper, tightening his grip around it.

"Do you really think I would create you, and then give you the firepower to even harm me. Let me finally end your pathetic existence and extinguish the last hope the organics have." Unicron said as he began to squeeze Lucifer, crushing it's body in his hand. Energy started to bleed out of the growing cracks along the behemoth's black surface as it's red eyes began to dim in brightness, then Unicron threw the wounded Reaper away before looking at the Reapers around him.

"My children, show this traitorous spawn what happens to those that defy me."

Several of the black behemoths then broke off from the battle and the began surrounding the crippled Lucifer as it drifted with a small cloud of debris in it's wake, they then a red light started to shine brightly on their underside as their beam weapons prepared to fire. But suddenly Lucifer fired his weapon in a wide beam, hitting and destroying two of the Reapers in one shot. But before it had the chance to fire again, the others fired their own in retaliation. Their beams then carved up the rogue Reaper until it exploded, before heading back into the battle and leaving a small amount of debris behind. Admiral Bryce witnessed the whole thing and lowered his head, the feeling of defeat beginning to eat away at him as his forces were now being wiped out in front of him.

Back in London, just aways from the Reaper beam. Jack and his friends stood in the shadow of the Reaper called Harbinger, it's glowing yellow eyes looking down on them. Suddenly the images of Unicron's rebirth faded away and the team could see again, Jack looked up at the behemoth.

"Our master has returned and you have outlived your usefulness. It is time to condemn you to oblivion." it said gaining the others attention after they recovered. The underside of the Reaper break to glow a bright red as it's weapon ports powered up.

"Oh crap..." Garrus sighed as Arcee stood beside Jack and took his hand in hers, affectionately squeezing it. Jack looked back at her and smiled slightly, her own expression mirroring his. Her resolve never lessened, even in the face of their impending deaths.

"At least we are together." she said softly and the Prime nodded in return as they looked at each other before returning their attention to the Reaper standing above them, it's weapon now primed and ready to fire.

"Well guys…. it was an honour serving with you all." Smokescreen said as he looked around the group, Jack though took a deep breath. Waiting for the inevitable, when suddenly out of nowhere four shining blue projectiles impacted against Harbinger's hull. It did not damage the Reaper, but certainly it's attention was gained as it turned to the direction that the attack came from. Jack and everyone looked to and they all stared in surprise as the Defiant descended below the storm clouds and fired again at the behemoth before flying past it and circling around for another pass.

"What the hell are they doing?" Arcee asked in shock as Harbinger fired it's beam weapon at the frigate, only for it to miss as the Defiant performed a barrel roll and fired another spread of torpedoes that impacted harmlessly against the Reaper.

"They are distracting Harbinger, and allowing us to head to the beam." Optimus replied, earning a nod of agreement from Jack.

"He's right, lets not waste the chance they have given us….. Move!" he said as the group began to run in the direction of the beam as the Defiant made another run at the Reaper. As they made their way down into the graveyard of Hammer's ground forces, the team fired on any Husks that got in their way, once they were nearly half way towards the beam Jack tapped his com link.

"Thanks for the save, Hotrod. Now get out of there." he said as he looked back to see the Defiant turning around for another attack, Harbinger roaring loudly, as if becoming increasingly pissed off with this tough little ship.

"You're welcome, Jack, heading back n…oh shit." the Autobot replied just as the Reaper fired a beam which hit the frigate's portside engine wing, it exploding which made the rest of the team turn and look in shock.

"Hotrod! Get the ship out of there now!" the Commander shouted as he watched the Defiant's evasion of Harbinger's attacks become more sluggish, but due to Hotrod's impressive skill he still managed to evade another blast from the Reaper.

In the cockpit the Autobot pilot was frantically fighting against the failing controls while fires were raging behind him as the CIC crew tried desperately to keep the situation from descending into complete anarchy.

"I hear you, Jack, but Tali's told me that the hit from the Reaper beam as crippled us, we haven't got enough power to break free of Earth's gravity." he said as he veered the ship sharply to the right as another blast narrowly missed. Teletraan's holo-form appeared next to Hotrod and flickered as it's power source was slowly beginning to fail.

"We….ar…los…..power, weapons…..offli…shi..lds…dow…, I…sug…est aban…oning ship." it said as it's voice crackled with interference. Hotrod then hit a button on his holo-controls and an alarm blared through the entire ship.

"All hands, abandon ship, I repeat, all hands, abandon ship!"

All over the ship, crewmen ran frantically as they made their ways to the escape pods which had opened up automatically. Bumblebee and Raf helped crewmen into one as Chromia helped some into another, Tali ordered her people into the pod outside engineering and took one last look inside as fires and explosions rattled around her, making sure no one was left behind.

"This is Tali, everyone is on board the pod on my level, heading off now." she said before leaving the room and climbing inside the pod which then sealed itself.

"Same here" Ratchet said as he got ready to climb into his own pod, with a number of crewmen waiting for him. But suddenly he heard a growl and looked back to see Ravage storm round the corner at the end of the corridor towards them.

"Quickly, get on board." he said before the feline bot pounced and landed inside the escape pod which Ratchet then climbed in and watched as it sealed itself.

In the cockpit which was now empty apart from Hotrod (all CIC crew had got to their escape pod) who looked at a screen to his left to see all pods were ready for launch. He then hit the button next to it.

Jack and his team watched as the escape pods disengaged from the damaged frigate and flew overhead before landing just under a quarter mile away, the Prime then looked back to see the Defiant coming back round as Harbinger fired another shot that skimmed the ship, making it shake from another explosion.

"What's he doing now?" Garrus asked as Jack saw that the ship was preparing for something.

"Hotrod, I know what you are going to do, don't do it. Head to an escape pod." he said into his com link.

"No can do, Jack. All the pods have been launched. Plus Teletraan has been damaged, so I need to do this manually." the pilot replied as the Defiant shook from another brush from Harbinger's beam weapon.

"I am going to overload the hyperspace engines, hopefully that will make this ship more than a match for that thing's shields." he said as he turned the ship round one last time and now had the Reaper directly in the center of his HUD, he then tapped on his holo-controls to his right and the screen said 'Message sent'.

"Col…sion war…ing, coll…on war…ing!" Teletraan sputtered earning an annoyed look from the pilot.

"Override. And thanks, Teletraan... for everything." he replied

"You…ar….wel..ome…,Hotrod." the AI said back as the Autobot started the final approach.

Jack watched helplessly as he knew why his friend was doing this and he put his hand to his com link again.

"Hotrod, you don't have to do this."

"I do, Jack, and you know it as well. I owe you one, after all. Just make sure my death means something and end this god forsaken war... Oh and I want a statue by the way..." he replied half jokingly as the ship closed in on Harbinger.

"...Goodbye." Hotrod then said with an accepting tone and stoic expression as he then activated the hyperspace engines which pushed the Defiant toward faster than light speeds as it narrowly missed another blast from Harbinger and slammed right into the front of the Reaper, impacting on the three yellow eyes on it's right side. The resulting explosion send a wave of electrical bolts around the body of Harbinger, Jack and his team watched wide eyed and with mournful expressions. But the Reaper looked unaffected by the impact when suddenly it's back legs buckled and gave way, the behemoth suddenly tipping backwards before hitting the ground. Dust and debris was thrown into the air by the gigantic living vessel as it just lied there on it's back, not moving. Jack was still staring when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jackson, we have to honor Hotrod's sacrifice and make sure that it was not in vain." he said before the younger Prime looked back to him.

"I know, let's go everyone. Before Harbinger comes too." jack replied before taking one last look at burning wreckage lying at Harbinger's feet.

'Goodbye, Hotrod and thank you.' he thought before he and his team carried on running to the beam as the fighting continued rage all over the world, let alone in London. As they got closer to the beam, several Husks suddenly appeared and attacked the team, three of them pounced from the top of an overturned tank as Jack and his friends readied themselves to fight them.

Optimus swung the star saber and cleaved one in half, while Arcee sliced into one with her arm blades before kicking it into a nearby fire. Grimlock grabbed two of them and smacked their heads together, earning a loud cracking sound. Jazz and Smokecreen shot one each in the face and Jack shot another in the legs before decapitating it with his own star saber. Garrus though saw two Husks cannibalising one of their own, as well as one of the dead soldiers lying next to it.

"Sick." he said in disgust before sniping both of them between the eyes.

"We're clear." Jack said as the group then ran the rest of the way through the graveyard to the Reaper beam. As they neared the blue energy as it pulsated up into the sky, Arcee then checked her weapon one last time. The femme then began walking into the beam.

"Alright, let's finish this."

But she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Jack staring at her stoically.

"I am sorry, Arcee, but this is a far as you go." he replied as Optimus watched the two of them.

"What?" the femme replied in surprise.

"I need you to take leadership of the team and go help defend the Defiant's survivors. They need your help now." Jack said back, trying not to show what he was really thinking in his expression. Arcee's eyes widened though in response, like she could see straight through Jack.

"No, Jack! We do this together." she replied defiantly, gaining Optimus's attention.

"Arcee, Jack and I must do this alone." he said stoically, the femme looked at him for a second before her azure eyes fell on her lover again. Jack could see them beginning to well up.

"But...you promised that we would see this fight through to the end...together." she said softly to him as tears began to run down her cheeks, the younger Prime then took both her hands in his and brought the femme, his femme close to him.

"I know and I am sorry..." he began to say before Arcee cut him off.

"You're not coming back, are you?" she said before Jack cupped her face in his hands and leaned in close, their lips almost touching as the blue light of the Reaper beam shone behind them.

"I will come back to you, Arcee, because… you are my spark-mate and I love you." he replied, gaining a surprised look from the femme, who then closed the distance between them and kissed Jack passionately. Their kiss lasted only a moment before they both pulled back slightly and touched their foreheads together.

"You better come back to me, Jack, or I will hunt you down...,Partner." she said with a slight smile as another tear ran down her cheek, only for the Prime to wipe it away with his thumb as he stroked her cheek.

"I swear." he replied before stepping back, away from her and towards the beam. Never taking his eyes off the femme and she with him.

"Come back to me." she said softly, earning a nod from him before Jack looked over to Optimus and then they both turned round and entered the light of the beam and disappeared right before everyone's eyes. Then just a moment later the beam shut down, the light that had illuminated the area suddenly gone and leaving the lightning that shot across the blanket of storm clouds overhead as the only light (other than the weapons fire that was being fired at the Reapers in the distance).

"They have no way to get back." Arcee said in shock as Garrus stood beside her.

"Arcee, I am sure we can get Bryce or one of our ships to pick them up, but in the meantime we need to get to the Defiant escape pods before they are overrun by Husks." he said as the femme just looked up at the sky, then she nodded slowly before turning to the Turian with a stoic expression, attempting to hide the anguish she was feeling at that moment.

"You're right." she replied before looking back at the others.

"Jack gave us a job to do, so let's get on with it." she said while equipping her SMGs, Jazz, Smokescreen and Grimlock nodded in return as the femme then took the lead and the group began to head over to where the escape pods crash-landed. Garrus for a second held back and scanned the path to their destination, making sure that no Husks were about. Once happy that the path was safe for a now, he then began to follow the others but first looked up at the sky where the Reaper beam had been.

"Stay safe." he whispered before heading after the rest of the team.

Meanwhile not far from the Reaper beam's location, the Defiant's escape pods began to open as Chromia, Tali, Bumblebee and Ratchet got out of their respective pods, looking around so that they could determine that it was safe for the rest of the crew.

"By the Allspark." Ratchet stated in horror at the site that welcomed him as he saw the utter devastation that the Reapers had inflicted on his adoptive home-world.

"Keelah.." Tail said in return before equipping her shotgun.

"Bumblebee held his blasters, ready to take for anything as Raf activated his holo-tool and scanned the area.

"Readings are inconclusive, but we should get everyone to a more secure and defend-able .." he said before an unholy scream cut him off, Bumblebee then looked around till his blue eyes widened at the sight they were met with. The Autobot saw Chromia suddenly fighting off three husks at once as the crewmen in her escape pod resealed the hatch, he then looked back to his best friend.

"Close this hatch and seal it...now!" he stated firmly to his friend, who nodded back before freezing in spot as he saw something behind Bumblebee. But the young scout turned warrior needed no warning as he turned on the spot and fired at the Husk that had tried to sneak up on him. But before he could get a clear shot on it, the creature pounced and tackled the bot to the floor.

"Bee!" Raf shouted as the other occupants in the pod watched on fear.

"Seal the pod!" the Autobot shouted back as he tried to fight off the snarling and scratching Husk. Rat just stood there completely frozen as his mind fought with his instincts, leave his friend to die to save the others or fight. Bumblebee meanwhile punched the creature in the face, but it has no effect as it grabbed his hand and pinned it down to the ground. It then looked at him with it's soulless blue optics before screaming into his face as it then lunged it's mouth down at his throat, teeth ready to rip it out. But then a gunshot was heard and the Husk fell on top of the Autobot, a smoking hole in it's head. Confused by this Bumblebee pushed the dead body off himself and looked up to see his friend looking back while pointing a gun in his direction. His face was one of shock and relief, his Autobot friend simply smiled back as he got to his feet.

"Thanks, Buddy, now seal your selves in there." he said earning a nod and smile from the scientist who complied. Bumblebee then re-equipped his blasters and turned to see scores of Husks charging toward the landing site.

"Oh hell." he said to himself before opening fire on the horde rushing at him.

The other pods came under attack at the same time as Chromia and Tali engaged the Husks who tried to swarm them. Ratchet even had help from Ravage who had jumped out of the escape pod before the hatch re-sealed to help with the fight. The medic was slicing up husks left and right with his holo-blades while Ravage was was ripping the throats out of others after pouncing on them. One of the Husks meanwhile climbed on top of the escape and readied itself to leap at the Quarian, who had not noticed due to her blasting away the other creatures who got to close. But just as it was about to strike, a familiar gunshot was heard followed by the sound of metal piercing flesh. Tali heard this behind her and looked up to see the Husk fall off the pod's roof and land at her feet, she then shot another creature before looking around until her eyes came across a sight that made her heart beat faster and feel warmer.

"Garrus." she called as her Turian boyfriend fired another shot that took the head off another Husk before running down to meet her, Arcee at his side.

"Where's the rest?" Tali asked as both the femme and Garrus killed the remaining creatures around them.

"Jazz is helping Bumblebee, Smokescreen is assisting Ratchet and Grimlock is with Chromia." Arcee replied before looking around to see that they were safe for a moment.

"Garrus, get on top of the pod and keep an eye out. I want to know the second more Husks are on the way." she said.

"Roger that." the Turian replied before winking at his girlfriend before climbing up onto the Pod's roof and setting up his sniper rifle.

"Tali, can you activate a number of drones to assist us with defending the pods?" Arcee asked as the Quarian stood beside her.

"Sure, but were is Jack?"

Arcee looked away for a moment as she remembered what had only occurred just a few minutes ago.

"Jack entered the beam with Optimus and is by now inside Unicron." she said with her eyes closed as the image of him looking at her with the beam's light illuminating them both played out before her eyes. Tali noticed this and placed a sympathetic hand on the femme's shoulder.

"He will be back, Arcee. He loves you after all." she replied. Arcee look back to her and nodded.

"I know, but I just wish…"

"You wish you were fighting at his side." the Quarian finished off the femme's sentence.

"Yes, but he told me that he needed us to help defend the Defiant's crew, and so help me I will see that it is done." the femme replied as Garrus called down from his spot.

"We have Husks, a lot of them. We have a few minutes before they are in weapons range."

Okay, let the others know, Garrus. I have a quick call to make." she said as Tali activated her holo-tool and started to deploy her drones. The femme then tapped her com link.

"Arcee to the Ark, can you read me? I need to speak to Admiral Bryce." she said.

The Ark continued to fire at the incoming Reapers as both 'Sword' and 'Shield' fleets were being pummeled by the overwhelming force that they were up against. Admiral Bryce was watching from the ship's bridge as he saw cruiser after cruiser being destroyed by the black behemoths. The Admiral kept his facial expression as stoic as possible, so not to unnerve his crew who were attempting to keep them in the battle. But really, having seen their last and only hope with the Crucible go up in smoke and witnessing the Reapers systematically wiping out the rest of his fleet, while also knowing that they were at this very moment committing genocide on a galactic scale. The Admiral had all but given up, but he would be damned if he would let his own crew see him that way. He just continued to watch as his communications officer turned to him.

"Sir, I am picking up a transmission from the surface. It is Arcee, she is asking for you."

"Patch her through." the Admiral replied, the officer then transferred it to Bryce's own console.

"Arcee, report. What's going on down there. We lost contact with the Defiant."

"Admiral, the Defiant has been lost. The ship was damaged by Harbinger and Hotrod piloted it into the Reaper, so that we would have a chance to reach the beam." the femme replied.

"I….see, I am sorry to hear that. But why go to the beam, the Crucible was a fake this whole time, I don't understand." Bryce replied honestly.

"Sir, Jack and Optimus should be inside Unicron as we speak, and they believe they can eliminate him from within. We just need to buy them some time." Arcee replied with conviction in her voice. The Admiral suddenly felt his second wind come about as a new hope had emerged in the space of a moment.

"Then we will buy them all the time we need, what is your current situation?"

"My team and I are defending the Defiant survivors just aways from the beam site sir, but we could use some reinforcements and Jack and Optimus will need picking up once they have succeeded." the Autobot replied. The Admiral looked over to an officer to his right, who had the femme's position up on a map of London and nodded back to him.

"I'll see what I can do about reinforcements from my end, Arcee. Just hold on. And I promise to be there to pick up the two Primes."

"Thank you, Admiral, good luck." the femme replied wholeheartedly.

"Good luck to us all." he said as the conversation ended, the Admiral then turned to his com officer.

"See if you can get in touch with any of our ground forces who are near Arcee's position and tell them to help her. And also activate the com link to the entire fleet."

The Officer nodded in return and worked his console before a green light began bleeping on Bryce's own. He then tapped it and began speaking.

"This is Admiral Bryce to all ships, I have just heard that Jackson Prime and Optimus Prime are now on board Unicron and are working to destroy him from within, but we need to buy them the time to do so. Now I know that we have lost three quarters of our combined fleet and that it looks like we may not live to see tomorrow, but I ask you to help me hold this line and give the Reapers everything we have. To use every torpedo and cannon round we have, and to fight until we cannot fight anymore, so that we can ensure that the rest of the galaxy will survive to see tomorrow."

The com officer then looked back at the Admiral.

"All ships acknowledged, Sir."

"There is a saying here on Earth, 'fortune favors the bold'. Let's see it that holds true today. Bryce out." he said before looking out to see Unicron watching from the edge of the battle as the deity stayed in orbit around the Earth. Not lifting a finger to aid his Reapers unless an enemy ship got to close. The Chaos bringer had an evil smile gracing his face plate, but seemed unaware of what was about to happen inside of his own body.

PRIME EFFECT 3

As the battle raged outside, Jack and Optimus both exited the Reaper beam to find themselves in a large room with black metallic bulkheads, the light from the beam was illuminating the area around them until it suddenly deactivated.

"Good thing we entered it when we did." he said as he looked around to see the bright purple light of dark energon as it glowed through the cracks in the black walls and passed down the large synthetic veins that were all over the place, it's light flowed with a spark beat like pulse as it dimly illuminated cavern like surroundings.

"Indeed, Jackson, but we must make haste. I fear that our presence will not go unnoticed for long." the Older Prime replied.

"So which way to Unicron's spark chamber?" the Commander asked while looking at three corridors that made up a fork like junction ahead of them. Optimus in response placed his hand to the chest plate of his armour, as if feeling the matrix that lied beneath it before pointing down the middle opening.

"That way, Jackson." he replied as both men then spotted numerous pairs of bright blue optics moving around ahead of them, the Prime's focused their vision to see many Husks standing in their way. Yet none of the creatures had yet took notice of them.

"Okay, shall we sneak past them then.." Jack started to ask before one Husk looked up at them for a second before letting out that familiar inhuman scream, gaining the attention of all the others as the two men felt every pair of blue optics fall on them before the horde began charging toward the two Primes.

"…right, so we fight our way through." the younger Prime finished as Optimus unsheathed his star saber from the back of his armour, it's blade glowing brightly in his grip.

"Indeed, are you ready, Jackson?" he asked, gaining a confident smile from his younger companion as he activated his own saber and held his assault rifle in his free hand.

"Yeah, these Husks don't stand a chance." he replied as he took a step forward and readied himself as he looked back toward the army of Husks bearing down on them.

"Lets get to work." he said before running at the horde, Optimus at his side as they charged into the fray. The first line of Husks pounced at them, only for Jack and Optimus to swing their blades and cut them down as they continued to run through the enemy force. Optimus swung his star saber from left to right as he carved a path through scores of Cannibals and Husks that stood in his way, Jack parried and decapitated others with his own blade while spraying bullets into the horde that approached from his other side, the bullets ripping through their flesh easily before they fell to the ground.

The Husks carried on being felled by the two Primes as they kept moving down the tunnel which was now packed to brim with the Reaper ground forces, as a number of marauders began firing at the two intruders with their own rifle like weapons. But Jack and Optimus deflected the gun fire with their star sabers before the younger Prime fired back at the modified Turians, taking each one down with a head shot.

"Nice shooting." Optimus replied proudly as he cut down a number of Husks that were charging at them from behind.

"Thanks." Jack asked as he kicked one creature in the stomach before slicing it in half, then he pointed his rifle at another group of marauders when suddenly a Husk hit him and knocked the weapon out of his hand.

"Scrap!" the Commander replied before repaying the creature by forcing his blade through it's head, blood spilling out of it and covering the other Husks behind it. He then saw the marauders aiming at the Autobot Leader as he fought.

"Optimus, look out." Jack shouted at his friend who had his back turned to them before fighting off more Husks that pounced at him. The older Prime then, after hearing Jack's warning took a glance back at the group and then charged his blade before swinging it around (slicing down the creatures around him as it did) and unleashed an energy wave which obliterated the marauders. The Commander then finished off his quarry and then smiled back at Optimus.

"That was brilliant." he replied as the big bot joined his side.

"Thank you. We need to keep moving though, otherwise they can regroup and halt our advance."

"Way ahead of you, let's move." Jack said as both Primes left the area and continued down the path, leaving the bodies of all the Husks where they lied as they made their way closer to their target.

Meanwhile scores of Husks charged at Arcee and her team as they defended the escape pods from the encroaching hordes, but no matter how many of the creatures were taken down, even more kept on running at them. Arcee fired her SMGs at several Husks, killing them in a spray of bullets, while Garrus was still lying on his stomach on top of an escape pod and blowing the heads off the creatures with his sniper rifle. Grimlock though had gotten sick of his rifle and had turned to his trusty sword as the Dinobot was slicing up the Husks left right and center. Ratchet though was starting to tire as one Husk almost got the better of him before Ravage tackled it to the ground and repeatedly clawed at it's chest until it's insides were mush.

"Thank you, Ravage, I am too old for all this fighting." the old medic said while catching his breath. The feline bot gave what looked like a nod before turning it's attention as even more Husks appeared on the horizon.

"By Primus, they just keep coming." Ratchet said with a hint of despair in his voice, the others had noticed this too as they finished off another wave of Husks only to see more on the way.

"Arcee, we are not going to be able to hold them off for much longer." Jazz said as he reloaded his rifle.

"Yeah, I am almost out of ammo." Bumblebee replied in a worried tone. Arcee looked over to both of them from her spot.

"Then we take them on hand to hand, we have to do this…..for Jack and Optimus." she said stoically as she deployed her arm blades and waited for the hordes to reach them. Her face becoming stern and focused. But just as the Husks charged within the last fifty feet, suddenly an explosion sent a number of the creatures flying into the air as the group watched in surprise.

"What the?" Smokescreen said before Garrus pointed at the sky from his spot.

"Over there."

Arcee and the others looked in the direction that the Turian was pointing to see an Alliance shuttle flying toward them while firing explosive rounds at the hordes of Husks, which had become confused by the attack and were regrouping. The group then heard a familiar voice speaking through their com links.

"don't worry, back up has arrived."

"Swoop, you made it." Grimlock said happily as the shuttle stopped over the group before firing another round of fire into the Husks.

"Yeah, I got this old girl working again. The received a message from Admiral Bryce, so I flew over here as fast I could." Swoop replied.

"Well, thank god. We now have some air support." Garrus said back with relief in his voice.

"Oh, I brought more than that. Got some friends who want to join you." the Dinobot pilot replied as the shuttle's hatch opened and three more familiar figures dropped to the ground below. First up was Dreadwing, who equipped his Gatling gun and immediately began spraying the area in front of him with bullets, taking down numerous Husks, then shuttle moved over and dropped Kup between both Jazz and Grimlock, the older bot firing on the creatures with his shotgun. The force of the shot tearing open the stomach of one of them, he then smiled at both bots.

"Hey, Guys, can't wait to recite this battle afterwards." he said happily, gaining an eye roll from Jazz and the Dinobot. The shuttle then moved over to Chromia who was kicking and punching the Husks that had begun to attack her and a black and red armored man dropped down on top of one of the Husks and crushed it's face under his armored boot. He then grabbed the next Husk and held it over his head before slamming it down on his knee.

"Take that…" he started to say before throwing the broken creature into the other enemies, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"…Reaper-punk!" he finished before looking back to the femme, who was staring wide-eyed at him. A slight smile gracing her face.

"You alright?" he said back to her.

"Yes, I am better than alright." she replied as her smile got bigger.

"Good, just stay close to me and we will make it through this." he said with a smile, then the bot looked back to the horde only to see the face of a Husk right in his and ready to strike. He was about to react when suddenly the creature's head exploded, he then glanced back to see Chromia pointing her pistol in his direction. A large and confident smile on the femme's face as she moved up to his side.

"And I think you should stay close to me." she replied coyly, earning an equally large smile from the Autobot.

"Name's Ironhide." he said, his voice tinged with affection.

"Chromia." the femme replied in return before they both took defensive stances beside each other and readied their weapons for the next wave of Husks. Meanwhile Arcee having seen the back up that just arrived couldn't help but feel more confident of their chances, so she sneaked a quick look up towards the heavens and thought of her spark-mate before refocusing on the battle at hand and moving into the fight with her arm blades ready.

After running down a number of interconnected corridors and killing any Husk that stood in their way, the two Primes entered a large room where all the synthetic veins converged on a large door just ahead of them, the dark energon pulsing through them rapidly and brightly.

"The spark chamber is just beyond that door." The older Prime said as they ran up to it, but the door did not open.

"Okay, this is going to be a problem." Jack replied before Optimus smiled.

"I know of a way to get through." he said as he held his star-saber up, it began to brighten as he did so. Jack smiled and nodded in return before stepping aside. The moment he was out of the way, Optimus swung the blade in front of the door and unleashed an energy wave that hit the door with an almighty bang. But it only dented the door, leaving the Primes both looking at it in shock.

"First time that hasn't worked." the Commander replied as he looked over to Optimus.

"Perhaps we should both attack the door, the combined power of our star-sabers should be enough to cut through." the Autobot leader said back, earning a not entirely sure expression from Jack before he sighed and nodded.

"Alright, but this tends to knock the wind out of me whenever I unleash a wave with my star-saber. So just be ready to cover me, if we come under attack."

Optimus gave him a supportive smile before both men charged their sabers and swung them at the door, the combined energy wave obliterating the door instantly. Jack fell to his knees and breathed heavily as Optimus kept an eye out.

"Well….that worked well." Jack said as he took a deep breath, but then a loud groaning noise echoed around them as if they had injured something.

"That doesn't sound good." the younger Prime added as he was helped up by his friend.

"No, it does not, Jackson. We should hasten our selves for I believe that Unicron knows of our plan now." Optimus said before they both carried on through the now open door.

Meanwhile outside, Unicron's expression changed to one of silent agony and worry as he placed a hand up to his chest, for he knew something was not right and that maybe it was time to call upon his most loyal servant.

The two Primes were almost sprinting as they neared the end of the corridor, which had a very bright purple light pulsing at it's end. It was almost blinding in strength the closer they got to it.

"We nearly there, Optimus." Jack said with hope in his voice, the older Prime was about to reply when a shadowy figure caught his eye as it dropped down from the ceiling in front of the Commander.

"Jack, look out!" he shouted, making the younger Prime stop his tracks in time to see a weird looking Husk land in front of him. Jack though did not hesitate as he sliced the creature in half almost immediately, causing a gush of black blood to stain the ground in front of him. Then as both men looked down at the two halfs of the Husk lying on the ground, Jack noticed that it was wearing what appeared to be clothes.

"Strange, never known Husks to be fully clothed before." he said as he knelt beside the torso and turned it over and suddenly recognized it as a MECH uniform, his eyes widened as he knew who this used to be.

"This is Silas."

Optimus stood beside him and looked down at the body.

"He was the one who opened the Citadel arms and allowed the Crucible to dock."

"Yeah, and then the Reapers turned him into a Husk for his good work. Well after all the lives that were lost at 'Sanctuary' and all the other atrocities that MECH committed in his name, I would say he got what he deserved." Jack said in a cold and judging tone. Optimus though gave his younger companion a knowing look.

"Jackson, no matter how misguided or 'evil' Silas's actions have been, I would not wish this fate on any of our enemies. I may not have witnessed what you have during this war, but I would wish that you not lose sight of what it is that made you a Prime. I of all people know that the horrors of war can change people, but we as Primes are not allowed the luxury of changing our views."

Jack looked away from the older Prime and down at the Husk who used to be Silas.

"I…..I know, and I am sorry. Well at least I put him out of his misery I guess." he said as Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder in support.

"That is correct, we are not here to judge others Jackson. We are here to protect and guide them.

"Alright, then lets finally end this." Jack replied with a now stoic expression as he started for the inner spark chamber, but before they could move on. A familiar voice spoke out from an unknown direction.

"This is as far as you go, Darby!"

Both Primes looked around, hoping to see who it was that spoke. But Jack could not believe that it would be him.

"No, it can't be. I killed him already." he said with shock in his voice as a figure stepped out from the shadows. He was wearing armor that looked not unlike that of which Unicron had, but was dark brown with gold lines, he then let the light from the room illuminate his face and showed Jack and Optimus who he was.

"Sideways! How the hell are you standing here now?!" Jack said as he and the older Prime re-equipped their star-sabers, earning a laugh from the former Con.

"Do you still not get it ,Darby. I am the Herald of Unicron. His loyal guardian and servant. As long as he lives, so do I." Sideways replied before unsheathing two dark energon blades off his back and preparing to attack them.

"And I will not be facing you alone….." he said, his eyes began to glow bright purple as his voice blended with that of Unicron.

"…Because we both will be facing you today, Disciples of Primus. For it will be this day that the lineage of Primes comes to an end. Now die!" the former-Con yelled as he swung his blades at the Primes, they both parried or deflected the attacks as the three of them became locked in mortal combat while illuminated by the light of Unicron's spark that was just down the corridor.

PRIME EFFECT 3

The battle raging over the Earth was going from bad to worse as the Allied forces were being obliterated by the Reapers, many of the ships had already been disabled or destroyed by the black behemoths. The bridge of the Ark was a mess as crewmen were either putting out fires or trying to repair systems, Admiral Bryce wiped blood from a wound on his forehead that he had gained from hitting it against his console after the last attack from the Reaper directly ahead of them.

"Evasive action now!" he shouted, the helmsmen then turned the large Autobot ship to right, just narrowly missing the red energy beam that the behemoth had fired at them.

"Fire everything we have at it now." he commanded, and with that the Ark returned fire with all it's cannons and torpedoes, causing minor damage to the Reaper as it charged it's beam weapon again.

"Sir, minimal damage to the Reaper and our shields are down to twenty percent. We wont be able to survive another direct hit." an officer said as he worked his control console. Bryce then looked out at the bridge canopy to see the Nemesis moving toward and over them as it fired it's weapons at the Reaper, blowing it's tentacle legs off and making the behemoth lose control as it drifted away and crashed into another Reaper that was busy destroying a mercenary cruiser (Eclipse). The two giant squid like ships impacted and blew up in spectacular fashion.

"Thanks for the save, Nemesis." Bryce said into his com link as his pilot turned the Ark around to face it's sister ship.

"You're welcome Ark. We will….oh shit!" the commander of the Nemesis replied as Bryce saw four more Reapers move in around the former Decepticon mothership, their weapons glowing as they became charged.

"Nemesis, get out of there." the Admiral shouted at them, but then the Reapers fired their beam weapons and carved the ship into pieces right before the Admiral and his crew's eyes. Nothing was left but small pieces of debris after the behemoths were finished and they turned towards the Ark, their weapons charging up once more. Bryce looked down at his console as he contemplated his next move, taking a deep breath before looking at his helmsmen with a stoic expression.

"Set a collision course and set our engine core to overload because if we are going to go out, then I want to take those bastards with us. So give me ramming speed." he said as his bridge crew looked at him in shock.

"Ye….Yes sir." his helmsmen replied before turning back to his console and inputting the commands. Then the Ark's engines fired up and thrust the ship forward as it began to close in on the four Reapers ahead of them, the crew just watched and waited for the inevitable as Bryce stood up straight and looked on.

"It has been an honor serving with you all." he said as they neared the behemoths, but suddenly the sensors station began to beep. Gaining the crewman who was working it's attention.

"Sir, sensors are picking up multiple ships jumping into Earth space."

Bryce looked at him with a surprised and questioning expression.

"Who?"

Suddenly the Cronos and a number of MECH cruisers appeared out of hyperspace and fired their beam cannons at the Reapers in front of the Ark, damaging them all and causing the black behemoths to move out of the way as the Cronos moved to the Autobot ship's side.

"MECH, but how?" Bryce asked as he looked at the ships with surprise before a familiar female voice spoke over the intercom.

"Admiral Bryce, this is Miranda Lawson. I hope you don't mind me crashing this little party of yours?" she said, earning a smile from the Admiral.

"Not at all, Miss Lawson, if we survive this then I will buy you a drink.

"Looking forward to it. Our sensors show that the Ark has taken substantial damage. We will cover you with the Cronos until you have are ready to fight again." she replied.

"Thank you, Miss Lawson."

"We are all in this fight, see you on the other side." the former MECH officer replied before speaking on the intercom to the rest of her fleet.

"All ships, engage the Reaper forces."

Then as the rest of the MECH cruisers split up into pairs and began firing on the Reapers, the Cronos staying at the Ark's side as it began firing on a squadron of Reaper fighter drones that targeted the Autobot ship.

Meanwhile among the ruins of London, Raf looked out of the small window of the escape pod he was in. And as he watched Bumblebee and Smokescreen fighting a bunch of Husks, a Reaper in the distance gained his attention as it got to it's feet and looked around. It was Harbinger and from where he was, Raf could see only one set of three glowing yellow eyes (the others were destroyed when the Defiant crashed into them earlier) as the Reaper scanned the horizon.

It then looked up into the sky and stayed that way for a long moment as if it could sense that something was wrong before launching itself into the sky and ascending to the void that was beyond the planet's atmosphere.

PRIME EFFECT 3

Inside the Chaos bringer's body, the two Primes continued to clash swords with Sideways (who was under Unicron's control) as they attacked him from both sides, though their Herald continued to deflect or parry their attacks, with a dark smile on his face as he did.

"Is that the best you have to offer, Primes?" Sideways mocked before swinging his blade at Jack who blocked it with the sky boom shield, the younger Prime then charged into the Herald, knocking him over into the spark chamber. The giant energy ball that was Unicron's spark illuminated the entire vast spherical room, as electrical blasts were emitted by it and clashed against the walls above the men below.

Sideways got to his feet as Jack and Optimus stood ready. The former-Con had managed to not only hold his own against the two Primes, but looked like he was in full control of the fight and was now only toying with them. The presence of Unicron sharing his spark had made him far more of a danger than he had been before now, and Jack knew from glancing over at Optimus that things were not going well.

"Hope you enjoy the view, Disciples of Primus? This is as close as you will get to my spark." Sideways said before he launched himself at both Primes, who clashed heir saber's against his, blue and purple sparks flying out as the blades connected. The Herald mocked before pushing Optimus away and then hitting Jack in the face with the sword's hilt, as he pulled his other blade back. This made the younger Prime stagger back a few steps.

"So disappointing. Primus must have been desperate to have picked such a lowly life form to become a Prime. You are the weakest that I had ever faced." Sideways mocked but before he could take advantage of this, Optimus brought his star saber down upon his enemy. But Sideways managed to cross his blades over his head and block the attack, holding it there in place. The Autobot leader gritted his teeth as he tried to force his blade through the Chaos Bringer's defence but Sideways merely grinned as he stared back at the Prime.

"You will not have this day, Prime, for I will watch as the light leaves your eyes before finally destroying everything that you and my brother hold dear."

Optimus then kicked out at Sideways stomach, forcing the Herald back.

"And I will ensure that never happens, Unicron, even if I have to give up my life to see it through." the older Prime replied in a determined tone before breaking the deadlock and swiping at the Chaos Bringer, who dodged the attack and countered by slashing through the older Prime's armour on his arm, blood like liquid spilled out earning a wince from Optimus as Sideways kicked him and knocked him on his ass.

"One of my blades has tasted the blood of a Prime today, I vow it's thirst will be quenched by the end of this distraction." Sideways said in a victorious like tone.

"You talk too much." Jack replied sarcastically as he rejoined the fight and hacked his star saber at the former Con. The former Con blocked the attack but the Commander then deactivated his saber making the Herald's fall down and drag him forward (via he momentum) towards Jack as he lost his footing. The younger Prime smiled as he then hit Sideways in the face with his elbow before then kneeing him in the stomach and then elbowing him in the back as he recoiled, knocking the former Con on to the floor. Jack then reactivated his star saber and stood over Sideways.

"This ends now." he said confidently before raising his saber over his head, the former Con looked up at him with his eyes glowing brightly with dark Energon as his expression was one of brutal rage.

"Enough!" he roared before reaching up and stopping Jack from striking him down, the strength that Jack found himself against was beyond anything he had face before as Sideways held on to the arm that the star saber was equipped to. The Herald stared into the younger Prime's eyes with a hatred that was beyond words.

"I have had enough of you, Fleshling." he spat before crushing the armour around Jack's wrist, making the star saber vanish. The pain the Commander felt was like having ones hand in a vice that had been tightened to almost breaking point. Sideways then head butted Jack twice, making blood gush from the Younger Prime's nose and daze him before punching him in the chest, cracking the chest plate of his armour and a number of his ribs in the process, the force of the punch also sent Jack flat on his ass.

Optimus was still recovering as he managed to sit up to see Jack trying to stand as Sideways picked up his dark Energon sabers, the blades glowing brightly as he charged them up.

"Now BEGONE!" the former Con spat as he sliced the sabers down in front of him, unleashing a double energy wave that hit Jack like a wrecking ball, the young Prime felt an instant crippling pain across his entire body as the energy burnt his armour and sent him flying into the wall behind him, the impact creating a crater where he hit it before his body fell to the ground and Jack fell unconscious.

"Jackson!" Optimus shouted back as he got to his feet, Sideways though casually turned around and looked at him with a dark smile.

"One Prime down, one to go."

Optimus looked over to Jack's still form lying on the floor before his attention went back to Sideways, his eyes narrowing at the former Con as he tightened his grip around the hilt of the star saber, he then charged at the Herald who just let him come at him. Optimus swung his blade but Sideways ducked under it and then countered with his own attack, only for the Autobot leader to deflect it before the two clashed sabers again, the former Con then used his free saber to try and slash at the older Prime, though Optimus saw this coming and broke away to dodge the attack at the last split second. They then both stared hate into each others eyes.

"I will kill you now." Sideways said earning a curious expression from the Prime.

"That seems premature, Unicron. You will not have this day."

"Miserable worm, it will happen because I have deemed it so." he spat back before roaring at Optimus and launching an other attack, which found the Prime on the defensive instantly as Sideways kept pummelling, breaking through every parry and block that the Autobot leader attempted, pushing him back with each attack.

Optimus found that when ever he tried to counter, the Chaos Bringer just broke through again and forced him to defend. As the two fought, Jack came too and he managed to look up and see them, though every part of him was aching beyond measure.

It was then at that moment, the former Con spun his saber's hilt in his hand so that he had the blunt end facing Optimus and he jabbed it into the Autobot Leader's face, disorientating him. Sidesways smirked as he then thrusted his other saber right at his enemy, but Optimus managed to bring his star saber up just in time to deflect it.

The former Con though still had the one more blade (he had spun the hilt back to its original position) and before the Autobot leader could react, Sidesways stabbed him through the chest with it. Optimus's eyes widened, and he gave a loud grunt as he felt the most agonising pain in his chest and looked down to see the dark Energon saber imbedded in him.

Jack's expression was one of complete shock as he saw Sideways pull out the blade, blood like fluid gushed out of the wound as Optimus slumped to his knees with the former Con standing over him with a look of delight on his face.

"And so finally, the line of Primes has failed and my brother's will undone. Nothing will stand between my children and I as we purge this galaxy, and then rebuild it our own way."

The older Prime looked up at Sideways, the former Con's eyes still glowing with the purple hue of dark Energon.

"Unicron, no matter…. how many cycles you purge, or… how many lives you take. You will never find… what it is that you seek. And others….. will always take arms against you." The Prime replied as he gritted his teeth and put his hand to his wound, feeling his life force continue to abandon him.

Sideways though looked unimpressed as he began lifting one of his blades, preparing to bring the Autobot Leader's life to an end.

"I have had enough of your prattle, Prime. They will die, just as surely as you will now." the former Con replied as Optimus closed his eyes and prepared himself for the inevitable, but then as Sideways dropped the blade down to cleave his enemy's head from his shoulders, suddenly a loud clang of metal echoed around the spark chamber. Optimus still waiting for the killing blow, opened one eye to see that his star saber was blocking the bright purple blade of the possessed former-con. He then looked to see who was holding his saber and saw Jack standing there with a determined look on his face.

"You forgot about me, Unicron." he spat before parrying the Herald's blade away from Optimus who then fell back onto his ass and breathed heavily as his wound continued to bleed over him. Sideway's purple eyes glowed angrily as narrowed them at Jack.

"Do you think you have what it takes to defeat me…..,Disciple of Primus." he spat as took a stance with his blades, readying himself for another round with the younger Prime. Jack followed suit as he held the star-saber in his hand, the blade suddenly mass shifted itself into a single-handed version of it self, earning a confident smile from Jack.

"Let's find out." he replied before charging at his enemy, Sideways mirrored him as the two ran at each other before they clashed blades, the sound of metal on metal echoing throughout the room. Both of them attacked each other with everything they had, for every attack one performed. The other would block or evade it before countering. Optimus watched from his spot, his eyes wide as he saw Jack holding his own against the Unicron possessed Sideways as they continued to battle each other in the wake of the giant spark of the Chaos Bringer.

But then as Sideways lunged forward with an attack, Jack spun around and dodged it before elbowing the former Con in the back. As the Herald was pushed forward, Jack then slashed his enemy's back earning a hiss from Sideways as he winced. He then turned round and with his anger now at boiling point, swung his blade at the younger Prime who ducked under it and then slashed the former Con's right arm, causing him to drop one of his dark energon sabers.

Sideways growled in response before just swinging wildly at the Commander who just coolly dodged the attack and then slashed at the former Con's chest, cutting through the armor and the flesh below it. Sideways winced again before gritting his teeth and lunging at Jack, but the younger Prime blocked the attack with the star saber before launching a punch at the former Con's gut, but suddenly his own star-saber reactivated and stabbed right through his body, and coming out of his back.

Sideway's gasped in pain before Jack pulled his blade out of the Herald's gut, making blood-like fluid gush out as the purple glow coming from the Herald's eyes disappeared and he fell to knees. The younger Prime stood above him and readied his own star saber to strike his enemy down, while holding Optimus's saber in his other.

"You think…..*cough*, you've won, Darby? You don't have..*cough* what it takes to….*cough* end this." Sideways spat back with his own voice (the possession by Unicron now over) as he continued to choke on his own blood. But Jack wasn't going to listen to this bastard for a second longer as he raised the star-saber over the Herald.

"Please stay dead this time." he replied before swinging the blade down and cleaving Sideway's head from his body, the former rolling on the floor while he later fell down in a heap.

"Jackson." a faint voice spoke out and Jack look over from the body of Sideways to see Optimus slumped up against the wall, bleeding out as he attempted to keep pressure on his chest wound. The younger Prime ran over and knelt down in front of him, taking out an item out of his utility belt.

"Hang on, Optimus. I have medi-gel." he said as he prepared to treat the wound, but then the Autobot leader reached out and stopped him.

"It is…..to…late for….me, I will…..soon become one…..with…..the Allspark." he replied slowly, clinging on to what little life he had left, if only for a moment.

"Don't talk like that, we can still…." Jack began saying back before Optimus cut him off.

"We….don't have….the time, Unicron has only been…..slowed down. You have…..to finish this."

Jack then watched as Optimus opened up the chest plate of his armor and took the matrix crystal in his hand, it then mass shifted to it's natural size in his grasp. Jack looked down into the bright white/blue crystal core of the artifact, before then looking his mentor in the eye. A worried expression grew on his face.

"Optimus, if I can't do this." he said with uncertainty in his voice, but the Autobot leader just gave him a reassuring smile.

"You are… a Prime, I know…. you can do this." he replied before looking past Jack to the spark of Unicron as it continued to glow brightly in the background. He then looked back at Jack.

"I never….told you this, but….I always thought….of you….as…a son, Jack."

Jack's eyes widened at the older Prime's confession.

"Optimus…"

"I….am…..very…..proud…..of…..you…" Optimus then said before his eyes glazed over and his head tilted slightly to the right, his expression frozen in place as he died there in front of Jack. He just looked at his mentor, a single tear running down his cheek as it dawned on him what just happened. He then reached out with his hand and closed Optimus's eyes before looking down to the ground.

"Goodbye…" he whispered as he stayed like that for what felt like a long moment, before the glow of the matrix caught his attention as it lied there in the fallen Autobot leader's hands. The words of Primus then echoed through Jack's mind as he remembered what the Aeon had told him.

'If you were to unleash the matrix's energy, then you would likely not survive the exposure.' the words had a damning notion to Jack as he also remembered his vow to Arcee, his spark-mate.

'I will come back to you, Arcee, because… you are my spark-mate and I love you…I swear.' He so wanted to keep his oath to his lover, to spend the remainder of his life with her.

But as these thoughts conflicted with each other, Jack also thought of how the Reapers were at this very moment obliterating all sentient life in the galaxy. And it was this thought that finally made his decision for him. He was a Prime, and it was his duty to protect the galaxy….no matter the cost.

So, he knew that he had no choice and so with a deep breath, he picked up the matrix and stood up and turned around to face the ever bright and storm like spark of the Chaos Bringer as it hovered in the center of the massive spark chamber. Jack began walking towards the center of the room, to the spot directly below the beating spark. And as he walked, Jack remembered the faces of his friends and family.

He saw his mother June Darby and his step-father William Fowler. He then saw Garrus and Tali, Soundwave, Legion and Miko with Kaidan and Wheeljack. Then there was Airachnid before Optimus's face appeared, looking at Jack with both pride and a father's love. Finally though as Jack stood directly below Unicron's spark, the last image he saw was that of Arcee. She looked at him lovingly with the same smile that would melt his heart every time. An it was this last image that gave Jack the strength to do what was necessary, so he lifted the matrix above his head. Holding it firmly at the handle's on either side.

"Matrix of Leadership, I Jackson Prime call upon you…." he called out to it as he began to pull the casing surrounding the glowing crystal apart.

"…..light our darkest hour!"

As these words echoed though the matrix, several thousand light years away deep in the bowels of Cybertron. Primus's core glowed as bright as a star for one single moment before it went dark…..for the last time, leaving the planet as a lifeless husk now and forever.

Suddenly the matrix glowed so bright that it nearly blinded Jack as he found that he could not move as his skin began to tingle all over. Then a powerful and bright energy beam shot out of the artifact in his hands and impacted directly into the Chaos Bringer's spark, causing what looked like lightning to strike out at the walls of the spark chamber violently as the matrix's energy clashed with that of Unicron's.

Jack felt like his body was on fire as the matrix was white hot in his hands, his exposed skin began to burn from exposure to the energy that he was being exposed to. But finally the matrix shut down and the giant spark above him suddenly collapsed in on it's self until it became a tiny white ball. Jack though could still not move, before it suddenly grew and expanded at an incredible rate, engulfing Jack in it's burning light as it then traveled through every part of the Chaos Bringer's body.

PRIME EFFECT 3

Outside, Unicron had what looked like seizures as the battle had stopped around him. On board the Ark, Bryce and his bridge crew were watching as the Chaos Bringer looked like he was screaming out to the void around him, his faceplate's expression one of agonizing pain. The officer next to the Admiral then looked at his holo-interface as it beeped loudly.

"Sir, I am picking up a power signature from inside Unicron, and it is increasing at an overwhelming rate."

"He is going to explode…..they did it." Bryce replied before tapping his com-link.

"This is Admiral Bryce to all ships, Unicron is going to detonate. Evacuate the system immediately and head to the rendezvous point, do it now." he said before the allied ships in view of their canopy began turning around and jumping away.

"Sir, what about us?" the helmsmen replied.

"Take us in close, we are going to extract the Primes now before that thing blows up."

The bridge crew continued to look at the deity as it's body was being covered by explosions across it's surface.

"Sir, we don't have time. We have to leave now." the officer next to the Admiral said defiantly. Bryce was going to argue back but then caught sight of the white energy breaking through the body of Unicron and expanding toward them.

"…..damn it." he said before looking away in shame.

"You're right, get us out of here." he said back before the helmsmen began turning the Ark away from the incoming energy wave, Bryce taking one last look at deity's body before it went out of view.

"…I'm sorry." he said in an almost whisper as the Ark sped away from the energy field and jumped into hyperspace. As the wave continued to expand from within Unicron, the Reapers had finally caught on and had started to flee but were instantly caught in the wave, the white energy incinerating them. Leaving no trace of them in it's wake as it then hit the planet and began to engulf it.

Meanwhile down in the war ravaged streets of London, allied forces were fighting a losing battle against the Reaper ground forces just aways from the ruins of the shard tower. The soldiers were firing from behind cover at the cannibals and marauders as the black behemoths stood over them and fired down on the streets.

Suddenly another Reaper landed right next to one group of soldiers and charged it's beam weapon as they fired back at it, but suddenly it stopped along with the other Reapers as a white energy wave appeared on the horizon and closed in on them, passing Tower bridge and then the Shard tower before pass through the Reapers and the soldiers. When the troops looked back, they found no trace of the Husks or their masters and so began cheering loudly as the wave continued to spread over London.

As this was happening, Arcee and the others were still neck deep in Husks as they defended the escape pods from the never-ending hordes. But as the femme blew the head off of one Husk, she suddenly saw the energy wave approaching their position. It's white light reflecting in her azure eyes as she and the others watched in shock as the wave obliterated all the Husks that were in front of them before passing through them.

The energy that washed over them then knocked Arcee and the other Autobots to their knees as if they suddenly felt very dizzy. Garrus and Tali ran over to the femme and helped her up to find that all the Reaper forces that had been around them, including the Reapers themselves who had been on the horizon were now gone. The group started smiling and cheering, but Arcee just stared up into the sky with Garrus and Tali and thought of Jack, just as the storm clouds finally began to disappear, allowing streams of sunlight to break through and shine over the city.

After the energy wave had expanded past Earth and towards the outer edges of the Sol system, Unicron's body finally gave in to the tremendous amounts of energy that had been channeled through it and exploded in amazing fashion, sending it's debris in all directions. The wave had completed purged all evidence of the Reapers from the system by the time it reached Sol's edge and it passed through the space bridge, which suddenly activated as it opened up a large white vortex before it collapsed and shot a white beam out into deep space which hit another space bridge, and then another, and another.

Until the energy was passed through the entire space bridge network, completely covering the galaxy in it's energy and wiping away every Reaper that was there. But still only one Reaper remained at the very galaxy's edge as Harbinger traveled through hyperspace, hoping to reach the safety of dark space before the energy could reach it.

But then the wave appeared from behind the Reaper and was gaining fast, making Harbinger's remaining eyes brighten as it poured everything it had into it's propulsion. But this only bought it another moment as the wave suddenly made contact with the Reaper before overtaking it and incinerating it right there and then. Once done the wave dissipated right at the edge of the galaxy, having destroyed the Reapers completely.

Back on Earth, a hatch on one of the escape pods opened and revealed Raf as he and the crew began getting out of the pods and looking around, the clouds had completed dispersed and revealed rising sun as it appeared on the horizon. It's bright light turning the sky to a vanilla like color. As this was happening, Arcee continued to look up at the sky and saw what looked like the aftermath of a massive explosion directly above them, littering the sky with debris as the small bits burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Garrus placed his hand on the femme's shoulder sympathetically and Tali looked down at the ground as one thought went through Arcee's mind as her eyes began to well up.

'….Jack,…no.' she thought, while everyone basked in the victory that was hard-fought and had earned a new dawn for the galaxy.

[Apollo-XL5]

EPILOGUE

The Defiant crew was working amongst the rubble and ruins of what once was the city of London merely an hour or so after the battle had ended, trying to help anyone that needed it, be they civilians or allies. Ratchet had checked up on every Autobot in the team and was now scanning Bumblebee with his holo-tool. The Medic was hoping these scans could shine light on the reason they all felt dizzy and had collapsed when the mysterious energy wave had passed through them, but as of right now he was no closer to an answer. Ratchet then finished his scan of the scout and gestured him to move.

"Thank Primus, I hate checkups." the young bot said, earning and annoyed expression from the Medic as he pinched his nose.

"Bumblebee, these scans can help me understand what happened to us when the Reapers were vanquished. Don't you want to know how it affected us?"

The Scout just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Can't say it is on the top of my worry list..."

The Medic looked at him sternly, yet Bumblebee continued.

"...I am just saying that we should just look on the bright side. I mean I feel absolutely fine and am just happy that we lived of through this, that should be enough. Now can I get going, I promised Raf I would help him with the other tech teams, as they attempt to get the resistance's auxiliary planetary sensors online."

"And what do you know about repairing such hardware?" Ratchet asked with a mocking tone in his voice.

"Not enough to know what to do by myself, but I have watched both Raf and Tali enough times while on board the Defiant. So I know I can be of help."

The Medic nodded and waved his young friend off.

"Alright go, there is only one more person I need a scan of anyway." he replied before looking around him, trying to spot a certain femme.

Meanwhile, Arcee was sitting on a piece of concrete and making modifications to her com-link with her holo-tool before tapping it again.

"Jack? Jack, can you hear me? it's Arcee. Jack?" she said repeatedly but all she heard on the other end was static. Garrus was not far from the femme and shook his head as he watched her attempt to alter the frequency of her com link again. Smokescreen stood beside the Turian and looked at what had his attention.

"How long has she been at it for?"

"She isn't giving up hope that he is out there, I can't say that I blame her. If it was Tali up there, then I wouldn't even turn the com-link off."

At that moment Ratchet turned up.

"Have any of you seen Arc…., there she is." the Medic said as he noticed the femme and started to walk over to her.

"Arcee, I need to take a scan of your physiology. So that I can figure out if that energy wave had any adverse effects on us."

"It will have to wait, Ratchet, I'm busy." Arcee replied sternly without even acknowledging that he was there, as she returned to typing on the interface of her holo-tool. The Medic sighed in response before walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Arcee, you have been at this for hours now with no success. Maybe it's time to stop."

Arcee then did exactly that, which made the Ratchet sigh in relief.

"Okay, now I am going to take a scan of you."

The femme then looked at him, her eyes narrowing before swiping his hand away and standing up to face him.

"What are you saying? I should just give up on my 'spark-mate', that I just accept that he is gone." she spat at him with a venomous tone. Ratchet did not know where to look as he felt the cold and confrontational stare coming from Arcee.

"I am not giving up on Jack and until I see a body, I will not accept that he is gone...not again." she added as she clenched her fist, feeling an overwhelming urge to knock the old-bot on his ass for once again proving how ignorant and uncaring he could appear to be. The Medic just stayed quiet as Arcee readied her holo-tool again, and then glanced at him one more time before leaving.

"So you can stick that scan where the sun don't shine."

The femme then stormed off, leaving a bemused Ratchet behind as Garrus joined his side.

"Nice going, Ratchet." the Turian said.

"I didn't know that they had become spark-mates." Ratchet replied with a surprised tone.

"I'll talk to her." Garrus said back as he started to go in the same direction as the fuming femme, only to stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Garrus. I should go and apologise."

With that Ratchet went after her.

Arcee was seething right now as she walked off, not caring what direction she was heading as long as it was far away from Ratchet. The femme had to really hold herself back from pummelling him into nothing for having the audacity to tell her to let Jack go. She couldn't do it, not again. Not like when her lover had died the day that the Normandy was destroyed by the Quintessons a few years back. So she stopped where she was and looked up to the sky while activating her com-link, hoping that this time she may hear his voice on the other end.

"Jack, it's Arcee. Are you there? If so then give me sign…..please?" she asked, the tone of her voice sounding like the femme was putting the last of her hope into one final plea. But as she stood there and looked up into the clear blue sky, hearing nothing but the sound of static on the other end of the com, she then hung her head in despair. Not wanting to accept the reality of the situation. Her spark ached at the choice she had in front of her, and she felt her eyes begin to well up as this feeling sunk in. The femme was so engrossed in her own despair, she did not hear Ratchet walking up behind her.

"Arcee?" he said in a somewhat unsure tone, almost like he was expecting the Autobot to attack him. On hearing her name spoken aloud, the femme was brought out of her solitary moment. And with recognising the voice that said it, her anger began to flare up again, as she clenched her fists.

"I thought I warned you to stay away." she said with hostility in her voice without even turning around to look at him.

"I guess I don't like myself for what I said to you, Arcee. I am sorry." the Medic replied with a shameful tone. The femme though kept her back to him, so Ratchet moved closer and as soon as he was standing right behind her, he could hear her crying.

"Arcee?" he asked as walked in front of her to see the femme was holding her head in her hands and weeping. He immediately pulled her into a sympathetic embrace, with Arcee hugging him back as she started to cry uncontrollably.

"I am sorry, Arcee. I know you loved him very much and he you. But we don't know what has happened up there since the fleet jumped away, maybe you are right and he is actually okay and just unable to contact us."

"I hope so, because if he really is gone this time..." Arcee said, hating herself for even contemplating that line of thinking.

" … I don't think I would be able to go on without him." she finished as Ratchet listened.

"Arcee, I know you want to find out that Jack is okay, I mean we all want to hear that he and Optimus are safe. But since there is nothing we can do in that respect, then we should focus on what can be done like making sure the crew are okay and searching for any survivors of HAMMER. Jack left you in charge Arcee and we need you right now."

The femme remained quiet for a long moment as she mulled over her choices, then finally she pulled back from her colleague and looked at him with a stoic expression.

"You are right, Ratchet….but I am afraid that while Jack is missing, I just can't focus on anything else right now. I know you probably don't understand, but….."

"No, Arcee. I do understand. Believe me, I do." he replied with a sympathetic expression of his own.

"Thank you, please inform Garrus that he is in charge for the time being." the femme said back before recalibrating her com link.

"Of course." Ratchet said before he turned to leave.

"…If you want to take that scan, you might as well do it now." Arcee said regaining the Medic's attention as he nodded back before activating his holo-tool and taking a scan of the femme. In the time it took for the scan to be completed, neither bot spoke as they focused on their individual tasks. That was until their silence was broken by Arcee's com-link activating.

"Jack…..is that you?" she asked hopefully.

"Arcee, this is Admiral Bryce. It's good to hear your voice."

The femme sighed as if somewhat disappointed before replying.

"Likewise, Admiral. What's your situation?"

"We have only just returned to Earth space with the rest of the fleet, some of the rest have begun heading back to their respective home-worlds through the space bridge which is damaged but functional. We have also heard back from those worlds the Reapers were attacking that they have been destroyed. From what we can piece together, every system and colony in the galaxy has been purged of the Reapers by the energy wave that was released from Unicron's body. I don't know how they did it, but Optimus and Darby stopped them. The entire galaxy owes them a tremendous debt." the Admiral replied as Arcee listened to his every word intently.

"How is it looking up there, is Unicron's body still intact?" she asked hopefully. But then for what felt like an age, no answer came back except for a sigh from the Admiral.

"Arcee..." the Admiral said with a somber tone in his voice as he knew the reason whuy she asked that question.

"... all we can see up here is a large debris field, there is no sign of Unicron. I am sorry."

The femme suddenly had a lump in her throat as she felt like her world was crumbling around her, she felt her eyes well up again and was so caught up in the flood of emotion, that she didn't not hear the muffled sounds of others speaking to the Admiral.

"Arcee, are you still there?" he asked, which snapped her to her senses again, she began wiping away the tears as they formed.

"...Yes, Admiral. I am still here." she said while trying to pull herself together, though if the Admiral had noticed this, he didn't let it show in his voice.

"Our sensors are picking up a faint power signature within the debris, I will launch teams to investigate and let you know immediately if we find something." Bryce said in an understanding tone.

"Thank you, Admiral." the femme replied as new hope, though small was reignited in her spark.

"Bryce out." the Admiral said back before closing the com channel. Arcee then just took a deep breath and waited for the news as Ratchet began to head back to Garrus and the others.

PRIME EFFECT 3

The debris field was vast as it orbited the planet Earth, it was all that was left of the Chaos Bringer himself, Unicron. The shuttles began weaving in and out between the asteroid sized chunks of the Aeon while making their way to the field's center tracking the ever faint power signature. On board one shuttle, two Autobots sat in the cockpit, while three more were sitting in the aft-section.

"I don't know how anyone could have survived something like this Blades." a bot in blue/red and silver armor said while staring out of the shuttle's canopy at the debris field around them. The pilot who was wearing red and silver armor kept his attention on his flying as he replied.

"I know what you mean, Hotspot."

Out of nowhere, the shuttle's com-link activated and Admiral Bryce's voice could be heard.

"Shuttle-five, Protectobots, what is your status?"

Hotspot tapped the holo interface in front of him.

"Admiral, we are well inside the debris field now and closing in on the power signature. But it is very faint, and could disappear at any time."

"Acknowledged, keep me posted. Bryce out." the Admiral replied before closing the com channel.

"Guys, we have a large contact drifting our way. It will be I our flight path inside the next thirty seconds." another bot wearing white/black armour said from the back as he worked at his holo-interface.

"I see it, Streetwise, plotting course around it." Blades replied as the shuttle veered to the right .

"By Primus, look at that." Hotspot said as the other bots stood in the doorway to the cockpit and looked out of the canopy.

"Yeah, that's the contact. Had no idea that it would be that though." Streetwise said in return as he was joined by First Aid and Groove (wearing white/black/red and silver/yellow/blue armor respectively). As the Autobots looked out at the debris field that was drifting around them, a massive piece of debris suddenly blocked out the light from the sun as it appeared just aways from the shuttle. Five pairs of eyes widened as suddenly they saw that it was Unicron's face.

"His face survived, I mean his face! The majority of his head explodes, but his face is still in one piece" First Aid said with a slightly unnerved tone in his voice.

"Yeah, so his face is still there. Streetwise, is there any emissions coming from it." Groove asked as the Autobot went back to his console and run a scan, shaking his head once it was done.

"Negative, that thing is dead."

"See, First Aid, nothing to worry about." Groove reassured the medic bot, but Streetwise was still at his console.

"Guys, that power signature though is coming from a larger piece of debris just behind ugly's face".

"Roger that, taking us around big ugly." Blades replied, the shuttle then flew past the former Chaos Bringer's face and saw a very large chunk of debris.

"Taking a scan of it now." Streetwise said as he tapped at his holo-interface.

"The energy signature is definitely originating from that." he added as Hotspot tapped Blades on the arm.

"See that large hole on it's upper left, that is our entry point. Take us in."

The Autobot pilot nodded before manoeuvring the shuttle slowly towards the hole with the vessel's thrusters. once he was happy that he had it lined up, Blades then used a quick burst of power to move the shuttle through the hole as it's search lights activated and illuminated the debris's interior. The Protectobots all crammed into the cockpit to see what they had found themselves in.

"Look at the almost spherical layout of the room." First Aid said, as Hotspot pointed down at the ground.

"Land us there, Blades, and, Everyone, equip your breather helmets. The readouts say zero atmosphere out there."

"Doesn't bode well for us to find any survivors, does it?" Streetwise replied sombrely, earning a similar look from all his team mates.

The shuttle then landed gently and it's hatch opened with a hiss as the vessel's interior was exposed to the vacuum outside. The Protectobots stepped climbed out and looked around at the rubble covered floor, then at the ceiling. Taking in how large the room was.

"By Primus, this place is massive. How in the pit did it survive Unicron exploding?" Hotspot asked, but Groove narrowed his eyes and focused as he looked around the room.

"Is it just me, or does this look familiar?" he said as he shone his torch light onto the ceiling.

"If you mean that it looks like the inside of a spark chamber, then you would be correct." First Aid replied as he scanned the area with his holo-tool.

"Are you picking up any life signs?" Hotspot asked the medic.

"Negative, but I am getting a clear reading of the power signature, it is right over there. Beneath the rubble in the centre of the room." First Aid answered while pointing in it's direction. They all walked forward as a pinging sound coming from The medic's holo-tool increased in loudness and frequency the closer they got to the room's center. Blades shown his torch to the left, something catching his eye as his torch light reflected off it under the rubble there.

"Hey, what's that?" Blades said as he began to walk over to it, Groove following him until he stopped. His eyes widened as he recognised the Autobot shield.

"Give me a hand with this." he said as the two bots began moving and clearing the rubble until suddenly they stopped, their eyes widening as they stared down at the prone body of Optimus Prime. The others looked over with confused expressions.

"What is it?" Hotspot asked.

"We have found Optimus's body." Blades replied sombrely all the bots then just stopped in response. Their faces mirroring Blades and Groove. They all just stood still for a long moment while they mourned their Leader's passing. Then the constant beeping from First Aid's holo-tool regained his and Hotspot's attention.

...Okay, so what will we find here?" he said with a deep breath, keeping his composure as the two bots stood over a plié of rubble and began to dig. Blades then uncovered something else as he and Groove had started to clear enough of he rubble to pick up The fallen Autobot Leader's body.

"Guys, we have found the star saber too." he said as he attempted to pick it up, but the blade would not budge from it's spot.

"Blades, surely you remember that only a Prime can lift up such a weapon." Groove replied before Hotspot looked back at them while clearing away the rubble in front of him.

"Just leave it where it lies then, it's not like it will go anywhere."

The Protectobot leader and his medic then lifted and cleared the last of the rubble only to stop and gasp at what they saw.

"What?" Blades and Groove both said in unison before running over and joining their team mates, gasping too in response at what the saw. Lying before them was Jackson Prime's body, sprawled out on the floor. His Prime armor was damaged while also looking completely burned, as was his exposed skin.

"Primus! What happened to him?" Hotspot asked in shock, First Aid knelt down and looked over the Prime's body, noticing that Jack was still holding on to the matrix of leadership.

"Jackson Prime unleashed the matrix on Unicron." the Medic replied as he pointed at the sacred artifact.

"Is that the power signature we have tracked here?" Groove asked, FirstAid though shook his head in response.

"No, it's completely drained." he replied while looking at the now black crystal inside the casing that used to shine with the brightness of a star before today. The Medic bot then ran a scan of the Prime with his holo-tool, only to express a look of shock when he saw the results. This did not go unnoticed by Hotspot.

"First Aid, what is it?"

The medic looked up with an expression of complete bewilderment on his face.

"Hotspot, I am picking up life signs from his body."

"what? You mean he's..." the Protectobot leader said back in surprise.

"Jackson Prime is still alive!" FirstAid replied, earning similar looks from the rest of the team.

"How, I mean we are in a vacuum..." Hotspot said as he reached down to check the Prime's pulse, but suddenly his hand was stopped in its tracks less than a centimetre from Jack, as a blue energy rippled around his unconscious body.

"Did you see that?" Groove asked before Blades poked at the Prime, again causing the energy to ripple over him.

"Stop it!" First Aid suddenly said aloud, earning a surprised look from the Autobot.

"Every time you do that, the energy signature we have been tracking lessens."

"So this field is what we have been detecting all this time." Streetwise asked as the Medic looked down at a cracked chest plate of Jack's Prime armor noticing a bright light escaping from it.

"Yes, it is the energy field we have been reading. But it is powered by the 'Star of Terra', and it is keeping him alive…somehow."

"So how do we move him then without weakening the field and killing him?" Blades asked making the medic look to the others.

"I think that as long as we don't use too much….. Streetwise and Groove, lift the Prime up gently. I will check the field strength."

The two Autobots did as they were instructed and took hold of the unconscious Commander and began to lift him up, the energy field that surrounding him rippling over his body for just a moment.

"The field is continuing to drop, but at a more slower rate." First Aid said with a smile. Hotspot mirrored his expression before looking at Streetwise and Groove.

"Alright, get Jackson Prime on the shuttle. First Aid, you and Blades recover Optimus's body and do the same."

He then tapped the com link on his breather helmet.

"Hotspot to Ark. Admiral Bryce, do you read me?"

"Bryce here, what have you found over there?" the Admiral replied over the link.

"Sir, we found both Primes. Jackson Prime is still alive and we are extracting him now."

"I don't believe it….." Bryce replied, unable to hide the relief in his voice.

"….but how? Wait, never mind. You can tell me at your debrief. What about Optimus?"

"Sir, I am afraid to say that Optimus Prime is…..one with the Allspark." Hotspot replied as the tone of his voice took on a more sombre feel. The Admiral stayed quiet for a moment, the only thing that the Autobot could hear was an inhale before Bryce spoke again.

"…I see, I am sorry to hear that… alright, get them both back here as quick as you can. I will have a medical team waiting for you in the shuttle bay….and good work on finding them. Bryce out."

Hotspot then looked back at the others.

"Alright team, let's move." he said before rejoining them at the shuttle.

Back on Earth, Arcee was sitting down on a bench that overlooked a charred open area which apprently used to be a park, or so she had been told. The femme's attention though was focused elsewhere as she typed on her holo-tool's interface, still trying to establish a connection with her spark mate.

'Come on, Jack, you have to be alive.' Arcee thought as she continued to stare at the read outs, hoping that a signal would appear on the screen, but it just remained a flat line. Not unlike that on a heartbeat monitor , she closed her eyes and tried to banish any ill thoughts that image had started to stir in her mind.

'No, can't think like that. He is alive, he has to be.'

The femme was so caught up in her own thoughts and processes, she did not notice someone walking up behind her.

"Arcee, you alright over there?" a familiar voice called to her, snapping the Autobot out of her of her thoughts as she turned round and saw Smokescreen behind her.

"Smokescreen, I…I am fine. What is it?" she replied hesitantly.

"Well Garrus has tried to contact you for the last twenty minutes, but there was no answer. So he sent me out to see if you were okay." the young Autobot said.

"I turned my com-link off." Arcee answered before noticing a slight smile appear on the bot's face.

"What?"

"So you don't know then?" he replied, gaining an annoyed look from the femme.

"Know what?"

"Admiral Bryce has dispatched a shuttle to bring you to the Ark." Smokescreen said, making her expression change to one of confusion.

"Me?"

The young bot's smile widened in response.

"They found him!" he said with a happy tone in his voice.

"Him…." she said with barely a whisper, her face now looking back at Smokescreen as her eyes began to widen.

"Jack, he's alive and on board the Ark, in it's medical bay." the bot replied, making her stand up all of a sudden, her lover's name being spoken aloud finally sinking in her mind what Smokescreen had said.

"Jack… where is the shuttle?" she said, her expression becoming all stoic like.

"Back at the escape pod's landing site." the young bot replied and without any further encouragement, Arcee ran past her comrade and back to where the shuttle had landed, leaving Smokescreen to watch with a smile on his face before he tapped his com-link.

"Smokescreen here, she is on her way."

PRIME EFFECT 3

The crystalline landscape was a beautiful sight as the rainbow coloured rays of light flowed over the night sky, the stars too were shining brightly like diamonds as Jack stood there watching it all. With so much light in the sky despite it being night, it was a wonder that the sources of such light did not conflict with each other. Fighting for superiority of the night, but they were instead existing in a state of complete symbiosis. The colours working with each other and not against. The Prime just continued to stare out at it, he did not know how he got there or how much time had passed for him in this place. Such thoughts were not even going through his mind, he felt completely at peace with his surroundings as another stood beside him.

"Beautiful isn't it."

Jack looked over to see Optimus standing next to him, smiling at the same images that the Commander had been watching.

"Yes, it is. it is all how it should be."

"I have not seen the Matrix and Allspark look so at peace….not for a long time."

Jack smiled and nodded before looking back out at the environment around them.

"You're not Optimus."

"No, I am not. He is up there, his spark shining brightly among all the others in the Allspark." the figure smiled as they both looked up at the stars.

"But you are not Primus either, I felt his essence fade away when I unleashed the matrix on Unicron." Jack replied.

"That is true, I am an echo of the one called Primus. The last of his being to leave this plane of existence." the echo said back.

"But there is still one matrix left, a part of Primus that still exists here. Isn't that enough?" the Prime asked, gaining the other's attention.

"You carry the last of Primus within your matrix, Jackson Prime. It is not enough to keep the Aeon among us. But one day it will be needed for the storm on the horizon." the echo replied as it looked away from Jack, causing the Prime to look at whatever had taken the other's attention from him. But he could not see anything on the horizon.

"What is it? I don't see anything out there."

"It is not something to which you should concern yourself with, Prime. Another like yourself will have to deal with this when the time comes…..very far down the line from now. Primus did tell you this, heed his words."

"Another? You mean there will be more Primes after me, but I thought…" Jack started to say until the other cut him off.

"Jackson Prime, Optimus was the last…..of the original lineage of Primes. You are the first of the new, one that will be diverse in species as well as gender. This is what Primus wanted for the galaxy that he came to care for. You will carry the matrix until the next Prime reveals themselves and the pattern will repeat until the time that Primes will no longer be required."

Jack gave the echo a look of relief, before it changed to one of confusion.

"So, I am not dead then. But why is that, I mean Primus told me that using the Matrix would likely kill me. So why have I survived?"

"Because you passed the final test of what it means to be a Prime…..self sacrifice." the figure looking like Optimus replied.

"But I have always put others ahead of myself, throughout my entire life. How is now any different?" Jack asked.

"Because in that singular moment before unleashing the matrix's power, you not only believed in that noble act, but also committed to it in it's entirety, putting the needs of an entire galaxy ahead of your own being. You had proven that Primus was correct in making you a Prime and so the Matrix protected you from that which would have ended your life, Jackson Darby." the echo replied with a gentle smile, looking now more then ever as the man Jack knew as Optimus Prime.

"I see, so what now?"

"Now it is time for you to open your eyes and return to your world, to help shape it's future and carry on the will of Primus. Farewell, Jackson Prime. Until all are one." the echo said before everything went white and Jack could hear voices talking around him. One of the voices sounding so warm and familiar to him, he could feel his own heart skip a beat.

"He is coming round,...Jack.." a female voice spoke softly as the Prime opened his eyes to see three blurred faces looking down on him, though his vision slowly corrected itself as it got used to the light. Jack then recognized Arcee and Ratchet, the third face was a complete stranger.

"Arcee..." he replied, earning a loving smile from the femme, she replied by softly raking her hand through his hair as he lied there on the berth.

"Where am I?" the Prime asked as he looked around the room (as well as he could while lying down on a berth) to see a heartbeat monitor and I.V drip on his right.

"On board the Ark, in it's medical bay." Arcee replied.

"How long have I been here?"

The femme and the medic looked at each other before moving their gaze back to the Human Prime.

"Jack, you have been in a coma for three weeks." Ratchet answered, earning a wide eyed look from his patient.

"A coma? Three weeks? What happened to me?" he asked with a surprised tone. Arcee gave Ratchet a knowing look.

"Perhaps I can get some privacy with Jack and get him up to speed." she asked.

"Unfortunately Admiral Bryce ordered me to let him know once Jack was awake, and I just signaled him now." the medic replied as he pointed at his holo-tool, earning a sigh from the femme. Jack though was more concerned with the third person who was trying to look busy at the back of the room, except he looked more annoyed than anything else.

"Who's that?" the Prime asked, making the man turn around and look at him.

"Well it's about someone asked about me." the guy said earning a knowing look from Jack, since he recognized his voice. The man had red hair with black highlights and looked like someone who was obsessed with his image.

"Knockout?" Jack said, earning a smile from the former Con.

"Yes, Darby, it's me." he replied with an overconfident tone, earning daggers from Arcee, making him gulp before changing his attitude.

"I mean... Yes, Prime. I am the one responsible for getting your burns to heal faster by placing you in the experimental bio re-generator tank that I invented, it sped up your body's natural healing factor. So your severe injuries and burns were healed in weeks not months or years."

"Burns!" Jack replied with fear tinged in his voice before looking around for a mirror, though Arcee was already on hand and held one up so that the Prime could see his reflection.

"Doesn't look any different." he said with a confused expression before looking back at Knockout, the other two Autobots doing the same. The doctor just smiled at them.

"Yes…. I am just that good, if I do say so myself." he exclaimed happily, as Jack continued to look at his face for a moment before looking at Ratchet.

"How bad was it?" he asked while Knockout looked like he was imagining being surrounded by scores of fans admiring him, the medic ignored the former Con and sighed before looking back at the Prime.

"Well..." he said before Jack noticed how somber Arcee was looking.

"Arcee, what is it?"

Before the femme could answer, Ratchet did so for her.

"Jack, when you were brought in...you were in a bad way. Your body was broken. It wasn't just your skin that had been damaged severely. Arcee didn't take it well."

The Prime looked back to his lover and placed his hand on her own affectionately.

"Hey, I am okay now." he said gently to her, the femme then reached up and stroked his chin. Feeling it's softness instead of the crisp, burnt way it was only weeks before. She then leaned in close, Jack could feel her sweet breath on his neck and smell her scent as the femme spoke softly into his ear.

"I know, Jack, and I am so very thankful for that, but most importantly I am just really happy that your alright. I don't want to lose you again."

The femme was suddenly surprised as Jack pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, she could feel all her doubts and fears melt away as he held her close and pressed his lips against hers. Both Ratchet and Knockout did not know where to look for that particular moment. But the two spark-mates ignored them as they pulled away slightly and looked into each others eyes.

"I love you, Arcee. I would fight heaven and hell to be in your embrace again."

The femme chuckled lightly be looking back at him lovingly.

"That was a little cheesy, Jack."

The Prime though gave her a knowing smile.

"Maybe, but you liked it. Right?" he asked, Arcee gave her answer by leaning in for another kiss.

"Yeah I did." she said as their lips were practically touching, she then pulled back and looked at the two doctors.

"Can we get some privacy?"

"Of course you can, Arcee." Ratchet said while rolling his eyes before grabbing Knockout by the arm, the former Con pulled his arm back and stared daggers at the Autobot medic.

"Hands off, do you know what this lab coat is made of!"

"That's enough, you two." Admiral Bryce said as he entered the room suddenly, making both doctors look at him with surprise. He then looked over to the two lovers and they mirrored the others expressions too.

"Admiral." Jack said as he and Arcee separated and he started to sit up, only for the Admiral to motion him to stop.

"At ease, Prime." he said as the two doctors began to leave.

"Ratchet, Knockout. Thank you." Jack then said, gaining their attention. The Autobot medic looked somewhat embarrassed as he smiled at the Prime.

"You're welcome, Jack." he replied, the former Con though looked completely surprised by Jack's words and was speechless. So he just smiled and nodded back before both bots left the room.

"Knockout was acting strangely then." Jack said with a confused look.

"I think he is just not used to being thanked before. He did used to serve Megatron, remember?" Arcee replied before they both looked at the Admiral.

"How are you feeling, Son?"

"Well, considering what I was told I looked like when I was found, I guess I feel good. But I am just glad to be alive." the Prime replied.

"It was a miracle that you survived the destruction of Unicron, unfortunately Optimus didn't." Bryce said with a somber expression, Jack and Arcee mirroring him.

"I know." Jack replied as the Admiral looked back at him.

"Darby, what happened up there?"

As the Prime looked at him, he glanced over to His spark-mate and could tell that she wanted to know too.

"Well..." Jack started to say as the others in the room kept their attention solely on him. The Prime told them about fighting the Husks all the way to the spark chamber, the fate of Silas. The return of Sideways and his role as herald of the Chaos Bringer, The fall of Optimus and Jack's unleashing the power of the matrix. When he finished, The Prime saw the looks of both Arcee and Bryce who had listened to his story intently. They both had expressions of intrigue and surprise written on their faces.

"And I thought our stand against the Reapers was the highlight of the battle for Earth. On behalf of everyone involved in the fight...thank you." the Admiral replied, but Jack shook his head I response.

"Everyone deserves thanks, Admiral. We are all in this together, after all ." Jack said back with a smile, which Bryce mirrored.

"True enough." he said as Jack looked to see a sad expression on Arcee's face.

"So...it's true, Primus really is gone?" the femme asked, warning a nod from her lover as he gently squeezed her hand with his own affectionately.

"Yes, he sacrificed himself to bring an end to Unicron and free us all from the cycle of death that had started with his brother's creation of the Reapers."

"Well, it was immediately after the battle that the Well of All-sparks shut down. We did not know what was the cause. We all (Cybertronians) started to panic after that, well at least at first." Arcee added.

"Why, what has the situation become while I have been here?" Jack asked.

"Prime, you should know that the Galactic Alliance that you forged among our neighbours is still going strong as we are all working together to start the process of rebuilding. But Perceptor, Anderson and myself have a more permanent solution in mind, one that I will share with you later." Bryce replied before turning towards the door and making his way out, only to stop and look back at the Prime.

"I will let Arcee fill you in on the rest." he added with a smile before nodding to the femme, who smiled back. The Admiral then left the two lovers alone in Jack's room, Arcee looked back at The Prime who looked very confused now.

"Arcee? What's going on, you said the Cybertronians had started to panic?"

The femme tried to keep a stoic expression in front of Jack, but was finding it hard to show a slight smile.

"Yes and we did at first, because without new sparks, our species would not survive. But when that energy wave passed through each and every one of us, it knocked us all down on to our knees."

Jack gave her a look of worry, one which she instantly disarmed with a loving smile.

"No, Jack, I am alright. In fact, we all are. you see Ratchet took scans of every Autobot in our team, also instructing the Alliance Medical to do the same and then compared the results."

"And? Did they find anything?" Jack asked curiously, which made the femme's smile to widen.

"Yes, they did. They found that while our bodies still contained sparks, our biology now is more or less the same as Humans. Our bodies are now a perfect blending of organic and synthetic properties, meaning we can now do everything that you can. We can now age as our life-spans are now the same as yours, but we can also..."

Jack's eyes widened as it became clear what she was going to say and so beat her to it.

"...you can have children." he replied, gaining a joyous look from his lover.

"Yes, we can. We no longer need the Well of All-Sparks to ensure our survival as a species, but I was thinking..." the femme said before noticing that Jack was staring ahead with a smile on his face. The Prime remembered what it was that Primus had told him.

'Every door that closes, another will open.'

"Jack?" Arcee asked, regaining his attention.

"Primus did it, he knew that his sacrifice would shut down Cybertron completely, including the Well. So he instead had your biology altered with the same energy wave that would wipe out the Reapers." he said.

"Yes, but we don't know why." the femme replied.

"He did it because he is proud of what you have become, that the war that had torn his children in two was over. And now you were working with Humanity and once again spreading your influence throughout the galaxy, as he originally intended. So he insured you would survive as a species and continue to do so." Jack said back, before Arcee looked at him with a unsure expression.

"This brings up an issue that I thought a lot about recently as well, when we were on board the Defiant.

"What is it, Arcee, what's been bothering you?" the Prime asked, silently surprising the femme with his ability to read her.

"We have both said that we wanted to spend our lives together." Arcee replied.

"And I referred to us as spark-mates." Jack interjected, which made the femme smile.

"Well, since we got back together, I have always thought of us as such. But it feels good to finally confirm it. Anyway, I have thought about our future together and there has always been something that I have not been comfortable with."

Jack sat up on his berth and gave her a concerned look.

"What?"

"The fact that I would never be able to bear us a child." The femme said with a guilty expression as she looked down while remembering those somber thoughts. Jack though placed his hand on her chin and brought her eyes back to his own.

"Arcee, I love you for who and what you are. I would be lying if I said that I never thought of having kids one day, but just being with you is enough for me." he said as she leaned in closer to his face.

"I knew you would see it that way but…." she started to say but Jack cut her off.

"Arcee, the Reaper war is over and we are still together. And it also turns out that we can now have everything that we want. And I would like nothing more than to start a family with you."

The femme then produced that smile that would make the Prime's heart skip a beat and then gave him a quick kiss.

"You don't realise how much that warms my spark, Jack." she replied before he flashed a lop-sided grin her way.

"Maybe you should show me." he teased, making the femme look at him in surprise and desire.

"Here? Now? Someone may see us." she said, Jack then activated his holo-tool and locked the door with it and made the blinds over the room's windows (including the one on the door) give them cover.

"No one will see us, it's just you and me." he replied, as Arcee placed her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"Just the way I like it."

They then kissed long and passionately before the Prime pulled his lover down onto the berth and lost themselves in each other.

PRIME EFFECT 3

A few days later and Jack was standing in the halls of the Decagon in New Iacon, he had been asked to appear among the representatives of the worlds who took part in the Reaper war. As the leaders were in discussion behind the large doors in front of the Prime, he was taking with Garrus and Tali.

"Well, it's good to finally see you up and about, Jack. You had us all worried." the Turian said while he and his Quarian lover held hands.

"Yes, you sure did." Tali added.

"Thanks, Guys. I am just glad that everyone else is alright too. Speaking of which, I thought they would be here." Jack replied.

"Raf is helping with the restoration of the planetary communication network, and you know Bumblebee will be at his side. Smokescreen, Jazz and Grimlock are taking turns with helping the security patrols, Ratchet is busy helping Alliance Medical deal with the influx of wounded." Garrus said back.

"And you two don't have anything to do?" the Prime asked.

"You do remember that I am the Primarch's advisor? So I will be needed in there at some point." the Turian replied.

"And Aunty Raan has asked that I be here to help her when needed." Tali said.

Acree then joined the group and slipped her hand into Jack's.

"Hey, Guys, so I guess you are still waiting?"

Yeah, can't be long now. After what Admiral Bryce discussed with me, I can't see anyone saying no to the proposal." jack replied.

"Well, I hope so, Jack. After everything we went through with the Reapers, it would be a pleasant change to have something go our way for a change." Garrus said back while Tali looked over to Arcee.

"Hey, Arcee, what have you and Jack been up to for the last few days?"

"Well... Just helping Jack get back up to speed with things, since he was in a coma for three weeks. Also his parents visited yesterday to see how he was." the femme replied.

"How did that go, and how did they survive the Reapers occupation of Earth?" Garrus asked after hearing the two women's talk, surprising them so Jack stepped in.

"My mom and William stayed at New Iacon during the invasion, since the Reapers didn't even attack the city until the last day of the war. I was very happy and relieved to see my parents again (though William Fowler is his stepfather), we had a lot to talk about." the Prime said as he looked over to his spark-mate and smiled, the femme mirroring him. This caught both their friends attention.

"Okay, you two, spill the beans. That look you both had, was far too telling." Tali said curiously.

"Well..." Arcee started to say as she and Jack smiled at each other lovingly, the Prime gently squeezing the femme's hand in his own.

"...with the war over and the two of us having more time for each other, we now want to start a family."

Tali's eyes widened with her smile as she looked at the loved up spark-mates.

"That's great, we too want to do the same." she replied happily, earning an embarrassed but equally happy expression from Garrus.

"Really, can you do that?" Jack asked in return.

"Well, we can't have a child naturally due to our bodies physiology being very different, so we will adopt a child instead by registering with the Hierarchy's adoption program for war orphans on Palaven, before returning to Rannoch within the next few days." the Turian replied.

"Sounds like you guys have everything planned out?" Arcee said with a smile.

"Yes, we are both going to go part-time with our current positions and so have time to build a home. What about you two?" Tali asked as the doors behind them opened and a soldier walked up to the group.

"They will see you now." he replied, earning a nod from Jack before he and the others walked into the large room that had all the leaders of each race that had taken part in the battle of Earth. The Citadel Councillors were there, each representing their own species alongside Urdnot Wrex, Admiral Raan and Primarch Victus. There was also a Geth Prime who was standing next to the Quarian Admiral, Jack then saw both Anderson and Admiral Bryce walking over to them with Miranda Lawson who grabbed the Prime and pulled him into an embrace.

"Thank god you are alright, Jack. I feared the worst when Unicron exploded." the ex-MECH officer said with a huge smile before pulling away, an embarrassed expression appearing on her face as she noticed everyone was watching.

"It's good to see you too, Miranda. It was pretty much touch and go back there. That any of us survived the Reaper war is miracle in itself." Jack replied as Wrex joined them.

"Jack, my brother." the Krogan exclaimed as he embraced the Prime in what to everyone else looked like a bear hug.

"Hey..., Wrex." Jack managed to reply through the tight grip his friend had before being was released, taking a much needed breath.

"I knew you would pull through, inside your body beats the heart of a Krogan." Wrex said happily. Earning a smile from Jack as Perceptor spoke up, making the group look back to the Autobot and the other leaders.

"We are all relieved that you survived and recovered from your injuries, Jackson Prime, we feared that you would become one with the all-spark, like so many during this past war."

"Thank you, Councillor." the Prime replied.

"Now we are all here today because Admiral Bryce, Captain Anderson and myself have offered you all a proposal a few days ago, a chance that has been born out of our alliance during the war with the Reapers. Which at the time was based purely on survival." The Autobot Councillor said while looking around to the other leaders, each one listening to him intently until one of them raised a hand. It was Tevos who was representing the Asari.

"We have all heard your proposal, which is to dissolve the Citadel Council and build a new 'Alliance' that would include all the species in this very room, as well as more that would like to join further down the line. But my question would be this, does each member still retain control of their own sovereignty or do they all conform to one governmental rule?"

"No, each member would still have oversight of their own accords, this alliance would keep us all as allies and friends, building on the foundations that were laid during the war. This alliance would allow us all work together and maintain this new found peace that we have won for ourselves. As you know, the damage that the Reapers have forced upon each of our territories will take decades to repair. But if we all work together, we can halve that time and take our peoples back to how things were before the war." Admiral Bryce answered.

"What about these details, that all members would combine their militaries under one banner, that of the Autobots?" Admiral Raan asked.

"That would be completely optional, Admiral. If any member did not want to join their forces to the one that would protect this new alliance, then we would understand, but the Autobots would only answer to one man and he would answer to the newly established Senate." Captain Anderson replied.

"I would like to think that everyone here would question the logic of giving that much power to one person." Raan replied, earning nods from the group around her.

"That would be true, but I doubt that anyone would be against this particular person." Bryce said before he gestured to Jack who stepped forward, making the room go quiet.

"Darby Commander.." the Geth Prime stated, warning a nod from the Prime.

"Commander Jackson Darby is now the sole Prime among us, this in turn makes him the new leader of the Autobots, since the passing of Optimus Prime. I can't think of anyone else who would fit the role more." the Autobot Councillor stated proudly as all eyes fell upon the Human Prime, who could see the unsure expressions of many of the leaders in the room. So he decided to speak.

"I know this is a lot to ask, and that right now you would rather focus on your own individual territories. But after seeing what we have achieved together, having defeated an enemy as powerful as the Reapers and Unicron. Just think what we can achieve by continuing to help each other, not only in rebuilding our worlds. But in safeguarding the future for the generations that follow and securing peace for the entire galaxy. Will you stand with me?" he said with a stoic expression and tone. Primarch Victus took a step forward and looked at Jack.

"Well, I for one know that if it wasn't for, Jackson Prime, then none of us would be standing here today. You have my eternal gratitude, Prime, and I hereby accept your proposal and the Turian people will join this new 'alliance' and place our military under your command."

"As if there was any doubt what I would choose, Jack, the Krogan stand with you all the way." Wrex said happily.

"The Geth owe you a great deal, Darby Commander. We too will join you." The Geth Prime added.

"As will we, Jackson Prime." Admiral Raan replied, which brought a smile to Tali's face. All that was left was Valern and Tevlos and both Councillors looked unsure.

"What is wrong?" Jack asked.

"Well, I for one want to know what MECH are doing here?" Tevos said in a firm tone, without it sounding too hostile. Admiral Bryce took a step forward, in front of Miranda.

"Miranda Lawson is here because MECH (the remaining fleet and personnel) will be joining this new alliance as part of it's covert Intelligence organisation, which will be made up of similar groups from all member species."

"And Miranda has proven that she is not like her father, the deceased Director Silas. She helped me bring an end to the Quintessons, MECH's former leader and was also on hand to bring much needed reinforcements during the final battle. I trust her with my life and that should be all you need to accept her as our head of Intelligence." Jack added as both Councillors looked at the former MECH agent and then back at each other, speaking amongst themselves for a moment. Tevos then turned to the Prime.

"Very well, Jackson Prime. You have made a strong case for this alliance and both the Asari and the Salarians will join you."

"Yes, you will find that the Salarian Union will be more inviting of joining an alliance that also includes the Krogan due to the fact that Dalatrass Linron resigned not long after the Genophage was cured." Valern added.

"That is welcoming news, Valern. Now let us discuss our forming of this new alliance…..'The Interstellar Federation of free worlds'." Perceptor exclaimed as the group began discussing the future of the galaxy.

Three weeks later...

In the shadow of the Decagon, within the building's large gardens surrounded it stood a memorial wall made of black marble that stood twelve meters tall and it's width ran up one whole side of the gardens. It already had hundreds of thousands of names inscribed upon it, but there was a section that was still to filled. Scores of people, military and civilian stood at its base.

The gathering was a mixture of Turian, Asari, Krogan, Salarian, Quarian , Geth, Human and Cybertronian. And between them and the wall stood Jackson Prime and his team, along with Admiral Bryce and the leaders of alien nations that had fought along side each other during the war. Each person held what looked like a plaque in their hands, each had a name engraved on it.

Jack took a step forward, toward the crowd as small VI controlled recording devices were floating overhead, their lenses focused on the Prime as he prepared to make his address to not only the people on site, but to the galaxy.

He looked down to the ground for a moment, taking a deep breath. Knowing that all eyes were on him again. The last time he felt like this was the day he was made a Prime over three years ago. But he managed to keep his cool and began to speak.

"The war is over, Unicron and the Reapers have been defeated. We stood at the precipice of our own annihilation, but against all odds…..we survived. But now as the dust settles and we take a look around, we can see just how much the Reapers conquest to purge our galaxy cost us in the long run. It will take time but everything that was destroyed can be rebuilt, and I believe that we can do that together. Because if we can stop something as powerful as the Chaos Bringer and his Reapers, imagine what we can achieve now that we are free and able to do so."

Jack then gestured to the Councillors who stood to his right.

"The Citadel Council is being dissolved and a new political and economic alliance is being formed between all the species that fought against our common enemy. 'The Interstellar Federation of free worlds' is our chance to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the galaxy, we will also pool all of our militaries together to form a peace keeping and humanitarian armada that will defend our alliance against any threat, and they will be named after the faction of Cybertronians who were honourable and dedicated to peace and upholding justice and freedom, while protecting those who were unable to defend themselves….'Autobot's. And they will fall under my command as I am now the leader of the Autobots, a title inherited from the late Optimus Prime. So now before we usher in this new age, let us remember and honour those who fought and died to insure that we have this chance to carry on."

Jack then turned around and watched as his friends then one at a time, placed their plaque on to the memorial wall under a subtitle 'Honoured Heroes', there for all to see and pay respect too.

There was utter silence as this happened, the only sound to be heard was the cool breeze that accompanied them. The list of names on the section of the wall grew, Miko Nakadai, Wheeljack, Kaidan Alenko, Jacob Taylor, Zaeed Massani, Soundwave, Legion, Airachnid, Hotrod.

After Arcee and Smokescreen stepped back from placing the plaques they had held, it was Jack's turn and he stepped forward to the one spot that was left. He then looked down at the plaque in his hands, the name inscribed on it evoked warm memories of a mentor and father figure who had helped guide him through his life from the very first day that they had met, all those years ago.

The Commander then took a breath and lifted up the plaque and placed it into the wall slowly, pressing his hands across the name as he put it in place. He then took a step back and stood beside his spark mate before bringing his hand up into a salute, everyone standing beside him and doing the same as the final name was there fall all to see.

'Optimus Prime'

Everyone remained quiet for what felt like an age while paying respect to the fallen heroes of the Normandy and the Defiant, as well as all the soldiers and civilians that had been killed at the hands of the Reapers.

It was a sad day, but a brighter future was just over the horizon.

PRIME EFFECT 3

Nine years later...

The sun was just starting to set as it began to drop behind the horizon, the light from the star changing the sky to a vanilla like colour as Jack sat on the porch swing of his house and looked out at the ocean beyond the beach that his home was situated. This house had been his and Arcee's for the last nine years, he found it hard to believe that much time passed since the end of the Reaper war. He could still remember those dark days like it was yesterday, though even when things seemed at their most bleak and desperate. He never had to face them alone, for he had friends that were always there to help him.

As with any war, he lost some of them along the way. But he would never forget them, and in that way they never really left. Those who survived the war went on to lead happy lives for themselves. Garrus and Tali had made a home for themselves on Rannoch, they eve adopted a Turian child of barely six months of age. And they named him 'Shen'. Raf became the ISF's leading scientific expert and headed up their R & D section, Bumblebee always at his side. Smokescreen and Jazz took up positions in the Autobot Academy, teaching the new recruits along with Grimlock.

As for Jack and Arcee, the Prime was the leader of the Autobots - the largest peace keeping and humanitarian Armada/Army the galaxy had ever seen, and still had plenty of work to do. Arcee though fell pregnant only a few months after the war and knowing how they led their lives, wanted to ensure that their child would safely come to term. So the femme left the service prepared for it's arrival.

The day 'Orion' came into the world was one that neither of them would ever forget, he always knew how much of a temper Arcee had but the language he heard his spark-mate use during labour was a surprise. Though the doctors certainly didn't seem surprised, guess they were used to that kind of treatment from expecting mothers. Though the moment that both first time parents laid eyes on little Orion, it was a moment that was forever imprinted into their memories, Jack for one had a permanent image of the femme holding their new born son in her arms, the baby did not even cry as it stared up at them both.

From that day on, the Prime made sure that he was there for his son as much as possible, even though he had responsibilities to everyone else. He always put his son first, not wanting to ever be like how his own father was to himself. Even now, Orion was not out of his sight as he watched his son playing on the beach with Ravage, who had become as much family as he had after his previous master's passing. Jack was brought out of his thoughts by Arcee who joined him on the porch, she was wearing just blue jeans with a tight fitting t-shirt that showed her athletic physique. She looked down at her lover and smiled.

"Can I join you? I did just wash up all the dishes." she asked coyly with her hands on her hips, earning a happy sigh from Jack as he placed the pad he was holding down beside him.

"Sure, but I think you should know that I was keeping an eye on Orion while also going through these reports too, you're not the only one who can multi-task." he replied with a loving smile as the femme sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, while resting her other hand on his chest.

"Okay, colour me impressed. But you do know that Ravage has become quite the guardian to our little boy, I can see that he loves Orion just as much as we do and I trust him completely with his safety."

"I know and I do too, but I did say on the day that our son was born that I would always be there for him and I won't ever go back on that." Jack replied as he looked out to see Ravage playfully chasing Orion around on the sand as the sunset reflected off the ocean beyond them. Arcee placed a finger on the Prime's chin and turn his face gently until his eyes met her own.

"Jack, I will tell you again what I told you that day. You are not your father. I know that you love Orion as much as I do and would do anything for him."

She then looked back out towards their son who had begun to wrestle with his feline friend.

"I am happy that after living through two separate wars, that I even had the chance to have what I have now. A peaceful life and a family with the man who I love." she added as she looked back at Jack, the sunset made her azure eyes seem to sparkle as they looked at each other.

"Same here, Arcee, I love you and Orion too." the Prime replied before embracing his lover and kissing her passionately. They then pulled back slightly and sat there watching as the sun was now halfway passing the horizon, Arcee rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily.

"So, anything news worthy in those reports?" she asked as Jack began running his fingers through her soft blue hair.

"Just the same old skirmishes between us and the 'Omega Syndicate', I guess Aria just likes to try to push my buttons."

"She certainly has let the power go to her head a bit since absorbing all the major mercenaries groups into Omega since the war. But you know that Nyreen won't let her go to far." the femme replied while running a finger across his chest.

"Yeah, I know. Other than that, everything is fine in the Federation. Rebuilding is still ongoing and won't be complete for another few years, but other than that." the Prime said.

"That's good." Arcee replied before looking at the time on her holo-tool, she then looked out to the two playing on the beach.

"Orion, Ravage, times up."

The calling of his name made the little boy turn round and stare back to the house with his azure blue eyes. He sighed sadly before looking back at his feline friend.

"Time's up, Ravage." he said, earning an unhappy whine from the feline bot before both began making their way back to the house to find Jack and Arcee sitting down on the porch swing. Before either of them could say anything, Orion climbed up on to the swing with them and curled himself up between them. Both parents smiled as they looked down at their son.

"Don't you think it's a little past your bed time?" Arcee asked.

"But I am not even tired, Mummy." he replied before letting off one long yawn, looking completely adorable to them both.

"You should listen to your mother, Orion." Jack said, but this just made the little boy curl up more.

"Just a little longer, Daddy?"

Both Arcee and Jack sighed happily as they sat there with their son, Ravage had made his home at their feet as he curled up there.

"Okay, you have until the sun has set, but no longer than that." the femme replied as she ran her fingers through her son's hair, which was blue and had black highlights. Orion looked out at the setting sun which was now three-quarters set over the horizon, but then something caught his attention as he looked over to a sparkling crystal which hung around his father's neck. For what felt like a long moment, the family just sat there in happy silence and watched the sun set. Arcee then looked down to her son, her eyes widening in surprise at what she saw.

"Jack." she said gently, gaining his attention.

"What is it, Arcee?" he asked with a confused look.

"Look." she said softly, gesturing down to their son, so Jack looked down at Orion. His own expression now mirroring his spark-mate's as he saw his little boy holding the matrix crystal in his hand, admiring the way the light was shining from it. Both parents then looked up at each other and smiled before touching their foreheads together lovingly for a moment, knowing what this single act their son had just done would mean. They then looked back out to see the sun finally set as the sky darkened and the stars began shining from above. The future it would seem, was even brighter than they would have hoped.

XXX years later…..

The stars shone brightly in the early night sky as a woman was standing in what looked like a cemetery, she was joined by a young girl who stood beside her and looked down at the grave in front of them.

"That really happened?" the girl asked.

"Yes, one man managed to bring together a galaxy and end a threat that had cast it's shadow over it for far too long. If it wasn't for my grandfather, we wouldn't have the way of life we do today." the woman replied proudly.

"Tell me another story about Jackson Prime." the little girl asked in return.

"Well, it is getting late and you should get back home..." the woman replied as she looked down at the child, who gave her a sad expression.

"...but…okay, I can tell you another story. But it will not be about my Grandfather."

The little girl looked up to her, face now looking curious.

"Who will it be about?"

The woman smiled and looked up at the stars.

"….my Father. He was another Prime and his name was…Orion."

The End

A/N: Well this is it, the end of the trilogy. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. Please, feel free to let me know what you thought of this chapter and the story as a whole. And thank you for reading my story, it means a lot to me. But the story does not end here and will continue in 'Prime Effect 4'.

I hope you enjoy it and thanks again.