CITY: Kaon
[Gladiator Arena Prison]
After D-16's great speech to the people, the guards quickly tried to arrest him, prevent him from speaking further, and take him to his cell. He did not resist, precisely because he wanted the people to see him and sympathize with him to speed up the process of his freedom. Unfortunately, he was not able to speak to Orion Pax, but he knew that his friend had done his best to witness his victory and would soon be able to walk the streets as a free man.
D-16 took out a small metal sphere that he carefully carried with him, with a simple push of a small button, a digital file was revealed in front of him, showing a blurred image of Megatronus Prime along with some other robots at his side.
"Let's see what secret this file holds, I confess I'm curious." D-16 sat on the floor and leaned his back against the wall while he read the file, which wasn't too big to keep him entertained all night, but it was something new to learn.
At first he didn't like learning about the past, but when his nights became monotonous and boring, learning about his planet's past became a task that kept him from giving in to the barbaric madness of that hell.
[File: During the Age of the Primes, great cities were built to accommodate the population that was born in large numbers thanks to the Allspark, but as the years passed, it became necessary to create a dedicated group of warriors capable of providing order and security to Cybertron, the infamous so-called Knights of Cybertron, composed of warriors, adventurers and the most talented Cybertronians who had proven themselves worthy to serve directly under the Primes, an army of 50,000 elite warriors.]
Megatron smiled as he read of the Knights of Cybertron, true warriors dedicated to balance, unlike the Old Guard, who were merely a counterfeit dishonoring the legacy of Cybertron's true protectors. "If the Knights existed today, it would be impossible for the High Council to have the power it does today... They would have been brought to justice long ago for their crimes of corruption."
[File: Peace has been established for thousands of years, a time of unity and the birth of new species such as the Minicons, Titans, Insecticons, Combiners, and the great and powerful Predacons. But in times of peace, evil always lurks in the shadows, and once again the resilience of the Primes was tested when the Quintessons attacked.]
D-16's eyes narrow, knowing that this was one of the most catastrophic events in Cybertronian history, a moment of darkness, a destruction that pushed Cybertron to its limits. From the recorded studies of the Quintessons, they were biological beings with access to technology capable of rivaling Cybertron.
"This is a part of the story that doesn't make sense, how did the Quintessons get such advanced technology if they're a younger race than the Cybertronians themselves?" D-16 asked himself, a question that even his friend Orion Pax hadn't discovered in the IACON records.
[File: Even though the Thirteen Primes had great powers individually, they now had to fight to protect the population from the constant and merciless attacks of the Quintessons. The Thirteen alone could even win the war in the long run, but they could not risk the safety of the population. The Knights of Cybertron not only ensured a fairer battle, but were able to protect the cities as well as the population. Still, this period left a great scar that shaped the rest of Cybertron's history.]
D-16 moved on to the next part of the story, as he looked at the pictures depicting this historical period, a certain admiration could be seen in his eyes, wondering how things had changed from that great age to the present, a shadow of a great past.
[File: As the past can reveal tragedy, it also reveals the rise of heroes. Among the Knights of Cybertron, there was a group formed by the elite of the elite, warriors so formidable and proud that they obeyed only their master, Megatronus Prime, 100 warriors who had learned the secrets of the Primes, commanded by ○■--□■●■● and ○■○○■■. This group of warriors, feared even by the Quintessons, was dubbed the Decepticons.]
"Decepticons... that name sounds good for a group of warriors." D-16 complimented, liking how imposing the name sounded.
[File: With the end of the war against the Quintessons and their banishment from the galaxy itself, only 2,000 Knights of Cybertron and 60 Decepticons remained, along with a war-torn Cybertron. The damage could be repaired with the power of the Allspark, but it would take time, and Cybertron would be drastically vulnerable to further attack.]
D-16 couldn't help but smile in respect, the Decepticons practically towering over the other Knights, and he felt even more respect for Megatronus Prime, someone who knew how to use his own army effectively without suffering a detrimental blow to his troops. However, D-16's smile slowly faded when he saw the last remaining transcript.
[File: At an unknown time during the restoration of Cybertron, a group of Decepticons were sent to a colony where they were all killed by ■■□■. This provoked the wrath of Megatronus Prime, who, along with his remaining Decepticons, embarked on a mission to find out what had happened to his soldiers, known as the Eclipse Mission... ○○■ ○ ■○■ ○ ■○■○○■ ○■○ ○○□□ ■■ ■○ -□■■● ●□■ -□ ○■○○□ □□○■○○■... <
"The file is incomplete..." D-16 muttered, seeing that the file only transmitted so much information. "This is a bit disappointing, but it is a learning experience." He rested his head on the wall, accompanied only by silence. He looked at the walls around him, a claustrophobic place, but he could not imagine a life other than the one he had. He is a survivor, a warrior, and he cried out for his freedom. It is strange how time has passed, how routine his life based on this arena has become and only now he had a deeper reflection of himself.
D-16 got up from the floor and looked at his reflection on one of the walls and saw himself in two faces, one was literally D-16 the slave and the other was Megatronus the warrior. "Who am I? Who am I supposed to be?" He looked at his hands and closed them tightly, drawing a conclusion in his Spark. "To save Cybertron from ruin, I must unite all in a single command, I must be as great or greater than the Primes, I must become a prophet to raise the people in a new world."
D-16 heard footsteps approaching his cell, but thanks to his instincts, he knew who was on the other side and knew that the moment of a new beginning was about to begin. When his cell opened, he saw none other than his unusual friend, now a very quiet bot.
"Soundwave, you were quicker than I thought." D-16 said, only to be answered by a small nod from Soundwave. He took the small orb in his hands and placed it next to the others. "I've been thinking about our last conversation, and I can only see one way to save Cybertron for good."
Soundwave remained silent, but listened and paid attention to D-16's next words, wanting to know what his final conclusion was. For he had put his last effort and faith into saving Cybertron.
"It is no use just fighting for the people, we have to make them feel that their lives have a purpose, give them a goal, a mission in life. I need them to trust me so I can lead them against the High Council." D-16 said, his voice becoming more imposing with each passing second. "However, not everyone will follow my words based on a mere promise, I must show that I am more than worthy of their trust."
Soundwave's face showed an image of a golden object, like a jewel, a legendary item that no one knew where it was, only the High Council knew, the Matrix of Leadership.
"If I prove myself worthy of the Matrix of Leadership, I could unite Cybertron as Prime and have everyone follow my ideals without question." D-16 looked at his reflection under the metal and thought of a great future for himself. "I must prove that my ideals are worthy of attention, we must pressure the government to call an assembly to decide on a new Prime. If I do that, we can end the High Guard that feeds their corrupt power and reform Cybertron in a new age."
D-16 took a step out of his cell, his eyes turning red for a moment, reflecting his determination and hunger for power, ready to show the will of a gladiator who would not allow his head to be bowed like a puppet.
D-16 walked through the halls for the first time in years, feeling something other than simply walking toward the arena where he had made his name. Before passing through the main gate, he stopped when he was one step away, one insignificant step away from crossing a red line painted on the floor. He waited a few seconds until he felt the collar around his neck break in two, falling to the ground and shattering on impact.
D-16 had to sigh for a moment, feeling for the first time the freedom he had been searching for, feeling his body finally screaming for freedom and transformation after such a long time. But he didn't, he just took a step over the red line, which for a moment seemed like an extremely difficult decision for his extremely strong body. He looked at the walls and noticed that the automatic turrets, armed to kill a fleeing gladiator, were not activated, practically unaware of his presence.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha...this is what freedom feels like!" D-16 raised his arms and looked up at the stars in the starry sky, ignoring how Soundwave was watching him. "Soundwave, before we start working, I need to see a friend, tomorrow morning we will start changing our planet."
Soundwave nodded, understanding that D-16 needed a moment to enjoy his newfound freedom, not even he could imagine how painful it must be for a Cybertronian to have his native ability to transform stolen from him for decades.
D-16 took a deep breath and ran for a few seconds before leaping a few feet off the ground and finally transforming into his vehicle mode, a fighter that quickly broke the sound barrier, creating a rumble in the air as an internal roar that had been stored for so long was released.