Right now, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Smokescreen were still discussing about what the uncertain future might hold.

"I don't think we should get our hopes too high just yet. There's no point in making any travel plans. Besides, we only have the coordinates to one more key and zero leads on the other two." Arcee said.

"Yeah but Optimus has the Star Sabre now." Smokescreen said confidently and pointed to the legendary sword. "Megatron's end is in sight!"

He had no idea how wrong he was.

Meanwhile back on Cybertron......

Megatron and Dreadwing flew out of the spacebridge and Dreadwing was surprised to find himself back on Cybertron. Even though he had suspected they would come back here, he was still surprised to be back home nonetheless.

As he soared over the ruins of once magnificent cities, his spark twisted. He may be a Decepticon and yes, he'll admit that he was a merciless ruthless fighter in battle, but even so it hurt to see his home reduced to such a state.

"The devastation to our home world is worse than I remember." He said.

"Curse the Autobots to the pit." Megatron spat. Till this day, in his eyes he saw the Autobots were to blame for this. Had they just surrendered the Matrix of Leadership to him, none of this would've happened.

The two of them landed in front of a building that was surprisingly standing quite sturdily. Dreadwing tried to search through his processor for what this place was.

As he entered alongside Megatron and down the corridors, he saw vessels that were about the size of a Cybertronian and he began to get an inkling of where they were.

As Megatron opened a pair of doors which squeaked in protest, sliding open stiffly thanks to centuries of rust and dormant use, Dreadwing found himself standing in front of a tomb with a coffin in the middle.

"A tomb." He said. 'What in the pits are we doing here?' he asked himself.

Megatron walked over to it, not at all bothered by what he was doing. "One known to contain the remains of Primes. Please, tell me you are not adverse to desecration." He asked.

"It's just being in such a place evokes powerful emotion.....considering the fate of my twin." Dreadwing admitted as he was reminded of his twin. 'He deserves to at least have had a proper burial.' He realized and wished he could bring his brother's lifeless husk back here to bury respectfully like he deserved.

"Then you should accept out purpose here, to exact our revenge of Skyquake and all of our fallen brethren." Megatron said.

Dreadwing gripped the cover of the coffin and with a grunt of effort, pushed it off the tomb. A small part of his conscience felt a bit guilty of such desecration.

Dreadwing stepped back as he laid his optics on the lifeless husk of a mech who was once a legend.

But Megatron grinned evilly in triumph. He activated his sword and raised it high above his helm. Then he brought it down on his target.

Meanwhile back at the Autobot base......

Smokescreen's optics trailed up to the rec-centre only to see it uninhabited. 'Oh yeah....they left.' He thought. He felt a bit guilty. Jack, Miko, Raf and Evelyn probably just left so they wouldn't be a bother to them.

:Don't worry, you'll still see them tomorrow. We're not leaving just yet.: Bumblebee reassured.

"Yeah...thanks." Smokescreen said appreciating the support.

Ratchet glanced at the massive Star Sabre before going back to welding and building. "You shall require a more practical means of carrying such a blade." He told Optimus before going back to work.

"How are we going to find the other two halves of the keys anyways?" Bulkhead asked.

"The keys correspond to one another. If we can retrieve one half, it will guide us to the other." Optimus said.

:Smokey...: Bumblebee 'whispered'.

"Yeah?" Smokescreen replied.

:Am I the only with the 'gut feeling' as humans call it, that something's goanna go wrong?: Bumblebee asked. He knew it sounded silly but his vorns as a scout has taught him to always trust his instincts.

Smokescreen realized there was a part of his spark that can't help but feel the same way. "You're not the only one." Smokescreen muttered.

They had no idea how right they were.

Meanwhile back on the Nemesis......

Knockout was deep in thought and pondered the possibilities. Megatron had just returned and Knockout has to say that his master had just asked him to proceed with what will be one of the most bizarre surgeries in his career.

"Yes, I can do it Lord Megatron." He admitted seeing as to how he once had to replace Starscream's servo. "If you're certain that's what you really want." He told Megatron as he lied on the surgery table.

"Like nothing I've ever desired before, doctor." Megatron said dead serious.

Knockout for all his narcissism and vanity took his job very seriously, he was called a medic for a reason. And this was dead serious on a whole other level. He nodded. "I shall induce stasis." But before he could do so, Megatron stopped him.

"No!" Knockout's digit curled back. "I wish to bear witness as you attach my new appendage." He said.

Had this been any other patient, Knockout would've called him crazy and stupid right then and there but this was Megatron here and he valued his spark.

Knockout activated his buzzsaw and used his other servo to support against Megatron's servo. "Coming up." He sad and the buzzsaw began to whir.

He pressed it against the servo and sparks flew. Megatron gritted his dental plates and endured the pain as he has faced much worse in the pits of Kaon.

'Besides, it would be worth it.' He told himself.

His optics strayed to his prize....the arm of a Prime floating in a jar filled with formaldehyde.

'Once I crush Optimus's spark!'

Meanwhile back at the Autobot's base......

Optimus typed the console one more time and it beeped as he finally decoded the coordinates.

"Autobots, I have decoded the set of coordinates for the fourth Omega Key. Divide into teams in the event I manage to find a lead to where the next two are in the event the first team doesn't return." Optimus said.

"I'm on Team 1." Smokescreen said instantly. "Who's with me?" he asked.

Arcee was admittedly still a bit worried after the stunt he pulled with the Star Sabre. "I'll go." She said and walked towards the groundbridge.

"After you sir....ma'am.....commander?" he asked as he followed her.

"This should be interesting." Ratchet said as he typed in the coordinates and pulled the lever.

Meanwhile back on the Nemesis...... (A/N: And Lord Buckethead....sorry couldn't help myself.)

Megatron walked over to where the Forge of Solus Prime lay. He ex-vented before looked at his new appendage. He clenched it into a fist and laughed. "Hahahaha...yes." he said.

He wrapped his servo around the handle of the Forge and it came to life. Elated, Megatron lifted it high above his helm with a crazed grin on his faceplate.

"At long last, the power of the Primes...belongs to me." He said. Then he wasted no time in getting to work.

Meanwhile in Egypt......

Arcee and Smokescreen drove through the groundbridge. They transformed and landed with their blasters cocked and ready....but there was no one is sight.

"First ones here." Smokescreen said. Then he noticed the familiar humidity and sand. He turned around and saw the Sphinx regally standing in all its glory. "Egypt, never thought I'd end up here again." He said.

"Getting nostalgic?" Arcee asked.

"Can't say getting my gears kicked by a wrecking ball of a con are good memories." Smokescreen said as the small scar on his lip and the side of his helm throbbed with a dull phantom pain at the memory of Breakdown's devastating hammer.

"No locater beacon." Arcee said holding up the tracker. "Which means the relic's still buried. Right about....there." she said pointing towards a small pyramid in the distance.

"Wonder if we'll see any mummies? Like in Indiana Jones." Smokescreen asked as his imagination went wild.

Arcee rolled her optics. "Smokescreen, they only come to life in TV shows, not real life." She said before walking towards the site.

"You'll never know." Smokescreen said with a shrug before following her.

Sadly, they were going to encounter something worse than mummies....something much much worse.

Back on the Nemesis......

Megatron lifted the Forge up and pounded it on a chunk of Dark Energon. He lifted it up and pounded it again. It went into a pattern. Up and down, up and down, up and down.

His mind was set. If he could not wield the Star Sabre, he would make a weapon that is just as powerful as it.

Dreadwing and Knockout watched him work. The red con was proud of his handiwork and relieved that nothing went wrong.

"The Forge of Solus Prime possesses the ability to create anything from raw material." Dreadwing said.

"And in this case, said raw material would be a big hunk of Dark Energon." Knockout said. They both turned around and continued to watch their leader work.

Meanwhile back with Arcee and Smokescreen......

Again Smokescreen got that 'gut feeling' in his spark as he and Arcee went to investigate.

"Arcee, I've got a bad feeling about this, call it a 'gut feeling'." He said.

"Wow, destiny's child admitting that he's scared?" Arcee teased. "Your tanks are probably just acting up because you snagged more energon behind Ratchet's back."

"I'm serious, I can't help but get a feeling something's off." Smokescreen said. 'But what?'

After walking a while longer, Smokescreen decided to ask something that's been on his processor too long.

"Arcee, what do you think of Jack?" he asked.

Arcee paused. "What?"

"What do you think of your human partner?" Smokescreen asked again.

Arcee thought about it. "I care about him. He's like a brother to me. Jack's more than my charge, he's my partner, friend and brother and I'd give my life for him in a heartbeat.

"He's...also taught me a few things." She said.

"Like what?" Smokescreen asked.

"The importance of a team. That you don't have to face your inner demons alone." Arcee said. "Why?"

Smokescreen dug his pede into the sand as he thought of how to put it into words. "Do you...ever get this...feeling when you're around him? Like....you care about him as...more than a friend?" he asked.

"You mean a crush?" Arcee asked. Smokescreen's helm snapped up and he stared at her in shock. Arcee rolled her optics. "Yes, I know what that is. I also know you have a crush on Eve."

"What?! N-no I-I...I mean, maybe but-no! I mean no I...I...I......" Smokescreen trailed off then he sighed. "How long have you known?" he asked.

Arcee rolled her optics again. "Smokescreen, I'm no Ratchet but if Bulkhead can see it, I sure as heck can too."

"Even Bulk knows about this?" Smokescreen asked.

"It's kinda obvious." Arcee said.

Smokescreen sighed. "If you already know then...I gotta ask, what do I do about it?" he asked. "I mean I love Eve, I really do. I love her for who she is. She's such an amazing girl Arcee. I want to be with her but...but....." he stopped.

"But?" Arcee asked.

Smokescreen sighed again. "Arcee look at us, look at me. I'm a giant alien robot from another world that can live for hundreds of human years and still look young. Eve is a human, she's barely the size of my servo and by the time one vorn had passed, she'll be an old lady.

"She's such a strong girl but she's so easy to go squish in our standards. I can't live with myself if that happens to her one day.

"I want to tell her, Cee. I want to tell her I love her so badly before we leave but...but.....I'm scared that I'll just rub salt into the wound and make it hurt more than it already does." Smokescreen said.

Arcee felt sorry for him. She could in all honesty relate to him...especially after what happened with Cliffjumper. She walked over and laid a servo on his shoulder.

"I loved Cliffjumper you know." She said softly.

"You did?" Smokescreen asked.

Arcee nodded. "I loved him and I wanted to tell him but....I couldn't bring myself to, not with the war going on. And now he's gone and...and it hurts even more because I never got to tell him that." She said.

"So what should I do?" Smokescreen asked.

Arcee shook her helm. "That's for you to decide. I can't say much on the matter but take my word for it. It's best if you tell Eve now while you still can. There's no telling what tomorrow might bring, especially in a war and as much as I hate to say this, not all of us may live to see Cybertron restored." She said.

"So, you're saying I should tell Eve how I feel so I can join the AllSpark knowing I did?" Smokescreen asked.

"That's your choice to make. Now, enough talk about love. We've got a relic to find." Arcee said before focusing back on the mission.

Smokescreen shook his helm to clear his thoughts. He had bigger fish to fry.

Meanwhile on the Nemesis......

Megatron was almost done. He raised the Forge and pounded one more time. Then he was interrupted by the arrival of his communication specialist, Soundwave.

Soundwave walked forward and displayed a set of coordinates. Knockout leaned forward and grimaced when he saw the coordinates.

'Egypt again, ugh.' He thought.

"You have decoded the next set of Iacon coordinates, excellent work Soundwave." Megatron said.

Back to Arcee and Smokescreen...... (A/N: I'll be going back and forth a bit in this chapter so please bear with me.)

Arcee and Smokescreen followed the signal and found themselves walking through the underground ruins of the pyramid.

"Huh, nice of these humans to pile all these rocks on top of our relic huh?" he asked. "Would've been better if they made these halls wider." He grunted as he had to stoop to avoid hitting the ceiling.

He looked in front to see Arcee walking with ease, her short height coming to an advantage. It's moments like these Smokescreen envy the short one.

Arcee looked at the tracker and took a turn. Then the tracker went haywire as they found what they were looking for. Arcee shone the light ahead and saw a dead end up ahead.....except for the fact that the wall had two pictures of Egyptians standing in front of one another and in the middle of their palms was the picture of what resembled the Omega Keys with Cybertronian scribbles around it.

"Pretty much spells things out, doesn't it?" Smokescreen said and he relieved his back now that they were standing in a spot where the ceiling was thankfully higher.

"Come on, help me move this." Arcee said and gripped one side of a protruding stone. Smokescreen gripped the other and with grunts of effort, they managed to pull it away.

As the smoke cleared, Arcee shone the light inside to reveal what they were after- the Omega Key.

"Score~" Smokescreen said and picked it up.

As they walked back, Smokescreen managed to deduce how the key found its way here in the first place.

"The ancient humans must've thought the Omega Key was some kind of gift from the gods." He said.

"And in a sense, they weren't wrong." Arcee said. As they neared the entrance, they saw the moon up in the sky signalling night. Arcee also saw a silhouette up ahead in front.

She squinted and as they came out into open air, they saw who it was.

"Looks like my 'gut feeling' was right after all." Smokescreen said though he wished it hadn't been.

Standing there was none other than Megatron himself waiting for them.

"The relic, now." Megatron ordered.

They noticed a hilt of something behind his back and....Smokescreen looked down. 'Did he get a new servo?' he asked himself then he decided to focus on the bigger problem at hand...no pun intended.

"Two against one, we can take im'." Smokescreen said dropping into a fighting stance.

Megatron then gripped the hilt and brought out his sword and their optics widened.

Smokescreen could only describe what he saw as the evil counterpart of the Star Sabre. Its blade was just as big as the Star Sabre itself. But while the blade of the Star Sabre was powerful yet majestic, the one Megatron wielded was jagged and radiated a purple glow like an aura of pure evil.

'Like Dark Energon.' He and Arcee realized in horror.

"Ratchet, groundbridge, now!" Arcee said into the comm.

Megatron reared it back and with a wave, he sent a Dark Energy wave towards them.

Smokescreen and Arcee had nowhere to run. They put their servos up in an attempt to protect themselves but the energy wave was stronger than they thought.

It was like getting tackled by Breakdown all over again as he and Arcee went flying. What's worse, the impact of the attack caused Smokescreen to lose his grip on the Omega Key, sending it hurling through the air with them.

They not so gracefully crashed onto level ground. They grunted in pain as their bodies crashed, the Omega Key landing a few feet in front of Arcee.

"Ok....ow." Smokescreen whispered. 'So Buckethead decided to get himself a new toy...great.' he thought as he pushed himself up.

Megatron stood in front of them, prepared to finish them off but with a final grunt Smokescreen got back up and charged towards Megatron with his blaster opening fire.

But the Decepticon leader deflected the blasts almost contemptuously with ease.

Arcee got up and upon seeing Smokescreen's strategy, began to open fire on Megatron too. But her assistance didn't do much as Megatron skilfully deflected her blasts as well.

Megatron sent another wave of energy towards Smokescreen. Before he could dodge, the wave of Dark Energy slammed into him.

He released a cry of pain before he was sent flying into the side of a pyramid. Arcee's optics widened in horror as she saw her teammate get hit with such a powerful attack point blank.

Smokescreen crashed into the side of the pyramid harshly. "Smokescreen!" Arcee cried out.

As the dust cleared, much to Arcee's horror, she didn't see Smokescreen...at all....there was nothing there but dust. No energon, no body....nothing.

He was gone.

She lowered her blasters and her helm hung dejectedly. She had lost another partner once again, even if he was only temporary. She heard heavy pede steps and knew it was Megatron. But she stood no chance against him. So she turned around and resolved herself to face her fate.

Megatron picked up the Omega Key. "Another key, looks like the scales may be tipping into our favor after all." Megatron said. He put the tip of his blade under Arcee's chin and lifted it up.

"I would slice you to two right now but I need you to deliver a message." He said taking the sword away from her.

"Tell Optimus Prime that if he wants this relic, he must come and claim it himself." He said before tossing the key down where it buried itself in the sand in front of Arcee's pedes.

Arcee knew that she had no choice but to deliver his message but what she loathed even more.....was having to tell them about Smokescreen's demise....especially to Evelyn.

'She's going to be torn apart.' she realized.