Chapter 117: The Commander's Training Program
"My old friend, I think we both know how this ends, don't we?"
If Ironhide pulled the trigger now, Scorponok would be seriously wounded perhaps even killed instantly. But in that case, Ironhide himself would be torn apart by Scorponok's flagship. Besides, they had made an agreement beforehand, and Ironhide, being a trusted Autobot, wasn't one to break his word.
"Alright then you win," Scorponok said, his voice deep and resonant. "I'll keep my promise. You've earned your rest. I only hope that the next time I see you, it won't be in the Autobot Memorial Hall."
Feeling the scorching barrel of Ironhide's weapon against the back of his neck, Scorponok turned slowly, his movements heavy and deliberate. If this had been a fight among Decepticons, the outcome would've been very different.
"Hmph, you just got lucky it was me," Ironhide said gruffly. "If it had been any other Decepticon, I'd have blown his head clean off. How about this why don't I skip asking you to drop your gear and just take a look inside your flagship instead? You don't mind, do you?"
Ironhide's tone was casual, but his decision was as reckless as stepping into a lion's den. Scorponok might've shown sympathy toward Autobots, but in truth, he was a cunning Decepticon warlord. Ironhide wanted to see the ship's real systems and discover why Scorponok had been scavenging so much "junk" across the galaxy.
"No problem," Scorponok said smoothly, "but first, I need a word with that little one over there. You don't mind, old friend, do you?"
It wasn't that Scorponok feared Ironhide. If he'd truly wanted to break his promise, a few of his elite troops could have easily overwhelmed even this veteran Autobot. But letting Ironhide wreak havoc aboard his ship would've caused far more trouble than letting him walk free.
At this point in the Decepticon–Autobot conflict, Optimus Prime was no longer Scorponok's true concern. Instead, it was Megatron a so-called ally who could betray them at any moment that kept him awake at night.
Everyone knew Megatron was never a bot of honor. Once he decided the Autobot threat across the universe had been completely eradicated, his next targets would be the Decepticon lords who defied him.
That's why Scorponok wasn't just planning to release Ironhide he wanted to upgrade him. His secret plan was to enhance Ironhide's combat systems so the Autobot could easily eliminate other Decepticon warriors with a single shot. Ideally, Ironhide might even be the one to kill Megatron himself leaving Cybertron without a ruler. In that chaos, Scorponok would seize control and reap the rewards.
"No problem," Ironhide said evenly. "But I happened to cross paths with those Decepticons in a narrow canyon. Three of them ambushed me, and I had no choice but to fight back."
He made it sound effortless, but the truth was he had ambushed them first killing two of the three before they even realized what was happening.
Of course, Scorponok didn't care about such details. Those soldiers belonged to Megatron's army, and the idea of Ironhide killing more of them actually pleased him.
"You're called Wolverine, aren't you?" Scorponok addressed the trembling Decepticon scout nearby. "Your two comrades are dead, and you saw what just happened, didn't you? Now, you have two choices: join me or be finished off by Ironhide or myself. What will it be?"
Scorponok's ship had already jammed all radio signals in the area. Only Wolverine had witnessed the battle; Soundwave and the others had received no transmissions.
And being the selfish, fragmented Decepticon army that they were, even if someone sensed something was wrong, no one would abandon Megatron's primary mission just to investigate a few missing troops. Wolverine and his fallen teammates would simply be marked as lost in action.
"I… I'm willing to join you," Wolverine stammered. "I'll even change my appearance if you need me to just give me a proper role. Now I see Megatron's true face!"
The words came partly from fear but also from despair. His unit had gone missing for so long, sending out at least five distress signals. They must have reached headquarters, but no one ever responded. That silence told them everything: they had been abandoned.
That was the Decepticon way a brutal truth especially for new recruits. So when this imposing Scorpion Giant appeared, speaking with conviction and independence, it was no wonder the smaller bots began to trust him.
Still, fearing the Autobot nearby, Wolverine waited until Ironhide entered for maintenance before cautiously stepping aboard the scorpion-shaped warship.
Even though Scorponok had ordered all alarms disabled and told his crew not to panic, the sight of an Autobot inside the ship stirred chaos.
"What's going on? Why is there an Autobot here?"
"Wait isn't that Ironhide? The legendary Autobot who fights like a Decepticon?"
"Yeah! I heard Ironhide fought our Lord in the arena! But why isn't he chained or restrained? Did we not capture him?"
There were quite a few warriors aboard Scorponok's ship, many involved in secret experiments. Yet Scorponok didn't seem to be hiding anything from Ironhide. In fact, he even pointed to several small Transformers nearby, introducing them proudly.
"My old friend," he said, "do you remember the Headmaster Program I mentioned long ago? It's a brand-new training initiative my own creation. I once suggested to Megatron that, to reduce Cybertron's energy consumption, we could train a new generation of Decepticons divided into head units and torso units. When needed, the head units would control the bodies, while the rest would remain dormant. Unfortunately, that fool never even considered my brilliant idea so I had to develop it myself."
Pointing to the small Decepticons before them, Scorponok revealed his greatest secret to Ironhide.
He was clearly bragging but Ironhide couldn't deny that it was impressive.
The Autobots had once proposed a similar concept, but after the outbreak of the war, they lacked the time and resources to pursue it. That Scorponok had managed to secretly develop such a project only proved one thing his leadership and ingenuity far surpassed Megatron's.
(End of Chapter)