"All waves ready and in place?" Cheetor said into his com-link. He heard four Cybertronians agree in unison. "Silver Convoy, lead the first wave's attack now!"
Silver Convoy put down the com. "We're set to go," he yelled to his troops. Silver Convoy transformed to his vehicle mode, a Cybertronian-version of an 18-wheeler truck cab. "Attack!"
The horde of Maximals and Autobots charged Stronghold head on, dodging fire where possible. Autoguns came online, but each one was blasted on sight. It did not take long before the Predacons, and more importantly, the Omikron, arrived to battle their attackers. Strangely, the Predacons and Omikrons seemed to be the least of their problems. Instead, the Maximals and Autobots concentrated their fire on sentry turrets, radar towers, and ammunition stations. Natural defenses, such as trees to hide behind or tall grass to lie down and snipe inside were burned and incinerated not long after the battle's beginning. Watching so much organic life die, surprisingly, brought anger and furor to the Omikron forces. The ferocity of their attacks doubled for every organic killed, making them frightening warriors.
Silver Convoy, still at the head of the attack wave, plowed through Predacons as if they were pesky mounds of snow in his way. Many stood in his way, and may luck be on the side of those that tried to slow down the Cybertronian truck. As the Omikron became involved in the fight, Silver Convoy's alternative mode soon became useless. After Silver Convoy switched to robot form, an Omikron jet transformed and landed in front of him.
"Silver Convoy, I presume?" the jet said in a scratchy voice.
"The one and only," he replied, tackling the Omikron.
The jet-warrior was surprised by Silver Convoy's aggression. "My name is Jet Pipe," he said, "Learn it well!" The robot kicked Silver Convoy away as the Autobot got his first good look at his opponent. Jet Pipe was dark red, his jet wings emerging straight out from his back. His body was aerodynamic, even in robot mode, with many straight edges. Bits and pieces of his jet mode stuck out all over his body. His upper arms and thighs were tubular, so that they could become folded and compacted in jet mode. The cockpit went on his left arm, the machine guns on his right, and the missile launcher between the wings. A large, brown V-Shaped armor plate covered his chest, a spiraled entry port on his lower left abdomen, anatomically over where a heart was located. His head was blue, unhelmeted, but was sleek with long and sharp blades extruding from his forehead and ears. His feet housed the jet engines.
Silver Convoy charged, faked a left jab, and swung his right fist around, striking Jet Pipe in the side of the head. As he fell, Jet Pipe shot furiously at Silver Convoy. Two blasts to the chest took Silver Convoy down, but not out. He readied his energy shotgun, and fired at will. The gun was slow, and Jet Pipe was swift, dodging each shot. Missiles appeared from behind Jet Pipe and blew away the ground beneath Silver Convoy. Before he could get up, Jet Pipe landed on him, knee painfully buried in his chest.
"You see, Silver Convoy," Jet Pipe mused, "There's a reason I decided to attack you, instead of any other of your allies. Its because…" Jet Pipe's mouth opened wide, shooting out innumerable wires, tubes, and metallic tentacles towards Silver Convoy's chest. This wires and tubes stood by patiently as the tentacles chipped away at and bore into his body. "I'm what some might call a spark devourer."
Silver Convoy struggled against Jet Pipe's unpredicted attack. "A devourer?" he thought, "Still alive? I thought that when Protoform X died, the technology to consume sparks and add them to one's own was lost as well." Silver Convoy grabbed the tubing that extended from Jet Pipe's mouth, set his fist in front of Jet Pipe, and pulled the tubes. Jet Pipe withdrew immediately, his face cracked and leaking electricity.
Jet Pipe laughed maniacally. "You are the warrior you are rumored to be! Fortunately, your spark shall become one of mine!" With that, Jet Pipe's spiraled entry port unraveled. Silver Convoy morbidly gasped as he saw, at least, five sparks all contained within Jet Pipe.
"See those, Silver Convoy?" he yelled, "These all power me! You cannot kill me without killing them, too!"
"You're a monster," Silver Convoy managed to utter as he sprinted at the Omikron. Jet Pipe reciprocated, his rocket engine boots glowing white-hot. Jet Pipe got the first strike in, ripping apart a chunk of Silver Convoy's chest. With all his might, Silver Convoy brought his two hands down upon Jet Pipe's clavicle, snapping it immediately.
The exhausted and broken soldiers took a few steps back from one another and collapsed. Jet Pipe wheezed to the Autobot, "We shall meet again." Silver Convoy lay motionless.
Fellow Omikron flocked to Jet Pipe's fallen body, screaming their Air Commander's name. Wasting no time, Autobots arrived at Silver Convoy's location, carrying him away, as the Omikron did upon Jet Pipe.
Sharpshot watched Silver Convoy be carried away, and knew that the first wave was done. He motioned his troops to begin the second wave of attacks, this time solely targeting defensive walling and barracks. When Sharpshot called his wave of troops out of the hot zone, Rawhyde would move his in, attacking Predacons primarily while trying to avoid and save ammunition on the Omikron.
Magnatron's regeneration cycle was broken by blaring sirens. Startled and confused, he activated a monitor, awed by the battle that was taking place. "Interesting…it seems that the Maximals and Autobots have been planning an attack…" This was a rare, special day indeed, one that he most certainly could not miss!
"Computer, radio in Locust, Maw Jaw, Big Tank, Thrust, Charade. By my command, they are to join the battle at Stronghold immediately."
"Confirmed," the computer chirped, quickly reversing itself to a gruff voice, "ERROR: Maw Jaw is out of range. ERROR: Locust is out of range."
Magnatron remembered that he had sent Locust and Maw Jaw on a search for "the artifact". With Locust's superior intellect and Maw Jaw's untamed brawn, the two would find "the artifact" easily.
The Predacon Commander transformed to beast mode, flying off to join the fray.
"Calm down, Pax, and tell me what are you so worried about? Your real battle?" Cheetor inquired.
"Of course not," Pax pompously said. "I'm worried that those three other waves wasted all the Predacons, and left none for me!"
Cheetor rolled his eyes. "You get paid nonetheless, right?" Pax agreed, deciding to inspect his Blitz Cannon for the twentieth time.
Cheetor silently strode to Silver Convoy's side, where repair 'bots with few resources tried to undo the damages done by Jet Pipe.
"How goes it?" Cheetor asked one of the drones, who coldly stated that Silver Convoy was adequately operational once again. He looked towards the behemoth that lay near him. "Feeling any better, friend?"
The Autobot's eyes flickered back to consciousness. "Just give me another shot at Jet Pipe, I know I can beat him next time!"
"That may be so," Cheetor cooed, "And I'll give you plenty of opportunities. From here on in, I want you to attack him whenever possible. He eats sparks, right?" Cheetor's eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"Yes. Yes, he does," Silver Convoy replied. "He'll become my responsibility. I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to-"
"Commander Cheetor!" a messenger panted as he ran up to his leader. "Commander Cheetor! The third wave has fallen back. Its time."
A hush fell over the room.
Silver Convoy rose up, arming his shotgun with one last "clink".
Pax Convoy's eyes narrowed, his body and mind prepared for battle.
Cheetor glanced around at his soldiers, soldiers who trusted him to not let them put their lives at risk in vain.
"Let's go."
***
The fourth and final wave hit Stronghold with more might than they even possessed. Omikron warriors fell before Pax Convoy's Blitz Cannon and three drones. Silver Convoy pulled wounded Autobots and Maximals out of the line of fire, retaliating fiercely at his oppressors. Cheetor pushed onward through crowds of Predacons, slicing and slashing with extreme prejudice.
The span of an hour of battle seemed to pass within ten minutes. And still, both sides valiantly fought on to protect their cause. However, the Autobots prevailed, breaking through the fort-like walls that surrounded Stronghold, Maximals flooding in through the breach in defenses like ants to a fallen piece of ice cream.
Autobots and Maximals stormed through the city, targeting power stations and industrial centers. Magnatron was forced to fall back his lines more than once, even going as far as to retreat into his citadel, instilling an air of inevitable defeat among the Predacons and Omikrons. But, there was more to this raid than what met the eye.
Cheetor called Pax and Silver Convoy away from the battle, to the shelter of a crumbling building. Both soldiers showed signs of battle; burn marks, scratched and beaten armor, and remnants of dead opponents caked their bodies.
"Change in plans, Convoys," Cheetor said, "you're with me, and we're breaking away from the strike group to go after Magnatron."
Pax chuckled and ordered his drones to his position. "We'll gladly help."
Silver Convoy slapped another round of energy shells into his shotgun. "Lock and load."
"Silver Convoy, transform, I'll drive."
"Yes, Cheetor."
"Pax," Cheetor said, "follow close behind, and keep your drones guarded."
Maximals and Autobots, Predacons and Omikron, too concerned with blowing away the enemy, did not see the six robots sneak to the citadel.
"Fire."
Art expended ammo while Pax shot the door with a steady stream of energy from his Blitz Cannon, and Silver Convoy blasted away bolts and locks on the citadel door.
"Enough." The smoke cleared away, washing over the dead citadel guards, chunks of the steel door divorced themselves. "Carrier, ram on through."
Per Cheetor's request, the Carrier drone rammed down the citadel's door. He was met with strong fire from guards within, but stood as a shield for Pax and Silver Convoy as they picked the guards off one by one.
"Go!" Cheetor yelled. Autobots and Maximals sped through the hallways, on a direct path to Magnatron.
"Stop them!" Magnatron bellowed. "Stop them! Do not allow them in here!" He turned to Big Tank, Charade, and Thrust. "You three! Destroy them!"
"Too late," Cheetor chimed, appearing in the doorway. In beast mode, he leaped up and tackled Magnatron out of his chair. Magnatron transformed to griffin form and spewed flames over the Maximal leader. Cheetor transformed and drew his swords. Magnatron did the same, his feather's combining into two swords. With that, the dance began again…
"Thrust and Charade, take Silver Convoy," Big Tank ordered. Thrust, given back his motorcycle form, complied. Charade, an entirely white standard humanoid, nodded his head. "I've got the red one."
"Let's see what you've got, Tank-boy!" Pax laughed, firing his Blitz cannon. The multiple shots wreaked havoc on Big Tank, sending him toppling over. As he was on the ground, he shot once at Pax, hitting him in the arm.
"Nice shot, buddy," Pax said, nursing his arm. For such a little guy, Big Tank sure packed a punch…
Big Tank transformed to tank mode, a fatal move. Pax leaped upon the tank, his very landing broke the wheels of the tank. Punch after punch, blow after blow, Pax battered the tank to an unrecognizable state.
"End of the line." Pax jumped away from the tank, his eyes keen. Much to his surprise, Big Tank transformed and targeted him once more. Hurriedly, yet calmly, Pax lifted his Blitz cannon and rotated the magazine to an Energon shell. Big Tank fired as the Energon bullet pierced his body and he tumbled backwards, agonizing currents jumping through his body.
"Let's go, trucker boy!" Thrust said, provoking Silver Convoy.
"I'm in no mood for this," the Autobot responded, kicking Thrust and shattering his body into, what looked like to him, at least five different parts. "As for you!" Silver Convoy said to Charade, lifting a small panel on his shotgun.
"Target: Locked," the display said. Charade, showing no emotion, blended into the wall behind him.
"Please." Silver Convoy pulled the trigger, and, his rifle still maintaining the lock despite Charade's invisibility, rotated in his fist and fired. A tattered and scrapped body decloaked and lay comatose on the floor.
As Pax and Silver Convoy finished their battles, Cheetor's was far from having even started.
"Give it up, Maximal!" Magnatron snarled, side-kicking Cheetor in the center of the chest. "I'll always be stronger than you!"
"Bull," Cheetor proclaimed, slashing Magnatron once in the ribs and once in the face. "You'll never be stronger than me. Never."
"Ha!" Magnatron blocked two of Cheetor's blows and elbowed him in the face then uppercut him, scraping away metal. Ready to kill, Magnatron raised his right blade and brought it down with crushing force, only to be blocked by and then destroy Cheetor's sword. Cheetor stared in disbelief at his broken sword. Magnatron sliced downward with his right hand sword once more, this time cutting a gash in Cheetor's shoulder. Clutching his wound, Magnatron kicked him to the other side of the room.
Meanwhile, Pax and Silver Convoy had begun commenting on the battle.
"I'm sure Magnatron will win," Pax said.
An irritated Silver Convoy glared at Pax. "He helped to give you life, and now you say that you hope that he dies?"
"I never said anything like that."
"It sounded like that." Silver Convoy turned his head. "Look, your drones have made it here, check to make sure they're alright." Pax Convoy reluctantly obeyed, inspecting the drones and finding them to be in peak condition.
"Check it out, boy scout," Pax nodded his head in the direction of the fight. "Looks like the tide's turned."
Cheetor had discovered the ultimate weakness of Magnatron's swords; once the handle was hit hard enough, the entire blade became weaker, breakable. Cheetor took seconds to exploit this vulnerability, leaving Magnatron unarmed. Five sword strokes later, Magnatron's legs were slashed, and he was on his knees.
"Cheetor…we can still make an agreement, can't we?" Magnatron begged, his hands slipping behind his back.
"No." Cheetor replied coldly. "It ends now." On the sidelines, Pax's eyes glowed with anticipation as he awaited the moment that Cheetor would deliver the final blow to Magnatron. He raised his arms, and-
"Die!" Magnatron screamed primitively, ripped a concealed rifle away from his back, ejected a sword from the rifle's tip and impaled Cheetor with the bayonet. Pax gasped, almost as if he had been the one struck down. Cheetor's body went limp, his sword dropped, and an enthusiastic Magnatron shot him to the other side of the room.
Pax rocketed towards Magnatron, an unrecognizable scream echoing from his body. His drones followed him in his sprint, already anticipating what was coming next. Pax's eyes swelled with viciousness, his body given newfound power and energy, his mind given keys to doors unopened.
"Pax Convoy Plus, merge!" Pax Convoy screamed, his instincts taking control. Upon uttering the command, his three drones transformed: Scouter's wings bent backwards and his body snapped onto Pax's right arm, Scouter's head detached and became a right-handed gun-glove. Art's treads folded underneath as he snapped on to Pax's left arm and his twin cannons ejected and attached to Pax's left fist. The back eighth of Carrier separated and transformed into boots, shin and knee armor, raising Pax's height considerably. The front of Carrier blew off, twisted around, and became Pax Convoy Plus's emerald and ebony torso armor, the emerald armor overlapping the black in a large T-shaped area. large shoulder pads extruded from the sides. Finally, Pax Convoy Plus's head emerged, a half blue, half black helmet over a normal sized head with an adjustable visor over the left eye.
In a far deeper, reverbatory voice, Pax Convoy Plus spoke. "Magnatron! You cannot be allowed to survive!" The hexagonal prism that was left of Carrier slightly transformed, one end opening while controls exited the other. Pax Convoy Plus rest the fully transformed Carrier, a large cannon far taller than many an Autobot, on his shoulder, twisting and boosting all gauges to maximum.
Magnatron stared in terror. "Pax's the size of an original Autobot!" he gasped, immobile.
"Its over Magnatron!" Pax Convoy Plus fired the cannon once. The blast hit Magnatron full on, ravaging and mutilating his body beyond recognizition and catapulting him through wall after wall. Subsequently, a blast that powerful had a mammothly strong recoil, breaching his armor and launching Pax Convoy Plus against the opposite wall. Pax was knocked out, thus causing the three drones to return to their original forms.
"This is just prime," Silver Convoy whispered. "Silver Convoy Plus Merge!" The three drones armored Silver as they had done so to Pax. Pax over one shoulder, Cheetor in his hands, Silver Convoy smashed through a wall to the outside, radioing the "Abort" command to all the remaining Autobots and Maximals in Stronghold.
Only moments later, Silver Convoy Plus was already contemplating the situation. "We had accomplished so much, but lost so much as well," he thought as he looked down to the body that lay in his hands. Isn't success truly determined by what is forsaken to achieve it?
***
Sparks and fire festered within what was once Magnatron's body. Disfigured to the point of a snapped and pulverized skeleton, only his spark remained alive in his body, and even that would die soon.
A shadow grew over the cadaver.
Pharaoh investigated the smoldering wreck of Magnatron.
"Magnatron…this is not the end of you."
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