Chapter 7: No Sacrifice, No Victory
"We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, Hope."- Romans 5: 3-4
The flight from Japan was filled with an awkward silence. Elita One silently made her way toward the rear of the Shuttle and opened the cargo bay door. "Orion?"
"Shhh," he held up a finger and motioned to Ron, who was quietly snoring. "He finally fell asleep. What happened between him combining with Kim, and her avoiding him after has really messed with him."
"We've just landed, and I wanted to check on you…" Elita said, looking over his new body. "Make sure you were ok…"
"Shouldn't you be with Ultra Magnus," he said dismissively.
"Ratchet already has him patched up, and I'm more concerned with you at the moment," she said, planting her fists on her hips. "Ratchet said you were fine, but even he didn't understand how the Matrix increased your mass and power like it did."
"I'm fine, I'm sure you'd be happier with Magnus's company anyway," Orion shrugged, standing up and turning his back on the best friend he had known since he was a sparkling.
"I thought you said you were ok with me and Magnus being an item…" she asked, her voice soft and fearful.
"I am fine with it. I'm quite happy you have each other," he said, and she narrowed her optics.
"Orion, I know you better than that. I can tell something is off-kilter," She said, walking up to him. "We've been through too much not to know each other like that… don't lock me out; I need you in my life."
"You've got Magnus now, and I am ok with that. I really am," Orion said in a hearty voice that did not sound like his own, his back still facing her.
"Orion, Magnus asked me to be his Sparkmate," she finally said, "I need you to tell me what I should do…"
"Isn't that your decision to make?" he asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "Either you want to bond with him or you don't. Not that complicated."
"You know I'm horrid at making big decisions like this…" She said, turning her optics to the floor, neither noticing Ron sitting up and watching in awkwardness. "You're my best friend… you're one of the biggest parts of my life, and this is going to affect us," Elita said softly, "So, I do want your opinion on this… please…"
"I'm always going to be there for you, Ariel," Orion said with a sigh. "That isn't going to change if you bond with Ultra Magnus or not, so it really doesn't matter."
"On second thought…" Orion said after a moment and then turned to face her. "You don't need to bond with him. He's no good for you, Ariel; granted, he's a great guy, but he's not the one for you."
"Huh?" Elita blinked rapidly.
"What you need to do is be MY Sparkmate," he said, placing his hands on her upper arms.
"W-What? Have you lost your mind?" Elita gasped, her optics widening.
"No, I just can't deal with this anymore," Orion shook his head, "I love you. I've always loved you, and I always will, but I can't do this. I can't keep pretending to be just your best friend and confidant. I can't do it. That's going to be your Sparkmate's job. You can't have us both, Elita-One. It's either Ultra Magnus or Orion Pax. It's your choice, and yours alone. But it's going to be impossible to have us both.
"Don't say anything," He said as she opened her mouth, then he glanced to Ron. "Let's roll, Ron. I need to clear my head and so does she," he said, transforming and opening the driver's side door for Ron. "Think about what I've told you. Whatever you decide, I will honor it, and I'm certain Ultra Magnus will, too."
Bumblebee barely got out of the way of the ramp as Orion roared down it and toward the Metroplex city limits on toward the desert surrounding the city.
"Where are they off to in a hurry?" Bumblebee asked as Elita came out dragging her feet. The yellow racer and Kim looked at each other before shrugging.
"I don't know, but I need to lie down…" Kim sighed, "And maybe I'll get some nacos…"
"You ok, Kim?" Bumblebee asked as she started to walk away. "You've been a bit off since the fight."
"Just … just learned some stuff and I need to process it all…" Kim ran a hand through her hair.
"Possible-san," Yori spoke up as she eased out of the shadows of the shuttle.
"Yori! Where'd you come from?" Kim yelped as she and Bumblebee jumped from her surprise entrance.
"We need to speak," Yori said, looking at Kim with her chin held high. "Woman to woman."
"Yori, I really don't feel like it right now, rain check?" Kim asked with a small smile.
"No, we will talk now," Yori crossed her arms and glared at the redhead.
"But… fine, whatever…" Kim finally surrendered and started walking with the kunoichi.
"I have tried to understand why you have decided to hurt Stoppable-san like you have," Yori started once they were away from the Autobots. "I fail to come up with what could be your American-style logic."
"He'd be better off with someone else, Yori," Kim stated, her eyes going to the ground. "If you weren't pregnant and in a relationship with Hirotaka, I'd encourage him to get with you…" Kim stated, and her eyes widened in shock when Yori slapped her across the face.
"Baka!" Yori growled, glaring angrily at Kim. "What became of the fearless warrior I left him in the care of?" she questioned angrily. "And who else did Stoppable-san share my personal details with? Did I misjudge both of you?"
"He didn't tell me anything, we… we merged during the fight, and we shared … shared everything about ourselves… our minds, skills, memories…" She gave a small smile, "I actually might be able to cook a little now…"
"I… I do not understand what you mean …" Yori furrowed her brow.
"I'll show you…" Kim sighed, "This… is why Ron and I can't be together…" Kim transformed into her Cybertronian form, catching the ninja off guard. "Love isn't the problem, Yori. I love him, and I know he loves me, despite my attempts to stop him. The problem is he deserves one of his own kind, not a freak hybrid... copy, or whatever the hell I am..."
"So, you've taken it upon yourself to determine what he and does not DESERVE?" Yori questioned as she glared at the Pretender.
"I…" Kim opened her mouth, but a soft clang echoed as Yori slapped her again.
"SILENCE!" Yori snapped. "Have you learned NOTHING in the years you were together? Do you dishonor and disrespect him so much that you would take away his CHOICE?"
"That's not it," Kim shook her head.
"Then what IS it?" Yori crossed her arms and scowled. "You can't come up with an answer, can you?" Yori asked. "Do you want to know what I think? I know you have control issues from how Ron-san spoke of you… And you fell into this war, like Stoppable-san and Yamanouchi. All control over your life has been taken from you except for that which Stoppable-san allowed you in their relationship. And since you cannot have Stoppable-san on your terms, you refuse to let yourselves be together.
"You selfish, foolish little girl," Yori shook her head. "I do not know what caused this, but you are so self-absorbed that you do not see the damage you have done to Stoppable-san… even when this merging apparently showed it to you in full detail!"
"I'm not going to age like he will… he deserves someone he can grow old with…" Kim glanced away as she transformed back to her human form.
"No, he deserves someone who will make him happy," Yori replied, "And if you would... what is the term he used... get over your pity fiesta long enough you would realize you are the only one who can. Do you honestly believe he would care if you are flesh or metal?" she glanced away. "We are all mortal… and… I know from experience… you shouldn't let the one about whom you care go a single moment without knowing exactly how much they mean to you.
"I'm going to go back to Hiro-kun, and give you time to meditate on what I have spoken with you about," Yori said, turning her back on the redhead. "Do not wait long before you make things right…"
---
"Why are you so tense?" Mrs. Stoppable asked, as Anne sipped on the glass of wine while the two women sat up late at night. "You should know better."
"I just don't like the way that little... cow... keeps batting her eyes at James, that's all…" Anne shook her head.
"He's not going to cheat on you," Judy leaned forward, "He'd never leave you. He's got tunnel vision where you're concerned, just like Ronald has with Kimberly."
"Doesn't mean I like a barely-out-of-college, mail-order-PhD, perkier-busted, skinny-ass blond hanging off my husband…" Anne growled.
Judy started to reply when a blood-curdling scream came from the bedrooms. The two women shot from the stools surrounding the kitchen counter and ran toward Hana's room to find the little girl sitting straight up, tears streaming down her cheeks, mouth open in a constant scream. "Hana, sweetie, what's wrong?" Judy asked, pulling the girl into her arm.
"BRUDDER! I WANT MY BRUDDDDER!!" She wailed, looking around almost wildly searching for him.
"Ron's not here, baby; it was just a bad dream," Judy said, rubbing the girl's back as Anne stroked her hair, trying to sooth the girl.
"BRUDDER!!!!!!!!!" She screamed again, clinging to her mother. "HE'S GOING TO GET HURT!!! THE BAD ROBOTS ARE GONNA HURT MY BRUDDER!" She wailed, her small body stiff in panic. "They're gonna hurt my brudder… they're gonna hurt him… they're gonna take him away… he's never coming back… never…"
Judy hushed the girl, rocking her in her arms, "It was just a bad dream, baby; no one's gonna take Ron from us. Shhh…" she whispered comfortingly. "He'll be fine, sweetie… he'll be fine…"
---
Elita One rubbed her forehead as she walked toward Ultra Magnus' office. She slowly opened the door but remained quiet when she saw that he was in a conference with Alpha Trion.
"I'm shorthanded enough as is," Magnus said to the Council Chair, "I can't pull those two off active roster."
"Until we determine exactly what the Matrix has done to them, the Council feels they could be a potential liability," Alpha Trion stated. "So, until we regain the Matrix and determine that the power has not been corrupted on Earth, we want Ronicus Prime and Orion Pax removed from active duty."
"If we can get the Matrix from Megatron and verify that it's been unaffected," Magnus pressed.
"IF it is verified as unaffected and operational, then your choice as replacement will be acknowledged and you will be welcomed on the Council," Alpha Trion replied.
"Thank you, sir," Magnus replied as the hologram flickered off and the lights came on.
"What the FRAG?" Elita cursed, stomping on into the office. "Are you actually going to do that? Pull Orion and Ron off duty?"
"What choice do I have? I know… Kim's going to be upset…" Magnus glanced to his desk.
"Kim upset?" Elita tilted her head, "Primus damn it all! To the lowest levels of the Pit, Magnus!"
"Elita …" Magnus said, looking up at her. "As much good as Orion tries, he's still just a dock worker…" Magnus stopped when her fist put a dent in his desk.
"JUST… A DOCK WORKER?" Elita's optics seemed to twitch as she glared at her boyfriend.
"I didn't mean it like that…" Magnus said quickly, "Elita, you were reformatted as a soldier, so were the majority of our forces," He said, getting up and moving toward the volatile fem. "Until this is cleared up, maybe we… I can give him the chance to have a normal life here instead of having to fight battle after battle like we do… at least until we get the Matrix back. Then, I can promote him to Ultra class and put him in command of the City."
"What?" Elita came up short, and stared dumbly at the Commander.
"He's got everything he needs to be a great leader, maybe the best," Magnus said, "When we go back to Cybertron, I had planned on leaving him in command."
"We? When we go back?" Elita asked, a chill running through her spark.
"I… I'm sorry, if you accept my proposal for being my Sparkmate," Magnus glanced away. "Orion's one of my closest friends, Elita. I'm not a sadist; I couldn't leave you here attached to me knowing how he feels about you."
"W-What? You… who all knew he…" She stammered as she took a step away.
"Elita, everyone knows…" Magnus shook his head, "I had assumed you knew but didn't want to hurt his feelings so… you just ignored it… right?"
"I… I gotta… I'm… I'll talk to you later, Magnus…" She said as she turned and hurried out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, she ran to the elevator and fidgeted till it reached the ground floor. Once she was outside, she transformed and shot to the air, nearly taking the head off of a passing Autobot. She rocketed across the city before transforming in front of an apartment at the edge of town. She threw open the door and stomped in.
"Dang it, Elita!" Chromia cursed as she looked up from where she was in a pod on top of another.
"Get out, Chromia," Elita said coldly.
"But, I was about to get some…" Chromia pouted.
"Get some later, get out now," the second in command of the Autobots snapped, staying silent as Chromia climbed up and exited, closing her spark-chamber.
"Something bothering you, 'Lita?" Ironhide asked, sitting up.
"Did you know?" Elita asked softly.
"Know what?" Ironhide shook his head, closing up his spark chamber. "This better be good; we were just about to touch sparks…"
"Did you know or not, Dios?" She asked again a little harsher. "Did you know Orion loved me?"
"Didn't know that he loved you past tense," Ironhide scratched his head, "I know he loves ya. No past tense about it with that boy. He'll love you after he's dead and gone, little girl."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elita sat down roughly in a chair. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"And risk you breaking my boy's heart?" Ironhide shook his head. "Not a chance in the Pit."
"I'd never hurt him…" Elita replied softly.
"Yes, you would. You have a lot," Ironhide said, getting up and stretching. "You just never MEANT to. He knows it, too; that's why he never gave up on ya."
"Oh, Primus…" Elita put her head in her hands.
"So, who am I gonna have to send to the scrap heap for spilling the beans?" Ironhide asked, crossing his arms. "Please tell me it was Magnus."
"It was Orion…" Elita sniffled. "He asked me to be his Sparkmate…"
"He did, did he?" Ironhide asked with a whistle. "That's… unexpected… What brought that on?"
"Because Magnus asked me to be HIS…" Elita shook her head with her face hidden by her hands. "Oh, Primus, Ironhide, I don't know what to do…what am I supposed to do?"
"Way I see it, you got three options here, little girl," Ironhide said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can say yes to Magnus, say yes to Orion, or you can say no to both of 'em. I can't tell you what to do, Lita-Darlin', that's up to you."
"I don't want to hurt either of them…" She whispered.
"You'll hurt 'em both worse if you keep stringing 'em along," Ironhide replied. "Think about 'em both, figure out which one you love and can't live without. Use your head and your spark. And don't rush into it, for Primus's sake, take your time. Neither of 'em are rushing ya, are they? Cause if they are, ol' Ironhide'll straighten 'em out for ya."
"Hate to interrupt this tender moment, but we got a problem out here," Chromia said, sticking her head in the door.
Ironhide and Elita stepped outside and in the distance they could see Decepticons.
"Slag…" Elita cursed, "We have to alert the others!" She cried out.
"Right!" Chromia said as Ironhide nodded, "And by the way, I'd go with Orion Pax. Since he got that new body yesterday, he looks yummy."
Elita stared at her for a moment before she shoved past her, transformed, and took off.
Megatron smiled as he landed with the majority of his forces. "CONSTRUCTICONS! INSECTICONS!!" Megatron called out as a thick metallic dome closed over the city. "BREACH THEIR DEFENSES!!"
Megatron smiled as six construction vehicles pulled up and began to combine into one giant Decepticon. "Like opening a can of energon…" Megatron laughed as the Insecticons and Devastator attacked the dome.
"Mighty Megatron…" Starscream spoke up as he approached his leader. "We have the Matrix of Leadership, and their leader is injured… why are we here when we could be on the way to Cybertron to crush the Trion Council?"
"We have injured their pride, Starscream; now, we will break their spirit," Megatron stated, "When this city falls, so will their morale… and Starscream…" He lifted his cannon and placed it to his Lieutenant's head, "NEVER question me again."
---
Inside Metroplex, Elita One and Ultra Magnus began helping the non-combative personnel into the central tower. "Wheeljack!" Ultra Magnus called out, "How long will it take to get the primary defense systems online?"
"Since you bypassed the primaries with the dome shield, it'll be at least thirty minutes to recharge the energy core for another full city transformation," Wheeljack replied.
"Magnus, Orion and Ron aren't here! They're still outside the city!" Elita said in horrified realization.
"I can't deal with that right now!" Magnus snapped, "They're on their own; we have to worry about the ones that are here."
Elita narrowed her eyes but turned to look at the dome when sunlight began to shine in through the emergency lighting. "Devastator…" Ironhide gulped.
"Dinobots! Take down Devastator," Magnus ordered, but Grimlock just crossed his arms.
"You no Prime," Grimlock shook his head. "Grimlock no take order."
"Grimlock, would you please attack the giant killer Decepticon?" Elita asked, stepping up.
"Since pretty fem ask nicely, Grimlock gut giant, ugly robot…" Grimlock nodded, transforming into his tyrannosaurus form, "DINOBOTS! GRIMLOCK SAY SIC 'EM!"
Meanwhile, outside the city, the red-and-blue Dodge Ram jumped sand dunes, racing back toward the city. "Decepticons…"
"Don't worry, Bro," Ron said, patting the steering wheel as the engine roared, "we'll be in the fight in a few."
"They've activated the dome? There's no way we can get in…" Orion said as they approached the city's protective dome, covered in Insecticons chomping on the thick metal. "And the Insecticons are in our way!"
"Wrong," Ron said as he popped Orion's clutch, "They're our way in!"
With one final jump, Orion soared through a large, gaping hole the Insecticons had made, running over one in the process. "They've already made it in," Orion said as his tires squealed, "We have to hurry."
The battle was raging toward the center of Metroplex. "We're out numbered, Magnus!" Elita called, firing on Thundercracker as he flew past.
"Start signaling for the others to retreat into the Central Tower," Magnus ordered, "We can raise the tower's shielding and that should maybe hold long enough for the core to recharge and for us to transform the city…" his optics widened, "ELITA, EYES UP!!" He called out but it was too late as the F-22 flew into her.
"Starscream," Elita growled as the Decepticon pinned her to the ground, "Shouldn't you be at Megatron's side like a good little lapdog?"
"Such hard words from such a pretty mouth," Starscream snorted as he held her arms above her head with one clawed hand, while his other forced open the spark chamber in her chest.
"Let me go, you monster," she spat as she struggled, "If you're going to rip out my spark, get it over with!"
"My lovely, lovely little Autobot," Starscream smiled sadistically as his own spark chamber slid open on his chest, "who said anything at all about ripping out that lovely spark."
"NO!" she cried out as she realized his intentions.
"GET OFF HER!" Orion bellowed, and Starscream barely had time to look up before the bumper of Orion's truck form slammed into his face.
"Elita, are you ok?" Orion asked as Starscream got to his feet and flew off. He tenderly helped her to her feet, and his optics widened when she threw her arms around him.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
"Orion, Elita, we have to get everyone inside," Magnus said as the sound of Devastator's scream echoed through the city.
They all glanced to see him falling backwards with Grimlock's jaws firmly latched onto the Decepticon's crotch. "Ew…" Ron cringed.
"RON!" Kim exclaimed as they ran toward the central tower. "I was beginning to worry you and that truck of yours wasn't going to make it."
"Ah, I wasn't worried for a second," Ron said, drawing his lotus blade to deflect blaster fire.
"Then you didn't understand the situation," Kim snapped with a glare before firing on the Decepticons again.
The group made it into the ground floor of the tower, "Wheeljack, activate the tower's shielding systems. How much longer till we have enough power for a transformation?" Magnus barked.
"Fifteen minutes, sir," Wheeljack said, accessing his wrist computer.
Orion frowned when he heard that, glanced toward Elita, then toward the closing exits. "These will never hold that long…" he turned toward the last exit and stood tall. "Megatron must be stopped… no matter the cost."
He transformed and quickly drove through the closing door, coming to a stop just outside the tower. "Feels like we're at Tombstone back in the old west, huh, pal?" Ron asked from his side.
"Never was a fan of westerns… RON! Why aren't you back inside?" Orion turned an angry gaze on the human.
"What, and let you have all the fun?" Ron smiled, "You're not the only one with a girl you love enough to risk everything for, you know?"
"Alright…" Orion shook his head. "But… I get to be Wyatt Earp. You're Doc Holiday."
Inside the fortified tower, Kim ran up to Elita. "Ron and Orion aren't accounted for," She said, not even trying to hide the worry in her voice.
"What? Come on," Elita led her to where Magnus, Jazz, and Wheeljack were working with Teletran One. "Magnus, we have a problem."
"Just one?" He asked with a sarcastic grunt.
"Orion and Ron are missing," Kim stated.
"Frag…" Magnus cursed, "Launch the Teletran drones!" he ordered, and a moment later, moving camera videos appeared on the monitors. "No… oh, no …" Elita breathed when they saw Orion standing tall, with Ron making a line on the ground before them with the Lotus Blade.
"Let me out," Kim cried, running for the exit. "I have to get outside. Let me out! Let me out!"
"They're buying us time to charge the core…" Ironhide said, shaking his head.
"They just have to hold the line for fifteen minutes… then we can help…" Magnus said sadly. "They know the risk…"
Kim leaned her head against the cold door as a single tear ran down her cheek. "You idiot… Ron…"
After all is said and done
You've never walked, you've never run,
"Hello, dear brother," Megatron said as the Decepticons came to a stop before the two defenders. "Have you came to your senses and decided to join me?"
"No, just decided to stop you," Orion said, tightening his grip on his cannon.
"Why do you throw away your life so recklessly?" Megatron asked sadly.
"Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" Orion narrowed his optics.
You got the move, you know the streets
Break the rules, take the heat
"Decepticons… destroy them," Megatron ordered, and the battle began.
Countless warriors ran toward the two lone heroes, and Megatron growled when the first fell from a point blank blast from Orion's cannon.
You feel so overcome
Trapped in a place
You never thought it'd be so hard to face
"You won't get past us," Orion growled, extending his blade from his free arm, "WE'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"
You wonder why life had be so hard
You can't believe you been dealt this card
Ron gripped the Lotus Blade before slashing one Decepticon at the knee, taking the leg clean off.
"Say hello to my little friend," Ron growled, transforming his blade into a massive, double-barrel cannon that wrapped around him. The Decepticons on the front line had just enough time to widen their optics before the massive blast cut through their ranks.
Took so long to get here you wonder how
You gotta take control, the time is now
"Hold this line," Orion yelled, digging his blade deep into a Decepticon's chest. "For Kim!"
"For Elita," Ron said, changing the blade into a large, spiked ball and chain before using it to attack more oncoming Decepticons.
You know you can be strong,
You remember the time
When you had it all together
You go back in your mind
"Here comes Devastator," the towering monster limped toward them, throwing the unconscious Grimlock to the side.
"How's your throwing arm?" Ron asked, shifting the blade back to normal.
You're at your best when the going gets rough
You've been put to the test, but it's never enough
Orion lifted Ron up, then tossed him like a baseball toward the giant.
"Wha?" Devastator growled, turning his head to see the human on his shoulder.
You got the touch
You got the power
When all hell's breakin' loose
You're in the eye of the storm
"There can be only one!" Ron yelled before swinging the extended Lotus Blade.
Devastator's mouth gaped as his head toppled off his shoulders, and the six Constructicons started to fall apart.
You got the touch
You got the power
You know that when things get too tough
You got the touch
Ron started to run back to Orion but was grabbed by a Decepticon. "Prepare to die, human worm…" the monster growled before Ron extended the blade to stab it in the optics.
"GAH!" the Decepticon growled in pain before throwing Ron back toward Orion.
Ron screamed in pain when he hit shoulder-first on the unforgiving, steel ground.
You never bend
You never break
You seem to know just what it takes
"You ok?" Orion asked as Ron pulled himself back to his feet, gripping the sword now one handed, with his right arm now hanging limply at his side.
"I will be in… around twelve more minutes…" Ron said, and before Orion could reply, a pair of missiles struck him in the chest, blowing chunks of his chest plate off.
Orion gritted his teeth and fired back on his attacker.
It's in the blood; it's in the will
It's in the mighty hands of steel
"Stoppable!" Starscream bellowed, grabbing Ron with one hand and pinning him to the ground, crushing Ron's already injured arm with his palm.
This is how you show them who you really are
You know it's for real, you can win this war
"You ready to give up, Boy?" Starscream grinned, "Or do I get to play with you like I did your woman?"
They try to put you down but you gotta believe
In yourself, and your feelings they're trying to deceive
"Here's a hint…" Ron grunted, lining up the Lotus Blade, then extending it to impale Starscream through the chest.
"Get off him," Orion growled, grabbing Starscream by the wing, just as Thundercracker fired a missile hitting him right in the back joint of his knee. "AH!!" Orion cried out in pain as his leg exploded.
He struggled to stay up, and looked down to see much of his leg had been gutted out by the explosion. "Just… Prime…" he breathed.
The heart of a hero, though you feel the pain
You never give up cause the hope remains
"Orion…" Ron breathed, slowly getting back to his feet, coughing blood out to the ground. "If I don't make it… look after Kim…"
"Deal… if you do the same for me with Elita…" Orion wheezed.
"You're my brother, Orion Pax," Ron said, trying to get his vision to clear.
"And you're mine, Ronald Stoppable," he said, extending his other blade.
Stand your ground; you're fighting fire with fire
To come out on top is your only desire
"We're both wrecks…" Ron said, his blue aura glowing brightly. "Let's share the wealth."
"Let's," Orion said, lowering his stance.
The two yelled like Berserkers as the Decepticons rushed again. Longarm was the next to fall to the Lotus Blade, first losing a leg and then his head.
You never give in when your back's to the wall
Gonna fight to the end and you're takin' it all
Orion grabbed Blitzwing and disarmed him before backhanding him away. He grunted in pain when Starscream fired on him from where he laid at his feet, hitting him in the joint of the shoulder. Orion groaned as his arm fell at his feet. Orion only hesitated a moment before he grabbed his damaged arm, and threw it like a spear, impelling Thundercracker through the abdomen with its blade.
You got the touch
You got the power
When all hell's breakin' loose
You're in the eye of the storm
Astrotrain fell next, trying to get behind Orion, only to get the Lotus Blade forced between his eyes, then kicked back into the rest of the quickly dwindling Decepticon army.
Blood exploded from Ron's mouth when a blast from one of the Decepticons struck him in the ribs and he could hear and feel them snapping from the impact.
The Monkey Master ignored the pain, and continued slashing the incoming enemies.
You got the touch
You got the power
You know that when things get too tough
"Who else wants some…" Orion panted as the two bloody and broken warriors stood before the weakened enemies.
"Fools… want something done right…" Megatron growled, firing his cannon. The blast struck at Ron's feet, and Orion's optics widened when Ron flew in the air, his clothing torn with burns on much of his body before he hit the ground headfirst and, for the first time in this battle, didn't get back up immediately.
"RON!!" Orion called out turning his back on the Decepticons to run to his fallen brother.
"Never turn your back on an enemy, Orion," Megatron said, grabbing Orion's shoulder and twisting him back around.
"NO!"Orion cried when Megatron pushed his bladed cannon into his damaged chest so far that the barrel of the blade was pushed past his damaged armor.
"I give you one last opportunity, Brother," Megatron asked, optics to optics as he lifted the Autobot into the air. "Join me, be my General, rule at my side. I beg of you, brother… don't be stupid."
"You are not my Brother…" Orion said, glancing over to where Ron laid.
"Then so be it…" He said, and Orion heard Megatron cock his fusion cannon.
"Elita…" Orion breathed as Megatron fired his primary weapon.
Flames exploded from around his armored plates, and smoke and flames rose from his mouth. "You will be missed," Megatron said, letting the hulled remains slide off his blade to the ground.
As soon as his body hit the ground, the towers of Metroplex began to shift and change as countless weapon systems powered up. "Decepticons!" Megatron started to order the attack but turned and saw the state his army was in. He hesitated, seeing the devastation just one Autobot and one Human could do. "Decepticons! RETREAT!!"
The Autobots rushed out onto the battlefield, some firing on the retreating Decepticons. "They did it…" Ironhide said firing on the enemy. "They turned the tide…"
"No, no, please, no!" Elita One cried as she ran to Orion's side. She felt her insides dying as she ran out on the battlefield. He couldn't be dead. They had gone through too much together. There was too much left to say and do. She carefully rolled him over onto his back and couldn't fight back the sob at seeing the physical damage done to his body. "Please, don't leave me… wake up. You have to wake up! Wake up, damn it, WAKE UP!
"RAATCHETTT!!" She cried out, before turning back to Orion. "Orion, you're going to be ok. You hear me? Ratchet will fix you up, good as new… you'll see… RATCHET!!!!!"
Meanwhile across the field Kim ran, blasting at the Decepticons before falling to Ron's side, transforming as she moved. "Ron!" She cried out, "Oh, God, Ron!" She sobbed, seeing the burns and opened wounds.
She yelped when Anne caught up to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her out of the way. "No!" Kim cried out, but Lennox was already there, holding her back.
"Negative breathing, no pulse, beginning CPR," Anne said, tilting his head and giving him a breath before pumping his chest with her fists. "Come on, Ronnie, don't leave us."
"RATCHET!!" Elita cried, but the old medic placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm here," Ratchet said, looking Orion over.
"Help him…" Elita whispered helplessly.
"There's… there's nothing I can do…" Ratchet shook his head. "He's all torn up inside… spark chamber's completely slagged. I'm sorry… he's gone…"
Elita turned her optics to the medic and lifted her blaster. "I said… Help him."
"Ariel …" Ironhide said, going to her side and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "He's gone."
"No… he can't be gone…" She shook her head, crying hysterically. "He promised. He promised… he can't be gone… he promised… he can't… no…"
Anne stepped back with Lennox and Kim as medics came out with shock paddles. "Big shock," she heard one medic say, and she pulled Kim to her. Kim melted in her arms, holding her around her waist tightly, crying into her chest while watching the scene unfold. She hiccupped a sob when his body jumped from the shock. "Negative vitals, recharging," a medic said as they continued CPR.
After a second shock, the medic looked back at Anne and shook his head. "NO!" Kim cried out, jumping over Ron, "Keep going, he has to come back…" Kim cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Listen to my voice, Ron, listen to me… I love you, and I need you … please... please come back to me, Ron… I'll never push you away again… I need you, Ron… do you hear me?! I LOVE YOU!"
To Be Continued…
Song Credits: The Touch (Sam's Theme) by Stan Bush
Next chapter title: Could It Still Be?