Here's the next bit. Just when they thought they were going to make it…
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They were very nearly there when the ground shook beneath their tires. Pulling to a halt, they stared in horror at the plume of smoke that rose from the Giza Plateau. Their every instinct screamed 'Decepticons', but the truth of the matter was that they were too far away to really see what was going on. Taking no chances on being spotted in the sky, Megatron immediately swooped down to land next to the rest. They would drive. He would run. Taking it moderately slow, they stopped at the other side of the plateau, on the far side of a smallish, now largely deserted village. "Ratchet and Jetfire are going to be here soon, if they aren't here already. I told them to use the pyramids as a reference point, so that'd put them in the middle of it! Sam, you have to get the… uh… dust to Optimus and fast, and I'm betting they'll be out to get you or at least stop you. You're with me, and we're going to run there, you got that? They'll be looking for Autobots, so I'm betting they'll miss a couple of tiny little humans. Bumblebee, you'll be playing decoy. Make them think you've got Sam with you, all right? Megatron, look for an opening. Be ready to sucker punch the imposter if need be. I'm betting you'll knock him for a loop just by showing yourself. Skids, Mudflap, you two cut around from the side. You may be small, but I'm betting you can cause a big enough ruckus to offset that." She would have said more, but it was then that the most amazing and horrifying thing happened…
A colossal form reared up with an almighty roar and began to scale one of the pyramids, digging huge claws into the crumbling stone. An eerie green light shone from its eyes and blazed in its titanic maw as it climbed up higher, its crouching form almost making the pyramid seem ridiculously tiny in comparison. "Devastator," Megatron said in a mixture of awe and utter horror. Sarah paused. "Wait a minute, I thought Devastator was the tank who bought it at Mission City like you told me!" Megatron shook his head. "No, that was Brawl. …Well, his real name was Brawl. He thought it didn't sound menacing enough, so when he heard about the disappearance of the group that combined to form Devastator, he decided to use that name instead." Sarah shrugged. "Makes sense. …Wait a second, why am I wasting time on this? Megatron, we may need you to distract that thing, or at least find out what it's after." Giving a curt nod, he wasted no time in transforming and taking to the sky with great speed. Taking a closer look even as he listened to her orders, Bumblebee spotted something. "Look there, at the top of the pyramid! It's the imposter!" Looking closely, those with keen enough vision to be able to see anything at that distance were able to see that the other Megatron was indeed perched at the pyramid's apex, likely commanding Devastator. "…All right, so now we know he's here too," Sarah said. "Ratchet and Jetfire are going to be in serious trouble once they get here, if they haven't already gotten here. Regroup with them first chance you get, everybody. Sam, are you ready to go?" He shifted nervously. "I don't know… This doesn't sound even remotely safe by any definition of the word." Sarah stepped a little closer to him. "It'll be all right, Sam. I'll be with you all the way; I promise. If all else fails, I'll defend you myself."
Across the way, the imposter began an agile, leaping descent as Devastator revealed that its glowing maw was a powerful vacuum, sucking up the ancient blocks of stone to grind them into dust. "It's destroying the pyramid," Sarah said. "One of humankind's most priceless treasures…" As the blocks came away in a wind-blown vortex formed of sand, they exposed something, something ancient that hadn't seen the light of day for many thousands of years. The dull gleam of metal caught everyone's attention, and she realized what they were looking at. "The Star Harvester," she said in awe. "All this time, it's been right here… The Egyptians must have sealed it away, then gotten the idea for pyramids from its structure!" As Devastator then backed off from the ancient machinery it had just revealed, its job apparently completed, something even more mind-boggling happened.
A cascade of fiery energy a little like a miniature sun flared to brilliant life and faded just as quickly, leaving in its place a frightful black creature a little like an insect. Its glossy black body was trimmed with hellish red stripes, slender limbs moving with a swift yet deliberate grace as demonic red eyes glared forth from a face like those of the dead beings whose bodies formed the Tomb of the Twelve. The sharp contours of its face mirrored the angular lines that formed the symbol of the Decepticons. "Was it based on him?" Sarah wondered. "This is the Fallen… it must be!" One hand lifted, gesturing outward, and the imposter immediately leapt forth to transform and race outward with no hesitation, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to how the two were connected. "My duplicate is taking orders," Megatron transmitted from the sky. "What could the Fallen possibly have promised that would make him willing to kneel before him and accept his commands?" Sarah looked up at him even as she and Sam took off running. //"Don't worry about that now. Just remember that we're all phenomenally screwed if he gets that key!"// High above, Megatron banked sharply and began a swift descent, headed straight for the Fallen. "Only a Prime can fight him, huh? Let's see how well a Prime's brother can do!"
Sam and Sarah sprinted for the nearest house as a jet swooped low overhead, ducking in and closing the door behind them. "I'm receiving a transmission from Ratchet," she said in a low whisper, moving toward a window. "You see those pillars down at the other side of the village? He and Jetfire are holed up there, with everybody else providing covering fire. That's where we have to go." She paused before turning to him. "If we get separated, even though I'm hoping we won't… If we do, run for it but be careful." Both of them promptly shut up and ducked down as the same jet as before passed low overhead a second time, obviously still searching for the two of them. Waiting breathlessly for it to pass, they took up positions by the all too flimsy door and waited for the sound of its engines to die away as it moved on, obviously concluding that they had gone somewhere else. The minute they could no longer hear it, Sarah flung the door open and they took off running again, heading for another house, this one just a little bit closer to their goal.
Near the pyramid's top, Megatron found his swooping descent blocked by Devastator's massive form. Avoiding the titanic jaws and their powerful suction with a straight upward climb, he pulled into a backward loop and aimed for where head and neck met before pulling the same maneuver he'd used on Demolisher… Transforming in midair, he let gravity do its thing to drive his claws into the thinner armor that formed the back of Devastator's neck. Clawing, tearing and shooting, he did his level best to wreak as much havoc on his enemy's systems as he could, all the while clinging tightly as Devastator tried with all its might to shake him off. Slicing armor, ripping out wires, he held on as tight as he could as the massive form collapsed with a fading roar, either dead or just disabled; he didn't really care which. "That takes care of that," he said with a satisfied smile. Turning his attention back to his intended target, he took to the sky once again.
"And now it's your turn!" Wasting no more time, he ignited his thrusters and rocketed straight toward the Fallen. Transforming in midair a second time, he let his momentum turn his dive into a powerful lunge aimed straight for his enemy's face. His having to pause to deal with Devastator had eliminated the element of surprise, but he figured it wouldn't make much of a difference. After all, the Fallen couldn't be that strong if he was so slender. Clawing for his eyes, he was utterly shocked when his enemy moved at a speed he hadn't even thought possible, one unbelievably powerful hand closing over his throat and halting his charge in mid-leap. Coughing and gagging, kicking desperately, he couldn't believe it when the Fallen hauled him up one-handed, tightening his grip until no amount of wheezing could help him. This was ridiculous, it was impossible, he was supposed to be so much stronger than this… The Fallen was as slender as a child in comparison to him, but somehow he was being strangled anyway, unable to draw any air to cool his rapidly overheating systems no matter how hard he tried. "You are so pitiful," the Fallen said. "A Prime's brother is no Prime." Megatron's claws scrabbled at the hand squeezing his throat shut, trying to pry the steely fingers away so he could breathe… Pivoting, the Fallen threw him up against the side of the pyramid and pinned him there, not even so much as loosening his grip as he leaned in closer, bringing himself face to face with the former Decepticon he was choking the life out of. "Pathetic. Just pathetic." The only response Megatron could manage was to kick out feebly, desperate to break free. Disregarding the way his enemy, now his victim, still clawed at his hand, the Fallen tightened his grip further, drawing a breathless cry of pain as the comparatively thin armor covering his neck began to give way. Megatron's struggles eased off, his attempts to kick fading, his arms falling limp to his sides as his eyes swiftly began to dim. Consciousness was fading out, and life couldn't be too far behind… A long moment later, the Fallen released his grip and Megatron collapsed to land on his knees, down in a low, huddling crouch, both hands clutching at his damaged throat as he gasped and coughed. Fighting to recover as fast as he could, he raised his head to fix dim, blurry eyes on his enemy… Just in time for the Fallen to kick him right in the face. The force of it snapped his head back hard, almost enough to make him fear his neck would break, and the impact itself broke his jaw. He would have cried out in agony, but for the fact that the kick was immediately followed by a brutal full-on attack at a speed his pain-fuzzed mind couldn't comprehend, much less follow. His armor was torn, his limbs broken, his chest gouged open and so much more, and all of it so fast he couldn't even scream. An instant later he was airborne, thrown off the pyramid like so much garbage to tumble down the side and land face up in the sand. Staring up at the sky, the only thought in his mind was that humans had a word for this sort of thing. "Wow," he murmured to himself. "I just got owned."
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Holy cow, the Fallen is freaking strong, to do that to Megatron of all people…
Read and review, please!
