My Life as a Teenage Beast Hunter
Chapter 9: Heavy Metal War
A/N: I expanded the combiner fight a little and changed the final scene a bit.
"Tell your superiors to stay out of our way, Agent Fowler." Megatron advised. "I apologize for acting as I did, but it was in self-defense."
"I'm having a hard time believing that Megatron." Fowler countered. "You've attacked two military installations in the past year without any provocation."
"Can you blame us for being desperate Agent Fowler?" Megatron reasoned "Our quarrel is with the treacherous Autobots who destroyed the only hope of restoring Cybetron." Megatron assured. "Seeing as we no longer have a home, I merely wish to peacefully coexist once the Autobot war criminals are dealt with."
Fowler sighed. "Well you'll be happy to know that the military has no plans to take further action. For the moment, anyway."
"I appreciate their understanding." Megatron thanked. "You have my solemn word that this will all be over once the Autobots are dealt with. Megatron out."
"Yeah, and I'm part of a team who fights ghosts for a living." Fowler quipped after he hung up.
"Excellent my Lord." Starscream patronized. "I almost believed you."
"Indeed Starscream. Once the Autobots are no more, we will be the undisputed masters of this world.
Shockwave approached the two with an urgent request. "Given the likelihood of an attack on this facility, I request permission to relocate Project Predacon to a more secure location."
"Very well Shockwave." Megatron approved. "One of the abandoned Energon mines should do."
Shockwave nodded his head. "Very good my liege."
A Vehicon sounded off over the comm. "Lord Megatron, five ground bridges detected across the country. Origin unknown."
"Starscream." Megatron began. "Deploy two squadrons to each location."
Starscream bowed and did as he was told. Seekers poured off the flight deck and sped off toward their queries.
"Cyclonus, take your ship into orbit, find the source of those bridges and destroy it." Megatron ordered.
"At once, Lord Megatron." Cyclonus replied as he piloted his strike shuttle into space.
Back aboard the Enduring Spirit Crosswind monitored the situation from the helm console. "Ha. They fell for our little trick." Crosswind mused to himself.
"How are the Autobots doing?" Jack wondered.
"All teams are on course and on schedule so far." The recon officer replied. He must have sensed the children's concern. "Look, I know you're worried, but those are some of our best bots down there. I calculate an 82 percent chance of victory."
"Well that's a B at least." Miko quipped.
Ratchet and Wheeljack walked onto the bridge just then. "So, we just gonna watch everyone else risk their aft ends?" Wheeljack asked.
"This ship is our most important asset. We can't afford to lose it." Crosswind argued. "But if you feel so strongly about it you can take the weapons station."
Wheeljack approached the console and marveled at the array of destructive toys. "Oooh. Concussion missiles, shock cannons, orbital strike beams… I think I'm in love." He said as he rubbed his hands together.
"Anything I can do?" Ratchet asked.
"You feel comfortable monitoring the engineering console?" Crosswind offered.
"Absolutely." Ratchet replied.
Crosswind turned back to his own monitor. "Looks like Silverbolt's team is almost in position."
Meanwhile…
Six Autobot jets raced toward Darkmount at low altitude to avoid detection. "Remember, our job is to tie up the Con's air forces and keep attention away from the others." Silverbolt reminded.
"Yeah, yeah." Slingshot groaned. "Let's just skip to the part where we blow something up."
"Slingshot's right. This has been a long time coming." Air Raid agreed.
"Seriously Silverbolt, how do you have the patience for this?" Jetfire asked.
Fireflight chuckled. "Eons of practice as our leader."
"Cut the chatter everyone, we're approaching the target. Arm weapons and follow my lead." Silverbolt ordered.
As the Aerialbots neared the Decepticon fortress they popped up and locked weapons on target. This maneuver revealed themselves to the enemy, but that was to be expected. "Fire!" Silverbolt commanded. Missiles, Energon Blasts, and bombs pelted Darkmount in a hail of destructive power. The first pass did little damage, but did succeed in kicking the hornet's nest as it were.
"Lord Megatron! We're under air attack!" a panicked Vehicon yelled.
On any other day Megatron would have blasted that fool for stating the obvious, but he decided against it today. The Decepticons were going to need every bot they had for this one.
"Launch all remaining Seekers! Stunticons get out there and deal with the Aerialbots!" Megatron bellowed.
The Stunticons sat idiling on the ground when that order was given. "Round two boys, let's go!" Motormaster ordered. "I hope it's more of a challenge than last time." Dragstrip said as he peeled out with his team. "Of course it'll be a challenge." Wild Rider replied. "It is the Aerialbots after all."
Skydive saw the Decepticon combiner team driving out of the fortress in a delta formation. "Hey Silverbolt, you're not gonna believe this. It's the Stunticons!"
The Aerialbot leader could hardly believe his optics, but stayed focused on the mission. "They're trying to lure us to ground. Beside's there's still those warships to worry about." Silverbolt surmised. "Let's thin out these Seekers first."
"Whatever." Slingshot replied. "I'm just happy to have something to shoot."
The Aerialbots swung around to face the incoming Seeker squadrons head on. A flurry of missiles and laser blasts erupted from both elements tracing contrails across the sky. The more skilled Autobot fliers evaded the Seekers' fire, but the Decepticons were not so fortunate. Half of the thirty Vehicon jets were shot down while the Aerialbots sustained only minor hits if any.
"Alright, let's go for another pass." Silverbolt ordered. "Right behind ya!" Jetfire acknowledged. As the Aerialbots set up for their next attack, Motormaster reached the end of his patience- not that he had much to begin with.
"Alright ya sorry sacks a rust! Commence combination sequence!" the Stunticon leader commanded. Dragstrip and Dead End drove in front of and on either side of Motormaster while Off Road and Wild Rider drove behind him.
Built in rockets pushed the Stunticons into the air as they took their respective combiner component forms. The limbs all merged with the torso and the metal colossus impacted the ground with a thunderous crash. He flexed his arms and looked skyward as he announced his presence: "MENASOR!"
The great goliath drew a giant rifle from his back and fired at the Aerialbots. Energon blasts singed past them as they bobbed and weaved through the air.
"We've almost got the Seekers under wraps." Silverbolt reported. "Jetfire, you mop up the rest. We'll take Menasor."
"You got it boss!" Jetfire exclaimed. He locked on to about twenty seekers at once and fired a few missiles. Upon approaching their targets, these missiles split into five independent warheads and hit their marks.
"Okay guys, Jetfire's got us covered." Sliverbolt observed. "Form Superion!" The Aerialbots flew in perfect formation and began to take their gestalt forms. Air Raid and Fireflight hit the ground first in their leg modes. Silverbolt's torso form docked to the legs next. Slingshot and Skydive docked to the shoulders forming the arms. The combined form's eyes lit up with a brilliant blue color. Finally, the Autobot combiner drew a shield and a giant rifle from his back.
"SUPERION ACTIVATED." The metal colossus announced.
Menasor replied with a guttural and furious roar as he opened fire on Superion. The Autobot gestalt blocked the shots with his shield as he charged at Menasor, footfalls shaking the ground like miniature earthquakes. Superion closed the distance, smacked Menasor's gun to the side and delivered a right hook into his horned head.
As Menasor absorbed the hit, he grabbed Superion's right arm (Slingshot) and hauled the Autobot gestalt over his head and onto the ground with a crash of metal and rock.
"RAAAUUGGHH!" Menasor roared into Superion's face. Superion ignited Slingshot's engines to deliver a painful blast of heat causing Menasor to push him away.
Superion rose once more and charged at Menasor. The two clashed with locked arms with Menasor still growling like a rabid animal and Superion maintaining his composure.
As Jetfire downed another Seeker with his cannon, he swooped around and caught a brief glimpse of the fight below. I hope the other teams are okay…
Jenny, Brad, and Sheldon took advantage of the chaos to silently land on the hull of the Nemesis. From there the trio found a hatch and entered the enemy vessel. "Okay, if I remember the layout of this thing correctly, Optimus should be this way." Jenny said. "Lead the way Jen." Brad replied.
The three eventually found door marked as the brig along with two Vehicons standing watch. "Well this is it." Jenny observed. "Now we just need to get those guys away from the door."
Brad stepped forward. "I got this." He fired a pair of missiles at the guards. They struck the Vehicons with blistering speed and delivered a surge of energy that scrambled their circuits and caused them to collapse on the floor.
"Sheldon, get the door open." Jenny ordered.
The Silver Shell stepped forward and cracked his fingers. He then began typing on the console next to the door. After a few seconds, the door opened and the three walked inside carrying the limp Decepticons.
As the door closed behind them, the trio got their first look at Optimus in his current state. Brad and Sheldon held their tongues as they waited for Jenny's response. She could barely conatain her mixture of rage and despair. "Optimus…" she gasped.
The Autobot leader began to stir and groan. "Jenny… is that … really you?"
The girl nodded her head. "It's been a while."
"You came back… for us…" Optimus observed. "Why put yourself through this… again?"
Jenny chuckled slightly. "Because you and the Autobots risked everything to save my life." Jenny answered. "Now it's time for me to return the favor."
"Yeah. There's more than just us too." Sheldon added.
Brad nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Even Elita One and the bots you sent to Terax are here." He explained.
"Then there… is hope…" Optimus realized. "I take it… these are your… friends."
"Well, Brad's my boyfriend now, but that's a story for another time." Jenny explained. She activated her comm and contacted Elita One. "We've found Optimus."
Elita received the transmission from her excavator. "Good work. Hold your position and keep that room secure."
The femme turned to Ironhide who was driving the excavator. "Status report." She requested.
"The fortress will be right on top of us in five minutes. The Aerialbots should have the Seekers busy right now too." Ironhide reported.
"Good," Elita said. She, Firestar,Moonracer, and Ironhide rode in one excavator while Prowl, Hound, Sideswipe and Jazz rode in another. The two mining vehicles switched positioned themselves vertically once they were under Darkmount.
"Alight everyone listen up." Elita announced. "Were going to break in at high speed so hold on to something." The Autobots braced themselves and prepared for breaching. "Now Ironhide!" Elita ordered. The two excavators throttled to full power and rapidly ascended toward the Decepticon fortress…
Unit S73V3 and Unit 6A44Y patrolled one of Darkmount's sublevel hallways for any signs of intruders. The two Vehicons had blasters at the ready just in case their patrol became a firefight. "I wish we were outside sending Autobots to the scrapheap." S73V3 complained. 6A44Y shook his head. "You heard Lord Megatron's orders. It's our job to make sure that the Autobots don't sneak in here unnoticed."
"I get that," S73V3 replied. "But why send only two of us?" 6A44Y shrugged. "Maybe he only expects a small number. Either way we should stay foc-AAAAGGGHHH!"
Both Vehicons went offline as a giant drill grinded them into tiny pieces. Another drill appeared some distance away. "We're in." Ironhide reported. Just then, more Vehicons appeared in the corridor and started shooting at the two drills. "We've got more company!" Jazz warned. Moonracer took the gunner position in her excavator. "No worries, I've got this!" she boasted. A cannon turret deployed from the top of the excavator and began blasting Vehicons with pinpoint precision.
"All targets down." Moonracer reported. Just then, a large shaking emanated ahead of the two excavators. An Insecticon rounded the corner and broke into a run as it saw its enemies. "I've got this one!" Ironhide assured. He spun the drill up and sped toward the Insecticon at full throttle. The drill bit landed squarely on the beast's chest and drove straight through its spark. The Insecticon's remains clattered into pieces around the drill.
"Nothing else on the scanners for now," Prowl began. "I think it's safe to get out." The Autobots disembarked and split into two groups. Elita, Moonracer, Firestar, and Ironhide made for the command post at the top of the citadel while Jazz, Prowl, Sideswipe, and Hound stayed behind to investigate the lower levels and keep the Con's forces split. "Good luck everyone." Elita said.
Meanwhile…
"Okay, sensor configuration test twenty-two commencing now." Knockout announced. He had spent days trying to tune the sensor array aboard the Nemesis to Jenny's unique power signature. As evidenced by the number of tests, the task was proving difficult and frustrating.
Knockout keyed in the sequence to activate the sensor array. In the center of the room lie a facsimile of Jenny's power source that Knockout used to test the sensor configuration. After twenty-two failures, twenty-two processor grinding disappointments, Knockout finally hit pay dirt. But still, something didn't seem right.
Knockout contacted his master anyway. "Lord Megatron, I think I've succeeded, but there's something strange."
"What is it?" Megatron wondered.
"Though I am picking up the facsimile's signature, I'm also detecting three more just like it." The Decepticon medic explained. Megatron's optics widened. "Then XJ9 is here!" Megatron realized. "What is her location?"
Knockout paused. "… Inside the Nemesis. Specifically, the medical bay where Optimus Prime is being held."
Megatron found himself between astonishment and actual admiration. "My, Lord. Shall I sound the alarm?" Knockout asked.
"No Knockout." Megatron replied. "Let's allow our enemies to think they still have surprise. However, cut off Prime's spark support to prevent a successful rescue."
Knockout grinned from audio receptor to audio receptor. "At once my liege."
Meanwhile…
"So, how long do you think until they catch on?" Brad wondered. His comment was met with shrugs. Suddenly, Jenny noticed that the Energon tubes feeding Prime's spark had just shut down. "No…" she gasped.
"What's wrong?" Sheldon wondered.
"Megatron just pulled the plug!" Jenny cried. "Quick, hack into their system! Get those pumps going again or Optimus won't have much time!"
Sheldon hurried to the nearest console and began typing furiously. "I'm locked out!" he exclaimed.
"Jenny…" Optimus groaned.
The heroine rushed to his side. "No don't talk. Don't move. Save your strength." Something dawned on her. "The Forge of Solus Prime! It can fix anything or anyone Cybertronian."
With effort Optimus shook his head. "…no…time…" he managed between breaths. As if to punctuate his words his systems could be heard shutting down. "…there will… be a new… Prime…" Optimus said. "The Matrix… take it … to Elita One…"
Tears started streaming down Jenny's face. "No… I'm not going to let you die! Not after you saved my life!"
"You… have… done well…" Optimus praised. "all… of … you…"
"Sheldon…" Brad urged.
"Working as fast as I can here!" the boy shot back.
Jenny met Optimus Prime's gaze. "Please…" she sobbed. "We can't lose you. Not like this."
"Who stands before me?" Optimus asked in a voice not his own.
"What are talking about?" Jenny wondered as she was taken aback. "It's me, Jenny."
Optimus's optics flickered before going dark entirely.
"Optimus…" Jenny whimpered. "OPTIMUS!"
The Prime's chest suddenly opened to reveal the Matrix of Leadership. The golden handled vessel contained a glowing orb: a piece of Primus's own spark. The glow became brighter and brighter until it became blinding. "Get out of here!" Jenny yelled. She reached for the Matrix hoping that she could still do something to save Optimus.
"JENNY!" Brad and Sheldon yelled as everything went white.
The brightness receded as Jenny came too, though she had no idea if she was still in the medical bay. She stood up from the floor and came face to face with someone she'd never thought she would meet.
"Jennifer Marie Wakeman." The voiced boomed from all directions. "At last we meet."
Jenny stared wide eyed at the being before her, barley able to comprehend her situation for she was in the presence of Cybertron's patron deity. "Primus." she said at last.
A/N: I realize I should have said this sooner, but the Enduring Spirit looks like the Autobot Shuttle that Ultra Magnus commands in the 1986 movie. Remember that for later…