Hotshot: I know, this is probably over the place and I'm sorry for that. I've been trying not to...but you know how it goes. I also like to say that this is probably my longest chapter to date for this series...though I'm not 100% sure. Anyways, enjoy and make sure to review, it helps.

TRANSFORMERS: Dark Side of the Moon
Chapter 9

Chicago, Illinois
2012

The humans and Matsuri were running at full speed towards the glass building and once they reached the entrance, they ran inside and began their journey up the stairs, going as fast as they could. It was no problem for Matsuri as she took two steps at a time and was pulling ahead of the group. The group behind her were not so lucky as their stamina hindered their progress slightly. She didn't keep count of how many flights of stairs she climbed or how many floors she passed. She hardly knew what floor they had exited on. All she knew was that the current floor had once been used for offices.

"Come on, we're high enough!" shouts Sam.

"This is a mother getting up here!" Eddie grunted.

"Get your fat ass over here!" Robert snapped as they ran towards the row of windows that had a view of the Decepticon controlled tower.

"I'm coming!"

"Set up the rocket!"

"There!" Carly pointed as she, Sam and Matsuri went towards a broken window, her arm wrapping around Sam's shoulder. "The building with the dome."

Eddie gripped the launcher as it was being loaded and then, the building trembled. Matsuri looked and then, she saw the fighters shooting at the already damaged part of the building. The building creaked and groaned, tilting more slightly before stilling.

"This is not a good idea." Eddie muttered as he stared out the window and down.

"What?" Sam asked as he looked at the larger man.

"This is not a good idea. This building is unstable."

"Listen, stop for a second. If we don't do what we came to do, it doesn't matter, we all die. Right? That's your target. Come on, man!"

"I don't even care if the building collapses. I'm having a heart attack anyways." Eddie shouldered the launcher securely before the building rumbled again and it began to tilt even more, which made the desks, chairs and whatever else to go tumbling to one end and smash through the windows before everything stilled again.

"It's okay!" Robert shouted. "It stopped!"

"Guys, look!" Shouted Carly as she pointed.

"Incoming, incoming!" muttered one man as they saw a fighter coming up to their level.

"Everybody hide!" ordered Robert and that's what they all did. Matsuri dove underneath a desk just as the fighter got into position and its pilot busting through the window and began to look around the room. There was the sound of a cannon being armed and she kept as still as she could. Then, she heard three chairs rolling and something hitting the floor and then an explosion.

"Run!" ordered Robert and they began to force their way up towards the opposite end of the building. Matsuri had taken flight above them, swinging her sword at a second Decepticon that had jumped into the building.

"Shoot the glass! Jump out of the window!" Shouted Robert and she heard gun shots ring out and the glass breaking. She quickly turned and flew out of the window before following the humans as they slid down the side of the building.

They began shooting and then, they fell through with glass showering just before them. They slid against the floor as they tumbled towards the other end of the building, towards the side that was facing the streets below at an angle.

Each of the humans grabbed the wires that were hanging except for one man who had tumbled out and towards the ground below just as Matsuri flew into the building and where they were.

"Everyone alright?" she questioned, and they all nodded.

"What the hell was that?!" Yelped Eddie but no one answered him.

"This evil thing's looking at me!" Robert shouted to the others.

"How many optics?!" asked Matsuri.

"One! Why?"

"…Oh Frag. That's Shockwave! We gotta-"

A distant bellow interrupted her and a thud and she watched as Robert looked over. "It's even got an uglier Decepticon with it! We have to Evac!"

Just as they began to climb and managed to get down a few floors before having to stop when they encountered a blocked stairwell- something even Matsuri couldn't bust through since there was so much rubble-, a whining could be heard, which caused the building to tremble again. Sam and Robert quickly ran over to the broken windows and looked down.

"Move! We gotta move!" shouted Sam.

"Why do the Decepticons always get the good shit?!" Robert huffed.

"Move!"

"We're about to be eaten, people!"

The whole building shuddered and everything tipped sideways. Matsuri didn't anticipate this and she fell with the others and she banged a wing against a pillar, causing pain to shoot up from it. She landed harshly on another pillar and there was a jolt, signaling that the top of the building had landed on a roof of another building.

She groaned as she laid there for a few minutes before she forced herself to sit up and forced herself to be airborne, ignoring the twinges of pains coming from her ring. She gripped the hilt of her sword- it's a wonder just she kept her hold on it- and then landed on the fire escape next to Carly.

"Sam!" Carly suddenly yelled, making Matsuri look and there, she saw the driller coming for them. It seemed to slither towards them at a slow, predatory pace, its tendrils digging into the building it was clinging to. It seemed to bask in their fear as the remaining men of the group got onto the fire escape as well. Just as it was about to dive towards them, the sound of thrusters met Matsuri's ears and devastating bullets and blasts came into contact with its body.

And then, Optimus came flying passed, now with attached flight tech from his trailer. He rose up out of view before he blasted a whole on the other side of the building and then he flew through it and threw the driller, cutting it in half.

Optimus was gone, having flown away out of their view. They all took a deep breath of relief before they scrambled into the building and made their way down to ground level and then they were out in an alleyway, running towards the street.

"It's starting!" Sam shouted as he noticed the control pillar start to crackle with energy. "You see it?"

The ground exploded around them as shots rained down and Carly, Sam and Matsuri got split up from Robert's team.

"I'll scout up ahead." Matsuri told the two once they reached a abandoned bus. She slid her sword back into its sheath. "If I'm not back in five minutes, leave without me."

"Matsuri-" Sam began but she shook her head, her red optics locking onto his hazel ones. They stared at each other before Sam finally nodded. She took to the air and flew around the block, scouting everything out. She kept flying until she felt pain shooting up within her mind and then she wasn't in the air. Instead, she was standing on a building, looking down at the carnage and the damaged city. Within the streets, near a raised bridge, she could see Que and Mirage being tugged and pulled by Decepticons, pushing them down to their knees. Sideswipe joined them a moment later-

And then she was back to herself, gasping. She could hear Megatron's deep chuckle coming through the bond and without a second to spare, she flew straight to where the Autobots were. She got to the others within moments and she crashed into a Decepticon, making it go stumbling forward.

Despite that one Decepticon, the others seemed to have been waiting for her. A well placed smacked caused her to go crashing into the ground and as she tried to get up, a Decepticon pulled his leg back and kicked her, causing her to go flying and crashing into the ground, her frame now having all sorts of dents and scratches.

"No!" Sideswipe tried to tug out of the grip the Decepticon had on him but it was no use, it held fast. She tried to force herself to get up but Soundwave used his tendrils to wrap around her, lift her up before slamming her down on the asphalt hard.

She heard a whine a second later, making her lift her head and look. She could see Barricade was walking over with Bumblebee in his grip. Behind the two…was Ratchet, who also was in the grips of a Decepticon.

Soundwave let her go and commanded that the Autobots be lined up and on their knees and without hesitation, the troops did what was ordered.

Matsuri tried to sit herself up and she was able to, but she made no other movement to fully stand.

"Matsuri," whispered Ratchet, making her red gaze look up at him. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah…I'm fine…"

She looked over to the building and a pillar of light extended from the top of the building and into space. She wondered just what they were up to until she got distracted by Dylan's voice that is, some distance away.

"Prisoners? You're keeping prisoners?"

"Yes." Soundwave hissed slightly.

"You need to teach them about respect. This was all business, but now it's personal. Do you understand me?" At Dylan's words, Soundwave let out a low, sinister chuckle.

"I understand. No prisoners," the mech assured the human. "Only trophies."

"Bee, I think they're going to kill us." Que looked over at the younger mech.

"Over my dead body!" Matsuri sneered as she tried to get to her feet before a tendril whipped out and slam into her side, making her go tumbling for a few feet.

"You're lucky, girl." Soundwave told her. "Lord Megatron and the Prime wants you alive."

He motioned one of the soldiers over and gave him an order in cybertronian. Then, it was making its way over to Matsuri, ignoring the struggling Ratchet who was desperately trying to get free. Then, she was in it's hand and it walked back towards Soundwave, passing the mech and stayed behind the captured Autobots.

Matsuri forced herself to look over and watched as Soundwave grabbed Que and dragged him a few feet away, all the while Que tried to plead with him, but it was no use. As soon as Soundwave stepped back, another Decepticon blasted Que twice, both through the chest. The latter making his head roll off as soon as his body slumped onto the ground.

It felt like a little piece of her died inside along with Que.

Is this how Optimus feels when he watches one of his men fall in battle?

Soundwave rounded back to the Autobots and grabbed Bumblebee next, hauling him over and pushed him over the body of Que, Soundwave's canon pointed at Bumblebee's head. Matsuri watched, unable to look away, as she saw the canon that would end his Autobot brother's life beginning to heat up.

But Soundwave didn't get the chance to as a noise came from above them. Then, fighters began to rain down around them, and it caused Soundwave to jerk his body to avoid getting hit, which Bumblebee used for his advantage. His battle mask came down and punched the Decepticon's face, then kicked him in the chest.

Matsuri had only a few seconds to watch before she was thrown and she landed harshly on the street with a crunch, signaling that she landed on her wing wrong and the tip was now bent in an awkward angle. This shot pain through her wing, making her let out a pain gasp.

She could hear the battle going on around her, canon blasts sounding in the air and the crash of bodies falling to the ground. The only other sound she heard was something large landing somewhere, causing the ground to rumble and then quietness.

A second later, she was being helped to her feet and she was engulfed in a hug. She patted Sam's back and then Ratchet was next to them, scanning her.

"You're riding with me." He grunted before he transformed and opened the back and she clambered in and sat down, watching as the doors closed and as he began to drive.

They were going to go and end this once and for all.