Edge of Detroit, Earth
The Steelhaven did not bother to land itself on the ground proper. Too many variables, too much activity. One wrong calculation by its pilot and it would flatten Cybertronian soldiers or worse, make so much organic mush out of the humans scurrying all over the place.
Instead, it allowed its decks to slide open in mid-flight. Ultra Magnus rolled out in his vehicular mode, that of an eight-wheel, heavy mobility tactical truck. He dropped like a stone after clearing the hangar of his ship, and transformed in mid-air, activating a parachute designed for his heavy frame. Autobots may not fly (as a general rule) but they could be very inventive when it came to landings.
"Autobots! Attack!" he ordered, hitting the ground running and resuming his vehicle mode as he sped across the landscape, taking aim with his missiles and letting them loose. They smashed into Unicron's drill-arm in rapid succession. The damage was minimal, but the pain was evident as Unicron's next attack came focused on Ultra Magnus. Fortunately, one did not become head of the Autobot Military by being stupid, and Ultra Magnus wheeled out of the way long before the blast hit where he'd been standing. His actions were more than ample distraction, in fact, for the Steelhaven to swoop in along Unicron's unprotected back and lash out with another devastating energy blast. Like before with the Ark's attacks, the ships of the Cybertronians hurt Unicron something fierce. One lucky shot cracked into the weak shoulder where Lugnut and Blitzwing had been working. True, it sent the Decepticon Lieutenants flying, but it almost severed Unicron's arm clean from his shoulder. Pity it was the wrong one. The drill was on his other side.
Hopes renewed, the Cybertronian race picked themselves up and whatever pieces of themselves lay on the battlefield and returned with renewed strength and purpose to the battlefield.
Edge of Detroit, Earth
Back the collapsed mine fortress of the Constructicons, Bulkhead could only watch forlornly the heavy pile of rubble that covered them, neatly providing burial for the on-and-off again Decepticon builders.
Feeling he ought to say something for his friends (well, and Dirt Boss), Bulkhead clasped his mighty servos before him and lowered his heavy head. "Uhm, I'll miss you guys... we had some good times together... and uh... huh?"
An ominous glow lit up the rubble, and as Bulkhead watched, several shards of light lit up, illuminating the All-Spark fragments buried in the debris. Of course, each Constructicon had been powered by one, plus there was the one Dirt Boss had inserted into the machine before it backfired on him... and now...
Bulkhead stumbled backwards, gazing up, and up, and up... at a towering monstrosity of greens, grays, and purple. Dirt Boss made up the majority of the head, though a thick visor covered his eyes and his arms and legs were gone, connecting as a neck to the rest of the body. Scrapper's parts were most evident in the left arm, a steamshovel of dull green. Mixmaster was more prevalent in the middle, his cement mixer the chest and heart of the machine. Various other bits and pieces assembled into the other limbs, including the right arm, which sported drill fingertips.
"Devastator," it declared, towering high up over Bulkhead.
"Uh, hey... whoa... relax big guy," he said, pausing momentarily over the brief joy he had at finally being able to call someone else that. "Uh, you don't want to hurt me... I'm not your enemy! That's our enemy over there!" he said, pointing out towards the field of battle, where Unicron raged.
The self-stylized Devastator peered down at Bulkhead, then back at the field, then back down at the green mech. Bulkhead started to sweat lubricant as he waited for the other stabilizing servo to drop. It seemed the merged mech was having trouble making up his mind. Not surprising given in all likelihood it was a mix of the three Constructicons minds all jumbled together. Bulkhead grabbed desperately at one hope. Something that would work on Mixmaster and Scrapper if they were still in there.
"If you let Unicron win there won't be any more oil left!" he tried desperately, throwing up his arms to shield himself.
Finally, the great Constructicon monster lifted up his mighty arms and roared.
"Prepare for extermination!"
And with that, it began to lumber towards Unicron. Bulkhead breathed a sigh of relief, then ran after him, trying to keep up. His new buddy was going to need back-up.
Edge of Detroit, Earth
Sari Sumdac was a girl of many talents.
She had a gifted intellect and a fierce passion for learning, nevermind what her old Tutor-Bot would tell you. She was mastering calculus before she was old enough to drive and could quote some of her father's inventions design characteristics verbatum. And she had a fierce passion for life, wanting to experience everything, from the burgerbot to playing with kids her age to, ultimately, making friends with giant alien robots from outer space. It didn't hurt she could also cry on command when the need arose for such.
But prominently among them, getting in trouble was likely one of her most prominent talents.
Right now she was in free-fall, after having been flying up higher to provide back-up for Optimus Prime (not trusting Decepticons to do it for him) and missing one of those flying scorpion-bat drone things of Unicron's. It had hit her square in the back, and she thanked the powers that be that it had only damaged her jetpack instead of her. However, now the trouble was that her jetpack had force-transformed because of the hit, and was tumbling down to Earth just as rapidly as she was in its scooter form.
She gave a scream which, frankly, was impressive in both its volume and in its length, arms flailing about in some vain attempt to save herself, but there was nothing she could do.
, she kept thinking. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die!
An orange streak came out of nowhere, and within seconds of being pavement roadkill, Sari found herself in the tight metallic grip of a transformer. Somewhat used to the experience, having been caught or carried by most of her Autobot friends before, she relaxed almost instantly.
"Pleased to be meeting you, pretty femme bot," came a thick Russian accent in her ear, and she glanced up over her shoulder to see the brightly colored flyer who had caught her. It was Jetfire, one of the flying Autobot twins that she'd met on Cybertron. Not quite as up close and personal as this, however.
A blue streak moved in to join them, as the other twin glided in close and assumed his own robotic form. "Pleased to be meeting you. I am hoping my brother is not bothering you too much," Jetstorm added with a knowing smirk.
"Brother!" whined the orange counterpart. "I am being perfect gentleman, saving damsel-bot from certain splattering on the ground."
The twins landed, each trying to outdo the other in a very familiar, very male display that Sari found faintly amusing. The two flying Autobots were crushing on her, of all people. It was kind of flattering, in a mildly creepy way. All the same, Jetfire was true to his word, and set her down gently on the ground without a scratch, something she was very grateful for.
"I dunno what to say," she said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "Thank you," she added lamely, trying to aim her comment so that it encompassed both the twins, though it was primarily Jetfire that she owed her life too.
They saluted and, in eerie tandem, replied "our pleasure ma'am!"
She giggled, and leaned in, letting her faceplate retract. For saving her life, she figured they deserved a reward, and gave them both a harmless little peck on their cheekplates. Given their diminutive size, they were some of the very few Autobots she wouldn't need to stand on a stool to reach with. Stunned, neither twin was able to work their vocalizer for several minutes, though whether it was out of disgust or shock, she couldn't tell. And that time Jetstorm's comm. came to life, and he glanced down at his wrist.
"Ah, being very sorry pretty femme bot, but we are being required to kick Unicrons skidplate."
Jetfire nodded enthusiastically. "Dos vidaniya!" he added, and kicked back, doing an effortless backflip into the air and transforming into vehicle mode. His brother followed suit, and Sari smiled as she waved them off, glad they at least didn't seem crippled by the organiphobia so many other Autobots seemed to suffer from. She then jogged to find the other Autobots, especially Optimus' crew. She was going to have to hitch a ride now that her jetpack was fried. She growled up at Unicron as she ran. Her dad had made her that jet/scooter too!
As the two twins streaked through the air in their jet modes, one of the Decepticons hovering nearby quirked an eyebrow at their display.
"Pscwh, wannabes," muttered the original Starscream as he fired off another null blast, blasting one of the drones to pieces.
The Field of Battle
Unicron's forces were being beaten back by they were by no means defeated, and were rallying with renewed strength against the beleaguered Autobots, Decepticons, and their human allies. Several such drones swarmed over the Headmaster, who retaliated in the only fashion he was aware of, letting loose more and more damage until his enemy was done in. However, neglecting to consider his own stolen robots body, Spittor's frame tripped over one of his own tentacles and the Headmaster came crashing down. He quickly abandoned ship, so to speak, and his Headmaster unit took off into the air and to relative safety, launching a salvo of missiles at the flying bat drones. Some hit, some missed, but one in particular...
... collided with a nearby hospital (thankfully evacuated) and sent it teetering on its side, to come crashing down on top of a Decepticon. And not just any Decepticon either.
"NO! STRIKA!!"
Barreling out of the sky came what could almost be described as a chrome tornado of deep purple, as Lugnut smashed through drones left and right, tearing up great hunks of the building and throwing them aside with abandon, never mind he almost crushed two cyberninjas and a fellow Decepticon. He was blind to anything but saving Strika. This was not the righteous fury of a zealot. This was something else. If the almighty Megatron himself had stood in Lugnut's way, he would have hurled his glorious leader aside without a second thought.
Finally, uplifting a portion of the wall and hurling it aside, he unearthed her. She was in bad shape, however, sparks flying from her broken leg and some greenish fluid he didn't recognize leaking from her side, pooling onto the ground. Distraught, Lugnut could only stare, his mouth working soundlessly for a moment before he lifted up his head and gave a cry he thought he would never utter.
"MED-IC!!"
Two heavy trucks, one a dull orange, the other a dark mustard, went speeding past, but a third vehicle with them, a white cybertronian ambulance, skidded to a halt at Lugnut's call and altered course to intercept them. The ambulance shifted form into a sleek medabot femme who jogged the remaining few feet over to ascertain the situation.
"HELP HER!" cried Lugnut.
She nodded, brushing him aside so she could see the damage, never mind he was nearly five times her size. "Hmmm... shell damage, that can repaired easy, but she's going into shock... and she's ruptured an energon core..."
Not pleased by her diagnosis, the Decepticon threw up his arms angrily. "YOU MUST SAVE HER!" roared Lugnut.
Red Alert glared up at him, optics narrowing in displeasure. "I am doing the best I can, but I require concentration, and all your yelling is NOT helping." Suitably chastised, Lugnut managed to mute himself, but he stayed very close by all the same, holding Strika's servo in his own. Anyone who stumbled across the scene would not have recognized the behemoth zealot now, so tenderly caring for his spark-mate.
"The pulse of my spark, do not go... not like this..."
Grimacing weakly up at her counterpart, Strika managed a smile. "Oh Lugnut, you always did have a way with wor-AGH!"
Lugnut whirled angrily on Red Alert. "Foolish Autobot, what have you done now?!"
"Be quiet!" she snapped, her servos shaking as she applied her laser scalpel to Strika's side, trying to fuse a spare plate from her broken leg over it to stop the leakage. It was delicate work, and she wasn't used to giving it in the thick of combat. Lugnut's yelling wasn't helping either.
Grimly, she focused on the task at hand, and tightened the beam of her scalpel to make sure she got the desired effects. She tuned out Lugnut completely, and gave her full concentration to fixing Strika. Autobot or Decepticon, any transformer was to be repaired if damaged. That was a sacred oath any Medabot worth their name took.
After a few tense moments, she finally pronounced, "Alright, she should be out of the woods, but we need to get her somewhere safe to recuperate properly. This field patch won't stand up to much more fighting."
Lugnut nodded and with surprising tenderness picked up his consort in his arms, carrying Strika as Red Alert beckoned them to follow her out of the war-zone and back behind the Autobot/Decepticon lines. That was as safe a place as any right now on this planet.
Steelhaven Bridge
"Strategic analyzing of the entity known as Unicron has confirmed identification of several areas of maximum probability of successful damage."
Rodimus Prime gaze a puzzled look. "What?"
"A weak spot," interjected Wheeljack, well accustomed to how his comrade-in-arms spoke.
"According to our data..."
Wheeljack angled the ship out of the way of another blast from Unicron's optics, narrowly avoiding that one. Rodimus Prime looked up from the command chair, holding on for dear life. "Just show us where to hit him!" he spat, tired of Preceptors precise and painfully manner of speaking. Human computers ran faster than his processor sometimes.
Preceptor nodded, bringing up the relevant data on one of their screens. The targets he'd indicated were Unicron's building-sized optics. His eyes were his weak point. Needing no further prompting, Rodimus Prime took the ship for a wide arc and charged the Steelhaven directly at Unicron, taking aim and waiting until Unicron's attention was on them. His optics were on them. And then he hit the triggers and opened fire. Energon lanced from the Steelhaven to connect squarely with Unicron's right optic, and the great destroyer roared in pain, clutching his spare hand to his face to shield his injuries. The crimson glass had all but shattered under the attack.
And with it, Unicron's primary attack power was cut in half. Now he had to rely more on his drones. Angrily, his arm lashed out, and with a mighty swat caught the side of the Steelhaven, sending it careening out of control towards Lake Erie and the tiny little island found within it. The panel in front of Wheeljack exploded in a shower of electricity, and he was flung clear. Rodimus hurled himself into his place and grabbed the controls, trying to steady their flight. At least enough to ensure they had a reasonably smooth landing, if nothing else.
Although he hoped to Primus they'd at least land in one piece.
The Field of Battle
"We have to end this now sir, or Unicron is going to crack this planet apart and destroy everything here."
"I agree."
Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, and Lord Megatron met at the edge of the field of battle, fully aware of how much their troops were pouring into the attack, but unable to directly offer aid at this critical of moments. They needed a plan. They needed a course of action. Their lieutenants would have to guide the battlefield for the time being. Right now, Omega Supreme was grappling with Unicron's left hand, trying to keep him from crushing Sumdac Tower from one of his attacks, and was barely able to hold his own, but even the Autobots Weapon of Mass Destruction was proving to be little more than an annoyance against Unicron. It was like any other Autobot or Decepticon standing up to Omega Supreme. The sheer gap in power was too much to handle for a single mech. And they had limited time.
Optimus suddenly felt what he could only describe as a jolt in his spark, and reached up a hand to his chestplate, feeling it. It was like a nudge almost. From the All-Spark. "I think I have an idea," he finally said, getting the attention of both the other commanders. "It's risky but it may be our only shot at taking our Unicron for good."
"Explain," stated Ultra Magnus.
"What's the best way to take out a Transformer?" he asked rhetorically. "You don't go for the joints and hack off limbs, we can replace those within an orbital cycle or two. You..."
"... go straight for the spark itself," stated Ultra Magnus with a thoughtful look over at their enormous enemy.
"If Unicron is anything like us, and all evidence points to that being the case, he'll have a spark. I say we get a team together and hit him from the inside. Take out his spark and the rest may become inert. Or at least distract him long enough to do some more serious damage."
The Magnus of Cybertron nodded. "Your plan has merit, Optimus Prime. But who will lead this team?"
"I will," said Optimus confidently. "All I need is to gather some of my crew and we'll have this wrapped up in cycles."
"Take Shockwave with you," intoned Megatron, speaking for the first time. Optimus frowned, about to protest, but the Decepticon General cut him off. "He is my most loyal troop, any order I give him will stand, and he will do nothing to endanger your mission. Instead, I think you will find you can benefit greatly from his skills."
Both of the Autobots grimaced at that, well aware of Shockwave's "skills" and how useful they'd been as a Double Agent on Cybertron, but they were going to need help, and Shockwave was a capable fighter in his own right. Perhaps he would be of use.
"I am sending Sentinel Prime with you as well," intoned Ultra Magnus, his voice giving no room for argument. "Make no mistake, Optimus, I am very disappointed with you and your crew. Going off on your own has left Cybertron supremely compromised." He did not add the theft of the All-Spark, no doubt because of Megatron's proximity. But his words carried unspoken volumes of disappointment. "When this is over... there may be no place for you left on Cybertron."
Optimus Prime took that burden and bore it with remarkable grace. "At least there will be a Cybertron," he said, and then with little further prompting took off in vehicle mode to find his team, gathering up what members of his crew he could find while Sentinel Prime and Shockwave were deployed by their respective commanders to join him.
If he had no more place on Cybertron, then he had all the more reason to fight to save Earth.
Dinobot Island
A massive boom echoed across the tiny island as the Steelhaven came smashing down into the forest but was thankfully, for the most part, intact. A few moments later one of the emergency hatches popped loose and out stumbled Rodimus Prime and Preceptor, though the latter of whom was limping, and his glasses were cracked. Wheeljack remained within, he was too badly damaged to get out at the moment. If they won this battle they'd have to send a medabot to retrieve him. And a forklift.
If they won.
However, Rodimus Prime and his wounded comrade had bigger concerns at the moment. Namely, that the islands natives had decided to investigate their incursion, and Rodimus Prime currently found himself staring up... and up... and up... at the long, wide, very dangerous looking maw of Grimlock. Who was in turn peering down at the puny car-robot who had decided to invade his territory.
"You no Spider-Lady," declared Grimlock after a moment's careful observation. "What you do with her?! Tell! Or me Grimlock destroy stupid car robot!!"
Angered and ready to fight, Rodimus Prime readied his bow and powered up a pair of energon arrows, taking aim at Grimlock. They were designed for puncturing the hides of Decepticons, there was no way these earthbound primitive machines could stand up to them.
A servo came to rest on his shoulder, restraining him. "We do not have sufficient time for any side-excursions," Preceptor reminded him, tilting his head over to indicate the much larger, literally looming threat of Unicron.
Rodimus nodded, powering down his bow. "You're right, we haven't got time for these bozos," he said, effortlessly shifting into vehicle mode and popping his roof. "Hop in, Preceptor... let's burn rubber!"
Angered at being ignored, Grimlock stomped his mighty foot, and then coughed as a cloud of dust and vapor filled his nose and throat. He roared angrily at being denied his fight, even as Snarl and Swoop made their way to join him.
"Come back and fight!" he roared. "Me Grimlock not bozo! Me Grimlock is strongest there is!"
A mighty roar of pain split the air, making the entire island shake and ripples run through the like that were quickly becoming small waves. As one, the Dinobots turned and peered up at the mighty Unicron as he unleashed another ruby-red optical blast, obliterating another city in Detroit. And then proceeded to backhand Omega Supreme, sending the enormous Autobot flying through the air to crash onto the ground off in the distance.
Taking a step back, the mighty T-Rex lowered his head fearfully. "Uh, spider-lady not here... we wait until she get back," he said, ready to start slinking back into the undergrowth of the jungle and back to their base of operations.
Swoop made a cawing sound, shrugging his wings as if to say something.
Grimlock blinked. He hadn't thought of it that way. "Huh, you right. Dinobots no let stupid metal monster destroy Dinobots home!"
As one, the three prehistoric machines began to transform, limbs and tails and heads sliding back and away to reveal new shapes, stronger, sturdier, more humanoid, complete with weapons. A heavy club for Snarl, a flail for Swoop, and a great sword for Grimlock. The latter of which lit up as their leader gave their battle cry, pointing his weapon at the great monstrosity.
"Dinobots... DESTROY!"
At the base of Unicron
Optimus Prime had rallied his crew in short order, though Bulkhead was absent, having expressed a need to keep the newly formed Devastator under control. In addition, the space was liable to be limited inside of Unicron, they didn't want to chance getting him cut off by a small path or the like. So it was that Optimus, Jazz, Arcee, Ratchet, Sari, Sentinel and Shockwave were gathered and began to hack and blast their way towards the foot of the great planetary destroyer, where the spider drones were still spilling out. If they got out, that was a good way as any to get in.
Shockwave's shoulder was grazed by a low flying bat drone and retaliated by blasting it out of the sky, lowering his leg treads to minimum so he would not stand so tall and make himself such an easy target (let the Primes have that honor, he mused) when a comm link opened on his private frequency. A channel only select Decepticons were able to access.
Unusual instructions followed.
He tilted his head to the side, and would have frowned if he had the facial features to do so. "But Lord Megatron..."
The transmission continued, and he paused briefly before jogging to keep up with the other Autobots.
"Understood."
Unicron seemed to be aware of their attack, or at least his drones were, because more and more kept swarming in from all sides to hem in the small Autobot team. Energon axe and nunchucku swung through the air to slash and smash, and energon flew from stingers and Shockwave's cannon, but their numbers were endless. And even though Ratchet had cleared a path for them to the entrance, there was nothing to stop them from swarming after their little team once they got inside.
A cybertronian sports car came speeding over a low rise and into the air, its occupant transforming in mid-flight before he landed on the ground beside their team. It was Hot Shot, one of Rodimus' crew.
"I got this!" shouted Hot Shot, laying down a thick blast of fire which kept the drones at bay, or flat out fried them. Pretty soon a wall of it had them cut off. Keeping his back to the entrance, he yelled over his shoulder for Optimus and his team to go.
They did so, and Hot Rod amped up the heat a little. No sense taking chances, after all. He couldn't keep this up forever though.
Inside of Unicron
Inside of Unicron, it was dark, yet lit by a number of internal lights, many of which were power conduits or panels, the purpose of which most of them had little clue about. Ratchet, with his extensive knowledge of transformer internals, could draw some basic conjunctures, but just as Unicron shared some similarities with the Cybertronian race, so too did he have numerous differences.
"Which way?" asked Jazz, glancing left and right, nunchucku in his servos.
Before Prime could answer, the windshields of chest began to glow, and he opened the compartment to reveal the All-Spark glowing. Its light shined in only one direction, however, like a beacon, and Optimus Prime realized it was guiding them. "That way," he said, leading the others. They stuck to robotic forms. Despite the need for speed that vehicle mode could have provided, they needed their weapons ready at an instants notice if more of Unicron's internal defenses attacked them.
Sari stumbled, however, at the breakneck pace her much longer-legged Autobot friends were keeping, unable to quite keep up with them. Plus, unlike true Cybertronians, her organic half was getting tired. She couldn't keep going without rest the way they could. Tripping was inevitable, though it was a bit surprising who caught her when she did.
Shockwave.
One of his extending arms had stretched out to catch her in his wicked claws. Though she was none the worse for wear, Bumblebee immediately leapt to her defense, slapping the hand of the Decepticon Double Agent away as soon as she was safe again.
"Get your hands off of her!"
"Relax, old comrade," intoned the Decepticon, with a hint of sarcasm. "I will carry our little techno-organic friend here. She is too short legged to keep up with us at the pace we will need to set."
"The heck you will," replied Bumblebee, throwing an arm up to shield his little friend from Shockwave. "I'll carry her. I don't trust you."
The Double Agent lifted himself up to his full height and then seemed to shrink, his features twisting and altering, becoming a more familiar face with an almost innocent expression on his now blue optics. "Perhaps this will put you at ease?" asked the visage of Longarm Prime, Head of Cybertron Intelligence. "Old comrade?" he added a bit mockingly.
Sentinel glared back at them. "Just leave the filthy little organic behind, we're wasting time Optimus!"
Optimus frowned, uninteresting in further argument, and to spare them all, gently grabbed up Sari and hefted her up to ride on his shoulder. Then, using the All-Spark as a guide, they took off. The team ran, running through muscles and arteries as big as corridors. The All-Spark guided them, its glow shining ahead like a torch in the gloom and darkness that was the inside of Unicron the planet destroyer. Optimus Prime led the way, followed closely by Sari. Jazz and Bumblebee watched the flanks, along with Sentinel (not too anxious to be near the front in case of ambush), and the faux Longarm. Ratchet and Arcee brought up the rear.
They turned a sharp corner, presented with a T-section, and for a moment they paused as they tried to determine the next way to go. "This way," said Optimus, pointing it out as the All-Spark lit the way once more. He started off, half the team right behind him...
... and then the other half, lost as a bulkhead suddenly slammed down, sealing off the corridor. It nearly crushed Ratchet in half vertically as he grabbed either side of it, trying to heave it off of himself.
Optimus Prime whirled backwards in shock. "Ratchet!"
"Ratchet!" screamed Arcee. She was at his side in an instant. She was one of the only ones on the wrong side of the sudden barricade, everyone else was on the other.
"I'm okay!" the medabot grunted, still struggling. "Prime, go on! Finish this! We'll be okay!"
"But...!"
"DO IT!"
Reluctantly, Optimus and his now much smaller team sped off down the corridor. He didn't want to leave Ratchet behind but he knew damn well they didn't have the time to help him now. Earth's time was almost up. He promised himself they would come back, however.
His choice, however wisely made, left Arcee and Ratchet with the owner of the trap that had been sprung on them. And it wasn't Unicron. This was probably one of the only traps they had encountered that wasn't one of his internal self-defenses.
Stepping out of the shadows, a dark mismatched mech appeared before them, a collection of parts stolen and self-upgraded, with a pale face and sharp spikes covering his shoulders. His right servo was a vicious hook. Various black sigils adorned his faceplate, the meaning of which was not perfectly clear. Perhaps they were a means of intimidation. If they were, they were working.
Lockdown.
Arcee felt all motion leave her chassis as she beheld this, a nightmare from the darkest parts of her processor, seemingly sprung to life.
"Primus..."
Ratchet was similarly affected, but less by fear and more by anger. "YOU!"
Lockdown greeted him with a grin. "EMP generator, right? Good to see you again. I'd love to stay and chat but this isn't the most stable place on the solar system, so if its all the same to you I'll just take my prize and go," he replied, eyeing Arcee like a piece of energon.
"Over my sparkless body!" roared Ratchet, his magnetic clamps springing free of his one arm on the side with Lockdown, and taking aim.
But Lockdown was quicker, and his left servo retracted, replaced by a familiar blue lance. With a quick motion he sprang across the room and impaled it into Ratchet's arm, pinning it to the floor. The medabot gave a cry of pain as Lockdown released it and let his regular hand slide back into its place.
"That ought'll keep you quiet for now."
Ratchet squirmed and grunted but he was stuck fast by the door and the lance. "What is this all about you two-bit Decepticon bounty hunter?! The Great War's over! Arcee doesn't have anything you want anymore!"
A wicked grin stretched over the faceplate of the cold bounty hunter. "See, now there's where you're wrong. Your little intel friend here still knows the activation codes for Omega Supreme. I know countless bots who'd sell their sparks to get that kinda data. I can name my own price once I have her. And then again, there is that strange energy I detected. Just like the All-Spark fragments I tracked the clones with. Only this..." he stepped ominously closer, one servo idly rubbing along his claw. "This was much more powerful."
"I- I don't have the All-Spark anymore!" she said fearfully, shrinking back against the wall. "I gave it to Optimus Prime!"
Lockdown smirked at that. "Trying to sell me a bridge in Iacon, intel bot? I ain't buyin' it. No matter. Once I get you back aboard the Predacon... I can tear you open and see for myself."
Inside of Unicron
Zzzzz.
Jazz glanced up at the odd noise, glancing this way and that, but ultimately it faded, and he moved quickly to catch up with the others.
"Something wrong?" asked Sari.
"Hear somethin'," he replied. "Somethin' weird."
Zzzzz.
"Yeah I hear it too... what is that?"
Zzzzz.
"I dunno but its getting louder... kinda like..."
Zzzzz.
Bumblebee's optics went wide. "... oh no."
ZZZZZ.
"BUMBLE-BOT!"
Bumblebee barely had time to spit out a "Holy slag!" before an enormous green wasp the size of a buick came crashing around the corridor and slammed into him, knocking him through a nearby opening and down another corridor. Sari went tumbling off of Optimus' shoulder to crash onto the ground as the monstrosity buzzed past them, dazed but unhurt.
"Bumblebee!"
"Prime, go, I've got this!" shouted Sari as she came to her feet, powering up her wrist blades.
Optimus nodded and took off down the corridor as Sari ran as fast as her tiny little legs could take her after the two bugs. She cornered them a little further down against one of the plating walls of Unicron's internal systems, and clashed her wrist blades together, letting an awful hum hit the air.
"Back off ugly! And I mean now!" she shouted as she hurled herself forward.
Waspinator gave a chittering roar, one leg sweeping out to catch Sari in the chest as she made her attack, and despite her powers and skills she was still little more than a teenaged girl, and easily swept aside. She went tumbling down a nearby hole and down a deep, dark pit as Bumblebee and Waspinator were knocked out of Unicron through a ventilation covering and onto his back.
She was about to reach out and grab the wall to slow her descent, perhaps dig her blades into the wall to halt it, when she came to a halt by her own, and fell instantly into something sticky and stretchy. With a sinking horror, she realized she'd fallen into something organic. Something familiar.
She was in a gigantic spider-web.
"Hello sister," hissed an ominous voice. Four crimson orbs lit up the darkness. "Step into my parlor... would you?"
Authors Notes
I have wanted to see an Animated Devastator since the third constructicon came along, and this is my tribute to him. I hope it meets with approval. Also, while Jetfire and Jetstorm have displayed at least "some" disgust/fear with organics, such as when Fanzone bluffed his way past them, I reason that given their 'age' they are at least somewhat open minded, hence their interest in Sari, despite knowing what she is. Plus, it seemed like a cute scene, so just roll with it.