Chapter 12-Waking Gods
Giants. Colossal demigods of steel and rage. The thundering shockwaves from their blows are felt even in the most distant city-states. Their melee as horrific as it is devastating. And it was all just beginning.
Metroplex's uppercut sent Trypticon sprawling on his back, the impact shaking Iacon's city foundations. Both Titans got up and studied each other intently.
"I remember you, the beast of perfect darkness." Metroplex said as he got to his feet. "I'll seal you back beneath the world where you belong."
"You can try, old Titan…but the terrible violence that's been set in motion cannot be stopped-not even by you." Trypticon said.
"If call you have for me is cryptic riddles, then you'd best save your breath."
"Then let me speak in a language," Blue fames began leaking from Trypticon's mouth. "You'll understand better!"
"Believe me, I understand completely." Metroplex activated his shoulder cannons.
Trypticon fired a large burst of azure flames from his mouth that Metroplex blocked with his arm. Metroplex fired his cannons at Trypticon while the black Titan clamped his jaws around his forearm. The ground trembled as they grappled and struggled to remain dominant in their struggle, while their weapons went off all over the place.
As they battled, Omega Supreme watched the fierce fight from the ground, his face impassive, having barely moved since the first punch was thrown. He looked to the sky, where the oddly familiar corkscrew ship was hovering within eyesight.
"Omega Supreme, this is Optimus. The concussions have disrupted the link to our orbital sensor-screens! Can you read the status of the secondary ship above us?"
"My long range scanners show that it's holding position in low orbit, Prime." Omega Supreme said. "No weapon signatures detected. It is just…sitting there."
Inside the secondary field command bunker, Optimus grunted in concern and nodded. "Roger that, Omega Supreme. Stand by for further orders."
"Very well, Prime."
"Megatron's waiting for his optimal moment. I doubt he'll make a move until he's sure Metroplex is down for the count." Ultra Magnus said.
"That seems certain." Optimus agreed. "But it feels like we're missing something, like he's already six steps ahead of us."
As he said this, the corkscrew ship hovered directly over Iacon like a drill bit and its Decepticon occupants were preparing for the coming invasion they were about to inflict on the city.
"Soundwave, prep sub-light drives two and six!" Megatron ordered. "Brace the ship for violent re-entry!"
As you command, Lord Megatron." Soundwave got to work on getting the ship into a perfect angle, knowing they had only one shot at this. Failure meant death by an angry Titan.
"And Soundwave, this is, at last, the hour of our ascension." Megatron placed a hand on Soundwave's shoulder. "Try to enjoy it."
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Towers fell, windows shattered, monuments honoring past Primes were crushed underfoot as Metroplex stumbled back from a blow from Trypticon's tail. He grabbed the appendage and tried to drag Trypticon down, but his opponent fired his flaming breath into his chest to push him back. The intense heat, burning at 6000 degrees centigrade, severely scorched his metal skin and would've incinerated any smaller bots on the spot.
"You're far weaker than I remember you, Titan." Trypticon stomped forward, hissing steam from his facial exhaust ports. "By now, you must sense that you cannot best me. You would do well to just lie down and die!"
"It is you who will fall!" Metroplex roared. Grabbed a nearby building, he roughly tore off the top of a skyscraper and stabbed its pointed tip into Trypticon's neck. "Fall!"
Trypticon choked as he was punched repeatedly by Metroplex's massive fists, pummeled into the ground, but through the assault he managed to swipe his tail to force Metroplex off him. Metroplex leaned back and fired his particle cannons into Trypticon's tail, blasting off the lower half of the appendage. Enraged and in pain, Trypticon kicked Metroplex in the chest and threw another kick at his knee, almost shattering the massive joint with the immense force put behind the blow.
"Such arrogance! All these years and you never learn to protect your knee, Titan." Trypticon laughed. Metroplex staggered back as Trypticon got to his feet. "Staggering so soon? Surely you're not tired already?"
"Not even close, monster. All I need to end you…is my bare hands!"
Metroplex threw a punch into Trypticon's chest, the punch parting the air before his fist and thundering as he hit the thick armor. He got off another punch before Trypticon lunged at him and tried to claw at his face.
"My hands are sharper, Titan!" Trypticon roared.
"But mine are better for grabbing!" Metroplex grabbed the back of Trypticon's head and punched him straight in the jaw at full power, nearly dislocating it. Trypticon tried to activated his fire breath, but Metroplex fired his cannons directly into his gaping maw, causing a reactive burst that nearly blew Trypticon's mouth apart. He let the beast fall to the ground into the rubble and stood back.
"You are…victorious, Titan." Trypticon rasped, his vocoder still working despite his hanging lower jaw. "But you still…lose."
"Nonsense," Metroplex said. "You're beaten. No possible threat to me."
Trypticon laughed. "It's a new tactic I have learned after my revival…it's called a distraction."
Metroplex's eyes widened and he instinctively looked back just as the corkscrew ship tore into his back and through his upper chest. The Autobots watched in shock as the mighty Metroplex staged forward and fell to his knees before collapsing to the ground, toppling more buildings in his descent.
"No!" Optimus exclaimed in horror.
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Megatron stood before his assembled soldiers, a collection of some of the fiercest warriors Cybertron has ever seen. All of them were his sons and daughters of war born through pain and revolution just like he was. They were close to ending this war, all they needed to do was kill Prime and their path to victory will be clear.
"Trypticon did well. Now the stage is set. There is nothing to stop us now. Decepticons, ready yourselves for battle. Give no quarter." Megatron said.
"Lord Megatron, a question," Motormaster raised his hand. "When we hit the ground, what are our target priorities?"
Megatron gave the Stunticon leader a look so intense that Motormaster had to look away from his leader's burning gaze. "You priority, Motormaster…is to kill everything that moves."
"Y-Yes sir." Motormaster cleared his throat and straightened his back.
Megatron smirked and walked to the landing hatch. "All the pieces are set…the moment is now." He drew his word and raised it to his soldiers. "Let Iacon burn!"
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Optimus and the rest of the Autobots stood in the command bunker watching holo-images of Metroplex's fallen form with the ship impaled through his back. They knew at some point Megatron was going to attempt to take out Metroplex, but they weren't expecting him to perform a maneuver this risky.
"Is that a Quintesson starship? What is that doing here? And how did they get their hands on one?! Ultra Magnus demanded, his expression like hard iron. It was hard to discount the clear Quintesson design when you've lived through the later years of their occupation. Those ships were the spearhead in a horrid invasion that would forever be ingrained in the memories of those who've lived through the Quintesson's tyranny.
"I can't answer that, but we've been unable to track it's descent with all the interference." Elita-1 said.
"What's the situation on Metroplex?" Optimus growled.
"He's offline, Optimus. I'm not getting any readings from him at all. It…" Elita-1 bit her lip. "It doesn't look good."
The Autobots were quiet for a moment before Ironhide spoke up. "At least he took care of Trypticon. If the Cons attack with conventional infantry, we should have the strength of numbers to repel them."
"Perhaps. Megatron's made all the moves so far, but I'd doubt he'd try to take the field if he was outnumbered." Optimus said and looked at his Autobots. "Whatever unfolds, we must protect this city at all times!"
Optimus assembled the Autobot forces and mobilized his army from the shelters, leading the main force. He gathered his weapons and waited for the doors to slide open, ready to fight for his home, his way of life. He sacrificed too much to lose it all here.
"Ready yourself-and order all fast response teams into position. This may be the fight of our lives!" Optimus said as he led his team outside into the ravaged city and headed towards the two fallen Titans. "Whatever we may face out there, remember who you are, Autobots! Remember what you fight for!"
As they approached the corkscrew ship, they already saw the first of the invaders began disembarking from the vessel. The landing hatch slid open and a large group of rugged and derelict looking mechanoids charged out of the ship in droves. The waste clans of the Sea of Rust emerged into the cold night air and beheld the alien sights around them. They laid eyes on the Autobots and devilishly grinned in hunger and bloodlust.
"A perfect world…"
"…cold crystal sky…"
"A killing field…"
"…where all must die!"
The bandits' insane mutterings unsettled the Autobots and Ironhide made it perfectly clear this wasn't what he was expecting. "Who the hell are those guys?"
"It's not the "who", Ironhide, it's the "how many" that's got me worried!" Ellita-1 said as the bandits charged at them.
"Autobots! Repel the invaders!" Optimus yelled.
The bandits lacked in many crucial areas, namely in ranged weapons. All they had on hand were custom made bombs and automatic melee weapons, but they made up for their lack of advanced weaponry with their large numbers. This was only a fraction of the scavenger clans in the Sea of Rust, but this group alone numbered in the thousands, and they all fell upon the Autobots like a swarm. What's more, they didn't even seem to register pain as they were shot down, more obsessed with harvesting their parts of their enemies. Eventually they met the Autobots in force and the courtyard erupted in a flurry of laser blasts and sparks as Autobot and bandit crossed blades with each other.
"These guys are a lot more resilient than they look!" Prowl grunted as he blasted the head off a bandit. He ducked under a slash from a vibro-blade and shoved his shock baton into his attacker's chest. "Optimus, we have to pull back or they'll overwhelm us with sheer numbers!"
"Stand your ground, Prowl! Fight!" Optimus jumped over a chainsaw-wielding bandit and spun around, splitting four mechs at once in two with his axe. He fired his barrage cannon and blew holes in two more bandits. "We will hold the line!"
Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, he got a call from Raz. "Optimus, this is Raz. Sir, be advised-we're picking up a massive heat signature heading your way. It's already breached city limits and is heading straight for your position."
Optimus grabbed the arm of a femme holding a vibro-blade and tore it, along with her arm, off and blew her head away with a head shot. "We're a little busy here, Raz-keep the line secure unless-"
"Prime, I've just ID'd the heat signatures flying into the city! Scans show that they're life forms but they're not any form of aerial bots registered in our databases!" Perceptor cut in.
Optimus jumped back from the furious slashes from two femmes, one armed with a pair of serrated claws and the other wielding an energo-sword. He hissed as the claws dug into his right arm and kicked her away before blocking a strike from the other femme. "Get to the point, Perceptor!"
"Sir, be prepared for enemy reinforcements!" Perceptor exclaimed.
Optimus heard a faint buzzing that grew in tone coming from the east and looked up. As the buzzing grew to deafening proportions, a large black cloud of giant metallic insects appeared over the battlefield. The Autobots watched in horror as a swarm of Insecticons coalesced over the area, blocking out the moons and falling on them like a plague.
"Feast, my brothers! Today the surface world will be ours!" Hardshell bellowed. He and his swarm descended upon the Autobots and began firing laser bursts from their built-in weapons. Some crashed to the ground and took on robot mode, tearing through the Autobot ranks with savage glee and howling monstrously as they did so.
"Perceptor…are you seeing this?" Optimus asked slowly, his Spark weighing heavily under the sudden turn in the battle. "What are they?"
"Well, sir, I can only assume those are the Insecticons that attacked the Hydrax Spaceport. It would seem Megatron's made some new additions during his hiatus."
'Megatron's not playing around. He's being careful, not joining the battle until our ranks are thinned.' Optimus thought. 'It's only a matter of time before he comes for me.'
He heard a howl behind him and saw an Insecticon soldier barreling towards him, running on all fours like a hulking monstrosity with its curved horns tearing off arms and chests in its charge. Optimus raised his cannon, but the Insecticon was impaled by a piece of metal, then had its head torn off by an invisible force. Optimus saw Elita-1 running over to him, covered in drying energon from two other Insecticons she killed just minutes prior to her third kill.
"You owe me." She said, smiling softly.
"I owe you a lot these days, Elita." Optimus replied.
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Megatron and his inner circle stood near the ship on top Metroplex's body. It was pure chaos, and he loved it. With the addition of the Insecticon swarms, the Autobots will be too preoccupied with the pawns and allow him time to get his forces into position.
"Crude as they are, the bandits and Insecticons are proving effective." Megatron commented. "Prime's forces are being whittled down, just as I planned."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Starscream growled. "Let's charge in and finish them off!"
"Patience, Starscream. We'll let this play out for a few more moments while the Insecticons tear through their formation. Often, the key to strategic victory isn't the direct application of brute force, but knowing when to hold it in check." Megatron said and turned back to the bright bursts of fire and light that was the battle before him. "Very soon now, we will enter the fray-and we will tighten the noose around Optimus Prime."
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"You think you're a savage beast?" Grimlock growled, catching a leaping Insecticon in the air and ripping it in two before stabbing another one in the eye. "I'll show you savage!"
Though they were holding their ground, the Autobots were starting to wear down from the unrelenting assault. They managed to beat back the bandits easily enough, but the unforeseen arrival of the larger and more durable Insecticons had pushed them to their limits. Grimlock managed to tear apart his fair share of bugs, but even he began feeling the burn in his arms.
"Optimus, there's too many of them! Fighting these things hand to hand isn't getting us anywhere!" Rodimus yelled, blasting apart some Insecticons with his arm blasters.
"What? This fighting too much for you, boy?" Grimlock taunted.
"You'll forgive me if I have better things to do than argue with a giant lizard!" Rodimus retorted.
"Enough, both of you!" Optimus snapped, cutting his foes down with his battle axe. "Don't you see? Its loyalty and honor that bind us together! That's the difference between us and our enemies. For all his vision, Megatron's followers are motivated only by mistrust, fear or blind obedience. We…will stand for one another."
Optimus raised his axe and rallied his forces to him. "Now, Autobots, lay down suppressive fire at the second wave!"
Regrouping, the Autobots opened fire on the Insecticon horde battering their defenses and to their elation; they were mowing down more of the Insecticons than they were before. Some did manage to get in close, but Elita-1 drove around the battlefield, wiping out large swaths of enemy forces with earthen spikes and powerful force blasts that battered and tore apart their bodies. The will to live, to survive and preserve what little of their lives they had left, kept them going and it made them fight more ferociously than ever.
Megatron noticed the renewed fighting of the Autobots and knew it was time to act now. He looked to Nightshade and nodded.
"Assault teams-prepare to strike at their center position! Armored units, encircle the field and lock down your ordnance upon target Alpha!" Nightshade ordered.
"Moving into position, Nightshade!" The armored team declared as they slowly moved into position with their tank and other heavily armored alt modes.
"Do not engage target Alpha until Megatron gives the order. Is that understood?"
"Loud and clear, sir!"
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Grimlock tore off an Insecticon's head and threw it at a charging bruiser, distracting it long enough to punch its face in. Despite his dire circumstances, Grimlock felt elated; he could finally let loose without worrying about going berserk-he could finally show these weaklings how a war is fought!
"Come on! I know you got more than a bunch of bugs, Megatron, so bring out your big guns!" Grimlock roared.
Something hit the back of his head and he stumbled forward. Grimlock swung his sword at his attacker, only to have his arm grabbed and a scarred Insecticon face staring back at him.
"So you're the mighty Grimlock the surface-dwellers whisper about." The Insecticon alpha said. "I have to say, I'm not impressed."
"Who the hell are you?" Grimlock growled.
"Hardshell, the last name you'll ever hear!" Hardshell hissed. Grimlock threw a punch at his face, but Hardshell caught his fist and squeezed, effortlessly matching the Dynobot leader's strength with his own. "What do you say, Dynobot…think you can take on an alpha like me?"
Grimlock pushed Grimlock's arm down and slugged him across the face. Grimlock tried to recover, but Hardshell gave him no time to react as he slammed his shoulder into Grimlock's chest and backhanded him in the jaw. Hardshell grabbed his head and held him underwater while slowly squeezing his head. "You surface dwellers place too much on a single individual. When their strongest fall, the rest fall apart soon after, but we beings of the underworld know the concept of unity. Kill one of us, and the rest shall take his place. You Dynobots would not last a day in the Underworld!"
Optimus and his unit were still holding strong against the Insecticons, but now they had to deal with the members of Megatron's main army. The ground was stained blue with the energon of enemy and ally and were littered with the corpses and body parts of the fallen. This literal bloodbath was getting worse by the minute and it seemed that they were only just now reaching the battle's climax.
"Optimus, Grimlock's unit got separated! They're tied up at the center and Decepticon assault groups are closing in on their position from the east!" Elita-1 said, forming a TK barrier around them to block the plasma bolts shooting at them. "We've got to get out there and back them up!"
"That's exactly what Megatron wants, Elita. If we split our forces here, he'll overrun our strong point." Optimus said.
"So we're just going to leave them out here?" She grunted.
"Keep calm, Elita. I wouldn't count the Dynobots out just yet." Optimus looked up at Omega Supreme. "And we have yet to reveal our greatest weapon."
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"Onslaught, do you have target Alpha in your sights?" Megatron asked.
"Yes, Lord Megatron. Awaiting your order to fire."
"Excellent," Megatron switched his comm to Starscream. "Starscream, do your Seekers also have a lock on the target?"
"Of course. How could we miss him?" Starscream said smarmily.
Choosing not to answer with her own equally snarky comment, Nightshade took note of the position of the other assault teams and got an affirmative from them as well. "Megatron, we only have one shot at this and we don't have any heavy artillery to help us this time. Are you certain this will work?"
"I'm positive, Nightshade. Do not question my resolve!" Megatron growled. "We'll make do with our large numbers. Even a Titan can be felled by a swarm if we hit the right places."
"If you say so." She said. Megatron glared at her.
"I will it so." He replied.
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Omega Supreme had lived a long life, one full of hardships and tragedies. He had lived through much of Cybertron's most harrowing times, from the destruction of the city he was sworn to protect to the invasion of the Quintessons that sought to hurt his kin to fulfill their sick curiosities. After Nova Prime left Cybertron, he lost so much more and had heard the cries of the people as society spiraled into decay around him.
Looking down at Optimus Prime, he couldn't help but question if this was some bad dream. To think that Nova Prime was gone…it just didn't sit right with him. Nova was strong, he united the planet against invaders, brought about a prosperous golden age, but he threw it all away for some idea of conquest and racial superiority. His choice of company didn't help curb his ambitions at all.
Optimus wasn't Nova, and it pained Omega Supreme to lie to the young mech. He did not endure years of countless isolation out of some sort of loyalty to Nova…it was to destroy him upon his return. Nova was a disgrace to the line of Primes, a corruption upon the very ideals he once laid bare. But in Optimus, he saw greatness, the potential to be more, to keep their people on the right track and leave a legacy for future generations to follow.
In Optimus, he saw a mech who had been through so much yet still remained pure, if not a little hardened to the cold reality of the world. Seeing him reminded Omega Supreme of another mech who tried to see a person for who they were, one older than Nova. It was a shame that someone like him had to be born from the fires of war.
"It's past time we got Megatron's attention." Optimus said and looked up at Omega Supreme. "Omega Supreme, are you ready to do your part?"
"What is it you would ask of me, Prime?" Omega Supreme asked.
"Set your particle cannon for maximum range! I need you to bombard Megatron's position and scatter his command group!" Optimus ordered.
Though it grieved Omega Supreme to make war upon his fellow Cybertronians, these upstarts have ravaged the world he loved. They reminded him of Nova and all that he betrayed by Seeking dominion over others. He will bring justice upon them!
As soon as Megatron saw Omega Supreme move, he gave the order to attack. "Now, Onslaught, Starscream! Bring target Alpha down!"
Decepticon ground and air units opened fire on Omega Supreme and concentrated fire on the massive giant with everything they had. Omega Supreme took their assault head on, making sure not to let any stray blasts get near Optimus' group. Attacked from seemingly all sides by a flurry of plasma blasts, missiles, bombs, particle beams and neutron beams, Omega Supreme vanished under a cloud of flames as explosions rippled all around him.
"Omega Supreme, no!" Optimus yelled before he and his Autobots were also engulfed by the flames.
We're almost to the end and things are already kicking off! Next chapter is the finale of Transformers: Descent, so stay tuned for the end of the destructive opening to the Great War. Be sure to check out the official Transformers Titan website on wordpress, the link is in my Archive of My Own profile Saya444, where you'll find character bios and story elements as well as a revised version of Transformers Titan: Awakening. Thanks for the support and please leave a review.
