Note: I won't be posting another chapter today due to a day trip later today, but I will continue posting on Sunday!
Chapter 13
"I'm on my way to the base," Fowler begins, "but I just got word; the 'Cons broke into the Sal's particle collider project at the South Pole!" Optimus turns to us.
"Autobots," he prompts. Ultra Magnus steps forward and clenches his makeshift fist.
"What-yep-ep," Ratchet moves to stop him.
"Doc," Wheeljack steps to Magnus' defense. "The commander's ready."
"I would know," I add. "We've been working on it for weeks." He looks at both of us for a moment, not certain anymore.
"Fine, fine," he sighs while stepping past us to the ground bridge controls.
"Bulkhead, Smokescreen," Optimus addresses them, "remain with Ratchet to guard our prisoner. Everyone else, transform and rollout!" Ratchet opens the ground bridge and I join the rest of the Autobots in moving out. I pause next to Ratchet.
"I don't like the idea of leaving you here with Soundwave," I mutter to him, "but I trust Bulkhead and Smokescreen to take care of you." I grin at him. "See you when I get back."
"Likewise," he replies with straight face before I rush after the Autobots through the portal. When I reach the other end, I emerge next to them in a blizzard.
"Sh-Sh-Sh-should've brought my jacket," I shiver next to Wheeljack. He wordlessly picks me up and places me on his shoulder. I realize how much heat he radiates and scoot closer to his head, my sniper rifle drawn. We begin to move towards a glass dome with a massive hole in the side. Yep, they're definitely here. Optimus suddenly holds up his fist, signaling for us to halt momentarily.
"Go ahead," he states. They sit for a moment as if listening to someone. It's gotta be Ratchet. I hope everything's okay, I think anxiously. "No, for you know as well as I," Optimus speaks again, "that Megatron will use a reconstructed lock to cyber-form both Cybertron and Earth. And that is me abusive power that we cannot allow." I realize that he's talking about the Omega Lock and narrow my eyes in determination. He's not getting away with this. Optimus resumes the trek towards the dome, and the rest of us follow. I notice a bat-like shadow across the ice that no one else does.
Alarm pulses through me as I realize that this was a trap. Without warning, I jump off of Wheeljack's shoulder to transform and circle the Autobots protectively. I look to the skies, bracing myself. He's coming. Silence hangs in the air for a moment. I may not get out of this one alive. A screech sounds in the distance and the sound of beating wings grows closer. The sleet around us makes it difficult to see, but I can feel him. Predaking is coming. His dark shadow covers us as he hovers overhead. He glares at me with his menacing yellow eyes and lets loose a fireball. I counter it with my beam and it meets the fireball midair with explosive force. Before the smoke clears, I let out a roar and launch myself into the air to latch onto his underside. I attempt to rip out his throat but miss and he breaks away. I glare into Predaking's eyes before firing my beam at him once more. He weaves around it and swings his claws at my face and raking them across my cheek. They leave gargantuan marks that begin to drip energon. Predaking grabs hold of me and continues to smite me with his fiery breath. It does little more than sting, but I free one arm and smack his head to force him to stop. In pursuit of gaining an upper hand, I swing my head at his and head-butt him in the face. Predaking's grip loosens for a second, but he quickly snaps out of his daze and regains it.
"Isabelle, fall back! We'll take it from here!" Optimus calls out to me. I attempt to break away, but Predaking has too tight of a grip on me. He releases one set of his massive claws and swings his them once more to hit a pressure point below my jaw that causes me to collapse, paralyzed. Predaking releases me and I unwillingly transform and plummet to the ground. I barely hear Optimus give orders to the rest of them to engage the Decepticons inside before he does so with Predaking. A fierce aerial battle begins while I lay helplessly dazed on the ice. Is this what happens? I wonder. I lay here, unable to move while Optimus fights for our lives? Predaking eventually grabs Optimus and smacks him into the ground, leaving him disoriented for a moment before he slowly attempts to push himself to his feet. Predaking transforms and lands next to the struggling prime. He growls a few words before aiming his weapon at Optimus. No! I suddenly regain mobility and flip off of my back to transform into a beast and charge. Unaware, Predaking begins to charge his gun. I part my jaws while I sprint towards them and bite down on Predaking's outstretched arm, causing him to miss. He shakes me off and scowls at me with such contempt. I let out a fearsome roar and charge my beam to fire at him. When it makes an impact, a cloud of mist forms from the snow around him and all seems quiet.
I bare my teeth and growl as he slowly walks, in the form of a beast, out of the mist towards me. Suddenly, he stops a few lengths away. A visible fireball forms in his throat while I charge my beam in mine.
Out of nowhere, Optimus rises above us with his jet wings and proceeds to fire his machine gun at Predaking. In response, he takes flight and aims straight for Optimus. Unsure of whether I'll hit Optimus, I cease the charging of my beam. Predaking then grabs Optimus' shoulder with his jaws and flings him into the ground. My eyes widen with alarm when I realize that Optimus isn't moving this time. My chest fills with fury as I spread my wings and hurtle myself into the air at Predaking knocking him out of the sky. As we descend towards the ground, we deliver harsh blows to each other until Predaking uses his hind legs to kick me off of him just before we hit the ground. I stagger to my feet and glower at Predaking as he does the same. He now stands between me and the dome that the Autobots had entered. I also notice that I now stand between him and Optimus. Predaking stares angrily back at me, but narrows is eyes as if he is receiving orders. He abruptly turns tail and flees toward the dome.
Remembering Optimus, I quickly turn around and sprint to his side. I transform back into a human and land on his chest while anxiously searching for a sign that he's still alive.
"Optimus?!" I call to him desperately. His eyes remain closed and he fails to move anything. Oh no. What do I do?! I can't leave him out here! I can't call for Ratchet either… All of a sudden, Optimus shifts and lets out a huge groan. I sigh with relief as he opens his eyes and peers up at me. "Thank Primus, you're okay!" I wheeze, "I thought I lost you there for a second."
Out of nowhere, Predaking blasts a hole in the roof facility he had fled into. He emerges with a large turbine-like object in his hind claws and Shockwave in his front ones. Before I have a change to dive out of the way, Predaking swoops down close enough for Shockwave to snatch me off of Optimus. I struggle with all my effort to get free, but the Decepticon has too tight of a grip on my arms which are now pinned to my sides.
A ground bridge opens midair in front us and he flies through to emerge into the Decepticon warship. I am carried into the laboratory I dreaded seeing again and chained to the same table with energon shackles instead. Megatron enters behind us with Knockout and Soundwave. I glare at Soundwave with surprise and hatred.
"Well, look at what Predaking has found!" Megatron snarls at me, grinning. "It seems we obtained a runaway test subject and a medic!" My eyes widen in fear then look to bore into Megatron with such fury that I have never felt before.
"You lay one rusty claw on him," I growl, "And I'll rip your spine out myself! Oh wait, I forgot. You don't have one!"
"Silence!" He commands before back-handing me. My nose begins to bleed and my mouth fills with blood and energon alike. I'm surprised he didn't shatter my face! "You will know who your true master is, soon enough. With enough oppression, any being can be broken."
"Scrap you!" I spit my blood in his face. "You have no idea what oppression feels like! I have seen exactly what you did to your home planet. You attempted to take control of it and, instead, you defiled it and caused it to go offline! Now you've come to our planet to do the same, only you know not of the power you're dealing with!"
"Enough!" Megatron snarls, "You seem to enjoy running your mouth. Let's see how much you enjoy being trapped in the form of a wordless beast!" He turns to the smaller red Decepticon. "Knockout, force her to transform and remove her t-cog. She will be no threat as long as we have Predaking watching over her; we'll break this human yet."
"Yes, my liege," Knockout bows slightly with an eager smirk as Megatron moves to exit the room.
"Oh, and one more thing; make sure she is awake and can feel the entire procedure," he adds with a vicious grin before the door closes.
"Well isn't this a lovely turn around?" Knockout turns toward me, "Looks like I'll be the one putting scratches in your paint this time." I narrow my eyes at him menacingly.
"You'll never get me to transform," I snarl. At this, Knockout chuckles as if I had said something funny.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," he retorts "In fact; we have a little event coming up. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss it for the world!"