Chapter 14

Arcee watched as another Vehicon was felled by her blaster fire, two more taking their place and returning fire. From behind, Wheeljack produced the electrical whip he'd taken from the Commander's ship and tore through their armor. Bumblebee and Smokescreen were pinned down by enemy fire just as Ironhide flanked them from behind and smashed their helms together. Chromia and Bulkhead covered Ultra Magnus's advance as they made it deeper into the fortress of Darkmount. They were still stuck on the ground level of the base while the radio transmission from Silas revealed he and the human strike team had managed to reach the core.

She and others were still distrusting of Silas and his motives for helping them after all the times he'd tried to dissect them. Their newer arrivals simply reflected the already established opinion of Silas while coming to their own conclusions. She could already tell Commander Magnus didn't like the human nor did he approve of the humans' presence during the mission. However, he consented to their involvement at the President's insistence. The fact they had likely dealt with more than their fair share of Vehicons was likely to impress the blue mech.

The Vehicons began to fall back, prompting her to move up under the suppressing fire provided by Chromia. She returned the favor and together they allowed the three former Wreckers to advance, who in return allowed the remaining three members of their team to do the same. She knew this was becoming too easy and kept her guard up for whatever trap lay ahead for the Autobots. Ultra Magnus directed them toward a lift before opening comms.

"Ultra Magnus to strike force, sitrep, over."

"Strike Force here," replied Karai. "We've made good time and are approaching the fusion reactor. If things go according to plan, we should have it offline by the time you locate your missing leader. Be advised, ShadowStrike has broken off from the team to provide suppressing support."

Ultra Magnus immediately switched to the private frequency given to the humans, "ShadowStrike, report!"

There was no answer bur Arcee knew only one thing that would make Jack risk their mission to break standard protocol. But she couldn't focus on that right now as they entered the lift and were left in a position of vulnerability as they decided to ride it until they reached one of the higher floors. This lift granted them an entire view of Darkmount and its inner workings. They passed floor after floor, going unnoticed for some time as the Vehicons scrambled past them. Ultra Magnus ceased his attempts at contacting ShadowStrike, clearly intent on reprimanding him later.

They continued to pass each floor as the ascended the fortress when Chromia asked, "How do we find Optimus in all this mess?"

"ShadowStrike, as I've been told, possesses the ability to link with the Matrix of Leadership, thus being in the same location as Optimus Prime would no doubt allow him to zero in on his position. Had he abided his orders, we would not have to search for him ourselves. It is imperative that we locate him before calling in air support."

"How do we know we're not passing his floor right now?" asked Wheeljack.

"Megatron is no doubt aware that we are here to retrieve Optimus, therefore he is likely to keep him close in proximity. He will most likely have him under the heaviest of guard. We will have to punch through said defense if we wish to extract him to safety. He will no doubt require medical attention."

"Hence why I am on standby," interjected Ratchet. "The Harbinger's materials are scarcer than I would like, but there is ample medical equipment ready for when you return with Optimus. And Ultra Magnus is correct in assuming that Megatron would keep Optimus close at hand in order to watch him destroy entire populated areas should we fail."

"So we just gotta do the opposite," declared Bulkhead.

"Works for me," said Smokescreen.

Suddenly the lift came to a stop but they were between floors.

Bumblebee whirred a question as Ultra Magnus surveyed the situation, "Soundwave has disabled the power to the lifts. We are trapped."

"Why didn't he just pull that when we first got in?" Wheeljack crouched down and tore open a panel. "I should be able to get it working on a different power source. Chromia, hand use your sticks to charge the panel. If this works, then we'll be back on track."

"Obviously," Ratchet growled, "Megatron wanted you to get as close as possible to Optimus before trapping you there for any of the Decepticons to find. Which means you must be getting close. Wheeljack, how long until Chromia kali sticks charge the elevator?"

"I'd say about five minutes, doc. Give or take anything that might be on its way right now."

"Autobots, maintain your guard," ordered Ultra Magnus as they waited for the eventual onslaught of troopers sent to exterminate them. Weapons at the ready, they waited as Chromia charged the panel, lights flickering on and off as she fed it power. Three minutes had passed when small black figure was hurdled out of nowhere. As the figure regained its footings, it turned to the trapped Team Prime. Oni-Kage tilted his head as he observed them.

"A human?" inquired Ultra Magnus.

"He's on the 'Cons side, sir," answered Arcee, her weapon ready.

Raising his sword, the blade glowed with a familiar purple aura as he prepared to attack the Autobots. If he managed to disable the locking mechanisms keeping the lift in place, they would be sent plummeting to the ground. They fall may or may not send their sparks to the Well but it would leave them disabled enough to be picked off by whoever Megatron sent to finish them off. Ultra Magnus raised his blaster to fire but thought better of it; the lift was likely protected against internal fire as external. They were at the ninja's mercy.

Out of nowhere, ShadowStrike tackled his opponent forcing him to drop his sword and use his limbs to combat him. Arcee was torn between relief and worry; they were safe for the moment thanks to Jack but were unable to provide support as they fought each other. The force of their physical blows was enough that their armor only worsened their wounds. ShadowStrike thrust his knee repeatedly into dark ninja's torso. He caught the latest attempt and shoved it away. He punched him between the segments of his armor and grasped the back of his head.

He threw ShadowStrike—face-first—into the metal wall, his head bouncing off the thick metal and disorienting him. The juncture between his leg and his ankle connected with Jack's head as he threw his leg up in a kick. ShadowStrike quickly recovered and blocked the punch aimed at his side, replying with one of his own to Oni-Kage's jaw. The crack of his fist meeting the dark ninja's jaw rebounded through the chamber. They broke off their close proximity so Oni-Kage could retrieve his weapon, ShadowStrike drawing his own.

They crossed swords just as the power to the lift was restored.

They disappeared as the lift continued its ascension, leaving the Autobots in silent worry as they prepared for their next challenge. Arcee knew now was not the time to worry over Jack's safety; he would tell her that Optimus was more important right now. A fact well known to her as she readied her blaster for battle. Ultra Magnus readied his own weapon as Ironhide spoke. "It seems as though our mission would have ended right there and now if ShadowStrike had broken off from the others."

"So it would appear."

Ironhide barely hid his smirk as they were forced to exit on the next floor and continue their way upward on pede. Checking their corners, Team Prime advanced down the hall as they covered both sides of the halls. If their theory was correct, the remaining forces of Darkmount had been dispatched to provide security around the Autobots' targets. That made it all the easier for them to traverse the halls and reach their destination. They made a right just as Smokescreen stopped them.

"Sir," he addressed Ultra Magnus. "We have a situation."

"What kind are you talking about, solider?" he asked as they all turned.

"It starts with a 'Shock' and ends with a 'wave."

Down the hall antipode to them, the Decepticon chief scientist approached his pace methodical. His singular optic sensor apprised each of them as he drew closer, calculating their threat level as he prepared for battle. Team Prime readied their weapons at his arrival.

"Arcee, Bumblebee, Smokescreen," said Ultra Magnus. "Can I trust you to delay Shockwave while we locate Optimus?"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

The five Autobots broke formation and retreated down the opposite end of the hall while Stealth Team prepared for battle. Shockwave paused, his subroutines recalibrating to adjust to this change in plans. He obviously saw his task as much easier now that he was to contest with three Autobots as opposed to eight. He spoke, a monotone that betrayed zero emotion, "Your decision to infiltrate Darkmount was illogical."

"Like that would have stopped us," barked back Smokescreen.

"You will not succeed. As we speak, our remaining forces rally to the fusion reactor to guard it from the small human strike force you have sent to disable it. Even with the added variable of their—as of yet—unknown abilities, they will fall."

"Then why are you bothering to show your face?" hissed Arcee. "Come to get payback?"

He paused for a moment, "If you are referring to our previous encounter, then I find your inquiry illogical. Why would I seek something as trivial as revenge? As you can plainly see, my optic nerve has since been repaired and research restarted. I am here to prevent your further incursion into Darkmount."

*Good luck with that,* beeped Bumblebee as they opened fire. Side-stepping their attacks, Shockwave charged his ion cannon and returned fire. The trio separated and took positions behind cover. Smokescreen reached for the Phase Shifter but remembered that Chromia still had it. Cursing in Cybertronian, he resigned to firing. Shockwave continued his approach while keeping them pinned down by his cannon.

Breaking from cover, Arcee advanced toward the 'Con and fired, managing to force him back. He responded by slamming his cannon into her side and knocking her into a wall. Bumblebee and Smokescreen broke from cover to provide support. Shockwave responded with the same force and kept them at bay. Arcee's sliver wrist blades were revealed as she leapt over helm and dragged it across his singular optic.

Momentarily disoriented, he continued his attack by grasping her bladed arm and throwing her across the hallway while firing at her. His blast connected, increasing the force of her slamming into the wall. Bumblebee pounced on him from behind and delivered strike after strike to the 'Con. Reeling back, Shockwave was caught off-guard by Smokescreen's kick to his torso. Quickly recovering, the Decepticon scientist grasped Scout's helm and used him to attack Smokescreen.

Slamming them both into the wall, he prepared to fire his ion cannon at close range.