There it is. Done. Finished. *Bows*
But only if you want that! This is the Season Finale for Season 1; if you want a Season 2 make your voice heard in the reviews! I've left it open for coming episodes! ;)
Also, if you would like the side-story of Space Case, Ruination and Dead End's journey from Chicago to Mongolia (while dragging Barricade) to be a fan-fiction, let me know and I'll make it!
Until then, thank you all for reviewing (especially Megan666 and Mytical-Mist-Devil) and I'll hopefully see you soon!
Here's to 21 Episodes and 200,000 words!
"…And so, the Wreckers escaped captivity in New York. They are now being treated as rogue aliens, akin to the Decepticons; if they are seen, they must be reported to authorities immediately; they are both armed and dangerous.
"In other news, a large typhoon has been sighted approaching Europe from the Indian Ocean at a staggering speed. Currently over Iraq, the storm is predicted to travel over the Mediterranean Sea before crossing over France. The clouds are surprisingly dark in nature and lightning of unusual colour and frequency has been recorded across the Middle East… we will give more updates on this unnatural weather report the longer it continues."
"Apparently, a storm of this magnitude hasn't been recorded in centuries; wrap up warm and stay indoors, Europe!"
"Speaking of which, it's goodnight from us and good mourning for them!"
Episode 21: Rust in Peace (Part 3)
Wind blows from the bowels of hell
Will we give warning? Only time will tell
Satan rears his ugly head…
To spit into the wind!
Back to the start, talk of the part
When the earth was cold as ice
Total dismay as the sun passed away
And the days were black as night!
—Rust in Peace…
Marcus now sat where the lagoon once was, staring at a small puddle of steaming water. Beside him, the pedestal of Kaminari Ishihara was all that stood there. Even the name of the island had been eradicated from it; all that remained was:
PARADISE LOST
Marcus sniffed and stared up at the clear blue sky. The sun had never felt so warm before. The storm had passed and now the midday's rays glared at them all.
Stacy walked from the airfield and sat down beside him, staring dismally into the puddle as well.
"Optimus and Ratchet have decided that the only way they can stop that storm is by destroying Space Case… which means flying right into the storm." She shuddered. "They're still waiting for the storm to stop, so they can teleport right to it… but it might not stop at all. That's what they're worried about…"
Marcus just stared at the puddle, which slowly dwindled in the midday heat.
"You know, there are only three of them," Stacy said, trying to raise his spirits, "Out of all the Decepticons that have come before and all the Decepticons Optimus has destroyed, three of their weakest aren't going to be a problem…"
"Tell that to the soldiers on this island," Marcus muttered.
Stacy frowned at him and got up to leave, but Marcus reached a hand out to stop her.
"Sorry," he said, "I'm just…" He trailed off, looking back to the remains of the lagoon.
Stacy sat down again and put her head on his shoulder, staring as well.
"You know," Marcus whispered, "Just think of how far we've come; from the rats of the gutter to among the last surviving members of HARP… well, unofficial members at any rate."
"But I guess it's all coming to an end now," Stacy replied, "The Autobots are scattered, the Decepticons are heading off to conquer the world… we're at the end of the line."
"Not if Optimus beats Space Case."
"Even if he does… Megatron and the rest of his lieutenants will still be at large… what if the battle costs him his life?"
Marcus moved his head to stare into her eyes. She stared back.
"Then there's nothing we can do," Marcus told her, "We either die at evening's end from whatever they have planned… or we live to see the sunset. Either way… it's worth enjoying these moments, even if they're our last."
Stacy smiled. Marcus kissed her and their tongues came together, lapping over one another as the heat began to rise. Sweat rolled off Stacy's nose onto their lips and they both felt a rush of passion. Stacy's hands went up the back of his shirt while Marcus moved his down her back towards her bum.
They kissed faster and harder and Marcus, without thinking, let a hand go to her breast. She made no move to stop him, indeed, her kisses felt more rushed, more heated. Marcus felt his heart pounding in his chest as he opened his eyes…
And there it was.
A coyote, behind Stacy, looking at Marcus with ancient, sorrowful eyes.
"For there's was not to wonder why," it spoke in volumes, "But to wage war until all shall die."
Marcus broke off. Stacy looked at him at him with expressionless eyes.
"I understand," she said, although Marcus doubted she did.
She slunk away, crossing the sand in short, sultry steps. She turned around and gave him a teasing smile before disappearing into the jungle.
Marcus blinked.
The coyote was gone.
It was dusky and hazy within the bar. The patrons were either grizzled old men, possible criminals of Latin American descent, smart-mouthed bikers and an experienced barkeep who knew everyone by smell alone.
Except for the one who pushed open the door with a large creak. Everyone turned to look; ugly pairs of eyes gazed around the decrepit bar before settling their sights on the new visitor to Fort Derrick.
It wasn't the fact that he wore sunglasses in the shade, or wore a clichéd duster coat in the West, or how he strutted in, or the incredibly long gun he held across his shoulders; it was the fact that he was a teenager who looked like he hadn't worked a day in his life that made everyone hate him instantly.
The barkeep spat on the ground. "We don't serve minors here," he growled.
The teenager cocked his head to the side. "In that case, I'll take the drink myself."
Someone chortled under his breath. The rest gave cold, unwelcome stares.
"Who the hell are you?" asked an oil-rig worker.
"Ryder."
"Of course you are," the barkeep muttered, "Acting all cool and cocky like, with that stupid toy across your shoulders, pretending to be some sort of Crocodile Dundee. Get the fuck out of my bar before some of my friends help you out."
The patrons murmured agreement. Ryder studied them all in turn.
"Fine then," he replied, "Just tell me… who owns the Harley Davidson outside?"
They all fixed him with blank stares.
"No-one here owns a Harley," the barkeep grunted, "If they did, they wouldn't be hanging around the likes of these gents; that chopper would likely go… missing."
"In that case," Ryder acknowledged, "I think I'll go and take it."
Almost immediately, ten of the patrons stood up with angry glares.
"You'll do what, gringo?" one of the Latino's spat, "I think you better get out of here, kid."
Ryder drew ELLIPSIS off his back, hefting it like a club.
"Another day," he muttered, "Another round."
"Where are we going?" Fearswoop cried out into the storm.
"A tower."
"But why?"
"It is instrumental to our plan."
"We don't understand!" Ruination roared, "How are we going to wipe out the humans?"
"Upon reaching this tower I will begin channelling the destroyer's power through my catalyst. It will cause a storm of unmatched and unstoppable magnitude to cover the Earth; all life will be eradicated from lightning strikes and never ending rainfall. The old world will be washed away and the new one will be a thing of beauty; pillars of Dark Energon will pierce the atmosphere while we consume their power. All cybertronians will become vassals and all cybertronians will be equal; there will be peace. Then our power will reach out beyond this world and consume the star that it orbits, sucking its energy dry before continuing ever outwards… inevitably, the galaxy will be ours, from which our race could indeed take the entire universe."
The sheer ambition of this vision stunned the other two cybertronians into silence. Fearswoop gaped in his jet mode while Ruination pondered the power that Space Case now wielded.
We shall rule the Earth.
We shall rule the galaxy.
We shall rule the universe.
But… something's not right…
"Space Case… what then?" he asked.
"I do not understand your query," the Praetoricon replied.
"After we conquer the universe… what will happen then?"
"We will live out the remainder of our lives in peace and equality. Our laws and teachings will not become law or fact; they would become life itself. To create life out of destruction; is that not what every creature strives for?"
Ruination wondered on that a moment. And then:
"No, Space Case. Creatures just want to survive… and be a little happier than they once were."
"Give a creature a little happiness and he will desire more. Give a creature the universe and he will desire nothing, as nothing more can be desired."
"Desire nothing…?"
"There would be nothing left for him to accomplish… except to live."
"No… he would want to accomplish death."
"Explain."
"The final frontier is not space, nor is it absolute power… it is death. No creature has ever beaten death, so no-one ever tries. But when someone has everything… that is when he strives for the impossible."
They flew through the storm, over the nation of Italy.
"Ruination, I did not remember you as such an exceptional philosopher. Your logic is sound. Once this scenario is over, I would be glad to debate it further."
"You believe you can't fail."
"I can't."
"You guys are insane," Fearswoop muttered, "The fact of the matter is this; stick with the most powerful, you survive. Become the most powerful, you die."
"Then you best stick around and see how badly your logic is flawed."
The rain fell in droves. The wind whipped across the road as headlights blurred in the street. The cars seemed to swim through the river, roaring over the sound of the storm.
But this was no storm conjured by dark science; this was just the weather in Vermont, where a certain technician had found himself.
The howling gales slapped his face, waking him from an injury induced nightmare. A terrifying, cat-like beast had growled at him, a mace-like tail whipping the ground…
"Are you alright?"
Randall Irving slowly looked up, dried blood all across his face. His clothes were in tatters, his hair torn, cuts across every body part.
"Well…" he muttered, weakly, "Are you Timothy Dalton?"
"Jesus, man; you need to go to a hospital!"
"The last time… I went to… one of those… I got these…"
"Shanna! Ring 911; this guy's close to dying!"
"Timothy fucking Dalton… and Harbinger… and the Decepticons… they can all go to hell and suck Satan's dick…"
The man above him froze.
"Dude… did you just say the Decepticons?"
Irving looked up properly, the rain running from his eyes. He got a good look at his new friend.
The lad must not have been more than twenty-one, his spotty face alive with interest. He was soaked to the bone by the torrential rainfall, having dressed light for a trip into the chilly north, while his dark, messy hair still stood up straight despite the forces arrayed against it.
"I'll tell you all about it…" Irving muttered, "Just tell me you're not Timothy Dalton…"
"Hey, calm down; we're gonna get you out of here…"
Irving felt himself being lifted up and guided through the wind and rain. His feet slipped on the wet pavement, but he kept himself upright.
Somehow, he found himself staring up at the ceiling of a car and a friendly voice was talking to him.
"Don't worry man; you're going to be alright… but I'm no Timothy Dalton. The name's Leo. Leo Spitz."
When the fifth man spat out two teeth and slumped to the floor, unconscious, the rest of the patrons gave up.
"Whiskey on the rocks," Ryder ordered, as several other men went to pick up their friends.
The barkeep reached behind the counter but, contrary to the beverage ordered, he drew out a double-barrelled shotgun.
"Get the fuck out," the barkeep ordered, "And take your damned chopper with you."
Ryder tipped an imaginary hat and left the occupants of the room to their humiliation.
Walking into the savage sun, Ryder looked up. The sun beat down upon his face, but his eyes were unaffected.
"Would you look at that," he muttered, "And be blinded."
He hit the ground with ELLIPSIS, holding it like a staff.
"But can light really blind you guys?" he asked, seemingly to yourself, "Or can you stare into the fires of a nuclear apocalypse… and still see the light?"
He received no answer.
"I don't usually get gut feelings," Ryder continued, "Because clear thinking is all the control I need. But… I do feel there's a sense of destiny about you."
Again, all was silent.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ryder muttered, "But you're more than 2000cc, right?"
"Do you love the sound of your own voice this much?" the Harley Davidson growled.
Ryder gave a slight smile. He moved towards the motorcycle.
"You new here?" he asked.
Yet again, no answer.
"Fine then, but can we at least go for a ride? It's been a long while since I've ridden something of your calibre."
"So which girl shot you?"
This time, Ryder let off an actual smile. That was rarer than toast turning back into bread.
"Ever driven on Earth roads before?"
"I've driven across mountains made of fire, across rivers of tar and across crevasses of ice. Sand and dirt are akin to tarmac and asphalt; it's as easy to fly over."
"Then let's put that to the test."
The chopper's engine roared into life. Ryder got on, the duster billowing behind him.
"You haven't told me your name," Ryder said.
"I know," came the reply.
Then they roared out of Fort Derrick.
Paris is a huge city.
One of the largest and most populous in the whole of Europe, it is the site of many historic landmarks. From the Arc De Triomphe to the bells of Notre Dame, tourists and proud Frenchmen gather in the streets every day to go about a beautiful city in which the population is in its millions.
But not that evening.
The doors were shut, the buildings full. The tourist attractions were empty, the streets lifeless. The huge city was silent.
But the storm above wasn't.
Three titanic figures smashed into the Champ de Mars, toppling the trees and throwing up water with their impact. Two of them gazed around, drawing blasters and swords. The huge, dark one simply looked up at the tower.
"This is it, my brothers… it is from this point our crusade begins, and our rise to take the universe… with these acts I will wipe the world clean and bring about a new one… before the end, the humans will fear day and they will fear night… but in the end, all will see the light."
And although Space Case stood above all others, the Eiffel Tower loomed over him.
"The storm has halted," Ratchet muttered.
"Where?" Optimus asked immediately.
"Paris. I'll set the coordinates."
Optimus nodded and moved towards the Pillars. He spotted Lennox and his men getting ready.
"Sabot rounds loaded?" the colonel asked.
"Check," Epps replied.
"Water and food all accounted for?"
"Check, but I doubt we'll be there for long, Bill…"
"I've already forgotten who said that about Tibet," Lennox replied, "What about piercing rounds?"
"Check—"
"Colonel," Optimus interrupted, "What are you doing?"
Lennox looked up quizzically. "What do you think, Optimus? We're coming with you."
Optimus was silent and Lennox immediately frowned.
"Now listen, Optimus," he said, pointing a finger up at the titanic alien, "Don't you dare give us a speech about why you have to do this alone and that you care for our safety. We're coming with you. Period."
Optimus smiled. He had recently doubted several things, but if there was something he could utterly count on, then it was Colonel William Lennox's loyalty. Thanks to the chain-of-command, Lennox was also in charge of HARP and could have made it law that he was coming with the Autobot… but Optimus knew it wouldn't come to that.
"William?"
"Optimus."
"Do you have faith in me?"
Lennox stopped loading the launcher he held. He looked up proper.
"You know, the first time I saw you Optimus, you were charging down a dusty old road in the middle of Nevada, with your entire Autobot army behind you," Lennox told him, "And as soon as I saw that truck, I knew instantly that you were aliens. And I knew instantly you were the Autobots."
"How?"
"Those guys followed you in perfect order, in perfect rhythm… but they didn't follow you because of your size and aura of power. I understood that immediately. They followed you because of the trust that they held for you. You had led them across the galaxy, planet after planet, always coming up short in your quest to find the Allspark. And yet they still followed you. If they had feared you, they would have deserted a long time ago. And also… I don't know, but when you're called a 'Prime', I think that just makes people listen to you. I'm a colonel because of duty. What does it take to make a Prime?"
"Primes are not made," Optimus replied regretfully, "They are chosen."
"Yet why were you chosen?" Lennox continued, "Your birthright? Your cunning? Your power? Your wisdom? Your honesty? No… from that day in Mission City, I understood; you were chosen, because you would always do the right thing."
All around the hangar, the men were absorbed with this speech. Optimus had never felt more proud. And haunted.
"So do I have faith in you?" Lennox asked rhetorically, "Of course. And I have faith you'll save every one of us and all our loved ones… so get out there. Save the world again; Optimus Prime."
Epps called them all to attention and, as one, every soldier stood up straight and saluted. They saluted to Optimus Prime. The only one who didn't was Lennox, who simply smiled.
Optimus nodded to them all and headed towards the Pillars.
Primes are chosen because they do the right thing.
He hesitated just the once, yet that made all the difference.
The Pillars began to glow.
And yet what was Sentinel?
They climbed like monkeys, the three of them grabbing hold of the wrought iron of the Eiffel Tower, each one speeding to the top. The storm raged around them, lightning striking the tower and fuelling them all with resolve.
"This is insane!" Fearswoop cried as he clambered up, "We're all gonna die!"
"We will all die, at some time or another," came Space Case's reply, "What does it matter if it's here?"
"Because I want to live long and be happy!" Fearswoop whined, "Why can't I have this power after you've done your plan?"
There was no answer that time. They continued on their epic ascent, the wind trying to throw them off.
Ruination looked up at where Space Case had almost reached the top. Despite his size, even Ruination trembled when he looked down, to see the ground as if it was so far away.
Fearswoop's right; why am I up here? Surely Space Case can complete his plan without us?
But no matter how tempting it was to leave, Ruination knew he wouldn't. Indeed, he would stay at Space Case's side until death.
But why? I am a Decepticon; all I've ever wanted is the power and the glory, the respect and admiration… I don't need to be up here to claim that.
"I'm surprised the Autobots aren't here yet!" Fearswoop called.
"They will be," the Praetoricon boomed, "Optimus is already on his way."
Ruination looked up in shock. Fearswoop suddenly felt a lot less sure about himself.
"Optimus is coming?" Fearswoop yelped.
"Yes. He will fight us. Although his chances of victory against me are near impossible, it would be assured if you two stuck by me."
Ruination nodded and continued his climb, but Fearswoop froze on the side of the tower.
Suddenly, without a word, he leapt off and transformed, flying through the storm and over the rooftops of Paris.
"COWARD!" Ruination thundered after him, but Fearswoop did not turn back.
"Let him go; he is wise to flee," Space Case sighed, "In fact, it would be better if you went as well; you could die tonight. Why bother fighting?"
Why bother fighting? Yes, why do I bother…? What is the point in being here, at the dawn of genocide? Victory is all but achieved…
"Do you even understand why I'm here?" Ruination muttered.
"Of course; to help us achieve omnipotence."
Space Case had reached the top. He grasped the pinnacle and stared about him, invisible against the black clouds. Ruination looked up with wonder and sadness.
"Omnipotence…?" he questioned, "Maybe I once believed that… but no more…"
Ruination climbed as well, till he was just below Space Case. He also stared out over the nest.
"Do you remember Dead End?" Ruination muttered, sorrow in his voice, "Do you remember our journey? We all said it was to help Barricade and help bring back the Decepticons… but I now realise why we ever set out in the first place. The Decepticons were destroyed and we were all that were left… we went out on that journey not for Barricade, not for any reward… but for the company we kept. We were lost and alone; so we joined together, a band of brothers, all of us as different as we could possibly be…
"And now Dead End is gone. Whereas we two are now on top of the world… and about to claim it. We have succeeded, where he has failed. And yet… I still miss him, as a comrade and as a friend. Are we even recognisable from what we once were? Are we the same as when we left Chicago? I think the answer's obvious… and yet so sad."
When Ruination looked up at Space Case, he found the Praetoricon looking back down. And then, for the first time since India, he saw doubt in those baleful optics. And that terrified Ruination more than anything else in existence.
"You'd best get back down; surprise Optimus when he arrives. This will be the last night we should ever see."
Ruination looked at the ground far below.
Our last night…
Our last…
Filled with sadness, Ruination began the lonely descent.
A lonely shack in a huge desert. An outhouse without a house. A privy which had stood the test of time, while the town around it crumbled to dust.
Withdrawing a roll of toilet paper from his duster, Ryder finished his business and moved out into the desert.
Sand stretched out for miles and miles all around. Cacti were sparse and lonely, shrubs small and dying. They had gone off the beaten track many hours ago and were now just drinking in the vastness.
"So, Sixshot, I've been meaning to ask," Ryder said, looking up at the sun, "Are you Autobot or Decepticon?"
"Neither," came the chopper's reply.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I was tracking several drones across Alpha Centauri. I wasn't sure whose side they were on, so I followed at a distance. They crash-landed near here."
"How come we never knew?"
The motorcycle shrugged, which was amazing.
"Well…" Ryder mused, "It'll be the end of the world soon."
"Oh."
"Some guys across an ocean are going to whip up a storm."
"I thought guys like us did that."
"Not at the weekends." Ryder shook his head. "At least we can see this beauty before we go."
"What's so beautiful about this place? It's barren. It's empty."
"I know. That's why I like it."
Sixshot studied him for a few moments. Then, without provocation, he transformed.
Despite his vehicular size, Sixshot stood thirteen feet tall, just a little smaller than Bumblebee and Mirage. Holstered above his wheels at the waist were two shiny cybertronian revolvers, each one the size of a wardrobe.
Ryder nodded. "Looks like I'm not the last cowboy in the West."
"Keep the cow, and the boy. I'd rather be a gunslinger."
The two of them looked around. There really wasn't much to see.
"I came by this way once before," Ryder remembered, "Hunting a guy named Starscream. Heard of him?"
Sixshot shook his head. "I never paid much attention to the military."
"Then what's with the guns?"
Sixshot stroked the revolvers at his side.
"They're the last resort."
"I'd thought they'd be the first."
Sixshot looked up at the sun.
"There's been a little too much death recently…"
They sat in the heat of the day, the sun stroking their skin, the horizon shimmering and twisting.
"Are we going to search for those drones?" Sixshot asked.
Ryder shrugged. Sixshot transformed.
"Then hop on."
They trekked across the desert, the last outlaws of the West.
"I WANT ANSWERS!" Marcus roared, "TELL ME EVERYTHING, LEAVE NOTHING OUT!"
Malevolus hissed venomously. "Fuck you. Don't dare presume to order me about like a dog, you fucking insect. I can crush your brain to jelly and tear apart your insides—"
"FUCK YOU!" Marcus shouted in response, "YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME YOU LITTLE SHIT! TELL ME EVERYTHING OR I'LL BE THE ONE TO TEAR YOU APART!"
Malevolus could do nothing but hiss. Eventually, seeing as it had no longer any effect on the boy, he stopped altogether. They both sat in silence, Marcus fuming, Malevolus resigned.
"You should have guessed by now that I am the Allspark shard that you touched in that sewer," Malevolus muttered, "Back then, I was nothing more than raw power. But when I felt a human mind intrude upon me, I… explored. Your mind twisted my power and formed it into something new; it opened my eyes, forged me a… personality. I am no longer the Allspark or Malevolus; I am the Allheart."
"What about the visions?" Marcus demanded.
"I showed you those to guide your friends to victory, to warn you and all the rest. Without my information, how else would you have achieved any victories?"
"But how did you know?" Marcus asked, "How did you know of the Pillars and the Decepticons?"
The Allheart gave him a curious look. "I am the single most powerful thing in the galaxy; I understand the whispers of the cosmic winds, feel the life in every spark and heart throughout the system and can read the messages the stars left us in our blindness."
"Whatever," Marcus dismissed, "If you're so powerful, why are you talking with an average human boy?"
The creature looked at Marcus with ancient wisdom in the moons for eyes. "You are far from average Marcus," he told the child, "You have been chosen; I can give you riches, glory, power, all you ever wanted from the recesses of your mind…"
"Bullshit," Marcus realised triumphantly, "You're stuck in my mind. You can't do anything here except talk to me and give me visions. You're trapped, with no escape."
The Allheart cocked his head to one side. "Are you sure of that?"
Marcus frowned, but was quickly interrupted.
"It does not matter, either way," the Allheart dismissed, "We will all die soon enough, unless Optimus can kill Space Case. Even a power such as mine will not be noticed and so I will simply be eradicated… along with you."
Marcus thought about saying something back, but decided not to. He sat back on a floor with no dimensions or meaning of space and glared at the Allheart.
"Why so angry, Marcus?" the Allheart hissed, "After all, we all die sometime, right? You'll be able to meet all those you lost… Silverbolt, Blazemaster, Chromia, all the other Autobots… your mother…"
"Leave my mother out of this," Marcus snarled and the Allheart obliged.
They sat in the dark, sat in the light. The Allheart looked up at a ceiling that did not seem to be there.
"So it all rests on Optimus?" Marcus finally asked.
"Of course," the Allheart replied with a grin, "Who else?"
Lightning split the night and rain smashed the street. Optimus came roaring out of heaven's light, a blaster in each hand, staring up into the eye of the storm.
Space Case stood atop the Eiffel Tower as thunderbolts lit up the hurricane around him, yet no light reflected off of him. His silver staff was embedded in the very peak the tower, sticking out of the black iron light a star in the night. He looked down on Optimus Prime with bemused eyes.
"Prime, I knew you would come. I wash my hands of your coming… demolition."
"Space Case!" Optimus roared up at the storm, "Stop this madness and I'll let you go free!"
"You still love the humans, don't you?" Space Case wondered, "Then I see no way in which we must not conflict. Goodbye, Optimus Prime; I will have more important work to do than indulge on your mirthless self-destruction."
Then the building to Optimus Prime's right exploded and Ruination came charging out, two blades in hand, roaring an ancient battle-cry.
His first blow caught Optimus in the shoulder, forcing him to drop one of his blasters. As the second blade came down, Optimus leapt back and raised his other blaster, only for Ruination to knock it away across the park. He furiously struck downwards, splitting armour and skin, causing the Prime to cry out and fall back further. He drew a blade of his own, meeting both of Ruination's in the air.
"Prime!" Ruination roared at him as their swords locked, "You need not be here! Let the lives of the lesser fuel the lives of the greater!"
Optimus broke off and kicked Ruination back.
"Exactly what I thought a Decepticon would say!" he cried at Ruination, charging forward.
Ruination looked up with malevolent optics.
"I AM NO DECEPTICON!" he thundered, and charged back, swinging his blades from both left and right. Optimus managed to block the right, but the left caught his arm and energon splattered across the grass.
Falling back even further, Optimus realised that Ruination was a cybertronian possessed. His slashes were faster than anything Optimus had ever encountered before, each one hitting at a thousand miles an hour and coming every second. Optimus rolled back, throwing an uprooted tree at Ruination, who chopped it up like a watermelon. It brought Optimus a single second of rest, before Ruination's deadly assault continued.
Optimus parried one sword, allowing him to push forward against the other, sending Ruination backward. But the former Decepticon dug his feet into the dirt and both transformers met strength with strength. On any other day, Optimus would have triumphed in this battle, but both his shoulders were wounded and Ruination was in a frenzy.
Ruination threw Optimus backwards, but as the Autobot fell back he lashed out with a kick. They both sprawled into the mud and dirt as lightning lit up the night.
Optimus looked up to see the silver staff shooting forth a strange energy into the clouds. Lightning seemed to run up and down the tower, while Space Case stood at the top of this vortex, silhouetted against the epic storm. Optimus realised he had only minutes.
"It has begun!" Space Case roared into the darkness, "The storm will spread across the Earth and when all are bathed in darkness… THEY WILL BE ERADICATED!"
Optimus looked back to see Ruination descending on him with his two blades. He spat a tooth into the ground.
"Get up, Optimus," Ruination muttered, "This is the last fight… the last dance."
Optimus leapt up and charged, energon flying from his wounds, slamming his sword against Ruination's. And then he let the strength leave him.
Ruination fell forward, surprised for just a second… but that was all it took.
Optimus knocked one of his blades away before striking back with his own. But Ruination gripped his remaining sword in both hands, roaring, and struck as well.
Both blades struck off one another in a shower of sparks, before penetrating their opponent's chest.
Ruination let out a pained gasp while Optimus gritted his teeth. Both of them held on, as each one's lifeblood flowed down their chests.
Eventually, it was Ruination who lost out.
"Optimus…" he gasped in his dying breaths, "Don't… he… just… remember…"
He slid off Optimus's keyblade and fell to the ground.
Then, with the last of his strength, Ruination crawled slowly towards the Eiffel Tower. He dragged himself across the grass, a trail of energon left behind. Eventually, he was below, looking up.
Space Case had lost all interest in the storm. He stared down from up high, looking at Ruination.
Ruination slowly got to his knees, looking up with rueful optics.
"I… tried…" he muttered, his last words, "For the sake of our dreams… for the sake of us all… I had to try…"
And then he slumped forward, silent and unmoving.
As the lightning struck the ground around him, tearing at buildings across Paris, Optimus pulled Ruination's blade out of him. Energon gushed to the ground as he screamed.
Space Case was still staring down at Ruination.
"So it comes to this, does it?" he muttered, his voice carrying across the world, "To the death of who I once called friend… and did I help in it?"
Optimus dropped his blade and began to climb the tower.
"I sent him down to perform an impossible task… to destroy him who was once dead… and why did I?"
Optimus ascended, each grasp of a rung sending shockwaves of pain through him. He gritted what teeth he had left and continued.
"And when he struggled, I did not descend… why not?"
Optimus passed the second level, winds and lightning striking against him, causing him to roar in pain.
"He was one who I once called friend… and yet the destroyer's plan must continue…"
Optimus reached the narrow climb to the precipice. Electricity ran through him as the night screamed at him and tried to tear him off.
"And yet…" the Praetoricon muttered, looking at the staff which pierced the heavens, "What good is a future without friends?"
Optimus reached out to grasp the staff. Space Case made no move to stop him.
"The universe could be ours… I would act to save us all… and yet what good is all of that… if there is no reason to live?"
Lightning slashed Optimus like whiplashes as his fingers drew ever closer to the catalyst.
"Optimus, if you stop my plan, you kill our race…" Space Case muttered, "If you don't, you doom the humans… and now I leave the decision to you. I want no more of this… no more…"
Optimus looked up at the shadowy form of Space Case. He looked to the staff, energy shooting into the sky like a pillar of light.
He made his decision.
Wracked in pain and hellacious torture, Optimus grabbed the staff and wrenched it free. The pillar vanished. Energy unmatched flowed through Optimus's arm and body.
Screeching, Space Case leapt at Optimus and tackled him off the tower. The staff went flying.
They fell.
Scratching and punching each other, they both fell towards the park as the storm rained down around them. With an impact that echoed around the continent, they smashed into the ground, the staff embedding into the grass nearby.
All was silent, save for the storm the thundered across the sky.
Slowly, painfully, both transformers got to their feet. Optimus looked up at the sky.
"The storm…" he groaned, "It still rages…"
"It will always rage while I am alive, Optimus Prime," Space Case told him mournfully, "The city is ravaged as we speak… so to end this nightmare, you must kill me. Let us see if you can…"
Space Case took the staff from the ground, transforming it into a trident of savage design and practical monstrosity. He aimed it towards Optimus Prime.
Optimus drew his keyblade from the ground. His fingers were barely able to hold it.
The Praetoricon swung his trident in an arc that sent forth a rush of air and energy that threw Optimus backwards into a lake. Space Case then slammed the trident into the ground, shaking the buildings, swaying the Eiffel tower and throwing up cars and trucks. Optimus joined them, before slamming back down into the ground.
The Praetoricon paced slowly forward, shadows wreathing off of him. Where he walked, the grass turned to ash and the trees withered and died.
Optimus got to his feet again. Space Case halted.
"Optimus… every time you are put down, you get up again… I have not seen such determination in anyone before…"
"There are some things worth more than land and power…"
Space Case stared straight ahead. The trident was still in his hand.
The lightning stopped. And yet the storm still raged.
Optimus stood, the keyblade in hand.
"Come at me Optimus," Space Case ordered, "Try and kill me."
Optimus glared and hefted up the blade.
"You are no more than a coward," the Praetoricon snarled, "Fearful of the mistakes you have made and fearful of what you are, you attempt to lead the humans, to guide them. You fool. The humans are even weaker than you… you need only realise that and realise you are above them. Or you can strike me down and prove me wrong."
Optimus charged forward, roaring, energon flying.
"You have never been anything more than a fool," Space Case whispered.
Optimus raised the blade.
"Goodbye, Optimus Prime."
The blade rammed through Space Case's chest, pierced his spark, and exited the other end.
Optimus, shocked, let go.
Space Case looked down at the blade in his chest. He let out a small sigh.
The shadows upon him dissipated. The storm receded as the evening sun glared down upon them. The city was suddenly illuminated, the light of the sun upon them all. The rivers shone, the Eiffel Tower was almost regal…
"Why did you let me kill you?" Optimus asked the Praetoricon.
Only there was no Praetoricon. That creature was no more. Before Optimus's eyes, the shadows completely vanished and there stood Space Case, red and grey, a golden trident in hand. With the blade still inside him, he turned and walked back to the tower.
"I realise now my folly," Space Case muttered sadly as he stood under the tower, "I see that to rule is to die, or forever live in torture. I understand now what drives you, Optimus… and yet call you fool as well."
He turned to look at Optimus. He sat down in the mud, next to Ruination's corpse.
"You may find one or two wise humans among the insects," Space Case told him, "I encountered one myself, yet was too blind to see his wisdom… the folly; they are disgusting creatures, as you will soon find out."
Optimus walked up to him, his pain forgotten.
"What was it all for, Space Case?" Optimus wondered, his mind reeling, "Why let me kill you after all you have done? All you have killed?"
Space Case looked at him with unseeing optics.
"I am a fool… you are a fool… we are all fools, every one of us… they are all fools…"
He looked up to the evening sky, where both sun and moon shared the sky.
"You think these humans care…?" he asked Optimus, almost sobbing, "Our race is dead, and a hundred meta-cycles from now, none of us will be alive… and no-one on your pathetic Earth will care…
"You can try to shape and mould these humans so that they won't repeat our mistakes… but they scheme and plan, pretend and trick… and when all the Decepticons are laid to rest, what will become of you? Nothing… absolutely nothing…"
Optimus just stared at him.
Space Case turned to Ruination.
"I go now… I will see you both in the Matrix… Dead End and Ruination both… all those who died warriors… all fools… all of you… all of us… everyone…"
He leant forward, staring at the ground.
And then his spark stopped.
In the distance, the bells of Notre Dame rang out.
Optimus suddenly felt himself lost, gone, estranged. He did not know what to see or feel.
What… I…
He looked up to the sun, moon and stars.
And then he heard a snap.
A single snap.
He turned his head and saw a human snapping a… machine.
He was joined by several others. Some snapped at Optimus, some at the corpses.
Soon there was a crowd of people, snapping machines…
And that's when Optimus realised just what those machines were.
They were cameras.
The people were photographing them; the corpses and Optimus Prime.
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap—
"NOOOOO!" Optimus roared and slammed his foot into the ground. The people screamed and fled, each one scrambling over the other like dogs to get away.
Soon, the park was empty again.
And Optimus felt despair within him… the likes of which he had never felt before.
And then there were footsteps.
Soundwave appeared from beneath the Eiffel Tower, hefting his two sonic blasters, a little smile on his metallic lips.
Yet the footsteps still came.
Starscream landed on the side of the tower, watching them from above, his malicious optics taking in the sight.
Yet the footsteps still came.
Shockwave appeared over Space Case's corpse. He kicked it slightly. He then turned to look at Optimus.
The footsteps stopped.
"I know what this must look like," Megatron growled from behind him, "The vultures coming to clean the meal of whatever meat it has left…"
Optimus could provide no answer.
"But do not despair," came the malevolent snarl of his enemy, "It will all be over soon. You can count on that."
Soundwave chuckled.
"I just wanted to admire the view I have of you; Optimus Prime, defeated at last. And not by any cybertronian… but by the idiocy of those disgusting insects."
Optimus looked to the sky. Megatron lowered a blaster to the Autobot's head.
"Now it ends at last."
…
"Goodbye, Optimus Prime."