Chapter 25-Fly Me to the Moon
A fireball fell from the sky.
This wasn't a rare occurrence; debris always fell to Terra's atmosphere every day and burned up in orbit, with the occasional meteor reaching the ground. Except, this wasn't a piece of space debris from some far flung corner of the galaxy, it was something else entirely. Something artificial.
The fireball fell towards a large cornfield in the Delpoi continent, somewhere in the state of Wyoming. It nearly crashed into a water tower, but its trajectory adjusted and crashed into the field. There was a loud boom as it impacted the ground, and once the smoke cleared, it was evident that this was no regular meteor. It was a giant obelisk made of white stone that wasn't native to Terra. An obelisk that was one of many that landed across Delpoi and Azteca. At the base of each pillar, four stabilizers dug into the ground to keep it upright, and the top of the pillars slid open to release a dozen tiny devices that surrounded the monolith. A tiny satellite dish rose from the top of the obelisk and began transmitting signals to the human satellites in Terra's orbit.
No one was any wiser as the obelisks used the humans own radio waves to increase its own signal, one invisible to human satellites. An alien signal.
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"That's it!" Sparkplug kicked over a rack as he stomped into Wheeljack's workshop. "I quit!"
Jolt and Longarm, who were working on a hover platform for the Ark's Minicon population to better travel around the ship, turned to their leader as he let out an uncharacteristic grunt of frustration. Only two days had passed since their little adventure with the children to rescue the Air Defense team, and the Autobots, Optimus especially, were less than thrilled to hear the details of this unsanctioned rescue mission. The kids were grounded from going on missions for a week and the Minicons were strongly reprimanded, with some of their exploratory freedoms revoked for the time being. No one was happy that day, and the once mended rift between Optimus and Sparkplug had torn open again.
"Your little chat with Prime didn't go very well, did it?" Longarm asked, working on the hovercraft's repulsor system.
"No, Longarm, it did not. I tried to explain why we did what we did…but I dunno." Sparkplug gave a tired groan and rubbed his face. "It just came out wrong."
Longarm shook his head. "Sparkplug, I know you're trying, but face it, we're Minicons, and they're Autobots. Common homeworld aside, the status quo is drastically one-sided. Try it now, Jolt."
Jolt turned on the hovercraft, and it gave a low hum before spinning around violently, not even moving an inch forward or backward. During this, Longarm and Sparkplug still talked.
"The Autobots mean well, and they've been really helpful to us," Longarm said, ignoring Jolt's terrified screams. "But as with the business with the Air Defense team demonstrated…"
"It's not us who's calling the shots. Right." Sparkplug nodded.
The hovercraft finally stopped spinning and Jolt fell onto his back in a daze, his vision swimming. Longarm stood over him. "Well?"
"S-speed control," Jolt groaned. "N-needs more work."
Sparkplug looked around at the room, at the massive ship that had been their home for a year now. Despite its size, it all felt constricting, like it was a cage. "You know, for all the Autobots have dressed this place up, it can't disguise the fact that this is just a holding facility," Sparkplug motioned to the immense chamber around him. "And that we're a very long way from home."
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"Come on, Gina, hang out with us." Darren begged his girlfriend. He, Annie and Gina had just gotten out of school for the day and they were just enjoying a seemingly normal day as children. While hanging out with the Autobots and fighting Decepticons on crazy missions, past near death experiences had taught them to find joy in the simple things.
"I have homework, Darren. You have homework." Gina smiled coyly, loving the idea of leading him around. It was fun watching him chase after her. "The mall will still be there tomorrow."
"Ah, but we live in strange times, my little genius. Lights in the sky, crop circles, alien abductions," Darren wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I live each day as if it were my last on Terra."
"Crop circles? Darren, that's all fake." Gina laughed. Hard to see any stories about alien abductions and crop circles seriously after hanging out with real aliens that are nothing like the little grey men people imagine seeing.
"But what about the probes?" He asked, popping a kiss on her cheek to make her giggle. "You better hope those are fake, too." His teasing was interrupted when someone gave him a hard shove forward, making him fall onto his back. "Hey!"
He looked up and saw Billy and Fred standing there laughing at him. He thought that they forgot about him after Annie's little meltdown scared them off last winter. Gina frowned and helped him to his feet.
"Sorry Astro-Boy, was your flight grounded?" Billy laughed. Gina stepped forward, but Fred's round form got in her way.
"Easy, Gina. This is a private grudge match." Fred said. He lost most of his bravado upon seeing the murderous look in Gina's blue eyes.
Darren looked back and cursed when he saw a wad of gum sticking to the back of his shirt. This made Billy laugh harder. "Aw, look, you found my gum! But hey, you can have it!"
"That's it!" Darren tore the gum off his shirt with his telekinesis and glared at the bully. He wasn't one to start school fights, but that was back when he was afraid of getting discovered. His new handle on his powers have increased his confidence, and now he was not afraid to give Billy the beat down he deserved. "I've had enough of your crap!"
"Ooh, did I wake the dragon?" Billy taunted.
"Damn right you did," Darren said, slamming a fist into his palm. "You've had this coming."
Gina, who had Fred on the ground with one hand held behind his back, looked up at her boyfriend. "Darren, he's not worth it."
"Oh, he totally is."
"Yeah right," Billy smirked. "You and what arm-wah!"
Billy ducked as High Wire, in vehicle mode, jumped over his head and did a wheelie around the boy. Sureshock also leapt at Fred after rushing him from the bushes, chasing him like a shark. Annie ran up to the odd sight, holding Grindor in her arm.
"Whoa, what are guys doing?" Annie asked.
"Saving you guys!" Sureshock replied.
"Oh, just get us out of here!" Gina hopped on Sureshock, while Darren grabbed onto High Wire. With the bullies well and truly frightened, the three children rode out of the parking lot and down the street.
"High Wire, you shouldn't do things like that." Darren scolded. "Especially not in full view of other people."
"So long as they do not see our true forms, we can play it safe." High Wire said. "So long as you three are safe, I see no problem in bending the rules a bit."
Darren looked down at the disguised Minicon and sighed. "We are such a bad influence on you guys."
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It was sundown when the kids and their guardians decided to call it a day after spending their afternoon at the mall (Gina still had no idea how they managed to convince her to skip studying to head to the movies). The girls were waiting with the Minicons while Darren got their lunch from a food stand on the way home.
"So you're saying there are actual crop circles?" Sureshock asked.
"Yeah, there's hundreds of them, but they're all fake." Gina shrugged.
"But wasn't there another incident in Wyoming?" Annie hummed. "A farmer just found one burned into his cornfield, a bi one."
"Pranks made by country boys who couldn't get any dates Friday night." Gina said dismissively. "Come on, Annie, we're friends with real aliens right here with better things to do than vandalize some farmer's crops and draw in the dirt."
Annie shrugged and jumped up to allow Grindor to do a flip under her. "Who knows? It's a large universe."
"Not large enough for us, though." Grindor muttered.
"And it's getting late," Darren said as he returned holding their food. He handed the girls their bags and got on High Wire. "Let's drop Gina at her place and head back home. Debbie's working a late shift at the hospital."
Gina smiled at him. "Darren, I don't need to be escorted home."
"I know, but what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't see my lady safely home?" He said in a suave tone.
"Aww, you lover boy!" Gina gushed and they shared a kiss. Annie rolled her eyes and rode past them.
"Good grief. Let's go before they head to second base." She remarked. The Minicons drove onto the street as soon as their friends were secure and went down the familiar street that would take them out of downtown. Darren took a deep breath of the fresh night air and smiled.
"This is a nice ride." Darren commented, placing his arms behind is head to let High Wire balance for him. "And to think I used to peddle, right High Wire? High Wire?" He tapped the mech's handlebars to get his attention. "You okay there bud-whoa!"
He quickly held on tight to the handlebars as High Wire, Sureshock and Grindor suddenly increased their speed without warning. The girls tried to talk to their partners as well, but they wouldn't respond as well.
"Darren, what's happening?" Gina exclaimed. "Why aren't they answering?"
Annie yelped as a car made a sudden stop and almost crashed into a truck. Thankfully, Grindor still had enough awareness to avoid these obstacles in his path. "Why are the traffic lights suddenly headlights?"
They swerved off the chaotic streets that became a traffic nightmare thanks to the malfunctioning traffic lights, and the Minicons drove towards the outskirts of the city, compelled by some invisible force. Darren saw that they were reaching the forest, and at this time of day, they could easily get lost once the sun goes down.
"Oh, this is bad!" Darren said.
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"They're gone?!" Megatron roared.
"Y-yes, my lord," Knockout gulped. He stood before Megatron on the Nemesis' bridge as he gave his commander the really bad news. "The Minicons are all gone, even Songbird. Apparently they used the ground bridge to leave the ship."
Megatron thought about it for a minute, then calmed down, rubbing his chin in thought. "Most curious. They know full well they're tagged. It's not as though they can hide."
Unless they weren't trying to hide at all. Giving Songbird's loyalty to Nightshade, to suddenly desert her was very strange. Was it possible that she and the others were being compelled by something?
"Orders, my liege?"
"Track them, but do not engage." Megatron ordered. "I sense this is a prelude to something greater."
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"They're gone?" Optimus said, staring at Prowl in shock. Much like Megatron, Optimus was just given the bad news-the Minicons were missing. Even the personal friends of the Autobots-Road Storm, Tracer, Peppercat, even Sparkplug; everyone was gone. According to the security logs, they all used the ground bridge from a remote link in their quarters-a link Optimus and the others didn't even know they had.
"Should I try to contact them? They've essentially deserted us, and I know Sparkplug is not the one to up and leave, unless…" Ratchet thought better than to mention the recent argument between the Micron leader and Prime, so he cleared his throat. "Well, maybe he needed to cool off."
"Meaning I overreacted? Perhaps I did, Ratchet, but they went against by explicit orders during that incident." Optimus said firmly.
"I'm just saying, they're not Autobots, and we can't treat them like subordinates."
"Ratchet, this is our ship. Our ship, our rules. That is something the Minicons must abide by." Prowl said. "They may be an independent faction, but as long as their affairs mingle with ours, they must adhere to authority."
"All of which served to drive them away." Optimus sighed and pressed a button. "Teletran, bring up the previous ground bridge coordinates. We need to know where the Minicons are going."
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The mind controlled Minicons had taken the children outside Tranquility and deep into the forest. With the sun practically gone by now, it was almost pitch black. They couldn't call the Autobots for help without falling off at the speed they were going, which would hurt a lot. Fortunately, they made it out of the forest and into a wide clearing near the same place where they had found Sparkplug's escape pod on that one fateful afternoon. There, they came upon a strange sight.
"What in Gaia's name is that?" Annie gaped.
In the middle of the grassy field was a thirty foot stone pillar at the center of a domed energy field. And to their horror, they saw Sparkplug, Longarm and the other Minicons walking towards it in a trance.
"This is weird." Gina said.
"Whatever that thing is, it's collecting the Minicons up like action figures! Huh?" Darren glanced down at High Wire when he came to a stop and gave a shout when he switched to robot mode, throwing him off. Sureshock and Grindor did the same.
"Guys? Come on, snap out of it!" Annie begged, starting to panic. "Darren, stop them!"
"I can't. Not without hurting them." He said. The Minicons, didn't even glance their way as they entered the energy field and continued towards the pillar. Looking up, Darren noticed the small radio dish on the top. "You guys see that?"
"Yeah, I do." Gina narrowed her eyes. "That thing is definitely alien, and not dolem either."
"We need to call the Autobots!" Annie said.
"We're already here, kid."
A ground bridge appeared in the field and Optimus appeared with Arcee, Jazz, Bumblebee, Wheeljack and Ironhide. The children smiled, thinking that the Autobots could fix this.
"Oh thank Gaia." Annie sighed.
"That thing has the Minicons in some kind of trance." Gina pointed to the pillar. "It's drawing them to it!"
"We got it, kid!" Ironhide charged up his cannons and pointed them at the pillar. "Prime, we clear to shoot.
"Just keep your aim high." Optimus aimed his ion cannon at the target. "Fire!"
At Prime's command, the Autobots opened fire on the obelisk with their weapons, mostly energy weapons to cause maximum damage. To their surprise and dismay, their weapons had little effect as they hit and dispersed against the spherical energy field.
"Great, that thing's got a shield!" Bumblebee groaned.
When the smoke cleared, two dozen panels opened up on the pillar near its base on four sides. Nearly two dozen laser emitters slid out and began shooting at the Autobots.
"And it has guns! Ow!" Jazz hissed as a laser hit his arm, blasting off a chunk of armor.
"Wheeljack, can you find a way to get this barrier down?" Optimus asked. The Minicons were now passing through the no-go zone of the field and they couldn't get close enough without being shot at. "We need to get in close."
"Not without knowing what it is, first!" Wheeljack said.
"Jetfire, Tomahawk, can you get in from above?" Arcee called in their air units.
The two flyers were trying to attack the pillar from above, firing missiles and laser blasts at the dome, but they too had little luck in that regard. In fact, they were busy dodging the laser light show that was trying to shoot them down.
"No luck up here, Arcee," Tomahawk said. "Our payload can't even dent that thing. The field is too strong."
Darren bit his lip as he saw the Autobots struggling to break through the barrier and groaned when he saw the Minicons entering the odd structure. "They're not going to make it."
"Darren, look!" Gina pointed at the base of the pillar. Her enhanced eyes could see the doors slide closed behind the Minicons once they were all inside. Then she took notice of the four nozzles on the bottom of the pillar-they were rockets! This obelisk was a spaceship!
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Thousands of miles down south in Azteca, the Decepticons were also meeting fierce resistance in the retrieval of their Minicons. Megatron was leading the assault from the ground and sky. Unfortunately for the, this pillar was packing as much firepower as the other two, loaded with an assortment of heat seeking missiles and pulse cannons that lit up the sky with explosions like fireworks.
"Lord Megatron, we're not making any progress with the barrier." Dreadwing reported.
"Don't give me that! Attack it with everything you've got!" Megatron roared, firing his fusion cannon at the energy barrier in his tank mode.
Nightshade, who was shooting either her ether arrows from Gandiva or firing missile darts from her wings, saw four panels slide open at the base and four rockets emerge. As soon as the last Minicon was inside, the rockets ignited and the pillar began to take off. The Cons on the ground were forced to back away from the intense flames, while the flyers that tried to assault the airborne obelisk was still met with strong resistance from its weapons systems.
"No, damn you!" Megatron roared and continued shooting at the obelisk. "Fall, fall!"
Despite his futile attempts to disable it, the obelisk had quickly reached the upper atmosphere, far from the reach of the Cons, along with the other two that were launching from Delpoi. In just an hour, the entire population of Minicons on Terra had been taken off the planet.
"Damn it all to hell!" Megatron snarled. "Knockout, link the Nemesis to the humans' satellite network and track that rocket! We need to bring it down before it passes the moon!"
"Megatron," Nightshade landed next to him and pointed at the spot the pillar had launched from. "Look."
He followed her gaze and his eyes went wide at the smoking patch of grass on the ground. Burned into the ground like a massive brand was a symbol-the faction symbol of the Micron faction.
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Meanwhile, the Autobots had regrouped at the Ark, with the distraught children who were desperately trying to make sense of the situation. Seeing their friends just get snatched up like that was nothing short of terrifying and they needed answers.
"Optimus, what just happened?" Gina asked. "What was that rocket?"
"I don't know, Gina, but that symbol it left behind leaves an obvious clue as to who's behind this." Optimus said, not slowing his stride down the hall.
They entered the computer hub, where Ratchet was working at the terminal studying the footage of the battle against the obelisk. The medic stared at the screen, then turned to Optimus. "Optimus, that symbol…"
"I know, Ratchet," Optimus replied. "But have you checked the shuttle's trajectory?"
"I tried, but that energy barrier is probably blocking its heat signature." Ratchet shook his head helplessly. "I'm sorry, but it's gone."
"Don't say that, doc/ o know you can find them." Annie said. "We're not giving up now!"
"No one's giving up, Annie. But we need to know what we're dealing with if we want to save them." Bulkhead said.
"Maybe that huge Micron symbol in the ground is a clue?" Jetfire shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a hunch."
"That's the symbol of the Micron, the neutral Minicon faction." Flashpoint said. "But I thought the ones we had and the Decepticon Mini-Cons were the only active ones on this planet."
"Not exactly," Darren said, getting their attention. "Now that I think about it, Sparkplug said when the Exodus dropped out of fold space into Terra's orbit, it crashed into the moon before falling to Terra. It broke in half, with the front half falling to the planet."
"Wait, you think Minicons are behind this?" Sunstreaker snorted. "Those little bots can barely lift a screw without needing helo. What makes you think they're capable of staging a take over?"
"Dude," Rodimus placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "As your resident stand-in for Sideswipe, I am obligated to tell you to stop talking before someone makes you look stupid."
"It's been nearly 4.5 million years since the Exodus crashed on Terra, what's so impossible about active Minicons living on the moon?" Arcee said. "The winter solstice had already caused some panels to activate prematurely, after all."
"If that's true, then we already know where out Minicons were taken to." Prowl said. Optimus nodded.
"Luna."
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Sparkplug had been through some pretty strange experiences, but this one had to be on the top three. There was a huge hole in his memory, from helping Jolt and Longarm in the Ark, to waking up here, with friend and for lying around him. He had to work with Leader-1 of all people to wake up their respective comrades. They were all stuck in a large cell sealed by a hard-light energy barrier. There wasn't much to see outside other than a dimly lit hallway. Seeing that they had no other options, Sparkplug did the only thing he could do-yell.
"Hey! Hey!" Sparkplug yelled into the hall. "Is anyone there?"
He waited for a reply, or for someone to come shut him up, but nothing happened. Sparkplug exhaled and kicked the energy field.
"Shouting doesn't work, who would've thought." Leader-1 taunted.
"Shut up, Leader-1," Sparkplug said. "Why hasn't anyone come? I mean, whoever brought us here must have done so for a reason."
"Ever think this might be the reason?"
Everyone turned to D-Va, who was leading against the stone wall at the back of the cell. The dim lights made her pink armor look darker, and her light magenta eyes glowed furiously as she glared at both Sparkplug and Leader-1. "Think about it. As far as we know, this is the sum total of Minicons currently on Terra. Our presence is a catalyst for war, if follows us around like a bad smell."
"So somebody decided to just remove us? Lock us up and throw away the key?" Runway crossed his arms. "I don't buy it."
"Absolutely not." Sonar said.
"No way." Jetstorm shook his head.
"Even if you're right, D-Va, the question is still who." Sparkplug said. Brahe let out a frustrated grunt.
"Brahe is stick of talking!" He roared. "Brahe will break us out!"
Before he could transform into his spherical alt mode, Peppercat jumped on his and jammed her fingers into his cranium to electrocute him, bringing him to his knees. Sureshock kicked him in the face.
"You can't transform in here you dumbass!" Sureshock hissed. "You'll bounce off the barrier and kill everyone here!"
Rollbar went to study the barrier. "This obviously isn't terran technology. Too sophisticated, even for OZ. Some alien race, perhaps?"
"Actually, Rollbar, the answers are right in front of you."
The Minicons turned their attention back to the front of the cell, and saw three Minicons standing at the entrance. Sparkplug quickly recognized them as Dualor, a dark blue mech, the bright orange Drill Bit with a drill on his right arm, and Bonesaw, a yellow mech with a saw on his left arm. They were the Destruction Minicon team, and standing behind them was another gestalt, like Centurion, who had black/rose colored armor and stood at 11 feet tall.
"Heavy Metal." High Wire whispered. The female Minicon gestalt gave him a sardonic smile.
"High Wire." She said in a multilayered voice.
"Dualor, Drill Bit and Bonesaw," Sparkplug couldn't believe his eyes. "You're all alive."
"Us and many more." Dualor nodded.
"But where are we? What's with the forcefield?" sparkplug leaned in, but Jolt held him back. "And how did we get here, anyway? I can't remember a thing."
"All your questions will be answered, I promise." Dualor said. He nodded to Drill Bit to open the door. "Now, stand away from the barrier, and please-" Heavy Metal pointed her weapons at them. "-No sudden moves."
The captive Minicons tensed up, and the Street Action team looked ready to combine, but Undertone gave them a discreet shake of the head. No sense in starting a fight without knowing everything they can.
"So…we're your prisoners. Is that it?" Sparkplug asked bitterly.
Dualor held up his hands in a placating gesture. "The manner of your extraction was direct, abrupt. Your first reaction may be volatile. So I took precautions."
"Stand down boys," Shot whispered to his team. "But stay on guard."
Sparkplug, Leader-1, High Wire, come with me, see all that we've accomplished here." Dualor invited them to follow him. "This is for the best. Trust me…you're home now!"
Sparkplug and High Wire traded worried glances. This felt like it was going to more of a permanent stay for them. And that Terra was a long ways off.
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"If we worked this out, it's a fair bet Megatron has too. We must go on the possibility that all Minicons on Terra were captured." Optimus told his team.
"So what now?" Annie asked. "Couldn't you guys use the ground bridge to get to the moon or something?"
"Too risky." Wheeljack said. "The ground bridge was only designed for planetary transportation. Trying to sent a bridge to Luna would only cause the bridge to strain and potentially snap, scattering us into space."
"Which means we'll have to fly." Tomahawk said.
"And the Cons have flyers in spades, so we'll be out matched in that regard." Rodimus said.
"Uh, guys? Our talos can fly, and they can survive in space too." Darren said. "We can back up Jetfire and Tomahawk on the mission."
Optimus almost instinctively refused his request, but then thought about it. They didn't have the luxury of holding back right now. Sparkplug and the others were in trouble, and Megatron wasn't going to hesitate to send all of his flyers to the moon. The Cons had them on air superiority, and the talos were exceptional in atmospheric and zero-G conditions, as Gina had proved during her mission on Cybertron.
"Children, get your pilot suits and man your talos. You three will be flying to Luna with Jetfire and Tomahawk."
"Hell yeah, we're going to the moon!" Annie cheered.
"You three make it quick. I'm sure Megatron has already sent his air units to space as well." Prowl said.
And he was right. On the beaches of Decepticon Island, Megatron stood before Nightshade, Dreadwing and the Seeker unit.
"I don't need to tell you how important this is." Megatron said, glaring at all of them. "If our Minicons were targets, then so were the Autobots' pets. Go up there, locate those Minicons, and bring them all to me!"
Dreadwing nodded. "We will not-"
"Don't say you won't fail until you've actually completed the mission, Dreadwing." Megatron hissed. The new aerospace commander nodded and fell back in line.
"If everyone understands the mission, then you know what to do." Nightshade said and transformed to her beast mode. "It's time we started this game."
"Game?" Thundercracker inquired.
"Yes, Thundercracker, a game," She flew into the air and the Seekers followed her lead. "A game called Hunt the Minicon!"
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As Dualor showed his "guests" the rest of his hidden lunar sanctuary, Sparkplug and High Wire realized that he had built a literal fortress. Everything was underground, hidden from solar radiation and human satellites. The base itself was small, just large enough to comprise the entire canyon with numerous leading to caves under Luna's surface.
During the tour, Sparkplug saw other Minicons he thought he'd never see again; the Space Team, the Race team, the Street Speed team, and the Emergency team. They were all living on Luna, and no one was any wiser to their presence above their heads.
"We started with very little-the remains of the Exodus, its cargo, and what raw materials this rock had to offer…and look what we made!" Dualor grinned at his peers. "A home away from home. Secure, self-sufficient, defensible. A sanctuary…a fortress!"
"This is unbelievable," High Wire whispered in awe, and looked at Breakage, one of Heavy Metal's components. "But I don't see Redline, Combusta and Kingbolt's teams. Where are they?"
"They were among the Minions jettisoned from the Exodus. Locating them has been difficult." She said.
"But we're already in the process of locating four new panels hidden on the planet." Dualor motioned to the control center where the Space team was already working at their stations. "It's thanks to Astroscope and his crew that we were able to find them, and you. All thinks to a psionic radio wave that attracts Minicon brainwaves. I won't bore you with the science behind it, but it's how we brought you here."
"When hostilities started on Cybertron, we avowed our independence, dug in deep," Breakage gave Leader-1 a harsh glare. "But thanks to bottom feeders like you we lost our homes to Megatron as he tore our defenses apart."
"I did what I had to do to get my revenge for Solomus. I'm guiltless in my Spark." Leader-1 growled.
"Well, worry no longer, you're not the only Decepticon traitor, Leader-1." Dualor said. He pointed to a three mechs patrolling the center-a pair of twins, one white, the other black, and the third bright green and orange mech. "Rook, Crosswise and Thunder (Armada Inferno) were also like you, they joined the Cons for power as well. But I gave them a chance, join our lunar commute as free individuals-or end up as space dust on the solar winds. They made the right choice."
High Wire glared at Dualor. "And us? When did you decided we wanted in?"
Dualor snorted. "When the alternative was being Megatron's pet power cell or Prime's lackey, I think I'm doing you a favor."
They walked deeper into the base, passing by three escape shuttles that were salvaged from the Exodus' hangar bay, and the armory that was full of weapons. Weapons that Sparkplug didn't recognize. "I don't remember outfitting the Exodus with anti-aircraft weapons."
"The missiles and laser arrays are last minute additions I made before we launched from Hydrau, courtesy of a certain trader of questionable goods."
"Swindle." Leader-1 hissed. Sparkplug was just as incensed.
"So you went behind my back and made backroom deals?" He yelled.
"I did what I needed to do to preserve our kind! Don't accuse me of nothing when all I've done is salvage your mess!" Dualor shouted, losing his composure. "I did all of this for you, for High Wire, even for Leader-1. I did it for all Minicons! We don't have to slaves to the Autobots or Decepticons anymore! I saved you!"
"Saved us? You afforded us the same lack of consideration as the Decepticons!" High Wire said.
Dualor nearly punched High Wire clean in the jaw, but he held himself back. "If you can't see the difference between this and living at Optimus Prime's beck and call, or being Megatron's slave, then you've been more thoroughly brainwashed than I realized."
"It's not brainwashing, it's friendship. Some of us have made friends with the Autobots, and I've made friends with the humans who freed us!" High Wire replied. "It's thanks to them that we're even having this conversation!"
"So you'd rather be glorified bodyguards to a bunch of insignificant fleshies? And you were supposed to be our greatest warrior." Dualor spat. "No matter, if Centurion is useless, then Heavy Metal will pick up your slack."
"They'll come you know," Leader-1 spoke up. "The Decepticons, the Autobots, maybe even High Wire's human pets. They'll all come once they realize where we are."
"Well then," Dualor's grin was chilling enough to make even Leader-1 step back. "Bring them on!"
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Nightshade and the Seekers were already en route to Luna, having used the ground bridge to teleport them half way into the upper atmosphere before continuing the rest of the way themselves. They were soon in the weightless environment of space and were circling to the dark side of the moon.
"Seekers, switch to sub0neuro speech drives." Nightshade ordered. "And be ready for anything."
"Nightshade, we're approaching their out defenses." Thundercracker reported.
As they neared Luna's dark side, they could see an entire cloud of proximity mines being released into space from hidden launchers on the moon's surface. The Cons knew that as soon as they within less than a foot of those mines, they could explode. Which didn't sound too bad, as all they had to was avoid them, but they weren't expecting the mines to suddenly fly towards them. Nightshade fired a swarm of missile darts from her wings to detonate the mines.
"Seekers, take evasive action!" Dreadwing weaved through the exploding mine field, shooting his laser guns at the deadly spheres.
"For Megatron's sake," Skywarp grunted as he took two mines to his underside. He transformed and started shooting them down, trying to avoid the ones coming at him from all directions. "There's too many of them to bust through!"
"Then shoot them down!" Skyquake yelled.
"Skywarp, teleport me and Dreadwing into the moon's orbit!" Nightshade commanded.
Skywarp complied, taking hold of the two Cons and warping them closer to the moon. But as soon as they appeared, missile pods disguised as moon rockets emerged from the ground and fired a heavy volley of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery. Nightshade transformed and shot three of them down with Gandiva, but got hit in her wing from a missile that caught her from behind. Another caught Dreadwing in his leg, and Skywarp lost a chunk of armor on his arm from a well placed laser blast to his shoulder. In the mine field, Thundercracker flew as fast as he could around the oncoming missiles, but they followed suit.
"Laser-guided, frag me!" Thundercracker weaved through the canyons to use the natural terrain as cover, but the hidden photon turrets opened fire at him as he passed through, pelting him with white hot bursts that tore into his armor. He cursed and swayed unsteadily, hitting the canyon wall and crashing into the ground, rolling to a stop amidst a pile of and lunar rocks.
XXXXXX
This chaos was exactly what Jetfire, Tomahawk and the children came upon as they flew towards Luna's dark side. The dark half of the moon was alit with explosions blossoming in space, laser fire, missile detonations and bright white lightning from Gandiva. The Autobots took point, with the omega team at the rear. The three talos were emitting large amounts of sol particles from their vents in order to cover their approach from enemy sensors. This was the only reason the mines were chasing them down like bloodhounds.
For Darren and Annie, this was a surreal experience. It was their first time leaving their native planet, and even though it was not as extravagant as going to Cybertron, it was a bit terrifying. There was no air, no sound save for the dull booms of explosions, and it was easy to become disorientated. The cockpits of their mecha were pressurized, so they didn't have to worry about air, and the same went for their pilot suits. But there was always that lingering fear of what would happen if the cockpit was damaged, or if their suits were breached. These fears would've eventually paralyzed the twins had Jetfire not been talking them through the whole flight.
"You doin' okay in there, kids?" Jetfire asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Darren said. "We're just trying to process it, that's all. I mean…we're in space!"
"This is so weird." Annie whispered.
"Just focus on what's in front of you," Gina said. "Don't let the vastness of space get to you. Just fight like you always do, and keep your eye on the prize."
"Says the girl who hitched a ride to Cybertron." Annie muttered.
"Annie, please, we'll get through this," Gina promised, giving Annie a smile through the communications monitor. "We have to, for Sparkplug and the others."
Annie took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the control sticks. "Okay, let's get this done."
"We'll fly in arrow formation," Tomahawk said. "Jetfire and I will take up the rear. Darren, Annie and Gina, you three will form the tip of the spear. We'll be relying on you guys to cover our approach for as long as possible until they get a visual on us. By then, it'll be too late for them."
"Got it." Darren switched his talos into flight mode and got into position with the girls. "All right, people, let's go get our friends back!"
XXXXXX
Sparkplug jumped as more tremors shook the base. The monitors were showing Dreadwing shooting at the main entrance to the fortress, while Skywarp and Thundercracker took out the automated guns. Bonesaw led the three Minicons to their cells.
"Seems pretty intense," Sparkplug noted, secretly mapping the halls they went down. "Can the place stand up to that sort of punishment?"
"Better believe it. There's moon rock reinforced tritenium and force fields between us and them." Bonesaw said. "Now move it! You just tell your buddies this is as safe as they'll ever be."
"And if we still want to leave?" High Wire asked. He was still aggravated from his argument with Dualor and was itching for a fight.
"Then we'll show you the door!"
Nightshade fired another arrow to take out the missile pod near her, but two proton blasts hit her legs. She fell to her knees and caught a few armor piercing rounds to the face before she smashed it apart. She cursed and tried to stand, but Thundercracker had to help her up. She saw that the other Seekers were also having problems getting past the base's defenses. These Minicons were well-equipped for any invader in mind.
"Slag," Nightshade hissed. They weren't getting anywhere with a frontal assault. "Seekers, fall back!"
The Cons disengaged and followed Nightshade back to their secondary positions near the lunar canyons for cover. When the Minicons saw this, they were elated.
"The Decepticons are retreating!" Rook announced. "Minicons, we have drove them back!"
The Minicons cheered at their victory, but Dualor and his team were as happy. He pushed pasted the crowed and continued towards the command center.
"Looks like we have 'em on the ropes." Drill Bit said.
"They'll be back in force. Count on it." Dualor said. He knew the next time the Cons come attacking, it'll be a close fight that will probably cost them a lot of artillery in the process. "How are our guests Bonesaw?"
"Figure Sparkplug and High Wire are gonna be a problem. Not sure about Leader-1, but some of the others are going to be a problem." Bonesaw crossed his arms with a grunt. "But they'll come around…in time."
Dualor frowned. He wasn't worried about Sparkplug's group of pencil pushers, but Leader-1's cabal could prove to be a problem. They weren't numerous, but could still pose a threat if they weren't monitored carefully. But no matter how much they whined and cried, he wasn't going to let them go just like that. Not when their kind was at their strongest.
"I just got word from Astroscope," Indy (Armada Mirage), leader of the combiner Race team that formed the Skyboom Shield, said as he approached the group. "He said two Autobots and three unknowns just appeared in out cameras south of the base."
"Five bogeys? How the hell did they get past the minefield and our sensor web?" Bonesaw growled. Indy shrugged.
"Three unknowns?" Drill Bt inquired.
"Must be those three human Leader-1 was talking about. The Street Action team's human pets," Dualor spat. "Pathetic."
So not only did they have Autobots and Decepticons knocking at their doors, but the humans were getting in on the action, too? Fine, he'll kill them all if that's what it took to ensure Minicon independence. Dualor knew Sparkplug's Exodus ship was going to end up in flames, but he still went along with it anyway because it promised to ferry Minicons out of Decepticon…and Autobot hands.
Sure, may argue that the Decepticons had always been the primary aggressors, but in their own way, the Autobots are no different. They had become dangerously dependant on Minicon augmentation. Dualor knew that it wasn't going to end on Terra, so he took it upon himself to take the Minicons stranded on Terra out of the equation. He knew doing so would provoke a reaction from both sides, but he was prepared. No one, Autobot, Decepticon or human was going to take away their freedom!
"What should we do? I doubt some of the other bots are willing to attack the Autobots." Drill Bit asked.
"Then we put some like-minded bots in charge of operations." Dualor turned to Indy. "Tell Breakage and Terradive to man the secondary pulse cannons and charge up the rail guns. We'll tear the Autobots down ourselves!"
XXXXXX
"So what the hell was that?" Thundercracker asked, nursing a shoulder wound. "We were completely thrashed out there! I thought this was going to be easy."
"We were unprepared, Thundercracker, that's all." Nightshade said, sitting on a boulder. "In our zeal, I forgot the first rule of battle. Find a weakness and exploit it for all its worth."
The Decepticons were recuperating in a small canyon two miles away from the Minicon base. It was hell getting there with all the hidden artillery and cannons, but they managed to fly out of range and give themselves some breathing room. They were slagged in all but name, but now it was time to think of a new battle plan.
"Is there a weakness?" Skywarp grumbled. He had it almost as bad as Nightshade, having taken the brunt of the base's auto-guns upon teleporting into the base's field of view. "All I'm seeing, Nightshade, is shields, reinforced rock and a whole slew of armaments."
"Which, we got a good taste of earlier." Skyquake groaned. "My afterburners are still ringing."
"The Minicons are dug in deep all right," She smiled and looked at Skywarp. "But that just means you have to dig in deeper. Skywarp, I have a job for you."
XXXXXXX
Back in their prison, the captured Minicons weren't having a jolly time. High Wire explained the situation to them, and they reacted differently. Some non-aligned Minicons like Cannon and Shot were a bit on the fence about it, but Songbird and Peppercat were largely against it. Overall, opinions were mixed, but not centered on one thing. Either way, they were still stuck in a cell with a war going on outside.
"Despite the abrupt abduction, I don't see anything wrong with this place." Liftor said.
"Are you kidding?" Grindor snorted. "I don't want to be stuck on the moon waiting for the Cons to take pot shots at us! I want to be with our friends!"
"So you'd rather be with humans than your own kind?" Cannon sneered. "You're more pathetic that I thought."
"Don't start you cog sucker or we'll sick Annie on you!" Grindor shouted.
"Can we get out of here?" Sureshock asked, throwing a rock at the barrier. "If we can't, we'll never see Darren, Annie or Gina again."
"Let me get this straight-you want to be rescued? Why?" Shot asked his tone harsh. "We're home, or as close to it as we'll likely get."
"Oh sure, this is really homey. The cozy cell, the warm glow of the security force fields," Jolt said sarcastically. "All they forgot was the mat with "Welcome" on it."
"You might wanna check that attitude, Jolt!" Crack growled. Jolt wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"Or you'll do what, soldier boy?"
"Knock it off!" D-Va yelled, pushing them apart. "This isn't the time or the plans you morons!"
"At ease, Crack." Shot said, placating his teammate.
"This is better than most human dramas." Search laughed.
"Don't you all see? We're with our kind now, making a stand against the Bulks who torched our world with their war." Liftor said. "For all of us here, the war's over."
"Maybe," Sparkplug muttered, but everyone heard him. They all turned to the yellow Minicon who hadn't said a word since they got back.
"Sparkplug?" Longarm said.
"Guys, I've been giving this a lot of thought." Sparkplug said. "If you're happy to be here, that's all fine and good. If not, well…that's the real question, isn't it? See, it's not whether we're better off here, safer, happier…it's that no one asked! Dualor, Drill Bit, Bonesaw, whoever else…we should quit griping and thank them and get on with our new lives. But I for one can't. Because they didn't ask, they just took. And that is exactly what we were running from in the first place!"
Unseen from prying eyes, a dark figure stood near the wall, hearing Sparkplug's impassioned speech. Indy of the Race team looked down in thought before quietly sneaking down the hall.
XXXXXX
"This is insane!" Jetfire yelled.
He flew through the air with explosions trailing behind him. Heat seeking missiles tried to shoot him down, but he used flares to throw them off course and avoided the rest skillfully. Tomahawk had to fly low to the ground and fire off her missiles to take out the laser cannons and pods.
As for the kids, they flew their talos across the moon's surface using their mecha's sol particles to generate a stealth field to mask their heat signatures. Annie fired off Enyo's own supply of missiles to annihilate the cannons, while Gina's Athena tore apart the automated defenses. Darren was their main source of protection, forming a telekinetic barrier against the incoming projectiles.
"How far do we have to go?" Annie asked.
"Just another mile or two." Tomahawk said. "I can see the outline of the base near the crater."
"Can you see the bloody artillery cannons too?" Jetfire shouted, smashing two particle cannons apart. "Because they have plenty of those-ah!" He was knocked to the ground as a hole was torn in his shoulder.
"Jetfire!" Gina exclaimed. She screamed as another beam hit her unit's leg in mid-flight, sending her spinning uncontrollably before hitting the ground hard.
"What's hitting us?" Darren asked, erecting a TK barrier just as another purple beam was fired at him.
"It's a fusion cannon!" Tomahawk declared, transforming to robot mode and crouching inside a crater. "We need to lay low to avoid being targeted."
Annie flew over to Gina and Jetfire, landing her talos on the hard ground. But the minute Enyo's foot touched the ground, she was engulfed in a mighty explosion that sent the talos flying off into space, up into the firing line of the photon cannons attacking her position. More land mines exploded around Jetfire and Athena, throwing the white talos around like a toy soldier, but Jetfire made sure to take the brunt of the explosion.
"I am so sick of this crap!" Darren raised his talos' arms and a mile of rock was uprooted in front of him. The undetonated gravity mines that he revealed were thrown at the base, and they all exploded at once, illuminating the southern perimeter of the fortress like the fourth of July.
XXXXXX
"That red one is going to be a problem." Bonesaw said.
"Focus the fusion cannons on the red machine and keep forcing the Autobots back. We'll torch them all right here!" Dualor said. Indy appeared in the doorway, losing his optical camouflage. "Indy, how are our guests?"
"They're doing…good." Indy lied. "They're coming around. Even the diehards like Sparkplug and Leader-1 are considering a change."
"Really?" Drill Bit hummed. "I'd have thought those two would be the most problematic."
Indy looked down. "Well…"
Suddenly the base began to shake as an explosion sounded in the distance, catching the Minicons off guard.
"What was that?" Indy asked.
"Indy, go check on our guests. Make sure the holding field is secure." Dualor turned to his team. "You two are coming with me to the control center. I want to know what the hell is going on!"
Dualor had no idea that Nightshade had Skywarp retrieve an energon driller from Terra. She had Knockout ground bridge both him and the machine into orbit, where he teleported it the rest of the way. He had to make multiple warps to get the machine to Luna, but when he got it there, the rest was history. Trying to take the base from the front was near impossible with all the heavy fire coming at them, so Nightshade figured using the drill to tunnel under the base was more effective. Thundercracker and Skyquake would maintain diversionary tactics to keep on the pressure, and as for Nightshade and Dreadwing…
"The whole place is coming down!" Jolt screamed.
"Hehe, no you fools," Leader-1 laughed. "It's out ride home!"
The rock wall behind them was smashed apart and Nightshade's avian head stomped into the hall. Her red eyes gleaming, she pecked at the barrier, her sharp beak breaking apart the shield generator and dispersing the force field. Songbird hopped around, positively elated at seeing her mistress again.
"Mistress!" Songbird cried out, flying onto the larger bird's shoulder.
"I missed you too, Songbird." Nightshade said, equally as glad to have her Minicon back. Then Leader-1 had to ruin the moment.
"You certainly took your damn time." Leader-1 complained. He yelped as Nightshade snapped her beak at him.
"Be glad I don't snap you in half for that!" She hissed. "Now, as for the rest of you…"
She grunted when she felt plasma blasts hit her back and swung her head around to see a team of Minicons attacking her with heavy weapons. They were members of the base's security team.
"You aren't taking anyone!" Glacier of the Adventure team shouted. "Iceberg, Dunerunner, torch her!"
"Little pests. Songbird, deal with them!" Nightshade looked at Leader-1. "Leader-1, take the others and find the nerve center of this place. Shut down their defenses."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"What? No, someone stop them!" Sparkplug charged at Leader-1, but someone pulled him back.
"Sparkplug, if she's made it in, then the base is lost." Indy whispered, dragging him and High Wire away. "You must get your friends out of here, now."
"But what about the rest of you?" High Wire asked.
"The two Autobots and humans you've spoken of are under attack as well, and are in danger." Indy told them.
"The children?!" Sureshock gasped.
""My team and I will lead you to them, and the rest can go to the escape pods down on the second level."
"Why are you helping us?" Grindor asked. "I thought you worked for Dualor."
"Not all of us are here strictly by choice. Dualor and his supporters have turned this community into a dictatorship. The weapons, forcing us into Heavy Metal's arsenal, it's too much." Indy sighed. "I will inform my allies to go to Terra with you. As far as I'm concerned, Dualor can rot."
"Then we better get going." Sparkplug said. He was glad to see that Dualor had no friends among the gestalt targetmasters. "High Wire, take your team and rendezvous with the children. Jolt I need you to lead the group to the shuttles."
"But what about you?" jolt asked.
"I'm going to find Dualor and end this nightmare." Sparkplug said, a determined expression on his face. "We won't be able to leave if he's still running the show, and our friends outside need help as well."
"Okay, stay safe, Sparkplug." High Wire said and faced his team. "Let's go!"
The Street Action Team ran down the corridor while Jolt led the Autobot-aligned Minicons to the escape pods. But D-Va remained behind.
"D-Va, what are you doing? I told you to-"
"I heard you, but you're going to need help against Dualor's goons and Leader-1's lackeys." She said. "You couldn't throw a punch worth a damn, anyway."
"But-oh forget it, come on!" Sparkplug said and ran down the hall with her towards the command center together.
XXXXXX
"Astroscope, what the frag it going on?" Dualor snarled. The space team leader looked at him in panic.
"A Decepticon just appeared in the holding cells down below. Glacier's team is engaging, but they're not doing much damage."
"How did she get past our defenses? We're shooting at them from every damn direction!" Bonesaw raged.
"She drilled into the rock." Payload said.
"Never mind that! What about our guests, what happened to them?"
"What do you think? They're free and heading towards the shuttle bay." Astroscope said. "And we need to do the same."
"You're not going anywhere!" Dualor growled. "Sparkplug and Leader-1 are going to be converging on this place and we need to hold them back!"
"But the place is coming apart!" Astroscope replied, but froze when Dualor pulled a blaster on him.
"We have invested too much in this fortress to abandon it. I am not running from those damn war mongers even if it kills me. So you are going to sit there and manage our defenses or I'll have Heavy Metal tear you in half!"
Astroscope looked like he wanted to run or go back to work, but seeing how frazzled Dualor was at hearing the news of his prisoners' freedom had sparked something in him. A certain fire that made him stare directly into Dualor's eyes and outright deny him.
"Go ahead and shoot," He said through clenched teeth. "At least I'd die helping Sparkplug, our real leader, than a militant like you!"
Dualor gnashed his teeth so hard he nearly chipped them. He shoved the blaster into Astroscope's head, fully intending to pull the trigger, when a disc fell at his team's feet and exploded, sending them all crashing into the walls. Through the smoke, Astroscope saw Leader-1, Search, Rook, Crosswise and Thunder entering the room.
"Rank amateurs," Leader-1 huffed, kicking Drill Bit aside. "I'll show you how to bring down the house!"
Astroscope was running on auto-pilot at this point, already having his team mobilize. "Payload, Skyblast, combine!"
Being gestalts, all it took was a single thought for them to combine into their weapon mode; a long barreled solar cannon called the Hydra Cannon. Astroscope formed the cannon's barrel, while Payload and Skyblast composed the other half. It was another powerful Minicon weapon capable of firing beams of charged solar or particle energy so concentrated that it could pierce the armor of a Bulk in one hit. But as they were designed to be wielded by Centurion or Heavy Metal, they couldn't keep themselves steady to aim properly. But that didn't stop them from taking a pot shot at Leader-1.
"Oh slag, scatter!"
The Mini-Cons jumped aside as an immensely hot beam shot past them. They were quick enough to escape instant death, but not Brahe, who just got into the room after getting lost. The brutish Mini-Con didn't know what hit him as the beam punctured his chest and his body exploded. Leader-1 and his group had no time to react as the Space Team decombined and made a run for the secondary exit. Rook made to follow them, but Leader-1 stopped them.
"Don't bother, this is more important." Leader-1 said. "Thunder, get on that console."
Thunder did so without question. It only took a few minutes into the system and deactivate the weapons systems. "It's done."
"Nightshade, external and internal defenses are disabled. A dampener field is block all non-Decepticon comm-channels," Leader-1 reported. "The base is ours."
XXXXXX
"That red one is starting to piss us off." Heavy Metal growled. "Why aren't you shooting at it?"
Terradive pressed the trigger but the fusion cannons didn't respond. "Something's wrong with the fusion cannons. They're dead!"
"Hell, none of our weapons are working!" Thunderflame (Armada Thunderwing) said. "Even the missile pods and auto-guns won't move!"
"Well get them back up and fast. That thing is tearing up our barricades!" Gunbarrel said.
Outside, Darren and Tomahawk were mowing down the weapons systems that weren't connected to the main defense network. Darren would tear up large rocks and throw them at the southern wall. The closer they got, the more damage was being done. Gunbarrel cursed when he saw Prometheus rip up the last of the missile pods and toss it as the blast shields. It was only thanks to those defenses that they were drifting in space as smoldering wrecks by now."
"How is he doing that?" He questioned. He had never seen any of the humans' mecha do that from the pirated satellite signals he watched in the past.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" A deep voice said.
They spun around to see Centurion stomping through the door with the Hydra cannon in hand. Without hesitation, he fired the cannon and destroyed the pulse cannon turrets, blasting Thunderflame away. Heavy Metal gave an enraged shout and Gunbarrel transformed into his weapon mode, a six-chambered electrostatic cannon. The female gestalt grabbed him and fired six rounds of electrical blasts at Centurion. He ducked behind a pillar and fired the cannon again, this time destroying a generator that nearly incinerated Terradive and sent shrapnel stabbing into Heavy Metal's arm and leg.
"Die traitor!" Terradive transformed into his jet mode and fired a volley of laser blasts at Centurion's back. The gestalt growled and swung the cannon, using it as a bat to smack Terradive out of the air. Heavy Metal threw Gunbarrel aside and charged at Centurion, who released the Hydra Cannon and met her charge head on. They grappled each other, struggling to beat the other into submission.
Heavy Metal gritted her teeth and lifted Centurion above her head, throwing him into the wall. She ran at him, but was met with a foot to the face, bringing her to the ground. The wheel on Centurion's foot spun, tearing at her optical visor. She grunted in pain and stabbed a piece of metal into his leg to get him off and jumped back up, backhanding Centurion across the face. Heavy Metal tried to follow up with another punch, but Centurion was faster, ducking under her fist and slamming his knuckles into her cheek. He punched her again in the other cheek, and followed up with a head butt.
Meanwhile, the Space Team had separated and got to work on lowering the blast shields, but just as they did that, they saw a giant rock flying at them. "Look out!" Astroscope exclaimed.
They jumped to the side as the rock smashed into the turret, shattering glass and destroying the cannon. A piece of rock hit Heavy Metal and they both crashed into the wall, nearly getting Centurion as well.
"Centurion?" Darren's voice came from his talos' speakers as it walked over to the hole he made. Centurion smiled and waved him over.
"Darren!" He called out.
The three children and Tomahawk reunited with the Street Action team and Space team. But above them, Thundercracker caught sight of the group and went in for the kill. "Dreadwing, I've got a visual on the humans and an Autobot! They've breac-"
"What's up, crackerjack!" Jetfire appeared behind him and fired a few blasts from his particle cannon into Thundercracker's wings. He wobbled for a moment before transforming to robot mode just as he hit the inside of a crater, rolling to a stop in the hard rock.
"Centurion, where are the others?" Annie asked.
"The others are heading towards the escape pods, but Sparkplug and D-Va are running for the control room."
"We'll protect the pods when they launch." Darren said and pointed his talos' head towards the wary Space team. "You three are welcome to hang with us. We'll get you to Terra safely."
"Thank you." Astroscope said gratefully. He had never felt so happy in a long time.
XXXXXX
Nightshade stomped through the halls of the fortress in her beast mode, since she was already too big to traverse these low hanging halls in her bipedal form. She sent Songbird ahead to find the shuttle bay before the Minicons had a chance to leave. That was when she got the message.
"Nightshade, Thundercracker reported two Autobots and three talos at the southern perimeter of the fortress." Dreadwing said. "We're engaging them now."
"Leader-1, activate the defenses at the southern wall and target the Autobots." She ordered. But instead of a reply, multiple panels on the walls slid open to reveal dozens of photon emitters, which started shooting at Nightshade. "Gah! Leader-1, what the hell are you doing?!"
In the control room, D-VA smirked as she had the base's defense grid target the Decepticons. "Choke on that bitch."
Behind her, the Race team was fighting the Mini-Cons, while Sparkplug engaged Leader-1 in a close quarters knife fight. The two mechs slashed at each other, on top of throwing kicks and punches. All the while, they glared and spat insults at each other.
"You never quit when you're ahead, do you, Sparky?" Leader-1 snarled, blocking a kick from Sparkplug. "I wreck Dualor's place, and you're still getting in my way!"
"IT's because you're a Decepticon! Why the hell do you think I'm fight you?"
D-Va jumped in and spin-kicked Leader-1 in the face. "As much as I would like to watch you two play Optimus and Megatron, we need to bounce before Nightshade comes hunting for us!"
They ran for the exit, but Sparkplug was hit by two explosive shells that caught him in the chest and shoulder. D-Va turned and saw Dualor pulling himself up from his tank mode, slinking over to the control panel.
"Traitors…all of you," He panted, pointing his blaster at the console. "This is all because you fools refused to listen to me. I risked everything to free us, and this is how you repay me?!"
"Dualor, stop! Don't do it!" Indy shouted.
"No! I won't go back to being a slave! We'll all die here before we become tools of the Autobots and Decepticons!" Dualor shouted before shooting at the console, destroying it and short-circuiting the system.
In the sub-level, the photon emitters stopped shooting at Nightshade, and the moderately wounded femme glared bloody murder at the security cameras. With a savage cry that would put a Bald Eagle to shame, she fired missiles from her wings into the ceiling and smashed her large body through the rock and metal to reach the control room.
"D-Va, take Sparkplug and go!" Indy said, handing the wounded mech to her.
"But what about you three?"
"We'll be fine." Downshift said, and handed her a data-slug. "Give that to Sparkplug. It's the coordinates for the four stasis panels that we located. Now go!"
D-Va hesitated, but she thanked them and ran with her friend to the exit. Indy bade them goodbye and turned to Dualor.
"Now, as for you, Dualor…" Indy blinked when he saw that the Destruction team was gone. "Where are they?"
"Gone, they hauled ass when your backs were turned." Leader-1 laughed. "Oh, you three are so screwed when Nightshade gets here. You should've ran when you had the chance."
"Maybe, but you'll be sharing the pain with us." Indy said.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"As far as Nightshade's concerned, you were the only one operating the base's defenses. And from the look on her face, I think she still believes you had control over the weapons systems the whole time she was being fired upon." Leader-1's look of complete terror set Indy's Spark at ease. "I'd say that you're fragged right along with us."
Suddenly the computer was destroyed and the wall smashed in by a large, black raven's head that immediately sought out Leader-1 form among the scattered Minicons. Leader-1 fell back on his haunches and gulped.
"Oh scrap." He said as Nightshade snapped her sharp beak at him.
XXXXXX
Jetfire, Tomahawk and the children stood outside the base as they watched the escape pods launch from the base and away from Luna, flying towards Terra. Centurion sat on Prometheus' shoulder, while the Space team took refuge in Jetfire and Tomahawk's alt modes.
"Those pods will take the Minicons to a preprogrammed destination." Payload said. "We were lucky that you guys were able to hold the Decepticons back long enough for them to gain some distance."
"We're here to get our friends back, and that's exactly what we've accomplished." Annie said. "Not to say that wasn't a doozy though."
"We better get back to Terra," Tomahawk said. "I'm sure Prime would want to know of our success."
"Do you have room for two more?" D-Va appeared in the hole with Sparkplug hanging on her shoulder. Darren blinked, but then smiled.
"We always have room."
XXXXXX
Down in the deserts of Zona Arida, the Destruction Team exited their escape shuttle, still seething from their defeat and losing the fortress they worked so hard to build.
"All those stellar cycles of planning, weaponizing, defending, and they all destroyed in on fragging night!" Dualor yelled. "I should've killed Sparkplug when I had the chance. And Thunder, Rook and Crosswise as well! Those bastards destroyed everything we've built!"
"What do we do now?" Drill Bit asked. He slumped against the shuttle. "We don't have a base or resources and I doubt the other Minicons will be so accepting of us now."
"I don't care what we have to do," Dualor sneered, rage rolling off him in waves. "I'll kill the Autobots, the Decepticons and those traitors! We will annihilate them to the last bot!"
His angry tirade was cut short as a dozen armored vehicles, and mecha tank-type talos suddenly appeared and surrounded the crater. Soldiers exited the vehicles and pointed their guns at the Minicons with the talos. Dualor was ready to signal his team to attack when a large, black and red transport VTOL aircraft hovered to the ground and the landing hatch opened up. A tall, slender human walked out of the aircraft and walked towards the crater, smiling down at the Minicons.
"More humans." Bonesaw grumbled.
Dualor pointed his blaster at the man. "Don't think I won't shoot you, human! We may be weak, but we can still fight!"
"Oh, I don't want to fight, Minicon. I just want to talk."
Dualor narrowed his eyes. "About what?"
"An opportunity," Pieces of the Zodiac grinned. "To get your revenge on our shared enemies."
That was a long chapter to type down, but I hoped you like it! As you can see, the fight never ends. Now the next three chapters will be happening at the same time, but at different viewpoints, similar to those three awesome episodes from Transformers Prime after Flying Mind. The Autobots and Decepticons will be hunting for four stasis panels at the same time, and the battles that ensure will have lasting consequences. Afterwards, i'll be updating Distant Stars. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.