Author's Note: Battles!

And look, I was able to update before next weekend!

Disclaimer: Battles! I mean, I don't own Transformers.


Optimus ran out of the office that wasn't his to the command center just down the hall. Ironhide was already waiting, bent over Telatraan-1 setting up everything. Prowl was there too, helping the best he could in his quiet manner.

"Hokay, we got the Command Trine comin' up on our west side, send da Aerialbots to deal wit 'em-just go Silverbol', ah got other things ta deal wit! Looks like dey got Devastator, too, slaggit! Where's Omega? Telatraan! Locate Omega Supreme!"

"Omega Supreme is in the sixth west quadrant, 6.34-"

"Yeah, yeah, call 'im back to base, Tel!"

"Acknowledged."

"Anybot know where Prahm is?"

"I'm right here, Ironhide, what do you need?" The Prime tried to quell his nerves. This was it.

"Megatron's personally challenged yah to a one on one. There was a bunch a' other offensive stuff thrown in there, ah'll spare yah the details. Bu' 'e threat'ned Jazz." The old warrior's accent thickened on the last sentence revealing his deep anger. "Yah c'n do dis. We believe in yah. Take yer team out dere, yah know how ta use their abilities bettah den me. Ah'll keep da rest o' dem sorted out." Thickened with both emotion and accent, the voice struck something deep within Optimus. He could do this.

The young Prime nodded and glanced at Prowl. "You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Prime."

#Bumblebee, get to the entrance, we're going out into the battle.#

#Yes! Finally some action!# The youngest mind switched bot cheered.

"Let's roll."

Optimus Prime stepped out onto the battle field with grace and dignity. Laser fire flew everywhere, from the huge, mounted cannons on the Ark, to the small blasters carried by the bots. He felt nervous, his tank clenching uncomfortably. These were battle hardened warriors against his small team of repair bots-

But they were so much more than that.

How many times had he seen that himself. They had fought and defeated the Elite Warriors of the Decepticons before. They could do this. He could do this.

They were so much more than all the ridicule that had followed each of them. They were not failures, they were heroes. And he was going to prove it, first to these bots in this other universe, then to all the bots back in their own universe.

Because they were so much more than their label.

#Optimus! Slag, we got a problem! Yah see a dark blue 'Con? Da one wit the cassette player chest?#

Optimus glanced around the battle field dodging some laser fire. There. A dark blue mech stood near this universe's Megatron, both on a ledge overlooking the needed to get over there and fight the grey mech, but first...

#Yes Ironhide, I see him.#

#Dat's Soundwave, da 'Con's TIC! Ah thought ah badly damaged 'im last battle but 'pparently not 'nough! Yah need ta take 'im down, 'e's tryin' to hack into our systems!#

"All right, team! Prowl, see that blue bot? Ironhide says that's Soundwave, the Third in Command. Take him down as quickly as possible, he's trying to hack into the Ark. Bumblebee, cover the entrance, make sure nothing gets in!"

"Yes, Prime."

"On it, Boss-bot!"

The three mechs moved. Bumblebee shot at anything that had red optics and soon got in a tussle with a black pather-like bot. Prowl used his ninja training to slip through the battle nearly undetectable, helping turn individual fights between an Autobot and a Decepticon to the Autobot's favor. The cyber-ninja made it to the ledge quickly but hung back. He waited for Optimus to make his move so his oppenent would be distracted.

So, Optimus made his move. "Megatron! I hear you came for a fight?"

The whole battle field seemed to freeze, waiting for the two leaders to make their moves, their customary taunts.

The evil tyrant turned to face his long time enemy, sneering. "Prime... You decided to turn up. Such a surprise considering last battle you were too cowardly to face me. Or what was it that that white weakling said? That you were in an important meeting and couldn't come out to play? Ha. I showed him that no one plays with Megatron."

Optimus growled under his intakes. Different universes, same Megatron.

He could do this.

"Well, I've got nothing more important on my schedule for the moment, so I guess I can play with you now? Ah, but you don't want to play so I guess I'll-"

The fusion blast nearly caught him off guard. It exploded around his pedes, sending bits of rock and sand everywhere, and nearly sent the Prime tumbling off his feet.

Nearly.

Optimus easily rolled over and back onto his feet, crouched and ready to spring. "If you want to play it that way..."

The battle resumed full force around them, laser fire everywhere as the two titans clashed.

Prowl leapt from his hiding spot onto Soundwave, catching the Communications Officer by surprise sending both rolling into the dirt. They were both on their feet the next second, and Soundwave barely had time to process the fact that Prowl was crotched in a perfect Metallikato attack stance before the black and white door-winger was on the attack, limbs striking and moving through countless stances with ease and precision.

It took exactly 3 minutes and 42 seconds to dispatch the blue Communications Officer. Prowl counted.

Optimus unleashed his energon-axe from his hand, prepared to surprise his enemy with his sudden use. He had never been particularly good with blasters, and he didn't trust himself with this universe's ion rifle.

The orange glowing axe swung in a beautiful arc leaving singed air in it's wake at his opponent. Megatron managed to dodge by bending backwards in a move that had to hurt. The gun-former growled deep in his throat, forced to dodge the constant swings instead of focussing on charging for another blast from his cannon or take out his mace.

Megatron hated being on the defensive.

He growled again and finally managed to block one swing with his forearm on the flat side of the blade.

"We're playing a bit unfairly today, aren't we Prime?" The tyrant sneered as he deployed his mace.

"You didn't seem to care about fairness with Jazz. Just leveling the playing field."

And they were back at it, exchanging blows, leaving no time for Megatron to fully process how un-Prime-like that statement was. How before his Prime had never fought with the tiniest bit of revenge on his mind.

There would be time for pondering later.

Or not.

Optimus was agile. Obviously more agile then his counterpart was normally in battle. Megatron was fighting expecting the Prime he had fought for centuries. And Optimus wasn't him.

After a particularly hard swing that Megatron obviously hadn't expected Optimus to be able to dodge, the Prime managed to get behind the tyrant and hit him in the back of the helm. Hard.

Right were his memory circuits were.

Megatron would never remember calling a retreat, or even most of the battle. He would never remember anything different about his long-time enemy.

But Optimus would remember. He would forever remember the feeling of accomplishment that he had done it. That his team had done it.

Had proven their worth.

He would forever remember the ecstatic pats on the backs from the other universe's Autobots and the wide grins on his mind-switched comrades' face plates.

It was then, during the joyous shouting and celebrating that they had won that all four mind-switched bots were surrounded with a white light.


How's that for a longer chapter, eh?

Almost at the end now! We'll have the climax in TF:A, then the epilogue.

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

Review! Please?