Author's notes: Sorry this chapter took a little longer to post, I had to go camping for several days. Oh, and the delightfully talented Cycloprax has once again created some new artwork, this time for Cybertronian Genesis. It features some Decepticons in one of the funnier moment of that story. Go check it out on Deviantart. Also, take notice of the glorious new book covers for the stories, both generously used with permission from Cycloprax. Oh, and to answer Brittany's questions briefly: 1: No, I think I've basically covered everything regarding that, don't worry by the way, that's a totally reasonable question, 2: I'm not gonna answer that one because it'd give away the ending, 3: No, there will be no sequel to this, this will be the last story I write in the continuity. Anyway, on with the show:
The nine remaining Monocons hastily backed away from Starscream, swivelling their boxy heads in an attempt to keep both the Decepticon and the Autobots in their line of sights. It was in this moment of confusion that Optimus saw his opportunity.
"Autobots, attack!" he ordered, drawing his axe and activating its ion blade with a flick of his wrist.
He rushed towards the nearest Monocon, lifted his axe high and swung it down at the drone's head. But the Monocon's torso snapped around and its right hand sprang open to catch the axe by the shaft, halting Optimus' attack. With its left arm it pointed at Optimus, and curved blasters fired. The movements were stiffly executed but astonishingly quick.
Optimus wrenched away, leaving his axe behind in the Monocon's grip, and dived to the side. But before he could collect his wits, the seven Monocons aimed their weapons and opened fire on the Autobots and Sari.
"Pick a target and take it down!" Optimus commanded, dodging an emerald burst of laserfire as he charged in again to close with the bot who was still clutching his axe. He managed to avoid the drone's fire and throw a punch that staggered it but did not topple it.
Arcee leapt into the air towards her opponent. The drone's blasts passed beneath her as she lunged forward and brandished her twin energy scimitars. She landed right foot first, span about on the tip of it and used the momentum to hurl one blade at her enemy. It sliced through the air and into the Monocon's head, protruding from its blank face plate. The Monocon fell; Arcee pounced on it. When she saw the drone was still wriggling, she stabbed her other blade down into the its head as well, deactivating the droid . As she stood up she noticed Ratchet staring at her.
"What?" she shrugged, "It's not like they're alive".
"Eh, good point", Ratchet said, dodging a blast from his own foe. He extended his magnetic manipulators and focused their energy on wrenching Arcee's blades from the decommissioned Monocon; with a quick toss he launched them at his own enemy. Both blades knifed into the Monocon's head, deactivating it immediately.
"The head is their weak point!" Ratchet called out, "Aim for the heads!"
"Now you tell me", grumbled Bulkhead: his Monocon was already badly crushed and dented, with one leg hanging off by a few loose wires and one arm completely severed. However it still advanced, firing on him and blackening his armour before he closed with it, lifted it off the ground by the head and then slammed it back down with punishing force, squashing its head.
"Hey, no fair!" Masterson yelled, watching the battle from one side with dismay, "That Meg lady said that their armour was Decepticon-grade!"
"Let me lay it on the front burner for you, lil' square", said Jazz, deflecting laser blasts with skilful twirls of his nunchuks, "This team is just a little too stacked up on know-how for knocking down Decepticreeps. Uhm...didn't mean to bust your solenoids there, Starscream".
Starscream, evidently, was not listening anyway. He was driving his knee into the chest plate of the nearest Monocon. As it doubled over from the blow he drove his elbow into its neck, flattening it. With his other hand he gripped another drone by its thin neck. With both blasters targeted at his helpless enemies, he unleashed a storm of rapid fire laser blasts, tearing into them.
He tossed his vanquished foes aside and turned suddenly, fixing Masterson and Powell with his crimson optics. One quick stride took him over to them. That was too much for Powell, who fled in panic and vanished down a corridor. Before Masterson could do more than yelp however Starscream's fingers wrapped around him and lifted him up to optic level. Wriggling in a futile effort to free himself, Masterson was blinded by the red glow of Starscream's optics and had to lift his hands to shield his eyes.
Starscream glanced around, keeping careful tabs on the Autobots to make certain they were all occupied with their Monocon enemies, and then leered at his struggling human prey.
"I guess you're 'the Headmaster', right?"
"Uh...no way duderino! Never heard of him!" quailed Masterson.
"Really? So that's why you're wearing an outfit that matches your little Headmaster unit, hmm? The Headmaster unit that cut my head off!"
The last few words were shouted with such intensity that Masterson's slick hair was blown back into an upright position. His teeth began to chatter and his squirming was replaced with paralyzed fear.
"Did you enjoy taking my body for a test drive?" hissed Starscream in a lower tone.
"No, dude, I swear! I mean...erm...eh..."
"Oh-ho, perhaps it's best you don't answer that", Starscream conceded, tossing his prey up and catching him by the foot between his thumb and index finger. Masterson flapped his arms wildly as Starscream leant forward, his sneering face filling the boy's vision.
"Listen very carefully. I'm only going to say this once", the Decepticon warned, "Answer my question and I'll let you go. Refuse, and I'm going to redecorate this building in a charming new colour I think I'll call 'hint of exploded meatsack'".
Having managed to retrieve his axe with his use of his grapplers, and having battle the Monocon into a corner, Optimus whirled around, sweeping with his axe. The blade passed clean through the Monocon's neck: its head bounced twice on the floor before the body collapsed in a motionless heap.
He turned around to locate the last Monocons. One was firing both blasters at Jazz, who lashed his nunchuks around the drone's forearms and then jerked them upwards and around, forcing the drone to fire both weapons into its own head and destroying it. As another took aim at Bumblebee the diminutive Autobot fired his stingers, overloading the Monocon's blasters. They exploded violently and took the drone out with them.
The Autobots rounded on the last Monocon, which was engaged in combat with Sari. It was strafing the factory floor room with its blasters, and Sari was dodging nimbly with the use of her energy skates. Bulkhead unsheathed his wrecking ball and stepped forward but Optimus raised a hand to hold him back.
"I'm afraid she's going to need the experience", Optimus said, "Only intervene if it looks like she needs the help".
Sari leapt up high, propelled by her heel boosters, and passed over the angular head of the Monocon. The drone span about, but as Sari dropped to the ground she ignited both blades and slashed left and right with them. She landed in a stoop, and the twitching forearms of the Monocon crashed down either side of her, sparking violently where they had been severed. The Monocon was not deterred by its loss of weaponry and lifted its right foot to crush Sari, but the technorganic swung her hammer at the one leg still on the ground, sweeping the drone off its feet. It crashed to the ground and Sari immediately jumped on it, lifting her hammer above her head and bringing it down onto the Monocon's head, crushing it.
Sari retracted her weapons and her helmet, revealing her pretty young face, flushed with exertion from the effort. She gave a weary smile to her Autobot friends. Bumblebee looked over at the mangled Monocon and shifted uneasily.
"Doesn't look like she needs any help to me, Boss-bot".
"That's it! No more robots! No more robots ever!" Powell stammered as he raced down the corridor of the factory, towards the emergency exit, "No more deals with psychotic genetic scientists, crazy tech kids or mysterious benefactors! I'll take what money I have left, charter a plane and head for the remotest corner of the Yukon!"
He flung himself out of the door and into the blinding morning sunlight, crying, "And I never want to see a robot again!"
"How unfortunate".
Powell's eyes adjusted to the light and he craned his neck up to find himself facing four enormous robots, silhouetted against the sun. The foremost one leant forward, seized Powell before he could escape and lifted him up.
"We meet at last, Mister Powell".
"Wh-who are you?" wailed the terrified businessman, "How do you know my name?"
"Don't you recognize your generous donor and business partner?"
"You're..you're Megan?"
Blackarachnia snorted, struggled to contain herself, and then burst into laughter, "You gave yourself the codename 'Megan'?"
Megatron scowled, "My codename was 'Meg' actually. With the benefit of hindsight, it was a poor choice".
"What's so funny about zat name?" Blitzwing asked.
Blackarachnia leant forward and whispered to Blitzwing and Lugnut. Blitzwing struggled to hold back a smile, then switched to his random personality mode and howled with laughter, falling over backwards and kicking his legs in the air. Even Lugnut trembled with suppressed mirth.
Megatron growled and turned his attention back to Powell, "I'm afraid that our deal is at an end. You're to be handed over to our sanctimonious Autobot allies and the relevant human authorities. Let it never be said that Decepticons are not efficient at dispensing justice".
Bulkhead surveyed the disabled Monocons littering the factory floor room, "That wasn't so hard", he said.
"Maybe not, but let's be honest, we're a little more battle-hardened than the average Autobot", Ratchet pointed out, "And if this Gigatron character has an army of these bots waiting to swarm Cybertron then we're gonna have a real fight on our servos".
Optimus deactivated his axe's blade stood up, "That's right. And from what I've seen we're...Starscream! What are you doing?"
The others turned to see what he was shouting at and saw Starscream with the cowering Masterson in his clutches, holding the quivering teen close to his leering face.
"We never harm humans, Starscream!" Optimus barked.
"Not even slime balls like Masterson", Bumblebee added.
Starscream switched his grip on Masterson to just one hand and pointed one sharp-tipped finger at Optimus, "Oh, shut up, Prime! You don't command me. And I wasn't hurting this charming little gentleman. We were just having a little chat, weren't we?"
Masterson nodded so fervently that Sari thought his head would pop off his scrawny neck. Starscream carried Masterson a little more carefully out of the factory, off to join his fellow Decepticons.
Arcee took advantage of his departure to speak to her fellow Autobots frankly, "Are we sure about this, Prime? Putting the Decepticons to work cleaning up Detroit?"
"If it works out, it'll be to everyone's benefit, and I think we can make it work", Optimus replied, "But I'll need your help. Captain Fanzone has a list of criminals for us to bring in. We're going to split up, take one of the Decepticons with us and bring the perps in".
"And we're gonna do it in a way to make the Cons look groovy, right O.P?" said Jazz.
"Right. And what's more, I think we need to the show the Decepticons what being a hero of Detroit is all about. Try to get them to see the city, and the humans, from our point of view".
"I barely even know the city myself", Arcee said, "But alright, Prime. If you really think this is for the best, count me in".
"I do. And please, everyone, give this a chance. I know we're programmed to think of the Decepticons as our enemies. But I think if you look for it you'll find a lot more to them than that".
The morning traffic rattled over the bridge that spanned Detroit's disused old irrigation canal, a dried-up channel that cut through the city in an elaborate circuit. Hanging on the underside of that bridge by hands and feet, looking down on the channel, was Bumblebee, doing his best to remain hidden. Keeping still and being stealthy were not skills that came naturally or easily to Bumblebee. But although he had never admitted it to Prowl, he had learnt a lot from the ninja-bot.
But his efforts were futile: the honking of car horns and the screech of wildly swerving tyres, followed by a loud crash and the shuddering of the bridge, announced the arrival of Bumblebee's companion for the day.
"Urgh, what's the point in trying to be sneaky when they paired me with you?" Bumblebee moaned, flipping himself up onto the top of the now-deserted bridge and facing his Decepticon partner.
Lugnut did not appear to take any offence, "Remind me, Autobot, what are we here for again?" he asked, looking down at the little yellow bot who barely even came up to his knee plate.
Bumblebee sighed, "Okay, try to pay attention. There's this guy called Master Disaster. He runs this illegal racket called the Street Demons. They hold these underground races - "
"They race in tunnels?"
Bumblebee recalled Bulkhead making much the same mistake and smiled to himself, "No, I mean they do it illegally. It's a dangerous sport that puts a lot of innocent folks in danger. We shut them down about two stellar cycles ago, but I guess Master Disaster's got a good lawyer 'cos he's back on the streets and has set the Street Demons back up again. We need to take 'em in, and they should be coming this way after their nightly race any cycle now".
"Ah, I understand", Lugnut sniffed, "Humans enjoy violent entertainment too? I am more than familiar with that myself".
"You are?" Bumblebee asked: traffic was beginning to resume behind them, carefully picking their way past the Decepticon who not only occupied the sidewalk but a significant portion of the road too.
"Yes. Before I joined Megatron's glorious cause I was a gladiator. I performed in the Jekka Amphitheatre in Kaon".
"No kidding?" Bumblebee considered what Optimus had said earlier about the Decepticons being more than would at first appear and decided to probe further, "I figured you'd always worked for Megatron. So how does a bot go from being a gladiator to the number one butt-kisser of the leader of the Decepticons?"
Lugnut's primary optic blinked twice, "If you truly wish to know, Autobot, I will tell you".
The servos in Lugnut's arms strained as he lifted them high, the sunlight glinting off his armour for a moment before he swung them low. His opponent however had managed to crawl just out of range of the pounding fists. He swung himself up and faced Lugnut.
The two Decepticons circled one another, optics locked in an intense glare, oblivious to the cheering crowd in the amphitheatre around them. They were blind to anything but the movements of their foe.
It was Lugnut's fourth fight of the day, and clearly the orators had decided to stack the odds against him. He was tired, very tired, and as he snorted and puffed with exertion and squinted in the artificial light he tried to remember everything he could about his opponent before his strength gave out.
The other gladiator was a Decepticon called Deadlock. He had been nicknamed 'the rising son of Kaon' due to his meteoric ascension through the ranks of the arena: Brawler, Slugger, Oil-letter and finally Malignus. Since energy and projectile weapons were forbidden in the arena he had chosen to wield a collection of lethal swords and his skill with them was fast becoming legend.
It was no coincidence that Deadlock was his final opponent of the day. The orators wanted Lugnut out of the picture. He was becoming a liability. Not only was he now biter and disillusioned with the games, but he was such a successful fighter that he was becoming bad for business. Guaranteed victory took the element of chance out of the games, and it was the chaotic unpredictability of battle that the crowds craved. Not summary execution after summary execution.
For a moment Lugnut allowed his optics to stray to the crowd. There were Decepticons and Autobots in the crowd but there was a clear divide between the two. The Decepticons were required to stand and crowd together in their stall-like stands: the Autobots had plenty of seating space and many had their own private luxury boxes.
Lugnut turned his attention back to his foe. Deadlock had already wounded him in the left leg and the right shoulder. He had managed to strike Deadlock but that had done little more than rattle the younger, fitter Decepticon.
Deadlock charged. In each hand he held a single-bladed curved sword. He slashed with them, forcing Lugnut to stumble away to avoid further injury. With a growl Lugnut reached for his mace. He felt its welcome grip in his pincers and swung with it, its wide arc sending Deadlock leaping back the way he had came, but not before he struck out.
A jolt of pain shuddered through Lugnut's body. He looked down and realized he had been stabbed again. It had taken some time for him to register it, but there was the wound: a deep crack in his torso. Sparks spat and hissed from it in a hot shower.
The crowd roared with enthusiasm. From across the arena Deadlock lifted his swords in a mocking salute to his foe and smirked. Then he turned to the audience and lifted his arms, encouraging them to cheer. They did.
They were cheering his defeat, Lugnut knew. The Autobot orators of the Kaon Arena had planned his death again. Profit margins aside, they would no longer tolerate his violent outbursts and fits of random, wanton rage. Lugnut didn't know where they came from and he had no idea what made him so angry.
Was it the fact that he was just a killer, forced to do nothing other than slaughter for the amusement of a malicious crowd? Was it the fact that he was doomed to spend the rest of his short, violent life in the horrid bowels of Kaon, the ugliest boil on the face of Cybertron? Or was it the Autobot merchants who assured him that they 'owned him' and each day forced him to risk his life for their profit?
Lugnut didn't know. But he did want to find out. And he also knew that this was far from the first time that the orators had tried to remove him. They had failed before and they would fail now.
Deadlock was just setting himself up to dash in again when Lugnut simply hurled his mace at him. It flew end-over-end towards the young gladiator, whizzing through the air in a clumsy trajectory. But clumsy though it was Deadlock wasn't about to stand in its wake. He ducked and rolled to the right: the mace ploughed into the arena wall, cracking it .
Lugnut had cleared the distance to Deadlock in a few short running steps. As the astonished Deadlock looked up Lugnut's crushing pincer-servos reached out for him. They clamped tight around his head, and then Lugnut twisted and pulled back. Deadlock's head came away from his body.
Decapitation was not usually fatal for a Cybertronian, not if the cut was clean: however Lugnut's attack was anything but. But he did not stop to check if his opponent had survived, tossing the disembodied head away and skulking back to the energy shield that served as an entry gate. Lugnut could almost feel the anger of his Autobot masters as they retracted the shield and he stomped into the tunnel, craving its dark embrace. He wanted to be far away from the peering optics and the hearty roar of the crowd. Already he could feel his temper rising.
The arena guards and the gladiators loitering in the underground training chambers swiftly got out of his way as he headed for his quarters. He soon reached them: a simple stretcher for a bed, a door to give him some measure of privacy and nothing more. He collapsed on his stretcher and the door slid shut. He was injured, and should have sought out one of the resident medi-bots. But for the moment he would rather endure the pain and brood in solitude.
What was the point in it all? He had entered the gladiatorial games many stellar cycles ago, like many of the Decepticon underclass of Kaon, the corruption capital of Cybertron. He had joined simply because it was either that or it was starve of energon and perish in a back alley somewhere. Lugnut had signed up to fight for one merchant's team, and since then had been bought and sold numerous times. He had survived and thrived in the arena. Just a little too well.
And so now his paymasters wanted him dead. For the moment they were trying to destroy him in the arena. Perhaps after this most recent failure they would lose patience and send thugs or assassins to his quarters.
The light drifting in beneath the door was blocked out, signalling a presence just outside. Perhaps the assassins had come already. Lugnut got to his feet, but with his wounds it was a painful manoeuvre.
The door opened and Lugnut was face-to-face with two unfamiliar Decepticons. The first was a strongly-built bot with wide shoulders and iron-black armour framed with decorative barbs and red plating. Attached to his right arm was a large cannon. A crown-like helm was upon his cranium and beneath that his dark face featured glowing red optics and a knife-thin mouth. The bot standing behind the first was another heavily-armoured warrior, with long black gauntlets and greaves, tan and purple plating, back-mounted wings, two cannons perched behind his shoulders and a blue face with one red optic considerably larger than the other.
The first bot spoke in a polished accent, "Greetings, Lugnut. It is quite an honour to be in the presence of a revered fighter such as yourself".
"Come for me, assassin. I have nothing left to function for. I welcome my termination".
The two visitors exchanged looks, and then the first spoke again, "You misunderstand. We are not assassins. Allow me to introduce us. This is Colonel Blitzwing, Commander of the Decepticon Armies of the North. And I am Megatron, sub-commander of the entire Decepticon Army and heir to the Decepticon Empire".
"I have heard of you. Of both of you", Lugnut grunted, "You will find nothing of interest in Kaon. Your foolish war has not yet touched this accursed city. Here, Autobots and Decepticons co-exist peacefully".
Blitzwing smiled, "Oh, no doubt. Zat is why ze arena is full of ze empty shells of ze Decepticon underclass while Autobots dine on ze finest oil and energon credits can buy. Zat is why you a prisoner in zis cesspool".
"Kaon may be rotten, but it has nothing to do with your war!" Lugnut growled, "Leave us to rust in peace and return North. Don't you soldiers have enough problems to deal with? I hear your army is in ruins ".
"You are quite astute, Lugnut", said Megatron, "The Autobot forces have all but driven us from Cybertron. Our Emperor Galvatron, hail to his glorious name, has let many opportunities slip through his servos. He has not won over the sparks and processors of many bots who could be useful to our cause".
"You speak of your leader as if he is a fool behind his back", Lugnut shook his head, "Does the Decepticon Army know nothing of loyalty? I thought that was important to you soldiers".
"Galvatron is my Lord, my Master and my mentor", Megatron shot back, anger flaring up for a brief moment, "I am utterly devoted to his glorious mission. But I will not be wilfully blind of the facts. Galvatron is slipping deeper into a madness, a madness I fear he will never awaken from. He would not want it to be this way if he was still of sound processor. He would desire the Decepticon Empire to rise up and attain victory, by any means necessary. And that is what brings me to Kaon".
"I don't understand what you could possibly want from this scrapheap", said Lugnut.
"In time, I want the city itself, Lugnut. The Decepticon armies are scattered and vulnerable to Autobot attack. I intend to make Kaon into a stronghold, a Decepticon fortress within which I can consolidate our strength and plan our counterattack. But that must wait".
"First ve must execute a coup", interjected Blitzwing, "Galvatron can no longer be entrusted to command our forces. Megatron must be instated as ze new Supreme Leader and Emperor. He has ze support of myself and a few other generals, but ve need to be in a more secure position before ve make our next move".
"As it happens, I'm in need of a few superb warriors, such as yourself, Lugnut", Megatron said, "I will not mince words. I am in need of a bodyguard. An enforcer".
"You mean a thug", Lugnut snarled, "A brute to point at your enemies and unleash when the time is right".
"You misunderstand. You would be so much more than a mere ruffian. You would be a symbol. A hero. Your renown as a warrior extends far beyond Kaon. Decepticons would flock to my banner if they heard that Lugnut, the legendary Kaon Crusher himself, was now an ally of the new regime. Truly, that would be a comrade worth fighting alongside!"
Lugnut considered Megatron's words for a moment, then shook his head, "I am no hero. I am an entertainer. The crowds come to see me kill, and that is what I do. I have no cause. I am a prisoner of my Autobot masters".
"A prisoner?" Blitzwing cocked his head, "Why do you not simply flee zis arena if it such a miserable existence?"
"Leave?" Lugnut was genuinely shocked, "I cannot leave! I am a gladiator! This is the only life I have ever known, miserable though it may be. I must serve my sponsors, and as it is my destiny to perish on the arena floor some solar cycle".
Megatron turned to Blitzwing and gave a subdued smile, "You see, Colonel? If you ever have any doubts about the righteousness of our cause, pause and remember this noble gladiator's predicament. He is a slave who has been conditioned to believe there is no other life for him. That is he is not worthy of anything greater. A sadder sight I have rarely seen".
Blitzwing nodded, "And with ze right guidance, just think of vat he could become. And so many more like him, all over Cybertron".
"What are you talking about?" Lugnut said, looking back and forth at the two of them.
"There are many such as yourself, Lugnut", Megatron said quietly, looking thoughtful, "They do not believe themselves worthy of a higher cause. The Autobots have convinced them that they are destined to serve. I say this must end. We are not destined to serve. We are destined to rule!"
He slung a punch with his left hand, embedding his fist in the steel wall of Lugnut's room. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and withdrew his fist, leaving a large hole in the wall. Lugnut took a step back.
"We will overpower our pampered Autobot enemies and make them pay for their harsh stewardship of Cybertron!" Megatron declared, clenching his right hand and holding it aloft, "The time when one class explored and studied and the other class was merely used a robot shield for the first is over. The time of bowing at the feet of the Magnus dynasty is over. We shall take our destiny into our own servos. We shall establish our lordship over Cybertron, and a Golden Age will begin anew!"
Silence fell as Lugnut took these words in.
"Those are fine words, Megatron", he said eventually, "But they are not so different from those of your Master Galvatron. How can you justify turning on him?"
"Because he blocks the path to victory", Megatron answered, "His madness runs deep. He is ordering our armies in the West to make suicidal attacks on Autobot fortresses that cannot be broken, not yet. We are losing thousands of soldiers every solar cycle. If we are to establish our sovereignty over Cybertron and claim the AllSpark, we must regrettably remove the mad Emperor from his throne".
"It is with heavy sparks zat ve do so", said Blitzwing, mournfully, "But loyal as ve are to Galvatron, our loyalty must first and foremost lie with ze Decepticon cause".
"Tell me, Lugnut, why did you not enlist in the Decepticon Army when the uprising began?" asked Megatron, "Did you never consider it?"
"In truth, no", Lugnut said, "I have no cause other than this destitute servitude".
"Then let me change that", Megatron stepped forward and placed one servo on Lugnut's vast shoulder plate, "I will give you the freedom I know you desire in your spark. I will give you your cause - to change this world for the better. It is our duty to lead Cybertron into a wonderful new future. Won't you join me, my friend?"
Lugnut's primary optic narrowed as he studied Megatron for a long time in silence.
"I see you for what you truly are now, Megatron", he said at last.
"And...what is that?" asked Megatron.
Lugnut dropped to his knees, "You are chosen by providence, blessed by the AllSpark! Your wisdom runs deep, your left hand mends and your right hand devastates, you are the wedding of hope and Armageddon! Your genius and brilliance shall lead us to victory. You are my Lord and Master, and I am but your humble servant!"
"You are more than that, Lugnut", Megatron replied, "You are my friend and comrade".
"You honour me, my Lord. Before, I had nothing to believe in. Now I have two things to believe in: the Decepticons shall rule Cybertron, and Megatron shall rule the Decepticons! All hail Megatron!"
"'All hail Megatron'. Hmm", Blitzwing stroked his chin, "I like ze sound of zat. It shall be our rallying cry".
"Come, Lugnut", Megatron helped Lugnut to his feet and led the way towards the amphitheatre exit, "There is much to do. Grim deeds lie ahead before we reach our fair victory. But it'll be worth it", as Lugnut and Blitzwing fell into step behind him, he smiled, "The three of us shall do great things together".
"And so I was freed from my gladiatorial duties", Lugnut explained, "From there Megatron, Blitzwing and I went on to Zuska to stage the coup against Galvatron, and - "
"Hmm, sorry?" Bumblebee looked up, "I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"
"Argh! Impudent Autobot! I would crush you where you stand if Megatron had not forbidden it, you irritating little bug!"
"Woah, cool it! I was just kidding, big guy. Turns out you're not as dumb as I used to think you were. ", Bumblebee grinned, "But I was thinking. You know all that stuff about how true loyalty is being willing to act against your leader if you think he's diverting from the cause?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"Well, what about Megatron?" Bumblebee scratched his head, "Ask me, the dude's been a few circuits shy of a fully functioning processor lately. Sure, he's stable for now, but you gotta remember, he became Gigatron in another timeline. Doesn't that bother you?"
"No!" Lugnut roared, "No it does not! I am a loyal servant of Megatron! All hail Megatron!"
"Wow. Did I touch a live wire there or what? I guess you really must have your doubts".
"Argh, no! Lies, lies!" Lugnut clawed at his head and convulsed violently, "I am no traitor! I am no Starscream or Shockwave! I serve the Master! I would never question his methods or intention!"
"Woah, calm down. Sheesh, talk about being in denial".
"You're wrong! My conviction is absolute! No more of this talk, Autobot!"
"Okay, okay, you got it", Bumblebee sighed, then looked up and pointed at the tunnel, "Hey look, there they are! It's the Street Demons!"
A convoy of vibrantly decorated sports cars was emerging from the tunnel and moving down the irrigation channel, heading in their direction.
"Rargh!" Lugnut, still agitated, activated his thrusters and took to the air. He shot up fifty feet into the air, activated his explosive punch and then rocketed down towards the channel.
"Hey, be careful! Remember, we can't hurt them!" cried Bumblebee, vaulting over the protective railing running to block the path of the oncoming cars.
Lugnut's explosive mod connected with terra firma a hundred yards ahead of the convoy with predictable results. Bumblebee shielded his eyes and immediately regretted not putting his hands over his audio receptors instead as a thunderous boom shook the landscape.
When he eventually dared to look up again Bumblebee saw Lugnut standing in the middle of a smoking crater. The Speed Demon cars had been forced to brake hard to avoid driving into it and had piled up rather conveniently in a neat little line.
"Those who defy the laws of Detroit have been declared enemies of Megatron and must face justice!" Lugnut roared at the top of his voice, waving his colossal arms in the air, "All those who flout the traffic code must surrender immediately, or face the wrath of Megatron's most loyal servant!"
The Street Demons crawled out of their cars and cowered before Lugnut, begging for mercy.
Bumblebee nodded approvingly, "Well, that was effective, I...eh?"
He had just noticed on all sides of the channel citizens of Detroit had lined up to see what all the commotion was about. When Lugnut turned to look at them they began talking all at once.
"I got a speeding ticket I never paid!" cried one man, fishing in his pocket for it, "I'll go pay it right now!"
"I got a ticket for parking in a disabled bay!" said another woman, "I'm guilty! I'll go turn myself in right now!"
The crowd promptly vanished in a mass exodus, all loudly confessing to various infractions and declaring their intent to head to the police station and turn themselves in.
"Hmm", Bumblebee watched them leave and shrugged, "I gotta admit, that's not bad for your first day on the job".
