"Lennox! N.E.S.T is here! Your guys are here!"
Izzy's rallying cry was the first thing we heard upon reaching land. Despite my injuries I broke from Viviane's hold, staggering over as she and the others headed towards the Knight Ship, followed by an army. A human army, but an army. The green, flat plains had become a warzone, and at the center of it all, Stonehenge, where I could see Megatron and his cronies acting as if they were already victorious.
Never celebrate too early, asshole.
"Santos! What's the word from Morshower?" Lennox shouted through the thunderous claps of moving Earth and the rapid sound of artillery fire. I didn't have time to tune in on the response he got, for Izzy and Viviane were lowering me onto the grass. I had no idea how weak I really was, and my legs buckled almost immediately.
"Shit, shit," I hissed.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Izzy grasped my injured arm. I watched in mild fascination as the shattered bone began to shift beneath my skin, the wound fixing itself up. I regained full feeling in a matter of seconds. Breathing was easier when she fixed my ribs and my nose. Still a bit woozy but, nonetheless, able to function, I stood. Optimus approached, still looking shaken, but when he spoke, there was a fire to his words I'd never heard before.
"The control station is just above us. Inside is a pillar that can shut this structure down," Optimus said as the soldiers approached, gathering around him. He glanced at Cade. The human still held his sword in a vice grip. "Knight. Autobots. This cannot and will not be the end. To save earth and her people we are going to destroy Quintessa and stop Cybertron from advancing. I will lead the way into her chamber, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour."
"You know what you have to do, right?" I breathed. Through our bond I could feel him tense up, before a calmness washed over him. I knew his response before he even etched it into my mind.
"I do."
"Go get em'," I steeled myself as my mate blasted into the air.
"I never even got to say hi," Hound said sadly, shoulders sagging. "But I'm all for a good ole' fashioned aft kicking. Hey, Knight, you got a plan?"
All eyes were on Cade.
"Lead us into battle like Burton said," I grinned. "Kick some ass. And let's look dope while we do it."
"Hell yeah."
Our plan consisted of maneuvering the Knight Ship hight above the control station and using a combination of Osprey's and Cybertronian fighter ships to land and launch our attack. Me, being afraid of heights, gloriously disagreed with the idea. But it was tactical. And smart. And all around not something I would do, which meant that, of course, we were going to do it.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I stammered. Lennox was strapping me in, panting as he took the short, but much-needed break to catch his breath. He glanced up at me and smiled, nodding.
"You'll be fine."
"We should wait for Optimus."
"We don't have time," Lennox said quickly. "I've got a wife and a kid back at home. Trust me, it's better we just get this over with."
"Epps told me about how you took out a Decepticon with a rocket launcher and a motorcycle," I said. "I, uh, not to be like a weirdo or anything but…that's fucking badass. Just thought I'd go ahead and tell you in case we all die."
Lennox gave a light chuckle, ducking his head at my mention of Epps. When he looked back up, his eyes were a bit red. "He told you about that? God. I thought he'd forgotten."
"That's not something you forget. He's not something you forget," I whispered. "I know you two were like brothers. I could never replace him. I could never be like him or do the things he did. But I know he'd want me to make sure you got to see your wife and kid again. I know it. So I'm going to make sure that you get to go home."
Lennox nodded, giving my hand a squeeze. No other words needed to be spoken.
We all have a job to do.
"Everybody in!" the pilot shouted. I was strapped in, nestled between Izzy and Cade. The young girl was shaking, and the moment I glanced her way she gripped my hand. I closed my eyes, feeling the bird lift off the ground, the interior rattling as it ducked and dove through tendrils of Cybertron's protruding surface. Bumblebee, Drift and Hound were aboard the Cybertronian fighters, doing their best to clear the way. But the vine-like, sloping objects were thickening. There was only so much ground the mechs could clear.
"You'd better hurry up, Optimus."
"I am going as quickly as I can. He is being…difficult."
I was about to respond when the tail of the bird was torn away, exposing us to the open air. Izzy screamed and I held one hand against my restrains while my other arm shot out to pin the younger girl to her seat. Once again we were flipped, and then spun, lights blaring and the pilots cursing as we descended.
"Everybody hold on!" Lennox bellowed. Viviane gave a shriek as the Osprey hit the ground, rotors kicking up dust and dirt. We came to a jarring, sudden stop. Only when I felt Izzy push against my arm did I released her, simply tearing around my restraints, hopping onto the mangled debris and tugging Izzy from hers.
"You okay?"
"I'm good," Izzy huffed. We exited the Osprey, sticking close to Cade and the others.
The good news: we'd reached our destination.
The bad news: we'd crash landed a good distance away from the actual control structure. The chunk of alien land was solid, with grey ashy dirt and alien trenches. I could see the Decepticons, mixed in with Quintessa's hulking Cybertronian bodyguards. The tallest of them all raised his weapon and shot towards the sky.
Drift zoomed overhead, unloading a furious barrage at our adversary's before circling around. Hound and Bumblebee followed on their own fighter, landing and covering us from behind. Finally, the Dinobots were able to enter the battle, smashing through Decepticons until heavy fire from a massive, triple barreled turret sent them into retreat.
Izzy concentrated, lifting up a damaged rotor from the crashed Osprey and sending it hurtling like an arrow. It struck its target — one of Quintessa's bodyguards — in the shoulder. She did it once more until she ran out of rotors and used whatever else she could find.
The turret had us pinned. We could barely lift our heads without it bearing down on us. The only the keeping it at bay was Hound's minigun, which fired with the same amount to accuracy and vigor.
"We need to take that thing out!" I shouted, pointing. "We won't get anywhere! I need to get into that control tower!"
As if on cue, the turret mowed down a heavy amount of soldiers. The subsequent explosion sent a fireball that Bumblebee barely managed to avoid, the shockwave knocking all of us off our feet.
"Get behind cover, now!" Lennox ordered.
"Frag," Hound winced as he continued firing, despite his singed armor. "Take this, assholes!"
"Where is Optimus?" Cade shouted.
"Yeah. Where are you?"
No response. I panicked. I could feel him but he wasn't responding.
I slammed my fist into the dirt before searching around, my eyes landing on Sqweeks. Ignoring Cade's questions, I slid over to the smaller bot. Izzy was occupied sending chunks of deadly debris hurtling towards out enemies. Even if she'd been free, I would have never allowed her to go.
"Sqweeks, look," I pointed at the turret. "You're small. They won't see you coming, but only if I can distract them. Okay? Okay. We need to take out that turret. Can you do that? I'll keep them busy."
The blue bot nodded rather enthusiastically. Before anyone had a chance to talk me out of my ludicrous plan, I ushered Sqweeks away and we broke from cover.
I ran. I ran harder and faster than I ever had before. There was no rugged terrain, no trees. Just flat dirt and the turret had no trouble honing in on me. Firing, however, was another story.
It was like a demented version of dodge ball. I'd duck and weave, sidestep, and occasionally get myself nearly blown apart. An almost rhythmic, vomit-inducing dance went on. I tried to make it difficult to hit me while also keeping the thing distracted long enough for Sqweeks to reach it.
C'mon little guy. This is your moment. You can do it.
A particularly powerful blast from all three barrels sent me on my back, one ear unable to function. I coughed up dirt and a bit of blood, rolling over just in time to see the turret explode and Sqweeks, in he midst of it, rolling across the ground, arms flailing wildly. I met him with a hug, holding his helm.
"That was amazing! Good job, good job," I checked the little bot for injuries, relieved to see that he'd made it out relatively unscathed. A dark shadow passing overhead drew my attention away, and I smiled before turning back to Sqweeks and saying, "Okay, okay. Here's what I want you to do next. Go back to Izzy and keep her safe. Watch over her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, like I would do. I have to go in there and kill Quintessa. I have to. And if I don't make it back, Izzy will need you to be there for her. To be strong. You're a good little bot," I gingerly planted a kiss atop his helm. "Now go."
Sqweeks hesitated, big eyes filled with sadness. But he listened, zooming back towards Izzy and the soldiers. I looked towards the control structure and then, finally, at my mate as he leaped from the back of the three headed dragon and began slicing away at Decepticons, sword in hand. Like an avenging demon. Or an angel.
That's Optimus Prime.
"Find the girl. Kill her," Megatron waved his blaster. "Quintessa the Deceiver wills it!"
I was just outside the control tower, crouched behind another turret that had been blown apart. My legs felt like jelly and as I struggled to keep my breathing under control. I could make out the patterns on Megatron's silver chassis, see the glowing red of his gun. Quintessa's bodyguards had their swords drawn and were patrolling the area, simply waiting for Optimus to approach them.
Prime was busy. The dragon was circling the air, demolishing any adversaries that dared try and launch an assault from the sky. Fighters zoomed overhead, the noise of battle deafening.
Megatron's allegiance to Quintessa wasn't surprising. I wondered if it had been Quintessa manipulating Megatron into keeping me alive, back at the Decepticon campsite. She'd made it pretty clear that I belonged to her. That the honor of killing me belonged to her.
And here I was, walking straight towards her, a prize gift wrapped in dirt and blood.
You can do this.
I regretted not speaking to Optimus. I'd wanted to say goodbye, give him something to hold onto. Hell, he had nothing of mine. I'd just be a memory.
Megatron turned and I darted, skittering past him and entering the wide chamber. Quintessa was in the center, hovering over the decorated floor that had been etched with ancient Cybertronian text and symbols. Even the air felt old, heavy. Like I'd already left Earth's atmosphere.
You're in her territory now.
I could see the pillar in the back, just as Optimus had described it. Tall and pulsing with an energy that needed to be contained. This was the primary source for Cybertron's power, the thing that helped the planet move along and destroy everything in its path.
"You followed?" Quintessa tilted her perfect metal head to the side. When I just glared, she said, "I'm surprised. But no matter — I have a proposition for you, child."
"The only thing I'll agree to is you surrendering."
"Oh, you know that's not going to happen. What I propose is much more appealing," Quintessa smirked. "Join me. Fight by my side. You do not belong on this planet, child. Once Cybertron is reborn, you will have a new home. A new life."
I was to tired to put up a proper counterargument. "I'll hear you out, solely for shits and giggles."
Quintessa raised her eyebrows. "You have seen my true power, and I have seen yours. You are destined to be stronger. You have suffered greatly throughout your time," she cooed. "I can end that and set you free. What has this world done for you lately?"
Nothing.
I blinked. Stepped forward.
No. No.
It gave me Cade. Tessa. Lennox.
Izzy.
Optimus.
"I suffered, sure," I said shakily. Quintessa seemed eager, nodding as she floated closer, extending her arm with her palm facing upward, urging me to take it.
She said, "I can heal those wounds."
"Nah," I shrugged nonchalantly, just staring at the petite metal limb. "You might be powerful, but you're not that powerful. Plus, you're a real bitch for hurting my family. So for that, you're getting your ass beat."
Quintessa hissed, only to be thrown back when I balled up my fist and swung, delivering a right hook to the side of her face.
I immediately darted towards the glowing pillar at the back of the room. The light it emitted was so powerful that I just knew it had to be the switch that would send Cybertron hurtling back to where it came from.
The moment Quintessa realized where I was going, she struck. The lighting strike hit the floor in front of me, blocking my path to the pillar. By the time I'd regained some composure, Quintessa was gripping the collar of my wetsuit.
She flung me back. I landed in the center of the cavern and slid several yards.
"Megatron!" Quintessa bellowed. I righted myself as the silver Decepticon entered the cavern, taking slow, methodical steps and subsequently blocking my only potential exit.
Shit.
I rolled over as Megatron's battle-axe embedded itself into the floor, right where I'd been lying. He spun his weapon and the handle caught me in the stomach before I could move, launching me into Quintessa's waiting grasp.
This is so not fair.
They played me like a game of ping-pong, sending me back and forth, landing blow after blow. I'd duck and dodge as much as I could, but they were beating me. And my mutated body was to durable to just die. I wanted to die.
Preferably, I wanted Quintessa to die with me.
I staggered and hit the remnants of a Cybertronian statue, bloody fingers grappling for purchase against the steel surface. I willed myself to stand and face my adversaries, and when I did so, they were no longer looking at me, but at the entrance to the cavern.
Optimus charged in, followed by Hound and Drift and Bumblebee. Two smaller figures were in their wake — Viviane and Cade. Bee sprinted and then jumped, lunging and keeping a vice grip on Megatron's shoulder armor.
Then, the gunfire started.
"Rachel! We have to go," Cade shouted, waving his arms. He and Viviane ducked, shielding their heads as Bumblebee was sent tumbling across the floor, thrown from Megatron's back. I couldn't reach them, but I could hear Cade's warning shouts. Something about how the entire structure would be knocked loose -
"Prime," Megatron snarled, raising his weapon. They clashed while Quintessa shrieked in frustration.
They're distracted!
Mustering as much strength as I could, I crouched and hooked my hands beneath the statue. Like the tank, it was awkward to hold but I was able to lift it up above my head. By the time I turned, Quintessa had noticed me, blue eyes wide.
Take this, bitch.
I flung the statue. It hit her and began to slide, and then I began to slide, and then Megatron, Optimus, all of us. I tumbled head over heels, the surface of my wetsuit gaining no purchase against the slippery floor. My hands searched wildly for something to grab. Fire singed my suit as part of an Osprey chopper sailed over my head.
"Here!" Cade slid past, gripping my hand, his free arm reaching out to stop a flailing Viviane. The talisman, which had wrapped around his hand like a glove, acted as a hook and kept up from sliding any further. The structure righted itself, sliding to a stop along Cybertron's tendrils. We righted ourselves, taking cover behind a fallen piece of debris.
"There," I said, pointing. "That pillar controls everything! Destroy it and it's over!"
"We'll take care of it," Viviane said. She and Cade exchanged nods and I craned my neck, hearing thundering footsteps from behind us.
"I'll cover you! Go!" Hound bellowed, peppering Megatron with bullets from his minigun. Cade and Viviane broke from cover, sprinting towards the pillar, while I began searching wildly for Quintessa.
"Here."
The metal woman backhanded me across the face. I recovered from the blow and lunged, tackling her to the ground. Her fists pummeled away at my gut while mine beat her face until one of her optics stopped glowing.
The structure jolted again. I was thrown into the air, my grip still on Quintessa. She came with me, one glowing optic wide and her lips still smirking. Instead of dirt the entrance to the cavern opened into the blue, smoky sky. My feet left the ground and that was when I connected the dots and realized that the entire structure itself was in free fall.
Which meant that we were, too.
"You dare attack my mate?" Optimus bellowed, capturing Megatron in a headlock. "I'll kill you!"
"Kick his ass, Prime!" Hound hollered, spinning wildly through the air as he tried to get ahold of his minigun.
My grip on Quintessa slackened. She kicked me away, still able to float upright while the rest of us were restricted by gravity. My legs kicked into open air as I glared, stuck watching the metal woman set her sights on Cade and Viviane. They'd reached the pillar, dangling from one of the few statues still upright.
"Cade! Viviane!" I screamed. "Watch out—"
Viviane drew her gun first. Her shot hit its intended target, and Quintessa's left arm was blown clean from her shoulder. She screamed. The scream became muffled after a hard push from Bumblebee sent me careening into her.
You should have been more cautious.
The tendrils of Quintessa's long, flowing metal robes concealed a weapon. The carved, jagged blade was as long as my forearm. I saw Quintessa draw it with lightning speed, giving me one of those infuriating smirks before burying the weapon into the center of my chest, all the way to the hilt and with enough strength that it jutted out the small of my back.
I felt the damage. A pounding pressure in my torso, my brain screaming that something was wrong, and that suck a thing shouldn't be where it was.
I didn't care.
Instead of grabbing her, I reared back and kicked her hard in the neck. She coughed, knocked off balance.
"Bee, now!"
The blaster fire from Bumblebee vaporized her. She exploded in a shower of metal and what I assumed to be energon.
I smiled.
"That was for Crosshairs, you cunt," I snared, my mouth filling with blood. When I looked up, Viviane was aiming her gun at the pillar, neck craned, hair framing her face like a halo. She pulled the trigger and the device exploded in a burst of sparks.
That's my girl.
"Optimus!" Drift sliced through one of Quintessa's remaining bodyguards. "We must go!"
With a powerful kick, Optimus sent Megatron flying and out the mouth of the cavern. The rockets in his feet propelled him forward, and I thought for a moment, at least one moment, that I was going to be okay. He was here. We were in our own little bubble, and everything was slowing down.
That's because Cade just shot off his bubble gun and you're floating, dumbass.
Close enough.
Drift, Bee and Hound would survive. The mouth of the cavern got closer and closer until I realized that Optimus had grabbed hold of us three humans and was flying, emerging into the open air. My head dangled over the side and I could hear Cade speaking frantically, one arm wrapped around me.
I didn't hear him.
Man. Dying is slow.
I kept staring at the sky. Cybertron wasn't retreating, but it wasn't advancing anymore. It was just stagnant, as if it had been there all along. The surface beneath my back went from Prime's cool, metal hands to soft grass.
Sometime before, the blade had been yanked from my chest. I saw Cade's distraught face as he stared down at me, tears in his eyes, pressing his balled up jacket onto my wound. I could hear him speaking, now, murmuring words of encouragement before he simply craned his neck and screamed, "Izzy! Izzy! Get over here!"
Drift, and Bee approached. Then Cogman. Then Optimus, falling to his knees only to be held back by Hound, who pleaded with his leader to give me space.
The picture didn't feel complete without Crosshairs.
"It's bad," Viviane was hyperventilating, tears in her eyes. Izzy slid into view and she repeated to the young girl, "It's bad. Oh my God."
Yep. You're gonna die.
I closed my eyes, and then opened them. I didn't have to focus on my breathing because I wasn't breathing. I was sitting in the grass, alone. Stonehenge was there, Cybertron loomed in the background, but everyone else had disappeared.
"This is one hell of a view, don't you think?"
I looked to my side. Burton was staring at Stonehenge, the ancient structure now standing tall with Cybertron as a backdrop. The old man nudged me with his elbow, chuckling.
It took me a moment to reply. "I came to Stonehenge once before, with my mom. It wasn't this dramatic."
"I would hope not," Burton said. He reached down to touch the grass, murmuring. "Many were buried here. The place is a stone graveyard. Fascinating, really. You're a connoisseur of history. Do you believe aliens built this monument?"
"I'm not a connoisseur," I said bluntly, picking at the grass. "I just like history and read to much online. Also, no. I think the ancient population was smart enough to figure out how to move a bunch of bigass rocks."
"An ingenious invention. And to think, this has now been outdone by another wonder: Cybertronians."
"I could probably bench press those rocks. To bad I won't get to try with me being, you know, dead," I looked at Burton on out the corner of my eye. "Wait. You're dead to, right?"
"As dead as one can be, though my soul still hasn't reached its final stages," Burton shrugged. "I never believed in that crap though. I'm just here because you seemed lonely."
"Well that's awfully convenient."
"Try 'nice.'" Burton quipped. "I'm an old man. My time was done. I had my moment," he said sadly. "You still haven't had yours."
"You mean theres more after this? Shit. Well, no sacrifice, no victory, you know, the whole shebang."
"You still have a whole page left of your story," Burton said. "And you have to be there for it."
"'Have' is a very strong word…"
"Rachel," Burton winked, giving me a playful shove. "Go. Go home. You'll thank me for it later."
"Momma!"
"Izzy?"
"Momma!" Izzy had her arms around me. She was sobbing into my torn wetsuit. I looked around. The grass was no longer empty. Lennox was there, with his soldiers, and Cogman, Viviane. Cade. Bee and Drift. Sqweeks, the Dinbots, and, circling overhead, the three headed dragon.
Optimus.
"Holy shit," Cade was furiously wiping away tears. When he pulled his hand away, more spilled from his eyes. His voice ebbed into sobs and he, too, fell into my arms. "Don't scare me like that, okay?"
"I won't," I murmured. The sound of Optimus kneeling prompted the others to step away, giving the two of us some space. I latched onto his finger as he ducked his head, struggling to even speak. The grief was still there and fresh, like an open wound.
"I love you," Optimus settled and said heavily. "You are my spark. My everything. And I am so, so sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. I love you, too," I replied. I sniffed, rolling my eyes. Everyone was fucking crying. "Shit. More tears. This wetsuit has been through enough."
"It's over," Viviane looked up at the sky. Unabashedly, she leaned over and gave Cade a kiss, wrapping her arms around him.
"So, uh, when's the double date scheduled?" I inquired. Still lip-locking with Viviane, Cade raised his middle finger in my direction, causing me to erupt in peals of laughter. Izzy hugged me again as we watched the sun slip behind the horizon, illuminating Stonehenge with a glowing, orange light.
"Now would be a good time to make that 'calling all Autobots' speech of yours, Optimus," I called. "And go quick. I want to get home and take a bubble bath and then sleep for, you know, a few hundred years.
"I will be joining you, then," Optimus said.
I nodded. "I wouldn't want it any other way. Now close us out so we can go home."
"At the heart of every legend, there is truth: a few brave souls unite to save the world. We can be heroes in our own lives, every one of us, if we only have the courage to try…."