CHAPTER SIX

Going Out With A Bang…

***

Angelina's P.O.V:

"You mean those giant robots are Decepticons!?" I exclaimed. I was sitting in the back seat of Jazz. Honey Bee was on my right, and Shooting Star was on my left.

"Right." Said the man sitting in the front. He was a US/Australian army personal, by the name of Coby Milestone. He had been ordered by the Australian army to assist us – SWAT tams and whatnot were on the way, but I didn't know if they'd get there in time.

"And they're after Emma?"

"Right." Coby said again.

"Then why are we running?"

As I said that, Jazz suddenly swerved, and screeched to a stop. Through the front windshield, I saw a giant black robot running towards us up the freeway.

"It's Barricade!" Honey Bee yelled. "He's back!"

Shooting Star looked dead scared. "How can he be?" She whispered. "They're not supposed to be able to do that…"

Apparently, Decepticon like breaking the rules of existence.

"Get out." Jazz ordered us, and all four of us did so.

Jazz transformed, and met Barricade head-on, as said Decepticon tackled him to the ground.

"I have orders from Lord Megatron to capture and bring to him the All-Spark twins!" Barricade said in a cold, cruel voice. He punched Jazz in the face, and Jazz fell over the edge of the bridge. "Now…" Barricade turned to us. "Kill the spare…" He meant me and Coby!

"Ha ha ha!" An insane-sounding German voice suddenly yelled. "Not today, Barricade!" And a robot tackled Barricade from mid-air and pushed him into the road. "I vill defend ze Autobots now!"

"BLITZWING!!??" Honey Bee and Shooting Star both cried in disbelief.

"Zat's my name!" He called to them, before punching Barricade.

"Who's Blitzwing?" I inquired. I couldn't believe this was happening to me – I was glad I'd decided to go for that walk the other night!

"He's a Decepticon too," Shooting Star said, but she sounded unsure. "I think…"

Honey Bee's red eyes were focused intently on Blitzwing.

Barricade seemed furious. "Blitzwing! What is the meaning of this mutiny!?"

"I decided it vas time for a change of spark!" Blitzwing responded, shooting Barricade multiple times with his cannons.

"Which I will gladly rip out for you!" Barricade responded, counter-firing.

Jazz suddenly jumped up from the side of the bridge, landing with a ground-breaking crash near to where Blitzwing and Barricade were fighting.

"Has da whole world gone crazy?" Jazz wondered.

"Jazz, it's okay!" Honey Bee suddenly yelled. "Blitzy is protecting us – we can get away now!" She sounded excited, and I noticed that her red eyes were glowing.

Jeez, what was up with these little kids anyway? Kelsi was just as crazy as these two were!

"I can't argue wit dat!" Jazz responded, transforming and driving up to us, swerving sharply. "Get in!"

We all climbed back into him and he sped off towards the city exit.

"Jazz," I heard an unfamiliar female voice through Jazz's com-link thing. "Decepticons are invading the city – we think they're looking for all three Carriers, plus the object in question! What should we do?"

Jazz didn't hesitate to answer her. "Shadow, what is your position?"

She must've sent it to him, because he went on without her answering: "Okay, hold your position and do not engage! I'll drop da humans off at the rendezvous point and then come and help ya!"

Suddenly, another unfamiliar female voice shouted: "Jazz, there are Decepticons everywhere here! The Jet-Twins and I can't take them all! We're being devastated here!"

"Arlexa!" Jazz replied. "Stay calm and hold out as best ya can! Send your coordinates to Sunstreaker and Backdraft, and they'll come and help ya! We cannot let da Decepticons find them!" He seemed to be angry about something. "Where the slag are ya, Bumblebee? And where's da Princess?"

Good questions.

We heard two voiced behind us suddenly.

One was Barricade's saying: "I love it when they run." He transformed and began to follow us.

The other was Blitzwing's response to that. "But now you must say bye-bye, Barricade!" He said, and fired a single, heavy shot at the black police car.

*

Ironhide and I were driving, for the most part we were out of town, when suddenly I happened to glance in the wing mirror.

The two Decepticons behind us, both dark grey and scary-looking, had suddenly stopped and aimed heavy fire at us.

The unavoidable, lethal kind.

"INCOMING!!!!" I screamed.

Ironhide swerved, and then transformed, pulling me out of him as he did this (I'll never know how he did this). He countered with cannon fire of his own.

The missiles all collided in mid-air, creating a huge explosion that stung my eyes.

When I opened them again, Ironhide was glaring at the two advancing Decepticons.

"Blackout and Brawl," He said, anger slicing into his words. "Never thought I'd see you two punks here…"

"We're here for the girl." The taller one, whom I realised was Blackout (don't ask me how I knew this), replied coldly.

"Yeah, and to blow more stuff up once we get her!" The shorter one, Brawl, added.

Now, Ironhide was bigger then Brawl, and had more weapons then Blackout. He had a strong cause to fight for, and a lot of courage.

But there was no way he could take them both on at once.

I had to help him out.

As Brawl and Blackout began their attack, I jumped out of Ironhide's hands and phased, back to my proper, Autobot form.

Yes, it was my true form, and now I knew the reason I had it – to fight against the Decepticons!

My four wings snapped out, and I gathered All-Spark energy in my hands. I threw the energy at Blackout, and then half-turned and punched Brawl in the face.

Ironhide got over his shock and followed suit. The two of us attacked with fierce brutality and strength.

But I was the one who made the mistake. I failed to comprehend a third assailant – Lugnut.

I didn't see him approach from behind, armed with cannons.

But Ironhide did.

His optics widened. "Emma, look out!" He yelled.

I turned to see the incoming missiles coming from Lugnut's cannons. I gasped. I couldn't move, couldn't dodge them.

Time seemed to move in slow-motion then, but my spark was pounding like crazy.

My life flashed before my eyes – I swear it's true, it really does happen.

I must've closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt something close around me and, a split-second later, the explosion took place.

It was a wide-scale thing, I found out later that it wiped out buildings and whatnot.

Probably would've killed civilians too – if there'd been any left in Detroit.

I was flung against a wall and felt my circuits scream in protest. I slammed into the wall, and felt it and some of my armour crack.

Then, I fell. I landed with a thud on the ground and opened my optics, feeling the stinging in my joints.

I couldn't believe what I saw.

Lugnut was still standing, but Brawl and Blackout were, according to my scanners, permanently offline. I was extremely glad.

And Ironhide was…

"Ironhide, no!" I yelled, getting up and, ignoring the pain it caused me, running to his still body, lying in the crater. His body and optics were dimmed – he would soon be offline.

He must've been carrying explosives with him, that caused the explosion when he was hit with Lugnut's missiles. I could tell, because he was missing armour in places you should not be lacking armour.

"Ironhide!" I gasped, pressing my hands to his chest. I could feel his spark beating, but faintly. "Ironhide, please!" All of this for me!? It couldn't be so! I refused to let it happen!

I ignored Lugnut, and he ignored me. He seemed to be listening to someone.

"Ironhide – say something!" I begged, my optics filling with tears.

The black mech's optics locked on mine. I could see them dimming, but I couldn't – wouldn't – believe it. "Ironhide?" I whispered.

"Princess…don't cry…you gotta…get out of here…" He managed to say.

I shook my head. "Why? Why should I live and you die!? Tell me!"

He said: "You gotta…keep your power safe…the Matrix…the twins…everything must be kept safe, and The Fallen must be defeated…" He was struggling to talk. "You…I know that you alone can do it…and…I never thought…you were a nuisance…I…I…"

I strained forward to hear what he was saying, feeling his precious life energy slipping away. The bot who had protected my life…I struggled to hear his last words over the beating of my poor spark.

"I love you…"

He meant it too.

"I love you too, Ironhide…" I whispered, feeling my throat close up. "Thank you…for everything…"

He grinned, bleeding energon from his mouth. "At least I went out with a bang, huh Princess?"

I shut my optics tight. Typical Ironhide. "Yes Ironhide, yes you did…"

His optics dimmed then, and faded to grey. His spark faltered, and then went out.

It would never beat again.

Ignoring the shattered feeling in my chest, I took a deep breath, still part human, but all Autobot. I could still breathe, but I was fast forgetting how to do it as my world fell apart around me.

I turned my head then.

"I didn't mean to kill her, master!" Lugnut, talking to Megatron, said out loud. "She is still alive, I knew he would protect her!" He listened, and then flinched. "I was sure of it, yes! No, I am sorry master!" He sounded scared beyond all reason. I could almost hear Megatron screaming at him.

I understood his fear.

But it wasn't Megatron he should be afraid of.

The thirst for energon, the essence of a robot, suddenly burned inside my throat, reminding me of the rivers of fire that had turned me into a vamp-bot. Ironhide was gone because of Lugnut…as were Nenona and Jerome, and my real parents too, and Tiffany.

My family…all dying in my name to save me.

How many more would die in my name, to protect me from the Decepticons!?

It had to end here.

"Lugnut!" I yelled, standing up and baring my vampire-bot fangs at him. "I will feast on your very spark!!" I screamed, and lunged at him, my fangs flashing. I sunk said teeth into his neck, and began to drink, feeding the chaos within me, and making me stronger.

Lugnut never stood a chance. I was an untameable beast, tearing savagely at his armour with metal claws, as my teeth ripped apart his neck and drank from his systems.

All thought of reason, morals, and everything I stood for, left my CPU – filling myself with another's life energy was the only thing that mattered.

Only when the Decepticon was dead did I stop, letting his body fall. My optics, I could see in a puddle of energon, were bright red.

Fine, let them be.

I returned to Ironhide, our fallen Autobot, and Optimus' weapons specialist.

I knelt by him, placed my head on his chest, and wept purple tears of energon, crying for all that had happened. My optics slowly dimmed, and then faded back to green.

I couldn't believe what I had just done.

"Emma!?" Bee's voice finally reached me through my com-link, loud and clear. "Are you alright?" From the sounds of things, he must've been trying to reach me for some time now.

I went to answer him, but a sob caught in and claws at my throat, disallowing me to reply.

"Emma!?" Bee sounded worried out of his CPU – he was fairly yelling at me now. "Emma, what happened!? Where the slag are you!?"

I couldn't reply, I could only cry. I couldn't even calm down enough to send Bee my coordinates, but I could let him know where I was.

I took up the cannon that had been severed from Ironhide's body, and fired a single shot up into the sky, where it exploded in mid-air, showering the city with orange embers.

And then I raised my face up to the heavens and wept some more.

*

In Detroit, Bumblebee was not the only one who saw the signal.

***

Meg: Aurgh, I killed Ironhide! Sorry! *Is crying*

Angel-Ironhide: I'm dead! WTF!!??

Meg: *Still crying* Just in preparation for watching movie-Jazz's death tomorrow night… *Hugs Angel-Ironhide* I luv joo…

Angel-Ironhide: … 0////0

Meg: But I just didn't see him going anywhere – he had no spark-mate…oh, I know! I'LL be his spark-mate! *Stops crying*

Ironhide: WHAT!!?? Hold on kid, you can't just decide for yourself!! 0////0

Meg: You mean…I'm not…good enough for you? T_T

Angel-Ironhide: Uh, well…that's just beside the point, kid!

Meg: *Starts wailing, Usagi-style*

Angel-Ironhide: -_-