Disclaimer: It's Tuesday, and you know what that means. Here's the latest chapter of the epic saga and right on time for the end of the year... thank God 'cause 2020 sucked.
As usual, I don't own the the rights to Transformers and with that said...
YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH! That was for you, Brodie Lee. Rest in Peace.
Chapter XXII
There was a tense standoff between the trio of Optimus Prime, Megatron and Optimus Primal and Unicron. The three leaders of their respective factions were the only thing standing between the Chaos Bringer and the Allspark. Unicron was nonplussed and started to make his move in a slow, steady gait. Optimus Prime tightened his grip on the Star Saber while Megatron deployed his mace and Primal readied his shoulder cannons. Unicron continued his advance and morphed his hands into spiked weapons. His slow, methodical pace quickened. Unicron was coming for war.
Megatron bellowed with pure rage in his voice before charging forward, and Optimus Prime and Primal were right behind him. They closed the distance between themselves and Unicron. Megatron was the first to get in close and he swung his mace directly for Unicron's head. Unicron blocked the mace and attempted to swipe at Megatron, and Megatron managed to avoid the assault. He retaliated with his mace again, this time cracking Unicron in the side to stagger him. Unicron recovered almost instantly and grabbed the mace as it came for his face again. He drew Megatron in close and batted him away.
Optimus Prime closed in and took to sending out a series of slashes and swipes with the Star Saber. Unicron used one of his weaponized arms to block the attacks, but Optimus Prime was not about to relent for a moment. He managed to land a glancing blow that didn't even faze Unicron. Unicron was quick to answer back with an assault of blows that Optimus Prime managed to deflect until one such strike knocked him back but didn't drop him.
Primal saw his opening and flew in from above, hitting Unicron with dual blasts that forced him to defend. Flying overhead and landing behind the Chaos Bringer, Primal drew his swords and charged straight for Unicron. Primal managed to get in close and slash at Unicron's back, leaving a pair of gashes and staggering Unicron. Unicron wildly swiped at Primal, who just managed to duck below and get in front of him. Unicron was ready and attempted to hit Primal point blank with his optic blast, forcing Primal to jump away and regroup with Optimus Prime and Megatron. Optimus Prime took the short respite to look back at the Allspark where it stood.
Unicron was stalking toward the trio slowly and methodically, obstinately intending to intimidate them. "A feeble effort. You cannot hope to stop me from eradicating all that is."
"Optimus, we barely even fazed him." Primal whispered.
"You sound nervous, young one. I hope you're not planning to make a hasty retreat." Megatron said in a mocking tone.
"Not a chance in the Pit, Megatron." Primal retorted, making Megatron smirk.
"We cannot fight Unicron forever, Primal. You need to get the Allspark to the core of Cybertron, now."
"Give me the Allspark, Optimus Prime." Unicron demanded.
"So that you might erase it from existence as you so claimed? Not likely, Unicron." Optimus Prime declared.
"Then you shall die along with this wretched universe." Unicron said.
Then without any warning or reason, Unicron started screaming louder than any known living creature in the universe he'd threatened to eradicate. He grabbed his head and stagger about, trying desperately to maintain his balance. His green optics flickered on again and off again and his screams of agony could seemingly be heard across time and space. Optimus Prime, Megatron and Primal could look on in confusion as Unicron dropped his knees. His body trembled so much that all of Cybertron shook with him. Seeing the Chaos Bringer reacting in such a way and out of the blue stirred a sadistic glee in Megatron. Recounting all that Unicron had done to him; turning him into Galvatron, making him a slave, torturing... Unicron deserved so much worse, and Megatron was ever so eager to finally have his chance at revenge. As he moved in for the kill, Optimus Prime held him back.
Looking at his longtime rival, Megatron snapped, "Are you serious, Optimus? We have a chance to end this madness."
"For once, I might actually agree Megatron." Primal said.
"No, wait," Optimus insisted, and listened closely to the screaming. "Those are not the pained screams of Unicron."
"What are you...?" Megatron wondered aloud.
Optimus suddenly said, "It is him. He's fighting back."
"Who?" Primal asked.
Before Optimus could reply, Unicron looked up to him. But this time, it wasn't malice or rage. There seemed to be pain and even fear in his optics which weren't the sickly green hue anymore but pure blue. It was at that moment that Optimus Prime realized that it wasn't Unicron struggling against the pain. It was Hotrod, and he was fighting back against the Chaos Bringer with every single fiber of his being. He reached his hand out, specifically seeking the aid of Optimus Prime.
"Op...ti...mus." It wasn't Unicron's voice, but Hotrod's.
(("WHAT?" Unicron bellowed.
"I won't let you do it, Unicron," said Rodimus, standing across from the Chaos Bringer in the plain of Rodimus' very psyche. "I won't let you wipe the entire universe."
"You won't be able to stop me. You are nothing more than my vessel, easily disposable and ultimately forgotten." Unicron said, and he stormed toward Rodimus in a rage.
Rodimus met Unicron head on and they locked hands, causing a tremor within the space. "No, Unicron. I... am... a Prime."
For the first time in his existence, physical or metaphysical, Unicron seemed to be experiencing fear and Rodimus was gaining the upper hand on him. Try as he might, Unicron suddenly found himself faltering against who he'd long considered beneath, a momentary speck within an indifferent universe. Rodimus himself now found himself growing larger that Unicron, holding him down and actually dropping him to a knee. Unicron couldn't believe it. This should not have been happening.
"This is... impossible."
"What's the matter, Unicron," Rodimus asked a mocking but determined tone. "You look terrified."))
Back in reality, Unicron bellowed in anger. His optics fluctuated between shades of green and blue, and then without warning, a dual-colored beam of light shot forth and up into the stars. Optimus Prime, Megatron and Primal all had to shield their own optics. The light was so bright that it illuminated the sky above. Optimus Prime managed to get the vague look at the beam and caught a glimpse of where it was going. The beam was traveling well beyond the orbit of Cybertron, on a direct path to the remains of Unicron's original head that was Cybertron's most ominous satellite.
Zarak managed to find his way into the inner workings of Skorponok, a space that was constantly shifting and changing with every passing second. There were enough moving parts that anyone else would've been either lost or crushed under a random joint. Zarak wasn't anyone else. He was Skorponok's creator and he was there now to attain redemption for his previous actions. Knowing the great titan as well as he did, Zarak was able to move around until he found a wide enough space to walk along without the burden of contorting his body. In time, he found his way to the primary center that housed the systems needed to regain control of Skorponok. It appeared that the main console remained intact, and Zarak attempted to get right to work on getting Skorponok under control.
He had no idea of the clawed tendril rising up behind him until he saw it in the computer's reflective screen. The claw lunged for him and Zarak jumped out the way right on time. He hit and rolled across the floor while the appendage slammed into the wall just inches from the screen. Like a living snake-like creature in itself, the appendage reacted to Zarak's movement and lunged for him yet again. Zarak rolled out of the way of the appendage again. Even as he just avoided that claw, Zarak was suddenly confronted by another claw that came close enough to slash the right side of his face. He quickly retreated behind a wall to regroup.
Zarak touched his hand to the open wound on his cheek. A purplish-red smear appeared on his fingertips. He looked around the corner of the wall to get a look at the console. The two tendrils moved back and forth like snakes waiting for their next meal. Zarak looked back at his fingers and realized that he'd forgotten that he also had tendrils in his hands. He just needed the right moment to strike back.
The literal titanic struggle between Fortress Maximus and Skorponok raged on as they locked their colossal hands together. Down below but a reasonable distance away from the battlefield, the Autobots, Decepticons and Maximals looked on with awe and astonishment. At least several of the flight capable Transformers were airborne in an attempt to aid Fortress Maximus in getting Skorponok under control. It didn't seem to be enough as Skorponok continued to battle on against his foe. Fortress Maximus was able to gain some ground and landed a stiff blow to the face of Skorponok. Skorponok answered with a stiff strike of his own, but it was clear that neither could gain the upper hand for more than a fleeting moment.
Then a loud boom sounded across the planet, and everything seemed to come down to a halt. Fortress Maximus and Skorponok continued their struggle, but the rest of the Transformers stopped their own actions. They saw it; a beam of light shooting from elsewhere on Cybertron. Confusion and concern gripped the Transformers as they watched the light shooting rapidly toward the reaches of space. But it soon became apparent that the beam of light had a certain trajectory that was carrying it straight toward the severed head of Unicron.
The beam shot forth from Cybertron and finally reached the head of Unicron which it eventually struck through the severing point. The beam hit the satellite with the force of a meteor crashing into a planetoid. Then he continued directly through the husk and it cut through to the other side, where it continued to reach out into deep space. Then another unexpected moment happened as the husk started to slowly break apart. Pieces of the husk, large and small and someplace in between, were sent spiraling away from the beam, caught in the weightlessness of space itself. This was only for a fraction of a second as some of the larger pieces were suddenly caught in Cybertron's gravitational pull. Those chunks, and more of them that broke clear of the disintegrating husk, started coming down toward Cybertron. They ignited into balls of flame as they starting raining down.
The beam of light stopped shooting from Unicron's optic, but that was hardly the what Optimus Prime, Primal or Megatron were thinking about at the moment. Looking up at the growing number of flaming projectiles raining down on Cybertron, Optimus Prime had already determined that the fragments were once part of Unicron's original head. Unicron himself, or perhaps it was Hotrod, collapsed to the steel surface in a near heap while debris rained down. The first piece of debris landed several yards away from the group, in plain view of them across from the Well of Sparks. Primal looked and saw another chunk coming directly at them. He instinctively jumped and tackle Megatron out of the way while Optimus Prime jetted away from the impact point.
The explosion knocked them all off their feet. Primal recovered just in time to see another chunk of debris coming down. It was headed straight for the Allspark. Acting as quickly as possible and headless of his own safety, Primal jetted for the Allspark and grabbed hold of it just moments before the chunk crashed. The explosion threw Primal down hard and burned him along his left side, but he was somehow remained function in the chaos. He looked up at the Allspark and saw how was it teetering over the edge of the Well and he rushed to prevent it from falling.
Optimus Prime Megatron were quick to scatter in opposite directions to avoid being crushed by any falling debris. The debris was seemingly coming from everywhere and forcing the two rivals to use every flight maneuver they knew just to stay alive. One such chunk of debris was long and jagged and coming directly for Megatron. He was still in his robot form as the pillar-like chunk down down near him. He managed to shift his position and barely avoided it. Optimus Prime had the same problem, except his giant chunk of debris was almost right on top of him. He managed to avoid serious damage when he cleaved the chunk in half with Star Saber.
Landing back to the surface of the planet, Optimus Prime caught a glimpse of Unicron still on his knees. Time seemed to stand still when they locked optics. Perhaps it was the assault of falling debris that warped Optimus Prime's senses, but he could swear that when Unicron looked toward him, it wasn't actually Unicron. Another large fragment of falling debris was coming down straight Unicron. Perhaps acting on instinct alone, Optimus Prime jetted straight for Unicron and grabbed him. They both barely managed to avoid being crushed by the giant fragment as it crashed into the surface, landing a short distance away from the ensuing explosion.
Zarak waited and waited and watched as the tendrils weaved around, their claws clamping together to coax him out of hiding. Seeing the console sitting just beyond the tendrils, Zarak knew that he had to time his approach just right to avoid certain death. He'd be able to take the pain of potential injury, but death was an absolute certainty if he wasn't careful. Maybe it was by sheer stroke of luck that the structure around him suddenly shuddered violently. That wasn't Fortress Maximus still battle with Skorponok. Zarak knew something was happening outside. Whatever it was, it distracted the appendages enough for Zarak to make his move.
He rushed from his hiding place and made a beeline for the console. The tendrils reacted and lunged for him. Zarak was able to avoid the few few attacks as he drew closer. Then he took a slashing on his left leg. Ignoring the pain, Zarak pushed forward. He endured another strike, this time to his right shoulder. Zarak kept going and he was almost right on top of the console. One more slash came across his back and sent Zarak slamming into the console. Maybe it was dumb luck but Zarak wasn't about to protest. He quickly extended his finger tendrils and drill them into the ports of the console just as he felt a sharp pain digging into his left side. He looked down to see a claw in his rib cage, but that didn't stop him from operating the console. With a focused burst, Zarak took control and the appendages retracted. No all Zarak had to worry about was the open wound and the blood spewing from it.
It was seemingly akin to clockwork when Skorponok suddenly stopped his assault of Fortress Maximus and stood still. The Transformers on the surface were unsure of what just happened, but Spike had to assume that Zarak had managed to get the titan back under control. It wasn't a moment too soon, as debris from Unicron's destroyed head came raining down on the planet. The Transformers scattered for any shelter they could find, and then Fortress Maximus to a brave stance against the falling debris. Surprisingly, Skorponok now joined Fortress Maximus in shielding the Transformers as they sought a safe haven.
Most of the Autobots and the Maximals reached the wreckage of the Alchemor, while Predaking blasted at any incoming chunks that came near. He was able to buy time for Blackarachnia to carry Giga and Mega to Alchemor wreck. Sideswipe and Windblade motioned and quickly pulled the trio into the wreck. Shockwave and Starscream followed, the latter of the pair nearly having been crushed by debris. Taking shelter, Starscream couldn't help but sneer at Shockwave.
"I don't suppose you have a logical explanation for this, Shockwave." he spat.
Shockwave glared at Starscream and replied, "Be silent, Starscream."
After a short while, the hailstorm of debris finally ceased and the Transformers emerged from hiding. Drift asked, "Everyone okay?"
"The Maximals are all accounted for." Rhinox replied.
Rattletrap looked up at the two titans as they now stood side by side. "Heh, I guess them giants ain't so useless."
"What was that? Where's that beam come from?" Windblade asked.
Arcee looked up toward the sky when it dawned on her. "Hotrod." she said before transforming and racing off.
Author's Note: That puts this chapter in the books and pretty marks the final chapter of 2020. Don't worry, there's more on the way and we're not done yet. Be sure to leave a few reviews and I'll be seeing you all in 2021. Have a Happy New Year and peace out.
In Memory of
Jon Huber (Brodie Lee; Luke Harper)
1979-2020
