Megatron had not been good at remembering names.
There had been a time when he had prided himself on his ability to recall all of his follower's names, but that had been millions of stellar cycles ago when he had been a mere platoon commander in Galvatron's Decepticon army. His swift ascension through the ranks had left the faces and names of friends and foes alike increasingly indistinct, and his premiership as Supreme Leader had kept him aloof and isolated.
If Megatron had been bad at remembering names, Gigatron was worse. The sanity snap that had put Megatron on a less stable path had nothing to sharpen his recall of comrades and enemies. Furthermore, his ascension to AllSpark-infused supremacy had wiped clean any pathos he had for his fellow Cybertronians. Now they were so far beneath him that, with the vigorous exception of Optimus Prime, he truly struggled to recall anyone's name, be they Autobot or Decepticon. Even the syllables of Starscream's name were unfamiliar to him now, only recalled with effort.
This meant that he had no chance of recalling the names of the Autobot and Decepticon soldiers who had united against him in the plaza on the approach to the Metroplex. He recalled neither the fifteen or so Autobots desperately assailing him with their power-based weaponry, nor the half a dozen Decepticons unloading their arsenal on him.
This struck him as a shame, as he felt such a moment was owed some degree of personal investment on his behalf. His foes were certainly invested. He was, after all, killing them.
With severing strikes of his bladed staff and immolating blasts from his twin arm-mounted cannons, Gigatron whittled away at them, shrugging aside their own efforts to finish him. It was simple, even a little tedious. There was no joy to extract here.
The only life he truly anticipated ending was Optimus Prime's. Again. But this time it would be flawless. This time, he would savour the kill.
Just the thought sent a pulse of energy coursing through his circuits, and he gave a small, wicked laugh as he ended the last Autobot before him with a cannon blast to the chin. He stepped over the smoking wrecks of his slain foes and strode towards the Metroplex.
He looked up at the battle overhead, a battle unlike anything Cybertron had seen in millions of stellar cycles. Looming Monocon juggernauts were riddled with laserfire and leaking smoke from the heroic efforts of the airborne Decepticons and the Autobot behemoth, Omega Supreme. However, the Quintesson fleet reinforcements he and his underlings had arranged for had arrived, and the wave of alarm that spread through the ranks of defenders was palpable even from the planet surface.
Gigatron took no pleasure in the large-scale war, however. For him, it was merely…a cleansing. He regarded the battle with the same sense of detached satisfaction a human might regard the work of an exterminator in a cockroach-infested property.
There were greater matters at hand.
Unopposed, he strode towards the Metroplex and the AllSpark within.
"It's looking bad up here, Prime!"
Ratchet's voice was a desperate bark over the commlink. Behind a defensive barricade built by the Constructicons and manned by Autobots, Optimus and Jazz watched as Omega Supreme was swarmed by Quintesson ships. A spread of laser blistered towards him. As Jazz watched, Omega banked swiftly and steeply to avoid the attack, but still the drill-shaped ships closed in on him.
"It's a wild scene up there, O.P", Jazz said, "We gotta help them".
Optimus was already firing up his jetpack, but as he did their commlinks buzzed again.
"This is Impactor Major of the Wreckers. Meg-uh, Gigatron is planetside and…urgh…en route to the Metroplex. I'm sorry. We…tried-" the transmission descended into a series of ragged exhales, and the voice, already frail, became thin and distant, "…Tried to stop him, but…but…"
The voice trailed off and the transmission ended. Optimus and Jazz exchanged grim looks.
"He's here already?" Optimus whispered, "I thought we'd have a little more time…"
"Looks like you've got someplace to be, Optimus", Jazz said, "If anyone's gonna put the ice on that creep Gigatron, it's you".
Optimus returned his gaze skyward at the ailing Omega Supreme, "I can't leave Ratchet, Arcee and Omega".
"Optimus Prime, you listen to me!" Arcee's voice came over commlink with sudden ferocity that startled the two Autobots, "I did not have my memory core wiped in the First Great War, languish on a lab table for millennia of peacetime and wake up just in time to get sucked into the Second Great War so that the AllSpark can be devoured by a lunatic from another timeline! I deserve peace! Cybertron deserves peace! And for that to happen, someone needs to put down Gigatron".
A Quintesson frigate swept towards Omega Supreme, exotic gun batteries opening fire. Omega Supreme swung about and held it in its tracks with his servos, then rotated his head one hundred and eighty degrees so that the barrel of the cannon mounted on the rear of his cranium was aimed at the craft. It fired, blasting a hole through the ship's hull. But still more ships were closing in, both Quintesson frigates and Monocon cruisers.
Optimus span about suddenly and drove his fist into a nearby wall, "How am I supposed to decide between saving my friends and saving the AllSpark?!"
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices".
Ratchet's words were quiet, considered. And the same ones he'd said to Optimus on the day Starscream had first threatened Detroit in his pursuit of the AllSpark.
As Jazz watched, Optimus calmed himself, stood up straight, and sighed.
"Good luck up there, Autobots. I'm going to intercept Gigatron. Optimus out".
He looked at Jazz, "I couldn't ask you to come with me".
"You could, and I'd be down. But let's be real, this is a solo flight, O.P. I can't swing with you and that time-travelling fruitcake. But I might be able to send some love to Omega and company."
Optimus looked up at the colossal warships blackening the sky, then back at the slight ninja-bot before him "Erm…what do you think you can do to help them?"
Jazz smiled, "More than you might think, less than you might hope. Now, make the scene...sir".
Optimus nodded gratefully, "It's been an honour, Jazz".
"Been a blast, O.P".
Optimus took off, but as he did, he looked back and saw Jazz leap from building to building with agility like an earth feline, the echo of Prowl. He gained height with each precise move until he was in a position to make a jump for the tail-end of one low-hanging Quintesson ship. He made the jump, darted across its hull, then the ship rose and Jazz vanished from Optimus' view.
"Good luck, Autobot", he said quietly, before firing up his jetpack and making a beeline for the Metroplex.
"What happened here?"
Bumblebee and Bulkhead braked hard and transformed to robot mode, Sari hopping out of Bumblebee's interior as they did. They stopped before a pile of wreckage: twisted limbs, shattered plating, lifeless shells. The bodies of maybe twenty assorted Autobots and Decepticons were scattered across the plaza on the approach to the Metroplex, which loomed some several hundred meters away.
Bumblebee screwed up his face in displeasure, "Some of these bots look like they've been sliced. With something sharp. So, I'm guessing it wasn't cruiser fire that did this".
Sari was looking at the access ramp to the Metroplex, hugging herself as if she were cold, "It's him. He's here".
"Already?!" Bulkhead started, "Gigatron's beaten us to it? We gotta tell Prime and stop 'em!"
"Stop Gigatron?" Bumblebee arched an eyebrow, "Did you see what that bot did to the Elite Guard flagship? How are we supposed to stop him?"
"I…I dunno, okay?!" Bulkhead transformed his right servo into its wrecking ball configuration, "But we can't just let him stroll in there! Let's get after him!"
Bumblebee sighed, "I hate it when you're right. Maybe we can slow him down. For a few nanokliks. Maybe".
Bulkhead was already talking into his commlink, "I just got word, Prime's on his way. C'mon, let's get in there".
Smiling sardonically, Bumblebee said, "I love this plan. I'm excited to be a part of it. Let's go".
"Not this time".
Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at Sari. She stood before them, fists clenched and jaw tight. A fierce light was in her blue eyes.
"What do you mean, kiddo?" asked Bulkhead.
"Bumblebee was right. You guys can't stop Gigatron. None of us can. Only one thing can, and that's the AllSpark", she squared her slim shoulders and looked at the Metroplex beyond them.
"The AllSpark? That's what Gigatron started all of this for!" Bumblebee gestured at the battle raging above and around them, "In his time continuum-dealie, he ate it like organics guzzle down fried potato chips! How's the AllSpark supposed to stop him now?"
"I don't know, exactly", she replied, "But it's got something to do with me. It's all connected. The AllSpark came to Earth for a reason. You bots came to Earth for a reason. My protoform came to Earth for a reason. Cybertron – and Cybertronians - need to change. And the AllSpark knows it".
Bumblebee and Bulkhead shared puzzled looks. They were both thinking back to that moment – the AllSpark in their ship's cargo hold, the legendary Megatron besieging them, like something out of a nightmare. The AllSpark had flared to life, activating a space bridge in their way, teleporting them to an unknown organic planet…
"Okay, but what kinda change does the AllSpark want?" said Bulkhead.
"And how do you know the what the AllSpark wants?" Bumblebee added.
"The day Sentinel and Starscream defected to Gigatron, Blackarachnia and I went to guard the AllSpark. It showed me a vision. Robotic life is stuck in a cycle, guys. War and then ceasefire then war and another ceasefire and then another war! It's been going on for billions of years, and it wasn't gonna end anytime soon".
Bumblebee flinched at the roar of a nearby explosion, "I get what you're saying. But how is any of this supposed to stop Gigatron?"
"The AllSpark came to Earth because in order to survive, and change, it needs new energy. Technorganic energy".
"Okay, so-" Bumblebee jolted suddenly as realization dawned on him, "Oh…no. No way. You're not doing this".
"I have to, Bumblebee. If I give up my spark, it will reawaken the AllSpark with new energy".
"And then what?!" roared Bulkhead, "How is that supposed to stop Gigatron? You're gonna do this just because of a vision?"
"We don't know if you can survive without a spark!" said Bumblebee, shaking, "It'll probably kill you, and you don't even know what it'll actually do!"
Sari lowered her head and said quietly, "No, I don't. But I do know I have to do this. It's what I was bor- created for. I was the keeper of the Key. The AllSpark chose me. But now, I am the key. The key to unlocking Cybertron's future. You have to let me do this".
"I…I…I don't know if we can", Bulkhead answered falteringly, looking away as if a solution might present itself if he just didn't look at Sari and contemplate the unthinkable.
"Well, I know if we can, and we can't. There is no way I am going to let you throw your life away", Bumblebee's reply was fierce: full of anger, and full of heartbreak. His servos were trembling and his voice wavered.
Sari took a delicate step forward and placed her brown-skinned palm on Bumblebee's leg plating, "Bumblebee, please don't make this any harder than it has to be..."
"No! Sari, you're my best friend".
"So is Bulkhead, and you're both ready to throw your lives away in battle!"
"That's different. This is our war, Sari. We brought the war to you", Bulkhead said solemnly.
"I'm just as much a part of this as either of you!" Sari argued, "You didn't ask to get caught up in this any more than I did. You think I didn't worry myself sick every time you went up against Meltdown, or the Headmaster, or the Decepticons? I didn't try to stop you then. So, don't try to stop me now. Please".
Bumblebee and Bulkhead didn't answer. A distant detonation trembled the ground and rattled their internal mechanisms.
Tears ran down Sari's face, "Please, guys. I love you both. You're the best friends a girl could have asked for. You were always there for me. Let me do this – for you, and for all of Cybertron. I can put an end to this. Please. We don't have much time".
It was a while before either of the Autobots answered. When they did, it was Bulkhead, and he was speaking slowly and deliberately.
"What you're saying makes sense in the ol' processor", he said, "But it doesn't feel right in the ol' spark".
"That's right", Bumblebee agreed, "Sari, I can't let you do this. There has to be another-"
His argument was cut short, and suddenly both he and Bulkhead groaned and toppled over backwards. Sari cried out and hurried towards them, but they were already in stasis before they hit the ground.
"They weren't going to listen to you, kid", Blackarachnia scoffed as she slinked out of the shadows, her pincers still crackling with green energy, "But they will listen to my cyber-venom".
Sari transformed to her robot mode in the blink of an eye, blades ignited and dropped into a fighting stance. But Blackarachnia made no further move, and after a moment Sari lowered her guard.
"I guess I should thank you. This was the only way they'd let me go", she reached out and touched the plating of her incapacitated friends, "I wish we could have had a proper goodbye. They'll be okay, won't th-"
Sudden, burning agony crackled through her little body, and she cried out. Through the sudden white-hot pain overloading her organic nervous system and her cybernetic relays, she saw Blackarachnia sneering at her as the Decepticon's pincers pumped cyber-venom into Sari's outstretched arm.
"Sorry, squirt. I've got plans for the AllSpark, and they don't involve you".
As Blackarachnia released her and her consciousness slipped away, Sari just caught a glimpse of the technorganic femmebot slinking back into the shadows as, overhead, an oblivious Optimus Prime soared past and bolted for the entrance of the Metroplex.
Hull-mounted anti-personnel cannons ratcheted about to target Jazz as he ran, low and fast, across the frigate's hull. The distinctive ping of Quintesson cannons heralded a burst of laserfire, and Jazz's cyber-ninja agility was put to the test as he rolled, dived and ducked to prevent himself from being immolated.
Up ahead he saw what he was looking for – an access hatch. He dived for it, lashing out with his nunchaku as he did so. The cords of his weapons wrapped around the hatch's handle, and he yanked upwards with all of his strength.
A nanoklik before the hull guns targeted him, the hatch gave way and swung back on its hinges. Jazz leapt through and slammed the hatch shut – as he did it buckled inward from the impact of incoming fire.
Going from the red skyline of Iacon, with the smoke, fire and detritus of war, to the inside of the Qunintesson ship, was a destabilizing experience. The interior of the frigate, from wall to floor ceiling, was brilliant white, blindingly so to Jazz. After a moment his optical filters kicked in and adjusted his vision. He looked around. There was no sign of anyone, Quintesson or otherwise.
Jazz wasted no time and ran for the bridge. If he could just overpower the crew, if he could just make sense of the alien controls, if he could just take control of the ship and turn it on the rest of the fleet…
That was a lot of 'ifs'. Jazz decided not worry about them. He was not a bot who allowed worry to prevent him from taking action. And at that moment, failure to act could be fatal to his newfound friends.
"Alright, five-faces", he called out, "I'm about to put some knuckles to you creeps!"
He burst onto the bridge, nunchakus whirling, his optics scanning for enemies.
There were none to be found.
"Yes, a fully automated, remotely controlled fleet, able to mobilize and launch an attack on your enemies at a nanoklik's notice", Swindle was positively beaming as he watched the Quintesson frigates surge forward in attack formation on the viz-screen.
"Those 'enemies' are us!" Strika screamed in fury.
"Ah, the honest merchant does not discriminate when it comes to a sale", Swindle admonished.
The loose collection of Autobots and Decepticons assembled in the command centre watched in horror as the tide of battle shifted against the airborne forces. With the Quintesson frigates providing protection and cover for them, the massive cruisers were free to unleash their firepower on the city below while also disgorging their cargo of Monocon infantry.
Seemingly infinite waves of Monocons hurled themselves at the fortified lines of Autobots and Decepticons, who worked in tandem to a wage a desperate defence against overwhelming odds. Lifeless shells were piling up, on both sides. Clouds of smoke engulfed both the aerial and ground battlefields, so that the main source of light was the endless exchange of laserfire and the intermittent explosions. Iacon, jewel of Cybertronian civilisation, had become a hellscape.
And there were still more Quintesson frigates entering the planet's atmosphere and rushing to join the battle.
Snarling, Strika spun to look at Swindle, who did not seem the least bit perturbed. She lunged for him, but her fist could not connect with the diminutive Decepticon. She swung again, and this time she saw the air around him ripple.
"Negatronic force field", Swindle said, without taking his eyes off the largest viz-screen in the command centre, "Unfortunately in my line of work negative customer feedback is something one must be prepared for".
"I'll give you 'negative feedback!'" howled Strika as she unleashed her cannons against Swindle's force field, "What did Gigatron and his cronies offer you that was worth betraying your own kind, Swindle?!"
"Oh, a simple credit transfer. Sentinel Prime had been misappropriating Cybertron Command funds for quite some time. And for what it's worth, I reached out to them. After all, I knew they couldn't resist what I had to offer! I wouldn't waste your energon, my dear. This shield is quite resistant to all forms of plasma energy and combustion".
"Hypothesis: shield is not resistant to ultrasonic waves".
Swindle looked at the speaker, "Excuse me?"
Soundwave was already adjusting his back-mounted speakers. They issued a high-pitched whine, almost imperceptible to the gathered robots. Swindle's force field shimmered, wavered, and then vanished.
"…Ah", Swindle said, "Ah. Now, before anyone does anything drastic, let's not forget that diplomacy-".
Strika seized him in her wrathful servos and hoisted him aloft, crumpling his armour plating beneath her crushingly powerful digits.
Optimus didn't even slow down as he flew through the entrance of the Metroplex. Heedless of his wings scraping against the corridor walls, he brandished the Magnus Hammer in his right hand and his ion axe in his left. His faceplate clicked into place over his jaw as he burst into the High Council Chambers.
Gigatron was directly in front of him. He seemed oblivious to Optimus' approach. He was standing with his arms outstretched, and the plating on his chest was retracted, exposing his own pulsing spark. Nestled in his spark chamber was the jagged collection of crystals that were all that remained of an alternate timeline's AllSpark.
The AllSpark – their AllSpark – was hovering some fifty feet away from Gigatron. A large hole burned through the hall floor betrayed its path from its resting chamber into Gigatron's grasp. It was drifting through the air, drawn to Gigatron's spark chamber by some cosmic command the former Decepticon was issuing. It seemed unable to resist, and Gigatron was drawing it closer and closer to unite with him.
Optimus took all of this in within a second, for such was the speed of his approach that a second later he was on top of Gigatron, and he was swinging the Magnus Hammer. The colossal weapon smashed into Gigatron's torso and launched him across the hall to crash into the base of an ancient Autobot statue. The AllSpark fell and clattered to the floor.
Optimus darted for the AllSpark. His hand just grazed one of the silver handles when a cannon blast caught him in the midsection and bowled him over. The AllSpark went spinning out of his reach and came to a stop at the far corner of the hall.
The cannon on his right arm still smoking, Gigatron picked himself up and drew his bladed staff with a flourish, "Ah, this does look familiar, yes. Very similar to how events played out before, oh yes indeed! But this time, I think things will end a little differently".
Optimus propped himself up on his elbows and kicked his legs out in order to leap back to his stabilizing servos, "Well, we agree on something, Gigatron".
He held the Magnus Hammer out before him and span about, generating an incredible arc of lightning that lashed out for Gigatron. Gigatron responded with a slash of his staff, producing a crackle of amethyst energy that crashed into the opposing wall of lightning with the roar of thunder.
Optimus was forced to shield his eyes from the tempest, but he could hear Gigatron's mocking voice, "Anything that relic can do, this staff can do better, Optimus Prime. Have you forgotten that we have danced this dance before? And that this staff was forged from the blades of my predecessor, as well as your axe and the remnants of the Magnus Hammer after you fell in battle against me in this very chamber?"
The light had died down a little, and Optimus looked up just in time to see twin blasts of plasma screaming towards him, fired from simultaneous blasts of Gigatron's cannons. Optimus leapt to one side, hit the ground, and was forced to roll as another salvo of cannon fire came his way. Still, Gigatron taunted him.
"You could not stop me then, and you cannot stop me now, no. But this time, I will take my time with you, and gain the satisfaction your counterpart denied me. Your defeat will take only a cycle, but your demise will last millennia!"
Arcee smiled grimly as she looked out of the viz-screen. From everything she had learned from Ratchet, Omega Supreme had been every bit the terror to the Decepticon army that Cybertron Command had intended. His mere presence had been a weapon, forcing Decepticon forces to abandon strongholds and abort planned assaults. On the occasions he had managed to engage with the Decepticon forces, he had inflicted a toll on their numbers greater than the previous century of more conventional warfare.
But here, at the end of all things, he was the Decepticon's last hope.
As the Monocon cruisers gained mastery of the skies with the aid of their allied Quintesson frigates, there were increasingly few places for the airborne Decepticon warriors to take cover. Some were abandoning the skies and taking to the streets, which were under constant bombardment and swarming with Monocons so were hardly any safer. But their desperation could be understood, as the Decepticons were increasingly being herded into a smaller and smaller airspace above Iacon.
They flocked to Omega Supreme, taking refuge behind his great limbs and colossal body. He alone could withstand any degree of fire from the capital ships, and only his firepower seemed capable of shattering their hulls.
But, Arcee recognised with grim certainty, this was not a long-term solution. Inside Omega Supreme's control room, Ratchet and her were wrestling with his interface, trying to keep his systems running at peak efficiency.
It wasn't easy. The consoles were blaring endless system warnings at them: overheating weapons, failing navigation, hull ruptures, mechanical breakdowns, low energon levels…
Still, Omega fought on. With his friends assisting his motor skills, he took aim at the encroaching enemy fleet and unleased his full arsenal upon them. The Decepticons swarming about him added their firepower to the mix, criss-crossing the sky with missile smoke and lasers.
But the enemy fleet was still closing in, and from all sides. And still more Quintesson frigates were arriving to the battle.
Fighting with the controls, Arcee took a deep breath, "Ratchet, I wanted to say something".
"I think it may have to wait 'til after the battle!" Ratchet said through gritted dental plates as he guided Omega Supreme through an evasive dive.
"I don't think there is going to be an 'after the battle', Ratchet", Arcee said solemnly.
Ratchet didn't answer, but he looked at her with his weary optics and weathered features.
"I wanted to say thank you, Ratchet. I know we didn't have long together, but what we did have…well, I wouldn't have missed it for anything. I…woah!"
She was forced to suddenly command Omega to raise his armoured right arm in order to shield the bridge from incoming enemy fire. It worked.
For a moment silence fell between them. Arcee thought it was going to remain that way as they both busied themselves manning Omega's systems. After a short while, however, Ratchet cleared his throat.
"Arcee, for what some of the last words of an old rust-bucket like me are worth, I…I love you".
Arcee smiled, fully aware just how far out of his comfort zone Ratchet had had to stray to make himself so emotionally vulnerable. She reached out for him and placed her hand on his, and clenched it.
"I love you too, Ratchet. 'Til the end".
"'Til the end, Arcee".
"Oh-ho-ho, we're nearly at the end now!"
Starscream leered at the live feeds of the battle, rubbing his hands together. On all fronts, resistance was beginning to crumble. In the air the Decepticon armada had been herded into an angry swarm around Omega Supreme. In the streets, Decepticon and Autobot defensive lines were buckling, and everywhere legions of Monocons advanced, heedless of their own losses, clambering over their own casualties to hurl themselves at the enemy.
"And there's no sign of Gigatron emerging from the Metroplex. Looks like we'll have this battle wrapped up before he gets his greedy servos on the AllSpark. Something must have delayed him".
"Something, or someone", Sentinel mused.
Starscream looked at him sidelong, "You're thinking about your old buddy Optimus Prime, aren't you?"
Sentinel shrugged, "If anyone is slowing Gigatron down, it's probably him".
"Hah! Pulling your skidplate out of the forge until the very end, eh?"
The Decepticon returned his attention to the viz-screens. Sentinel said nothing. For a few minutes they watched the battle rage.
"They're fighting quite well, aren't they?" said Starscream suddenly.
"What? Oh, yes, of course", Sentinel waved one hand dismissively, "That's what they're programmed for".
"I wasn't talking about the Monocons. I mean they're fighting quite well. Together".
"Oh…well, yes. I suppose they are".
They watched one viz-screen where the Constructicons were hurriedly building a temporary fortification out of a collapsed building. They were assisted in their endeavour by a handful of worker Autobots. A squad of Decepticon warriors, backed up by Autobot volunteers, provided covering fire to supress the incoming wave of Monocons.
"Never would have guessed Decepticons would work so well with those servile wretched Autobots", sneered Starscream, "Ehh…present company expected".
"If…when Gigatron leaves our timeline", Sentinel said slowly, "And leaves us to rule…do you think they'll respect us?"
Starscream glared at him, "You're not getting cold landing pads, are you? It's too late for regrets now, partner. We're in this until the end, and it's going to end very soon indeed".
"I'm not having regrets, glitch-head!" Sentinel scowled, "I'm just thinking ahead. Are we going to be able to make them fall into line?"
"There won't be a scrap of resistance left in all of Cybertron by the time we're done here", scoffed Starscream, "And finally, with Megatron gone and all my rivals purged, the Decepticons will give me the respect I deserve!"
And, as he said those words, Starscream almost believed them.
The blades of Gigatron's staff scythed through the air mere inches from Optimus' cranium. A swift drop and roll had saved the Autobot from a decapitation, but the momentum carried him directly into Gigatron's lower leg. The giant mech lifted his foot and brought it down, hard.
Optimus winced as Gigatron's massive stabilizing servo pinned him to the floor by the legs. Spinning his upper body about, Optimus lashed out with the Magnus Hammer – just in time, as Gigatron was firing a blast from each of his cannons. The blast impacted against the Magnus Hammer too close to Gigatron for comfort: he staggered backwards, releasing Optimus.
Optimus could feel his plating singe from his proximity to the blast as well, but there was no time to worry about that. He leapt to his feet and launched himself at Gigatron, axe and hammer poised for the swing.
Gigatron recovered quickly and lunged forward, seizing Optimus by the face plate. He swung about and hurled Optimus into the far wall of the chamber, and smiled to himself as the Autobot impacted against a statue with a satisfying crunch and vanished in a cloud of debris.
"I butchered entire colony worlds that were less satisfying than that", Gigatron purred, shivering with delight, "Oh, to think I once could not even recall your name. Now, it's the only name I remember. My dear Optimus Prime, thank you for making this every bit the-"
The Magnus Hammer arced through the air towards him. Caught off-guard, Gigatron swung his staff to the right and just parried the incoming blow.
Too late, he realized that the Magnus Hammer had been thrown at him recklessly: the real danger was on his left flank. Propelled by his jetpack, Optimus swept down and aimed a blow with his axe. The ion blade bit into armour plating, sliced through mechanisms and shredded wiring.
Gigatron's left arm hit the floor, neatly hewn at the elbow.
Optimus did not waste time admiring his success, instead running out of range of Gigatron's madly swiping staff. He fired his grapplers, latched onto the Magnus Hammer and recalled it to his grasp as Gigatron howled in rage and pain. Only when he was at a safe distance from his stricken foe did he turn and survey the impact of his attack. Gigatron was clutching his sparking stump, spitting and snarling beneath his slitted mask.
"Misdirection", Optimus said, "A little trick I learned from a friend of mine called Prowl. Not that you'd remember him".
Gigatron uttered a wordless, sneering curse, "Can't say that I do, no. Would you like to see a trick of my own?"
Brilliant white light erupted from his wound, followed by a tangle of cables, writhing like a fountain of snakes. They streaked across the hall for his severed arm and connected, drawing the arm back to him and snapping it back into place.
"No..!" Optimus cried, aghast. But he could only watch as, within a few seconds, the arm was reattached and the wound completely healed.
Gigatron grinned, rotating the arm and flexing the fingers, testing the appendage, "Ahh, my dear, naïve Optimus Prime. The AllSpark fragments within my spark chamber keep me quite well-preserved, wouldn't you say? It only takes a moment's thought to repair any damage done to my personage. Fortunate, when you've made as many enemies as I have."
He thundered towards Optimus, twirling his staff to generate a colossal sheet of lightning that danced to his whim. With no other choice, Optimus did the same with the Magnus Hammer.
The warriors met in the centre of the chamber, a cyclone of electrical energy threatening to engulf the entire chamber. Staff blade ground against hammerhead, Autobot and former Decepticon grimaced at one another, gears groaned and hydraulics whined…
A crack appeared in the Magnus Hammer. Optimus' optics widened in shock.
"Oh, yes", Gigatron hissed.
The head of the Magnus Hammer exploded, shattering into a million shards as Gigatron's staff cleaved through it.
The resultant blast of electrical energy hurled Optimus off his feet and flung him backwards to embed himself in the metal of the chamber wall. He groaned, unable to move. Sparks danced across his chassis. He bowed his head, the futility of his situation fully driven home.
Gigatron was studying the smoking shaft of the Magnus Hammer. Satisfied, he tossed it aside to clang noisily away. He advanced on Optimus, grinding crystalline shards of what had once been the Magnus Hammer beneath his armoured feet as he came.
"So ends the Magnus dynasty", he mused, "And with it, the Autobots and Decepticons alike. Let the reign of the Gigatron Singularity begin!"