Well, well. I couldn't live with my own failures at updating certain stories.
And where has that led me?
Back here… I'm sorry. Thanos just has a lot of amazing quotes, I had to use one of them for this. But in all seriousness, I'm back to make another good chapter. Man, I really am an ass for taking a long time to update this story, but now that I'm here, it's time to have some fun.
But before that, let's answer some reviews.
Stephanieeiche10: No, it isn't the best story ever. To me, this story is meh at best. Still, thanks for the compliment.
Oscar: That was a lengthy discussion. But, I think I get your point. Thank you.
Pikanet128: Hehehe, sorry about that, man.
To recap: Megatron had begun to examine the Nemesis and felt rather disappointed in Starscream for wasting time and not conquering Remnant. Meanwhile, the Autobots were getting used to their new base, though due to their lack of Energon, Optimus decided to lead a team to an Energon Mine, leaving Desmond, Bumblebee and Ratchet behind. Ruby and Arcee planned to go to the base, though they were soon caught off guard by the appearance of Jaune Arc.
Will the Autobots be able to find more Energon? And how will Ruby and Arcee handle Jaune's reaction? Let's find out...
'Open forest, outside Beacon'
In the middle of a lush forest, a portal suddenly appeared in the middle of it, startling the animals nearby.
*VRRRRMMM*
Coming out of the portal were several vehicles: a semi truck with a blue and red color scheme, a silver sports car, a white race car, a black truck, a red car with a pair of horns on the hood and a white and red jet. Once the portal had closed, all five vehicles started transforming in their true forms, the Autobots.
"Clear!" Ironhide called out, getting on one knee while looking around, cannons drawn.
"Clear!" Jazz stood in the back, his blaster drawn. Optimus walked forward, his optics narrowed as he scanned the area. The planet was much greener than any of them thought upon arrival, which might make the mission more difficult.
"Jetfire, we need air coverage." Optimus ordered the sole flyer of the Autobots.
"Consider it done." Jetfire replied before he transformed back to his jet form, flying up to the sky. The flyer then started scanning the air, picking up several animals roaming around, as well as several black creatures that were known as the Grimm. "I see some wildlife nearby, but… wait…" Flying forward, Jetfire noticed a large mountain with a sizable opening at the bottom.
However, what caught his attention were the two Decepticons that were guarding the base of it.
Jetfire quickly turned away from his course to return to the rest of the Autobots, landing in front of them.
"I saw some guards in a cave nearby. Looks like Ratchet's intel was right." Jetfire told them in a serious tone, getting a nod from his leader.
"Autobots, move out. But remain out of sight. We have the advantage, so we cannot waste it." Optimus told them in a stoic tone.
"Yes sir!" With that, the Autobots began to make their way towards the cave, weapons primed in the event they needed to attack. Once the cave was in sight, Optimus began to make several hand signs, focusing his attention on Sideswipe and Jazz. Both Autobots gave him a nod before they moved away from the group.
"So… why are we here?" One of the Decepticons said out loud to break the silence.
"I don't know. It just… feels off." The other Decepticon said while letting out a sigh. "I mean why ARE we here? To just stand on a planet unknown to us, catching mountains, scaring off those black creatures. It's not the life I thought of. It just feels… off. Like… was this our destiny the whole time? I don't know. I just don't know. But it keeps me up at night."
The first Decepticon gave his friend a look of bewilderment. "What? No! I meant why are we here guarding this cave."
"Oh… well, Lord Megatron ordered us to." The second Decepticon quickly answered before looking ahead.
"What was that talk about destiny? Are you okay?" The first Decepticon asked out of concern.
"Just forget it. We need to stay fo-"
*Thud*
Before the second Decepticon could finish, something came from about and tackled him to the ground. Just as they were about to scream, a blade went through their chest, instantly killing them.
"AUTO-!" Just as the other Decepticon was about to call for the attacker, Jazz came from behind and grabbed his neck, snapping it quickly.
"Clear." Jazz called out to the other Autobots, who quickly moved the bodies of the Decepticons out of sight.
"Ironhide, take point." Optimus commanded as the black Autobot stood in front of everyone. All their weapons were drawn and their optics were sharp. However, as they moved through the cave, they noticed several crystals on the walls. Some red, some were white, but the ones that caught their attention were the glowing blue ones.
"Energon…" Sideswipe muttered, lowering his blaster while looking at the blue crystals.
"And this is just ONE of the Decepticons' Energon mines." Cliffjumper stated with a frown. "We can barely scrape up enough for one of us, and the Cons have dozens around the planet."
"All the more reason to take this one." Ironhide said with a serious tone. The Autobots soon heard the sound of drilling nearby, making them cautious. Making sure not to move too loudly, the Autobots turned the corner, only to find something that caused their optics to widen.
There were dozens upon dozens of grey containers, each holding crystalized Energon. Multiple Decepticons were seen either drilling the walls, moving the crates or simply just guarding each corner, blasters at the ready.
All in all, the Autobots hit the jackpot.
"What's our plan, Prime?" Ironhide asked, though he was hoping Optimus would let him and the others kick some Con. Their leader's response came when he stood up, walking forward with a serious glare. This one act caused Ironhide to smirk as he and the others followed.
"1103, have you detected something?" One of the Decepticon guards questioned upon hearing footsteps behind him. However, the moment he turned around, he realized just WHO was walking up to them. "Wait… no, it can't be!"
"If you don't wish to be destroyed, then stand down." Optimus told him with a voice filled with confidence. The other Decepticons stopped drilling as they looked at the group of Autobots.
"W-What are you waiting for?! BLAST THEM!" The Decepticon, scared out of his mind, shouted before drawing his blaster…
*BANG*
A moment later, he fell back, a gaping hole in his chest. Optimus lowered his large revolver-like gun, his mouth now covered with a mouth guard.
"AUTOBOTS, ATTACK!" Optimus declared before he and his team began to run forward.
And so began a large gun fight inside the Energon cave.
'With Ruby and Arcee'
Jaune Arc was nothing special. He was just a guy who cheated his way into Beacon in order to become a Huntsman like his grandfather and prove that he isn't weak… though the way he got in made him seem like a cheater… which he kinda was.
Still, he was just a normal guy with normal knees. Besides fighting Grimm and his studies, he thought he could handle the strangeness Remnant would bring like robbers, the White Fang and the occasional mission.
Yet despite that...
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" What he was looking at was BEYOND anything he was expecting.
His younger, more energetic friend Ruby was in an alleyway… with a tall female blue robot who transformed from a motorcycle.
Yeah, DEFINITELY not normal.
"How long is he going to keep doing that?" Arcee asked with an irritated tone. He was gasping for the past five minutes and already, she was feeling annoyed.
"Jaune? Jaune!" Ruby grabbed her friend's shoulders, shaking him enough to snap him out of his little trance.
"Oh… hey… hey Ruby." Jaune said, finally getting his composure back. He turned around and began rubbing his eyes. "You know, I think I studied for too long last night because I swear I saw that blue motorcycle turn into a robot. Man, weird right?"
"Ummm…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head with an unsure tone. She turned towards Arcee, who rolled her optics while giving her a nod. "You might want to turn around."
"Okay?" Jaune did as Ruby instructed, only to see Arcee looking down at him. He blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time. And then he opened his mouth again."... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
"Enough, already. You were doing that for five minutes and we don't have that kind of time." Arcee told him with a frown, stopping Jaune from gasping.
"... That's a real robot." Jaune said in an almost hypnotic tone. "A real talking, girl robot… a real talking, girl robot who can transform into a motorcycle… A REAL ROBOT-"
"Hey Jaune, why don't we go over here?!" Ruby quickly covered his mouth with one hand while using the other to drag Jaune into the alleyway, turning a corner. "Just give me five more minutes, Arcee."
"I'm not going anywhere." Arcee replied with a sigh before she transformed back into her vehicle form to stand guard.
"Okay… I'm crazy, am I? That's an ACTUAL talking robot?!" Jaune asked Ruby, trying to confirm what he just saw.
"Yes." Ruby admitted with a sigh, much to Jaune's horror. "Before you go out and scream, let me explain!"
"Explain? Yeah, I'd like to hear why you're hanging out with a transforming robot because I don't think this is what Huntresses in training do!" Jaune yelled before he peeked over to look at Arcee. He flinched as he saw her right rear view mirror turned a bit, as if telling him 'I see you.'
"It's kind of a long story." Ruby said with a nervous chuckle. She then took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before opening her mouth. "When we went to the museum, I saw something that I wasn't supposed to touch and when I touched it, I got visions of an alien planet called Cybertron. Then, I got attacked by a police car, who turned out to be a bad robot called Barricade. I tried cutting him, but he was too tough and he knocked me out. But then a nice guy named Desmond and his robot friend Bumblebee came to save me and told me that there are good robots called Autobots and bad robots called Decepticons going to war. Then I met Arcee, the motorcycle you just saw and her partner Cliffjumper. They told me about this war on their planet and that I might be the key. Then I got attacked again and some of their friends came to help, including their leader Optimus. But he and some of the other Autobots went on a mission and me and Arcee were gonna go see them, but… then you showed up." Ruby stopped talking to regain her breath. "So… that answers everything?"
"Ummmm… can you repeat… everything?" Jaune asked, not being able to catch what Ruby was saying due to how fast she talked.
"Look, they're alien robots and I'm… kinda helping them." Ruby answered fast. "We need to go somehwere, so could you PLEASE not tell anyone about this? It's really, really, REALLY important not to let anyone know about the Autobots or Decepticons because… well..."
"I-I guess, but Ruby… these are ALIEN robots. What if they do something to hurt you like cut open your head and eat your brain?" Jaune told her, a frightened expression on his face. "If I let them do that, Yang will kill me!"
"They don't do that…" Ruby told him with a sweatdrop. She knew Jaune might think the worst outcome, but dissection was just wrong. "Do you wanna talk to Arcee?"
"No. I'm good!" Jaune quickly shot down her expression before regaining his composure. "I-I mean… I got, ummm… a f-fever and I don't want her to get… sick?" It was clear from Ruby's expression that she wasn't buying it, prompting her to grab his wrist.
"Come on. She won't bite. I promise." Ruby reassured him with a smile, which did calm Jaune's nerves a bit. The two students of Beacon soon approached Arcee, who used her rearview mirror to 'look' at them. "You can transform now, Arcee. Jaune won't run away."
"Y-Yeah." Jaune stuttered with a nervous gulp. Arcee sighed before she transformed into her robot form, kneeling down to Jaune.
"Well, it's good to meet you, Jaune." Arcee greeted with a nod.
"Oh… N-Nice to meet you too… Arcee." Jaune replied back, feeling a bit calmer now that he was able to take in Arcee's appearance. "You aren't here to invade us and turn everyone into your slaves… are you?" This got an optics roll from Arcee.
"Kid, if we were actually going to do that, don't you think we would have?" Arcee asked rhetorically.
"Good point, hehe." Jaune chuckled while sheepishly rubbing his neck. "So… how long have you known-"
*BEEP*BEEP*
However, before Jaune could finish, Arcee's communicator suddenly began to beep, making her raise a hand. She then pressed the communicator before kneeling down.
"Arcee here. What is it?" Arcee asked in a professional tone. Jaune glanced at Ruby, who could only shrug.
"Arcee, are you on your way to the base? Do you require a Ground bridge?" Ratchet told her through the communicator, getting a sigh from Arcee.
"I'm… a little preoccupied. Why? Does Optimus and the others need help?" Arcee asked him curiously.
"Not at the moment, but you and miss Rose should still-" However, Ratchet cut himself off, something Arcee noticed. "Arcee, you need to move, NOW!"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked her guardian, noticing the look on her face. Just then, a sound rang in the air, with Jaune looking up.
"Why? What did you find?" Arcee asked Ratchet in an urgent tone.
"Hey, is that a jet?" Jaune asked out loud, seeing said vehicle flying around. Ruby and Arcee both looked up, though the former widened her optics.
"MOVE!" Arcee quickly ran towards the humans, picking them up in her arms. A moment later, a missile was fired from the jet, flying straight towards them.
*BOOM*
The citizens nearby suddenly screamed in horror as the missile struck the alleyway, sending debris and smoke in the air. Arcee rushed through the smoke, still carrying Jaune and Ruby.
"What the heck was that?!" Jaune yelled in a shocked tone.
"Decepticons. We have to go, now!" Arcee told them in an urgent tone as she put Ruby and Jaune down. Once she did, Arcee transformed into her vehicle form.
"Arcee, are you alright?! Do I need to send Bumblebee and Desmond to your location?" Ratchet called out, having heard the explosion from his side.
"Not now. I need to get Ruby somewhere safe." Arcee replied before she turned her body to Ruby. "Come on, kids."
"Okay." Ruby said in a serious tone as she got on Arcee, giving Jaune a look. "Come on!"
"Are you serious? You want to go with her, DESPITE getting shot at by a jet?!" Jaune asked Ruby like she had grown a second head. However, he looked up, only to see the jet making a second run at them. "Awww, dammit!" Berating himself mentally, Jaune jumped onto Arcee, carefully putting his hands on Ruby's shoulder to hold on. Once he was onboard, Arcee began to drive forward at high speed, narrowly hitting a car driving by.
"Onslaught sir, the target is moving." The Decepticon Seeker said through the comms.
"Acknowledged." Onslaught answered, unable to let out an amused chuckle.
All was going according to plan.
'Energon Mine, around the same time'
*BOOM*
Another explosion erupted inside the mine, with a Decepticon trooper falling onto the ground with a blast wound on their chest.
It was an all out war within the Energon Mine. Multiple blast marks were littered along the walls, as well as the bodies of the fallen Decepticon troopers. The Autobots were fighting as hard as they could, though even they had suffered some minor injuries from the blasts. Yet despite that and the number of Decepticons around them, the Autobots were still able to come out victorious.
"That should be the last of them here." Ironhide said as he walked over the last Decepticon in the mine.
"Is everyone alright?" Optimus asked his soldiers while opening his mouth guard to speak more clearly.
"Just a few scratches here and there. Nothing we can't handle." Sideswipe answered with a proud tone.
"We'll have enough here to power the base for a long time. Maybe even a whole year." Jazz added as he began to wheel a cart of Energon to show everyone.
"Optimus." Jetfire called out, gesturing towards another passage inside the mine. "I can hear voices inside. There may be more to this mine than meets the eye."
"Very well. We will continue forward." Optimus told everyone before he began to walk deeper into the mine.
"Optimus, with all due respect, this may very well be a trap." Jetfire told his leader with a serious tone. "We should cut our losses and take what we have now."
"I understand your concern, Jetfire. However, it's vital we acquire this mine for future missions." Optimus explained calmly, though he understood why Jetfire would be worried. The Decepticons were always the kind of Cybertronians who would fight using dirty tricks.
Soon, the six Autobots were able to reach the end of the passage, only to catch sight of something much bigger.
It was a massive opening within the mountain, with twice as many Energon crystals as there was in the entrance. Multiple metal boxes were stacked along different platforms and there was even a large elevator that was set up in the middle of the cave, going up as high as even the mountain.
"Well, this is quite the operation." Cliffjumper confessed while taking cover behind one of the boxes. However, he was unable to bask in the sight as a red energy blast struck the box, narrowly missing Cliffjumper's arm.
"AUTOBOTS!" One of the Decepticon troopers called out from above, having been the one who shot at Cliffjumper. The rest of the Decepticons noticed this and began to open fire, forcing the Autobots to return fire.
"I'll go high!" Jetfire told them before he ran forward and jumped off the edge. The moment he did, he transformed into his jet form, flying up while dodging any stray fire. Taking aim, Jetfire fired several shots from his turrets, shooting down several Decepticons on the upper level.
Sideswipe ran forward before transforming into his vehicle form, driving towards one of the rams. The Decepticons on the middle platform shot at him, though Sideswipe was able to drive left and right to dodge each one. Once he reached the top, Sideswipe transformed, throwing one of his swords down, impaling one of the Decepticons in his way. Sideswipe then slammed his feet into another Decepticon, using his feet wheels to dig into the enemy's face plate before shooting them point blank in the chest. Pulling his sword from the corpse of the Decepticon, Sideswipe rushed towards his next targets, slicing them up.
Cliffjumper and Jazz began to run towards the right, firing at any Con shooting them. However, one of the Decepticons were able to hit Jazz's right foot, causing him to roll down.
"Jazz!" Cliffjumper called out as he and Jazz took cover behind a crate. He then examined Jazz's wound, seeing his metal leg smoke slightly.
"I'm fine. Just keep going!" Jazz told Cliffjumper with a grunt before he transformed his right arm into a long sniper rifle. "I'll stay here and cover you." As much as Cliffjumper didn't want to leave his friend behind, they had a mission and thus, he had to move on.
Turning his arms into blasters, Cliffjumper began to run up another ramp that led to the next level. Seeing the Decepticons aim their weapons at him, Cliffjumper began to fire back as quickly as he could, successfully taking down two of them. Jumping over a crate, Cliffjumper jumped onto another Decepticon, stabbing them with his arm blade. However, because he was occupied with the Decepticon, he failed to notice another aiming their blaster at his head.
*BANG*
Luckily, the Decepticon was shot in the head before they could fire on Cliffjumper. Said Autobot stood up to see this, smiling as he realized who it was that saved him. Jazz smirked a bit before he aimed his sniper rifle up, firing at three more Decepticons that were about to shoot Jetfire.
"AHHHHH!" Ironhide let out a battle cry as he rolled forward, firing his twin cannons at any Decepticon in sight. Seeing a small group gather above him made Ironhide smirk as he reached for an explosive on his hip. Priming the explosive, the weapons expert of the Autobot chucked it as hard as he could towards the Deceptions. However, before the explosive could reach them, Ironhide fired a single well placed shot onto it, causing a sizable explosion onto the Decepticons. "Decepticon punks."
And as for Optimus, he was fighting as hard as any good leader should. He fired several precise shots at the Decepticons, jumped from platform to platform in order to take them down.
"Secure the elevator! We cannot allow any contact to reach the other Decepticons!" Optmius ordered everyone while punching another Decepticon.
*Rumble*
Unfortunately for Optimus, his order was null and void when he and the others heard the sound of engines roaring in the air. Soon, a large shadow began to cover the mine, getting all the Cybertronians to look up and see the Nemesis.
"Scrap." Ironhide muttered with a deep glare, not happy with the sight of the Decepticon Warship above them. The Nemesis soon docked with the elevator, opening its bottom hull. Then, multiple Decepticon Seekers began to fly down from the hull, landing on the highest platform. Then, a single figure jumped down, landing in the middle of the elevator with a loud thud.
"Well, well. I wasn't expecting to see you here… Optimus." The figure called out with a menacing tone, which sounded all too familiar to Optimus.
"So, you have returned… Megatron." Optimus said with a serious tone as the figure chuckled deeply.
The figure was none other than the Decepticon leader and Cybertron's strongest gladiator: Megatron.
"In all these planetary cycles, I never thought our reunion would be this… sudden." Megatron confessed as he looked down at his rival with both hands behind his back. "Still, who am I to complain?"
"Megatron, why come to this planet? Remnant and its people are innocent." Optimus shot back with a glare.
"Innocent? Oh Prime, so sympathetic towards beings who don't deserve it." Megatron said in a disappointed tone. "While I have been absent for some time, my Decepticons have kept me informed of this planet and its people who you wish to protect. Do you know how divided these humans are with each other, simply for being different? It's rather barbaric and disappointing."
"Like you have any room to talk, Megatron." Ironhide called out, earning glares from the other Decepticons.
"How dare you speak against Lord Megatron! I shall have your Spark!" Starscream shouted, ready to pull his weapon out.
"Now now, Starscream. I have an offer for my old friend." Megatron said, catching everyone's attention. "Optimus, if you decide to stand down and join the Decepticons, then I will be merciful towards your allies."
"If you believe I would surrender that easily, then you clearly don't know me." Optimus replied with a serious tone before he drew his blaster. "I will offer you the same out of courtesy. However, if you choose to fight us, we will show no mercy."
The tension was so clear, you could cut through it with a knife. Both sides glared at one another, almost daring the other to make a moment.
And then… Megatron smirked.
"Very well, Optimus." Megatron conceded, much to the surprise of his Decepticons and even some of the Autobots… until he drew his fusion cannon. "DIE!"
And just like that, the fight continued.
'With Ruby and Arcee, several minutes later'
"Where are we even going?!" Jaune yelled as he held onto Ruby tightly, trying desperately not to fall off. The trio had been driving through Vale for several minutes, trying their best to lose the Decepticon Seeker that had been following them. Yet no matter how many corners they turned, the Seeker always seemed to be one step ahead.
"We're TRYING to lose that Seeker. But he keeps following us." Arcee told them while turning yet another corner. She turned her rearview mirror, only to catch a glimpse of the Seeker in the air. "Scrap."
"Arcee, we can't keep running. Maybe we should get Desmond and the others." Ruby suggested, making Jaune raise a brow.
"I'm sorry, Desmond? Is that another alien robot?" Jaune couldn't help but ask.
"Autobots. We're AUTOBOTS, kid." Arcee corrected him with an annoyed tone. "And they said they would be here soon."
*Vrrr*
Ruby's Scroll suddenly began to ring, prompting Ruby to take it out and look at the caller ID. "Desmond."
"Someone call for backup?" Desmond jokingly asked. "Get ready to turn into the construction site. We'll be waiting."
"Copy that." Ruby responded before she looked down at Arcee. "We need to go to the construction site. They'll be there."
"Understood." Arcee said before she began to increase her speed. She quickly made a sharp right, turning towards an empty street, with a three story building under construction at the end of it. Once Arcee drove past the open gate, she came to a halt, allowing Ruby and Jaune to get off her.
"Are we really gonna fight out here? What if someone sees?" Jaune asked while looking around as Arcee transformed, turning her arms into blasters. Jaune's answer came when a familiar yellow and black car began to drive out of its hiding spot, moving up to them. The driver's door opened, with Desmond coming out of it.
"Hey, you guys alright?" Desmond asked with a serious tone.
"O-Oh! Yeah! There's nothing to see here!" Jaune quickly said, noticing Desmond looking at Arcee.
"It's okay. He's with us." Ruby reassured Jaune as Desmond went to the back seat, taking out a black duffel bag. Once he closed the door, Bumblebee transformed out of his vehicle form, standing up tall.
"... I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Jaune said to himself while looking up at Bumblebee. He was clearly much taller than Arcee, which only added to Jaune's nervousness. Bumblebee noticed Jaune before letting out a few beeps towards Arcee, who sighed.
"Blame Ruby. She was the one he was following." Arcee replied, getting a pout from Ruby.
"Hey. I didn't WANT Jaune to follow me! He did it on his own!" Ruby defended herself.
"Look, we'll figure that out later." Desmond told her before he walked up to her and opened the duffel bag, taking out a pistol. "Here. You'll need this."
"Oh… thanks?" Jaune said with an unsure tone as he grabbed the pistol, surprised by the weight it had.
"Incoming!" Arcee shouted, seeing the Seeker fly towards them. Desmond, Ruby and Jaune quickly ran to hide while Arcee and Bumblebee stood in the open, weapons drawn. The Seeker soon transformed into its true form, landing on the ground with a loud thud. "There's only one. We can take them."
"I don't think so!" Much to her and Bumblebee's shock, five more Decepticon Seekers arrived behind the first Seeker, with another Decepticon landing in front of them all. However, the one that caught their eye was a certain Seeker, who looked oddly similar to Starscream, only this one had a light blue color scheme and purple eyes.
"Thundercracker." Arcee snarled in annoyance.
"Glad you remembered me, Arcee. Cause I can NEVER forget what you and your partner did to me." The Seeker known as Thundercracker said with a chuckle. "Unlike last time, the only one who can save you is that mute of a scout."
"Beep, beep!" Bumblebee let out a series of annoyed beeps, clearly put off by the insult. Desmond gestured to Ruby and Jaune to follow him as they moved around in an attempt to flank the Decepticons.
"Mock me all you want. The two of you are no match for us." Thunderceacker told them in a serious tone. "But, if you were to give that little human with the red robe, then I MIGHT keep your Sparks in tact."
*Bang*
Thundercracker barely had time to dodge as a single bullet passed by him, though it was able to hit one of the other Seekers in the head, killing them.
"Here's your answer, Thundercracker!" Desmond called out from behind a single ditch in the construction sight, his rifle in hand. He then started firing several more shots, forcing the Dcepticons to take cover.
"Scatter!" Thundercracker ordered as he and the Seekers began to split up, firing their weapons at the Autobots and humans. Arcee and Bumblebee quickly took cover as they returned fire, destroying some of the construction equipment around.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot!" Desmond yelled as he noticed Jaune hadn't fired his pistol.
"I never actually shot a gun before!" Jaune confessed, making Desmond look at him.
"Wait, you've never used a gun before?" Desmond questioned in bewilderment. "You're going to Beacon, and you've never EVER had to use a gun? REALLY?"
"Look, I never actually made my weapon! My dad gave me my family's sword and shield! They're family heirlooms" Jaune shouted back, ducking down from a stray shot. "Plus, using a gun kinda scares me!"
"But really, not even a rifle? Really?" Desmond couldn't understand why Jaune's parents or teachers never at least taught him how to use a gun. It just felt like a common thing for a Huntsman and Huntress to have.
"Guys, focus!" Ruby shouted at the two.
"Fine." Desmond concluded with a sigh before he went over to Jaune. "Just point and shoot. Use the iron sight to aim, keep a tight grip and pull the trigger. This pistol has fifteen shots, so remember that. And for the love of Monty, DON'T shoot at us or Bumblebee and Arcee."
"Okay, okay… I got this." Jaune muttered to himself, memorizing the quick lesson Desmond had told him. Grabbing the weapon with both hands, Jaune looked over his cover, seeing a single Seeker hiding behind a bulldozer for cover. Composing himself, Jaune aimed his pistol at the Seeker, slowly squeezing the trigger. 'Just stay calm… and… FIRE!'
*BANG*
"WOAH!" Jaune knew he might feel some kickback from the pistol, but the fact he almost fell back showed just how strong it was. Unfortunately, his shot only hit the top of the bulldozer, catching the attention of the Seeker. Angered that a mere human would shoot at them, the Seeker aimed their weapon at Jaune, only for Bumblebee to shoot them in the head.
"What did I tell you about holding on?!" Desmond shouted as he and Ruby helped Jaune get back up. The three humans were then caught off guard when a powerful shot hit near them, sending dirt flying in the air.
"What was that?!" Arcee called out, having seen the shot hit the ground. Bumblebee began scanning the area, only to duck down from another powerful shot, this one hitting one of the columns next to the Autobots.
"Beep, beep!" Bumblebee called out while pointing towards the distance.
"Sniper? Scrap." Arcee grumbled in irritation. They were already having a tough time with Thundercracker and his annoying Seekers, but now they had to deal with an unknown sniper that kept them pinned down. "Stay in cover, everyone!"
"Encourage them all you want, Arcee. It doesn't matter, anyways!" Thundercracker shouted before he aimed his left arm at them, launching a single rocket. Optics widened, Arcee and Bumblebee quickly rolled out of the way, causing the rocket to destroy more of the construction site. Taking the chance, Thundercracker ran towards Bumblebee before delivering a sharp kick to the face, making the Scout squeal in pain. "You're first, B-127!"
"Bee!" Desmond called out as he prepared to fire on Thundercracker. However, Ruby quickly grabbed Desmond and Jaune's arms before dragging them away with her Semblance, though due to their weight, Ruby accidentally tripped, causing them all to fall. "Nice going, Ruby."
"Don't blame me! I'm trying to help!" Ruby yelled, feeling a bit insulted that he would blame her for falling.
"Guys!" Jaune called out as he got down, trying to avoid any more fire from the Seekers. Ruby and Desmond got over their little dispute in order to help Jaune get back up, moving towards a pile of steel beams for cover.
*BOOM*
However, that proved to be useless as the sniper shot the steel beams, causing an explosion that sent the trio of humans flying back. Luckily, Ruby and Jaune's Aura was able to shield them from any damage.
As for Desmond…
"AHH, DAMMIT!" He rolled to the side, holding his now burnt left hand. This was what he got from being too close to the steel beams. Noticing his rifle close by, Desmond tried to crawl over to it… only for a Seeker's foot to crush it. Desmond could only look up in horror as the Decepticon Seeker looked down on him, fully intent on killing him.
Fortunately, Arcee was able to leap towards the Seeker, slamming her knee into their face and causing them to fall on their back.
"Get out of here!" Arcee ordered the humans with an urgent tone. Ruby and Jaune regained their composure and ran over to help Desmond up. Ducking down another shot, Arcee pressed her communicator. "Ratchet, we need a Ground Bridge, now!"
"It will take some time. Three minutes at most. How are you holding up?" ratchet asked from the communicator.
"What do you think?" Arcee shot back before she was hit in the shoulder. She quickly shot back at the other Seekers. "Just get it ready! And see if Optimus and the others can help!" Arcee narrowed her optics. "We'll need all the help we can get."
'Energon Mine'
The Autobots weren't having an easy time inside the Energon Mine. With the arrival of the Nemesis and Megatron, the Decepticons had gotten their second wind and were now pushing the Autobots back.
"GRAHHH!" Megatron pulled his right arm back before slamming his fist into Optimus' face, causing him to stumble back. Shaking away the confusion, Optimus glared at Megatron before throwing his own fist, slamming it against his rival's face. Rubbing his cheek, Megatron, rather than get angry, smirked in satisfaction. "There's the warrior I know." With that, Megatron drew his large sword, aiming it at Optimus' chest. "I'm glad your skills haven't rusted away, Optimus. It would be a shame if our final duel was too easy."
"You will never take this planet, Megatron. I will fight until my Spark is snuffed out." Optimus declared before he activated his dual Energon swords, each glowing hot with Energon. "One shall stand…"
"And one shall fall." Megatron finished before he ran forward, swinging his sword. Optimus quickly used his right sword to block Megatron's attack. Pulling away, Megatron swung his sword once again, striking Optimus on his arm. Taking the chance, Megatron backhanded his opponent in the face, though Optimus didn't take as much damage due to his mouthguard. Shaking away the pain, Optimus retaliated by slashing his swords, forcing Megatron to block it with his sword. However, Optimus was able to slash Megatron's mouthguard with his sword, leaving a small scratch on his face.
In the air, Jetfire, Starscream and his Seekers were currently in an aerial battle, trying to take the other out.
"Surround him! I want that traitor dealt with!" Starscream ordered his Seekers as he fired a barrage of energy blasts at Jetfire, who spun in the air to dodge.
"Is that all, Starscream? And here I thought I was fighting the leader of the Seekers. It seems like Megatron really was desperate to have someone lead them." Jetfire called out, irritating Starscream even more. The fliers soon flew out of the mine and towards the Nemesis, with the defense system activating, The cannons began to aim at Jetfire before firing large Energon shots. 'Perfect.' Due to being in his vehicle form, Jetfire's smirk was unseen by the others as he began dodging the Nemesis' cannons. He then started opening fire on the cannons, destroying them in a large fireball. Flying higher and faster than the other Seekers, Jetfire deactivated his engines, causing him to stall in the air before he began to fall down towards them.
"We have him now, sir." One of the Seekers informed Starscream. Unfortunately, they spoke too soon as Jetfire transformed, falling towards the Seekers with an Energon sword drawn. One by one, Jetfire slashed at each of the Seekers, sending them plummeting to their doom. Once he reached Starscream, Jetfire landed on the leader of the Seekers, forcefully turning him down towards the mine.
"Unhand me!" Starscream demanded with an angry tone as he tried his best to throw Jetfire off.
"Sure." Jetfire answered before he leaped off of Starscream just as they were about to crash into one of the platforms. Starscream quickly transformed, though he still hit the platform and crashed into the wall with a thud.
"Sorry, Ratchet! We can't send reinforcements!" Ironhide told the team medic via communicator as he, Sideswipe and Jazz took cover behind several metal boxes.
"Arcee and Bumblebee are in serious danger! Not to mention the lives of miss Rose and mister Giber." Ratchet informed him. Ironhide grumbled a bit as he stood up and fired his cannon towards the Decepticons.
"Megatron's making it difficult for us as it is. Ground Bridge them out!" Ironhide commanded, narrowing dodging an Energon blast.
"I'm trying. But according to Arcee, the Decepticons are pinning them down." Ratchet answered.
"Then open a Ground Bridge here." Sideswipe spoke up, getting Ironhide and Jazz's attention. "If they need help, then at least one of us should go. Next to Jetfire, I'm the fastest here." The other two Autobots couldn't really argue with him there. At the same time, they would be at a bigger disadvantage than before.
"Ratchet!" This time, it was Optimus who spoke through the communicator as he blocked Megatron's sword. "Open the Ground Bridge for Sideswipe. We cannot lose our comrades, especially miss Rose."
"Of course, Optimus." Ratchet conceded with a sigh. "Sideswipe, move back to the entrance of the mine. I'll open the Ground Bridge for you."
"Understood, Ratchet." Sideswipe answered before he turned off his communicator, looking at his allies. "Good luck."
"Just don't die, got it?" Jazz jokingly said, though there was a hint of seriousness in his voice. Ironhide gave Sideswipe a look, as if telling him not to die.
"Go." Ironhide ordered him before Sideswipe began to run towards the exit, transforming into his vehicle form.
"Enough of this!" Megatron slammed his knee into Optimus' face, making him stumble back. He then activated his own communicator. "Starscream, destroy the mine!"
"Destroy it, Lord Megatron?" Starscream couldn't help but ask, surprised to hear such an order from Megatron. "But all the Energon I've harvested-"
"Will be a small price to pay for weakening the Autobots. Now DO IT!" Megatron practically roared, making Starscream flinch. As much as he wanted to argue, if at least one of the Autobots were to perish here, then it would be worth it.
"Very well. All Decepticon troops, fall back to the Nemesis!" Starscream ordered. Hearing the command, the remaining Decepticons stopped shooting, with the Seekers flying back to the Nemesis while the ground units leapt onto the elevator to go up.
"Retreating already? Huh, and here I thought the Cons would love the chance to fight us." Cliffjumper commented as he and the other Autobots watched their enemy flee.
"I apologize for cutting our battle short." Megatron told Optimus with a smirk. "But I have other matters to attend to. Such as the capture of this 'Ruby Rose.'" At the mention of the name, Optimus' optics widened. "I do hope you will survive this. If not, then I've clearly overestimated you." And with that, Megatron leaped off the platform, transforming into his jet form before flying towards the Nemesis.
"We would love to stay and destroy you, Prime." Starscream called out before he took out a large explosive from his side. "But I'm personally a little squeamish." With a dark smirk, Starscream primed the explosive before tossing it down. Once he let go, Starscream leapt in the air and transformed into his jet form, flying back to the Nemesis.
"I got it!" Jetfire flew after the explosive at high speed, trying his best to reach it. Before it could land on the Energon crystals below, Jetfire transformed into his true form and grabbed the explosive. Turning back to his jet form, the sole flier of the Autobots flew at full speed towards the sky, with the Nemesis flying away.
"Jetfire, release the explosive. You don't have enough time!" Optimus ordered Jetfire out of concern.
"I can make it, Prime!" Jetfire answered as he pushed his engines to the limit. However, even he knew he might not be able to hit the command center of the Nemesis. Transforming mid flight, Jetfire threw the explosive as hard as he could in the air.
*BOOM*
A large explosion erupted in the sky once Jetfire had tossed it up. The shockwave was enough to send Jetfire plummeting towards the mine. Unfortunately, the Nemesis didn't receive any damage apart from a small kickback from the explosive.
"Scrap, he's falling too fast!" Ironhide called out as he saw Jetfire continue to fall, seemingly unconscious from the shockwave. Narrowing his optics, Optimus transformed into his truck form before he began driving up the platforms, hoping to at least reach a good enough height. Seeing Jetfire coming closer, Optimus transformed and jumped forward as hard as he could, catching Jetfire before the two landed on another platform. Ironhide, Jazz and Cliffjumper ran over to help their leader and comrade. "Prime, Jetfire. Are you alright?"
"Yes…" Optimus groaned as he and Jetfire sat up, with the latter rubbing his head. "That was reckless, Jetfire."
"I know. But I wasn't going to let Starscream destroy all this Energon." Jetfire explained as Jazz and Cliffjumper helped him up, with Ironhide doing the same for Optimus. "What should we do about Sideswipe and the others? They might need some help."
"I have faith in Sideswipe." Optimus informed them in a confidence tone. "I'm sure he and the others will be able to return to base. For now, we need to secure the Energon."
"Yes sir." Although the Autobots were worried about their comrades, they also had faith in them.
'Back with Arcee and Bumblebee'
Thundercracker ran forward as he tackled Bumblebee, slamming him into a brick wall, shattering it to pieces. Pinning Bumblebee down with one hand, Thundercracker soon started punching the scout in the face, each hit stronger than the last. Bumblebee tried to move away, only for his hand to grab a large chunk of the wall. Grabbing it, Bumblebee slammed it as hard as he could onto Thundercracker's head, stunning him enough so Bee could kick him away. Rolling back to his feet, Bumblebee slammed his shoulder into Thundercracker's chest, making the Decepticon groan. Thundercracker activated his engines and flew past Bumblebee before kicking him in the face.
Meanwhile, Arcee finished the last of the Seekers off, turning her attention towards the sniper. 'Okay, judging by the distance, the sniper should be at a high vantage point. I just need to find out where.' Arcee thought as she peeked her head out of her cover, only for the sniper to shoot on the ground. "Scrap."
"Arcee, what should we do?!" Ruby called out as she, Desmond and Jaune were behind a crane for cover.
"I need to find where the sniper is, but they aren't making it easy." Arcee called out as she glanced at Thundercracker and Bumblebee's fight. "They aren't shooting at Bee since he's fighting Thundercracker, so we won't have to worry about him. But something isn't right about this."
"What do you mean? They're still shooting at us!" Jaune yelled.
"Yeah, but if they wanted to, they could have shot us dead." Arcee informed him. "They want us to stay here."
"For Ruby…" Desmond finished in realization. "You have the coordinates to the AllSpark in your head, so they wanted to keep you in one spot while they outnumbered us." Ruby let out a frustrated sigh, hating how she was the cause of everyone's issues now. Not only did she put the Autobots and Desmond in jeopardy, but Jaune got caught up in it as well.
However, the battle seemed to shift in their favor as a Ground Bridge opened up in the middle of the construction site, with a familiar silver sports car driving out of it. The vehicle drove at high speed towards Thundercracker, transforming into Sideswipe and slamming his foot into the Decepticon.
"AAAAHHHH!" Thundercracker cried out as he crashed into a cement truck.
"Someone call for backup?" Sideswipe asked his allies rhetorically. Bumblebee let out a series of happy beeps, glad to see someone came to help them.
"Sideswipe, get down! Sniper!" Arcee called out. Sideswipe quickly jumped to the side just before the sniper could hit him or the others. "Get to the Ground Bridge, now!" In order to help the others escape, Arcee began firing towards the position she believed they were in to keep them suppressed.
"Now's our chance! Move it!" Desmond called out as he, Ruby and Jaune began to run towards the Ground Bridge portal.
"NO!" Thundercracker tried to stand up and stop the humans, only for Bumblebee to knee him in the face, making him fall flat on the ground.
"SCRAP!" Feeling angry at Sideswipe's entrance, Onslaught started firing round after round from his rifle in an effort to hit them. The humans were the first ones to go through the Ground Bridge, with Bumblebee following suit.
"Arcee, let's go!" Sideswipe called out as he too fired at Onslaught's position. Quickly transforming into her motorcycle form, Arcee drove past Sideswipe and into the Ground Bridge. With one final smirk, Sideswipe transformed and drove in, allowing the portal to close up.
"Megatron's not going to like this." Thundercracker said in his communicator with a blunt tone.
Their plan to kidnap Ruby failed, and they were going to face the wrath of Megatron for their failure.
'Autobot Outpost Omega One, sometime later'
Once Sideswipe had driven out of the Ground Bridge, Ratchet took the chance to close it in order to prevent the Decepticons from entering.
"Excellent work. All of you." Ratchet complimented his Autobots comrades.
"It was a close call." Arcee confessed as she leaned against a large crate in order to rest. She then glanced at Sideswipe. "Thanks for the assist, Sideswipe."
"My pleasure, though you caught us in a bad time." Sideswipe informed her with a serious expression. "Megatron's back." At the mention of the name, the three other Autobots looked at him with horrified expressions.
"Ummm, who's Megatron and where are we?" Jaune had to whisper to Ruby, feeling rather awkward being in a new place with four large, talking, transforming robots.
"Leader of the Decepticons. He's a real monster." Desmond said with a bitter tone, rubbing his burnt hand. "If he's here, then we'll have even more problems to deal with."
"Speaking of which…" Ratchet and Sideswipe looked at Jaune, who flinched a bit. "Who is this?" Before Jaune could answer, the communicator on the computer activated. Ratchet walked over to the computer before turning on the speaker. "Optimus, were you successful in securing the Energon mine?"
"Affirmative, old friend." Optimus answered, much to the relief of the Autobots. "However, Megatron and his forces escaped and they nearly destroyed the mine. Luckily, we were able to defuse the situation. We will require a Ground Bridge to transfer the Energon."
"Of course." Ratchet said with a smile before he put in the coordinates, activating the Ground Bridge. A moment later, Optimus drove through the Ground Bridge in his vehicle form, carrying a large container of Energon. Jetfire and the other Autobots wheeled in several carts of crystalized Energon as well, pushing them to the side.
"Look who's back from Energon collecting." Cliffjumper told Arcee and the others with a big smile as Ironhide and Bumblebee helped lift the container Optimus was carrying away, allowing him to transform. "We need to do a few more stops if we're going to get all that Energon."
"Me and Jazz'll need a patch job, doc." Jetfire spoke up, still feeling a bit off from the explosion before.
"Before that…'' Jazz said as he noticed Jaune looking at the Autobots with a worried expression. "Can someone explain why we have another human here?"
"O-Oh... Hi... name's Jaune… Jaune Arc." Jaune began introducing himself. "Short… sweet… rolls off the tongue…" All the other Autobots did was look at him, making him shrink a bit. "Please don't harvest my organs."
'The Nemesis, a few hours later'
"How DARE the two of you return without anything to show for it?! I never should have sent you on such a mission!" Starscream shouted at Thundercracker and Onslaught as they returned from their failed mission. "And on top of all that, you lost the entire squad of Seekers I sent with you! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"
"The Autobots were a lot more resilient than we thought." Thundercracker spoke up before he glared at Onslaught. "If SOMEONE was a better shot, then we wouldn't have lost them."
"Me?! You were the one who lost to the scout! If anything, it's your fault!" Onslaught shot back as the two Decepticons prepared to fight one another.
"Enough." Megatron called out without looking at them, staring at the bridge of the Nemesis with a thoughtful expression. "I didn't expect you to capture the girl."
"Lord Megatron?" Thundercracker and Onslaught asked at the same time, confused by his statement.
"I merely wanted to see how the humans the Autobots so desperately wanted to protect would fare. And I must say: they intrigue me." Megatron stated with his hands behind his back. "But, it is only a matter of time before they fail to protect her. And once we do…" A dark smirk grew on the former gladiator's face as he stared at the shattered moon of Remnant. "They will all fall."
Finally, FINALLY. I was able to update this story. Not going to lie, I did slowly begin to lose interest in this story, but after rewatching some of the Transformers series and even hearing about how RWBY Volume 8 went, I got my spark(pun intended) back.
As you see, I brought in yet another classic Transformers character in Thundercracker. I felt that he would be an interesting addition to the story and believe me, we will see more characters from different media appear(and yes, that includes human characters).
Sorry if the humans felt a bit sidelined in this chapter. I promise the story will get better at balancing both sides. Hell, next chapter will be the beginning of Volume 2, which means we will have plenty of opportunities to see the humans, Faunus and Transformers fight together or against each other.
By the way, I hope all of you saw the Transformers: War for Cybertron anime on Netflix. I enjoy the series and might bring in certain characters and storylines from there into the story. Let me know what you guys think of it.
Follow, Fav, Review and PM for anything.
Next time: Best Day Ever.