Author: ...yes, this is still alive, it's jut comatose most of the year, but I figured the best way to pay homage Transformers was on the day with many fireworks so...
Disclaimer: I have a G1 sourcebook where I get all the 'bots and 'cons and a Soundwave toy. That's all I own.
Chapter 14
The only good thing about being introduced to their new group and being sent on a mission in the same day was that there was something important to focus on, rather than on how strange Megatron and Optimus were together, let alone separately, and how badly they fit on the team. It wasn't only due to Megatron's temperament either-there were a myriad of tiny points of friction between the two former Cybertronians and humans. The one that worried Optimus was that it was clear that they didn't trust him-or Megatron, but that was no surprise and, frankly, expected.
'If they don't trust us, then it will hamper our teamwork,' Optimus thought, keeping his eyes closed and posture relaxed as he tried to find some kind of rest as they flew towards their destination in a government, non-Cybertronian helicopter. 'And if Scourge really has appeared...we will need to be as cohesive as possible. He will not be an easy opponent.'
Prime, you are thinking loudly enough that I'm getting a headache, Megatron grumbled, intruding on his thoughts. What's bothering you now?
There is a human saying that I desperately wish you would take to heart, even though I know you never will, Optimus said as another tense silence continued to twine between the entire group.
Oh?
If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.
Optimus could feel Megatron roll his eyes. While I'd like to be flattered that I'm on your mind, I get the feeling that such was not your actual concern.
After a moment's internal debate, Optimus said, They don't trust us. That will hinder our effectiveness in the mission. However, how can we get them to trust us in the few hours before we begin our mission in earnest if they are all so reticent to even breathe the same air as us?
Not used to not being suspected and disliked, are you, Prime? Megatron mused, sounding more amused than Optimus felt he had a right to be.
Not particularly, Optimus said, restraining a sigh. I suppose the best course of action would be to face this issue head-on.
What are you planning, Prime?
"We know Scourge's abilities," Optimus said aloud, even if it was only half true. Megatron had met the being before, but Optimus had access to all of Megatron's knowledge, which Megatron would hopefully share so he didn't have to make nice with the other soldiers.
"But he's a new 'con, how can you know?" one of the soldiers-Optimus recalled his name was Tyson-demanded.
"We have both lived eons," Optimus said, barely not startling as Megatron opened a very specific avenue of information to him. "We saw most of the Autobots and Decepticons 'born,' so to speak. We have encountered Scourge before, so will be able to provide some amount of guidance. And isn't it better to go into a fight knowing something rather than nothing?"
The group traded looks before Miranda spoke up: "Fine. What do you know?"
"And why didn't you tell anyone else before now," a soldier named Brad grumbled, probably too low for anyone except the former-Cybertronians could hear. Megatron's eyes narrowed at the comment, but Optimus ignored him.
"Scourge isn't a typical Decepticon," Optimus began. "He has no allegiance to Megatron, but, instead serves a greater evil-Unicron. Unicron is a destroyer of worlds, large enough to be a planet on his own. He usually isn't interested in being directly involved in the downfall of civilizations, but often uses cats'-paws to manipulate the susceptible and power hungry into bringing about ruin. Scourge is one such."
"Did you serve Unicron? Do you still?" a soldier who had been reluctant to tell them his name demanded of Megatron.
Megatron scoffed. "Please, what do you take me for? Becoming his subordinate would mean that I was giving up my power. While he is powerful, I would become just a toy, and I dreamed of one day becoming strong enough to destroy him and reign supreme. I doubt that will happen now," Megatron finished, his tone dry.
"You had enough ambition and hubris to want to destroy a planet?"
"If you had the ability and power to challenge such, wouldn't you want to see, to try, just to see if you could? It isn't as if humans are immune to the lure of ambition and power."
"So, you aren't going to turn on us when we engage Scourge?" Miranda asked.
"I almost destroyed him when he came to me with Unicron's offer," Megatron said and shrugged. "I'm upset he survived."
There was a long, considering silence before Miranda said, "So, you probably really want to make sure he's dead this time, right?"
"Of course," Megatron growled. "It is grating when an enemy survives."
Against Optimus' expectations, the feeling in the air relaxed, and Tyson said, "So...what else? He's dangerous, so what? What can he do? What should we be on the lookout for? I want to survive this."
"His wife just told him she's pregnant," Brad semi-teased and nudged Tyson in the side, none too gently if Tyson's expression was anything to go by.
"Shut up, asshole," Tyson said and pulled Brad's helmet down over his eyes as everyone chuckled.
Megatron's expression momentarily blanked, but Optimus had come to recognize that as his way of thinking deeply and trying to organize his thoughts.
"The only reason he escaped me was because he had an aquatic form," Megatron said slowly. "I've always been aerial, so wasn't able to chase him, and he must have avoided my weapons since I was more-or-less shooting blind. He probably chose an aquatic form here, too. Once a Cybertronian finds a form they like, most don't give it up easily."
There was a small hint of bitterness to his tone, and it took a surprising amount of self-control for Optimus not to touch him in an attempt to comfort; Megatron wouldn't appreciate it, and the other soldiers didn't have to know that Megatron was more important to Optimus than he liked to admit.
"He will also have weapons while in his alt form-no need to be helpless," Megatron continued, his tone neutral once again. "He's smart, has good enough endurance and strength, but what makes him most dangerous is his tracking abilities. I wouldn't be surprised if he followed me here, either on his own or at Unicron's behest. I'd bet that he isn't any happier about his defeat as I am about his survival. Weirdly enough for an aquatic Cybertronian, his main cannon uses an incendiary liquid that burns through most armor. It eats away at armor like acid before catching flame when it makes contact with energon. In vehicle form, he has two canons that can break apart molecular bonds and disintegrate the target; those aren't usable in robot form-that's where the incendiary acid-canon comes in. Neither are fun ways to die."
"Anything else we need to worry about?" Miranda asked. "That's more than enough to wipe the floor with us, but does he-he, right?-have anything else?"
"Scourge manifested more masculine than feminine when I fought him, but that might've changed," Megatron replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "It has been quite some time since we fought. He's quiet, intense, prideful. He has a retractable blade for hand-to-hand, but seems to prefer distance fights and ambushes. Not much of a brawler. Not averse to running, disappearing underwater, and then trying for another surprise attack once the other combatant gives up or gets too tired to continue. So, we have to do catastrophic fatal damage very quickly, or else he'll run and plot and learn, and none of us need that."
The silence became pensive.
"How well-armored is he?" Miranda asked.
"He has the typical Cybertronian weak spots-joints, gaps in the chest plate, but was smart enough to have a high 'collar' to protect the back of his neck. Doesn't possess a shield, though. The amount and kind of armor he has depends on the alt form he chooses. Ratchet has denser armor than most of the other Autobots because ambulances typically are made of stronger stuff than sports cars like Sideswipe. How well-armored are most boats? They have to float, so I'd bet they're flimsy."
"Some are, some aren't," Brad said. "You don't think he'd be able to be a warship or something?"
"We can only take on a form that has the same amount of matter as we do," Optimus said. "For example, Bumblebee could never get much larger than what he is now. If he tried, the copy mechanism would fail and his processor would offer him a list of available vehicles that match his size and mass."
"So, no," Megatron said. "Maybe a speedboat? That might be too loud, but it would make sense. He won't have the typical Decepticon symbol because he isn't, but it's not like it'll be hard to identify him."
"...why? You all look like 'normal' vehicles when not in your bipedal form."
"He's prideful," Megatron said. "He won't tolerate being unrecognizable as exceptional."
"Like you not taking a Terran alt form?" Optimus asked.
"Nothing that humanity has built would be able to properly capture my magnificence," Megatron scoffed.
"Right," Optimus replied, fighting to not smile. How had Megatron's arrogance, which was once frustrating, become endearing?
'Perhaps because I know it is partly performance,' Optimus thought. "How do we know where he is?" Optimus asked aloud.
"Because we have a few 'bots that are good at tracking, too," Tyson answered.
"And Wheeljack said he was here because apparently Starscream got into an argument with him and bitched about it to Shockwave," another soldier added-Optimus distantly recalled her name was Carrie, but wasn't sure.
"Bet Shockwave said it wasn't his problem," Megatron said with a smirk. "Too busy with his research to care about a servant of Unicron showing up on Earth."
"Wheeljack passed out partway through, so unsure," Carrie said. "So, had some 'bots do some recon for us, and they found an odd signal. Not quite Decepticon, but definitely not Autobot. The 'bot was shot at by the unknown entity, so retreated instead of engaged, given that that was the mission. From there, someone put together the pieces and...well, now we're here."
"Do we have Autobot backup, or are we going alone?" Megatron asked.
"Rollbar by land, Seaspray by, well, sea, and Sunrunner in the sky," the reticent and unnamed soldier rattled off.
'Two not very maneuverable 'bots,' Optimus thought. 'But, both are fairly good trackers, so if Scourge does get away, we'll at least be able to follow.'
Penny for your thoughts, Prime, Megatron said. You look pensive. You wouldn't have chosen those?
Rollbar is a good soldier, very mobile-I am not worried about him if Scourge comes on land because the humans annoy him enough or if he is driven onto land by Seaspray and Sunrunner. The thing is, I don't see either of them being able to do that. Sunrunner has poor mobility for a flyer, his main weapon is heat-seeking missiles, which might not work as well over sea and might lock onto us, since we might be hotter than Scourge. He overestimates himself and his skills fairly often, but is a dependable soldier as long as you don't mind him preening.
Seaspray is not very strong when in bipedal form and while he can move quickly, he can't dodge and weave. His weapons are lasers, and sometimes not strong enough to really break through Cybertronian armor. He has radar and sonar, though, so if Scourge does try to escape underwater, we'll be able to track him. Still, we only really have two combat-oriented 'bots on our side against a very, very significant threat. I fear for our chances.
We'll be fine, Prime, Megatron said. You have me. I've fought and won against Scourge before, and I will do so again-and this time, he won't get away.
Even though you're human?
I'll need a rather consistent distraction, but I have a plan.
"What are you two talking about?" Brad asked.
Optimus looked away from Megatron to see that all eyes were on them.
"Tron was just saying that it is pointless for me to worry because he has beaten Scourge before, and sees no reason why he won't again," Optimus said. There was no need to introduce doubt of Rodimus amongst the troops.
There were general snickers and sounds of disbelief, but, oddly enough, Optimus admitting he was worried and Megatron being his usual self somehow soothed the nerves of the soldiers.
"Is it obvious when we are communicating?" Optimus asked, curious. It had become habit to speak to Megatron so, and there was something comforting about the distant hum of Megatron's thoughts in the background, blocked by a mental wall but still very much there. For the first time in his life, he truly wasn't alone.
"Your body language says you're talking," Miranda said. "You nod, shake your head, look at the other person, react physically to the conversation as if it were being said aloud. It's...well, it's a kind of game anymore to guess what you two are 'saying' to each other."
Optimus smiled wryly. "I had hoped we weren't quite so obvious. It must have been odd before you knew who we are."
"Figured you were a more advanced version of those poor saps in Clensom," Tyson said, anxiously checking his gear. "That or escaped government research projects into ESP and stuff."
Megatron snorted. "No."
"We'll be there in about half an hour," the pilot announced.
Optimus felt his heart rate spike and murderous anticipation melted through from Megatron.
"Alright," Miranda said. "We need to get ready and we need at least somewhat of a plan. We'll be dropped off in an empty warehouse near to where Scourge was last sighted. We've been watching him for a while and he seems to always come back to there or near there. It could be a trap, but he seems to be...consistent."
"Might be where he refuels," Megatron said with a shrug. "But, if we are walking into a trap...who is he setting it for?"
"That's the million dollar question," Tyson said. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be like a cartoon villain and tell us all about his nefarious plans."
The laughter was tense and forced.
"Alright, listen," Carrie said, clapping her hands once to get attention. "Here's the plan right now. I'm certain it'll go FUBAR, but better to walk in with a plan than nothing at all."
It was fairly straightforward-get Scourge's attention and not die long enough for the Autobots to take on the main fight while the humans provided back-up-but it made Optimus distinctly uneasy. Simple plans were often good-best not to make anything too complicated-but Optimus had the feeling that Scourge's monstrous strength hadn't been accounted for correctly.
Because they don't know how strong he really is, Megatron said as their individual duties were outlined. Brad and Tyson-Beta and Theta-were the sharpshooters, Miranda-Mu-was their demolitions expert, Carrie-Chi-was their leader and tactician. The other two present, who were introduced only by their code names-Rho and Eta-were foot-soldiers, not specializing in any one thing, but being flexible and adaptable.
Carrie hesitated when she got to Megatron and Optimus, then sighed and said, "Sorry, but I'm just gonna trust that eons of being a soldier will let you read the situation right and act accordingly. Do whatever you do best and I think we'll be okay. I look forward to seeing you in action so I can account for your strengths and weaknesses on future missions."
Optimus nodded as Megatron looked something between amused and insulted.
"You needn't worry about me," Megatron said. "Just try to keep up."
"Sure," Cassie said, not buying his bullshit.
In the promised half hour, they landed in an abandoned warehouse district in an industrial part of the New Jersey shore; once they had checked all their gear and supplies, the helicopter took off once they were settled on the ground. They checked the short-range radio that connected them all and, once satisfied, started off towards the rendezvous point.
Megatron's excitement and bloodlust bled into Optimus, so he was feeling almost a little giddy, which was odd. He had to stay clear-headed and in control as much as possible in order to react to the situations at hand; at the same time, he couldn't tell Megatron to stop being distracting, since that would only make him actively attempt to distract him.
They slunk through the shadows of the late afternoon, all the workers having gone home for the day. They were as focused on reducing and/or preventing civilian casualties as getting rid of Scourge.
That boat looks wrong, Megatron suddenly said, and Optimus looked to where Megatron was. Most of the other boats on the piers were tankers or large shipping carriers, meant to transport goods all over the world. However, one was too...new-looking and too small for that purpose. It was almost hidden by the much larger ships around it. Optimus tapped Carrie's shoulder and motioned towards the boat. She gestured for everyone to stop and looked it over for a long moment herself.
She eventually nodded once, sharply, and made a few other hand-signs which Optimus would have to learn later, and the team almost seemed to scatter, the sharpshooters vanishing into high, hidden places. Optimus saw Miranda reaching for her grenades, but stopped her and placed one of only two EMP bombs he had managed to get made in her palm. She looked at it curiously, then nodded, accepting that Optimus would likely only give her something that would help. But, instead, she put the bomb back in his hand, then grabbed his wrist, tugging him after her. Carrie, Rho, Eta, and Megatron all found positions of their own as Optimus and Miranda worked towards the odd ship. Closer, Optimus could make out a phrase in Cybertronian written on the side: 'Desolation follows in my trail.'
Pleasant.
He's a servant of Unicron. Did you expect him to be sunshine and rainbows?
Optimus smiled grimly.
Miranda gestured that Optimus go first, so he turned on the EMP and threw it as hard as he could at the unknown ship.
Almost immediately upon contact, the ship itself let out a metallic shriek and began to transform out of the alt form and into its Cybertronian form.
Knew it, Megatron said, sounding insufferably smug.
Megatron had radiated malice when he had possessed his Cybertronian form, but nothing compared to the cold, impersonal evil that came from Scourge. The effect was quickly ruined by Miranda's more conventional grenade going off against his side and leaving a bloom of leftover explosive powder and shrapnel scratches.
Optimus finally understood why humans ran so much during their fights; it was literally the only way to not get crushed. He and Miranda beat a hasty retreat inland on the pier as the others opened fire on Scourge. The bullets seemed to be as effective as gnats at doing any kind of damage, but the fact that they were actively trying to hurt him seemed to annoy the agent of Unicron.
They all managed to dodge out of the way of the first shot from Scourge, but the damage that it could do was painfully obvious. The material that the shot had struck simply...dissolved.
Damn. You managed to not get hit ever when you fought him?
He's not a brawler, and I was, Megatron said. Unfortunately for us, in the match-up of human bodies versus Cybertronian, humans lose catastrophically.
The continued gunfire and grenades from the humans and their constant movement seemed to annoy Scourge enough that he, seemingly unaware, followed them onto the beach. Once he had settled on the tide-line, Rollbar and Sunrunner immediately descended on him. Scourge threw them both off like they were nothing, but before he could fire at them, Optimus pelted the remaining EMP bomb at his knee joint.
Scourge cried out in surprise again and, based on the shower of sparks and energon, Optimus had managed to at least prevent his leg from functioning. It still left him with his weaponry, but the lack of mobility would be an annoyance and a hindrance and, perhaps, give the Autobots a fighting chance.
Rollbar and Sunrunner recovered as Seaspray joined in from the water, and Carrie's voice came through the short-range communicators: "Fall back! They're too entangled now, we won't get a good shot without potentially hurting our allies."
I hate retreating, but getting squished and dying the same inglorious death as an ant would be a terrible way for the great and feared Megatron to go, Megatron quipped, a feeling of almost giddiness washing over Optimus.
However, as they began to fall back towards one of the warehouses on the pier, Brad abruptly stopped and turned. "I can make the shot."
"No, you can't, keep moving," Carrie said, but kept running, since Scourge was liberally shooting at everything out of annoyance, causing massive sinkholes in the sand.
"You worry too much, I got this, I've hit harder targets," Brad responded and knelt to line up his shot.
"Don't fucking argue with your superior," Megatron snarled, physically picked up Brad by his vest using one hand, and tossed him through the door of the nearby warehouse, barely dodging a shot due to being forced to stand still for even that small amount of time. Scourge's cannon melted the metal and it dripped, white hot onto the floor near them as they continued to run, looking for something slightly stronger to protect them from the battle occurring outside.
The building they had found temporary shelter in was faring poorly, as the metal wall was literally disintegrating before their eyes, tiny explosions occurring as the bonds between the atoms were broken, further spreading the devastation. They all could hear the retaliatory fire from the Autobots as they made their way out of the other side of the building, coming out onto a dock.
Prime! Look!
Optimus looked where Megatron was, and the shipping containers looked innocuous until he caught sight of the Cybertronian writing on them. It was the Decepticon dialect, however, and even with access to Megatron's knowledge, he couldn't translate on the fly, so waited until Megatron spoke:
"They're hiding weapons here," Megatron said and trotted over to the container. "Supplies in the other. Mu. You're the demolition specialist, right? Get over here, we got a chance to get rid of weapons Unicron might be providing to the 'cons and won't that be inconvenient."
"Yes," she confirmed and ran over to him.
"How can she trust him like that?" Brad spat; Optimus did not expect Carrie to give him an open-palmed slap across the face.
"Knock it off," she hissed. "And do your job as you're told. Take out anything that tries to come our way, Beta. Theta-you too. Get in position."
Tyson nodded once, his face pale with strain and worry, and went over to another slightly-strange-looking container, looking around it and watching the battle raging between the Cybertronians.
Brad grumbled wordless discontent and made his way further down the dock, towards the end, where he had a clear view of the horizon and any approaching ships.
Optimus was left with Eta and Rho; now, they were looking at him expectantly, awaiting orders.
"Supplies are just as important," Optimus said quietly. "Come with me, and we'll see what exactly we can use against Scourge."
Megatron provided Optimus with the password to get past the lock on the door, and they were quickly in, lights automatically flickering on overhead. The containers within were all labeled in the basic Cybertronian dialect; most were tanks of energon, although Optimus also saw some crates with the unique ore for making Cybertornian bodies, the special cables meant for a function similar to human blood vessels, and so on.
"These are the Cybertronian equivalent of food and medical supplies-" Optimus began, but his explanation was brought up short by the sound of quiet crying. All three soldiers promptly started looking for the source of the sound, and found, in a hidden, secluded corner, a group of humans chained to the wall and each other. They all possessed some form of Cybertronian-looking body modification, and all looked miserable; some had died and were decaying while still linked to their former comrades. None were older than ten.
The soldiers all looked at each other and then broke the shackles on the survivors, who all seemed stunned. Of the dozen that were present, less than half had survived. They all spoke different languages, which had probably been deliberate-if they couldn't communicate, they couldn't plot to escape.
Between the three soldiers, they were able to convince the survivors that they were here to help, but they had to leave. Rho seemed the most torn among them and carried three on his own-one in each arm and a third on his back-while Eta took the final survivor.
"You'll destroy this?" Eta asked, his voice a soft, light tenor.
"I don't know what this much energon would do to the local environment," Optimus sighed. "This is a case of 'it is better to tell our allies."
"Right," Eta said and nodded before taking off after Rho, the child in his arms clinging to his vest in white-knuckled fear.
Optimus took one final look around and was astonished to find equipment meant to short-circuit Cybertornians, not unlike the EMP bomb humans had come up with. Optimus grabbed a few before there was a rumbling shock from outside and a strange, metallic roar.
Company? Optimus asked.
Who the hell dredged Abominus up from the depths? Megatron said, sounding more annoyed than anything else.
Optimus came out of the storage container at a run and turned to face the end of the dock, where a massive, monstrous Decepticon was surging out of the water.
You know this one?
Slow and stupid, but tough as hell, Megatron summarized. Dislikes organic beings, terrified of small ones. Odd neuroses that made him a less effective soldier, so I broke him into pieces and scattered him across the stars. Someone took the time to put him back together, though. How unfortunate.
The distaste with which Megatron said the word unfortunate was almost humorous.
Weak points?
The usual, Megatron said. Joints, optics. Additionally, it seems like he's a patchwork of smaller 'cons that were made from his discarded pieces, so if you go after individual components, we'll probably weaken him faster.
Right. So...if he's stupid, will he know human languages?
Probably not. Good thinking, Prime.
It felt weird to be complimented by Megatron.
Optimus heard Megatron's voice come over the short-range radios that they all had and explained quickly and concisely where Brad and Tyson should aim to cripple the massive 'con.
"And what're you two going to do?" Brad asked.
"Wait for him to get closer and then take him out," Megatron responded. "Do your job Beta and we'll take care of ours."
What exactly is your plan?
Well, wait for his legs to be taken out-it shouldn't take long, they're both good shots and my breaking Abominus made him less structurally sound-then you and I are going to use him like a, oh, jungle gym? Is that what it's called? We're both strong and fast enough to know where not to put our hands and can survive some Energon burn. I want his processor and you can sabotage whatever you want. He's a grappler for the most part, so he will get close to us. Probably won't be expecting us to climb him, though.
This will either get us killed or earn us a great deal of respect.
I don't care about respect and I am not dying here, Megatron said as he stretched, rolled his shoulders, and checked his gear as Abominus lumbered their way, his hands already reaching out to grab and crush the two soldiers. However, one of them finally found the weak point in the juncture of one of his arms, which sent sparks and energon flying. As the wound leaked, the arm seemed to detach on its own; when it fell into the water, it re-emerged as a strange, almost frog-like bipedal creature.
I'll deal with the limbs, Optimus said, first to Megatron, and then to the others.
"Not without backup," Eta said. "Rho is looking after the kids and has already radioed for help."
"Good," Optimus responded as he dropped from the pier to the beach. "Cover me and take out the 'con when I disable them."
"Disable?" Eta repeated, clearly sounding incredulous.
"Trust me."
"...fine."
Optimus waited as the fish-frog-creature waddled out of the deeper water, its eyes glowing a malignant red and its claws looking disturbingly sharp. Optimus armed the weapon, then pitched it at the 'con once it crossed the tideline. The creature reached out towards it, probably to swat it away, but it triggered the moment it connected with Cybertronian metal, and there was a loud pop as brilliant electricity crawled across the creature's form, overloading its internal circuitry, paralyzing it and making the more delicate energon lines burst. As it twitched and screeched, Eta peppered it with ammunition until he managed to get the right shot and put the creature down for good.
Well, you got Abominus' attention, Megatron drawled. What a delightfully awful way to kill something.
Keep your fantasies to yourself, Megatron, Optimus snapped.
Megatron's chuckle echoed in Optimus' head.
One of the 'legs' had been taken off as well, and the monster that rushed towards Optimus left a trail of leaking energon behind it, illuminating the seawater as the waves swelled and receded around it.
Optimus armed another of the bombs and rolled it towards the tideline, guessing the path the monster would take. There seemed to be only dim intelligence in this one's eyes, a more primal need to destroy in every movement.
It stepped directly on the bomb, and put on an even more spectacular light show than the previous one until Eta put it down for good.
There was another metallic roar, then the sound of grinding metal, and when Optimus looked towards where Abominus was, he simply seemed to...fall apart at the seams. From the one giant mech came three other smaller, bestial-looking 'cons.
Megatron?
How the fuck was I supposed to know that Unicron or whomever would pick up his scrap and do this?! At least the water will make the flamethrowers a little more difficult to use…
Optimus sighed gustily as all three of the beasts waded through the water towards him. Their single-minded focus, however, cost one of them their life-it was one that looked like it was meant more for aerial combat than aquatic or terrestrial, so it had been struggling in the water, and thus was easier to hit.
It still left Optimus two more combatants.
"Prime, which one?" Eta asked, his voice sounding a bit strained. "They're all well-armored so it's taking more ammo than I thought. I'm asking for armor-piercing rounds next time we're sent out."
"Amen to that," Tyson said, his voice tight as well. "Fuck these guys."
"Pretty sure they'd tear you apart before you found the right port to stick it in," Carrie joked, and there was a variety of scoffs and snickers.
"It's boom time, so find shelter!" Miranda called.
Optimus saw Megatron drop down to the sand and was followed shortly by the rest. Optimus was distantly glad that they all had experience and training in running heavily-laden on sand.
Optimus saw Miranda click something, and abruptly the container that held the Decepticon weapons went up in a brilliant explosion, the ammunition and weapons within contributing to its violence.
The shock wave was enough to push the humans over, and momentarily stunned the two bestial 'cons, who seemed to realize that that may have been something important that they were supposed to have been protecting.
Optimus recovered quickly and was back on his feet and lobbed a bomb at the mesmerized 'cons. He didn't care which one he hit, as long as he caught one of them.
To his relief, he caught the one that seemed more heavily armed, and the bullet hail that came from the other soldiers both put down that 'con and caught the attention of the single remaining one. It roared its range, and Optimus saw Megatron wince, which likely meant it had broadcasted something along Decepticon frequencies that Megatron could no longer understand, but heard anyway.
"You got anymore of those?" Tyson panted.
"Not that I'm willing to use," Optimus said. "I need to give one to Wheeljack so he can figure out how they were made and how to defend against them, if at all possible."
"Smart," Miranda said. "I like seeing them twitch, so being able to make more would be a boon."
You know, I'm glad there are some very Decepticon-like humans in the ranks, Megatron observed with a quick smirk in Optimus' direction.
"Try not to hit me," Megatron said. "I think the one remaining is the leader, so I want his processor before his death wipes his memory clean."
Optimus sighed as Megatron bolted across the sand, ducking, rolling, and dodging the blasts from the mouths of the two-headed, reptilian-looking beast form. It screeched and tried to keep distance between itself and Megatron as he advanced, but Miranda used more conventional grenades to delay and misdirect the creature's path. Meanwhile, Tyson managed to take out one of its optics, and Carrie had begun an almost pincer-like move, her own natural quickness forcing the 'con to decide if it wanted to avoid Megatron or her more-it seemed like the smaller Carrie somehow intimidated him more.
Optimus' heart, weirdly, stuttered when Megatron threw himself onto the 'con, and he only started to breathe easily again when he saw Megatron reappear on the creature's back. It was clearly startled to feel something small crawling on it, much like how a human reacted to a bug, and its heads reached back to try and bite Megatron and fling him off.
As Optimus really didn't want Megatron to die, he tossed the ammo he had been carrying to Tyson and Brad, took the safety off his own weaponry, and ran towards the 'con. He had literal eons of practice shooting and moving, so managed to ping his shots off the delicate joints, causing energon to leak freely and getting the 'con's attention.
It screeched at him again and reared its heads back, as if gathering energy or flame or something, but abruptly began to thrash and its weapon fired safely up into the air as it let out a horrifying, keening wail before it crumpled.
Optimus' hands and forearms felt like fire ants were crawling over them, and when he looked at a triumphant Megatron, his own hands and forearms were blistered and burnt from the energon; however, cupped in his hands he held what looked like a circuit-board, just more advanced.
"Got it," Megatron said with a grin, even if his face was pale and Optimus could feel the echoes of the pain he was feeling from getting tossed around and having to shove his hands into a Cybertronian's head.
"You dealt with that thing all on your own?"
All the human soldiers looked over to see banged-up Sunrunner land on the beach not far from them, an equally injured Rollbar approaching at a slower pace. Seaspray was splayed out on the ground, but from what Optimus could see and how the other Autobots didn't seem to be in mourning, he was still alive.
"Of course," Megatron answered archly as he quickly hid the processor.
"We were going to join you in the fight against Scourge again, but we found..hostages, I guess...and supplies, and then that thing attacked us," Eta said. "Rho is standing watch over the kids."
"Scourge ran not longer after that thing showed up," Sunrunner said. "Guess he called for backup and then decided to let him 'clean up.' We had to do some field medicine to stabilize ourselves before we could help you all, but you seemed to have it pretty in hand."
"Naturally," Megatron answered.
"We should hide, since I'm sure our battle attracted attention," Rollbar said.
Seaspray must have heard, since there was a loud grinding and unsettling squeaks, but he eventually folded into his hovercraft form and hid beneath the pier. Rollbar folded into his vehicle and drove towards a warehouse that had remained intact; Sunrunner followed in Cybertronian form. The humans all joined Rollbar and Sunrunner in the warehouse and immediately began to tend to their own wounds.
Scourge had escaped, yes, but they had taken down a different, dangerous 'con; additionally, there had been no casualties amongst either the Autobots or humans, and that was what mattered more, at least to Optimus.
That wasn't the case with Megatron, of course. Now that the thrill of battle had passed, he had begun to replay it in his head and had fixated on Brad trying to play hero and grandstand. The unthinking rage he could feel radiating from Megatron wasn't shocking, but the embarrassment and disappointment that were an undercurrent to the anger was fascinating.
Not that he had time to ponder exactly what those emotions meant.
I am going to- Megatron started stalking towards Brad.
Megatron, Optimus said and grabbed Megatron's forearm before he could move any further, halting his progress. Let me handle this.
He nearly got us all fucking killed, Prime, Megatron snarled, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
And you being pissy at him will only make him angry, more obstinate, and less likely to trust us or listen in the future. Let me handle him. You dealt with the problem well in combat effectively, but your anger will not help here. Trust me.
Megatron was still bristling and wrenched his forearm away but grumbled, Fine. He better not pull that kind of bullshit again, though.
Optimus nodded, then walked over to where everyone else was huddled, catching their breaths and tending to, thankfully, non-fatal wounds caused mostly by shrapnel and the like.
"Brad, I would like a word with you," Optimus said, his voice soft but commanding, carrying both reprimand and a strong sense of disappointment. Optimus remembered Sam referring to it as the "Dad voice" when he had listened in on a formal reprimand when Sideswipe was up to his usual antics pre-Sunstreaker. Everyone tended to cringe when he brought it out, and all the soldiers very subtly flinched.
It was a relief to know he could still provoke such an effect.
Brad seemed to stand on reflex, but Optimus' hand on his shoulder once he had brooked no argument; after all, if Megatron was strong enough to pick him up one-handed and throw him through a door a distance away and Optimus was stronger than that, there was no point in resisting. They walked a small ways away, where human ears wouldn't be able to hear; however, he felt Megatron almost 'settling' in to listen.
Brad opened his mouth to speak, but Optimus held up a hand, forbidding it, and something about his bearing caused Brad to hesitate long enough for Optimus to speak.
"We are supposed to work as a team," Optimus said. "I understand the desire to be the hero, and your confidence in your own skills is remarkable, but remember that your superiors are that for a reason. Carrie would not have ordered the fall-back unless she judged that the situation required it, and she seems the kind of person who wouldn't stand to let a soldier fall under her command unless it was completely unavoidable. Megatron and I have eons of combat experience, but we listened to her, did we not? We didn't question her wisdom in the field."
"Because of you don't really know how humans fight, so of course you'd listen to her," Brad blustered.
"I fought alongside humans as a Cybertronian," Optimus said mildly. "I have personally seen the strength, selflessness, and capability of humans, both the good and bad. Back then, were you thinking about our team? About what could happen to Tyson, how his wife would have felt knowing that she was a widow, their child never knowing their biological father? How would it have felt knowing that you would have had Eta's blood on your hands, that your actions had taken Miranda's life? As a soldier in this war that stretches from one side of the galaxy to another, your decisions would have a powerful ripple effect. When you were going to take that shot, were you thinking about your teammates, or were you thinking about the glory that could be yours, if only you made it? Because you know your allies would not have left you behind, and thus would have died with you."
Brad swallowed hard and looked away. "I could have made that shot. I'm an expert, the best in the entire unit."
"Are you certain of that?" Optimus asked quietly. "Scourge was more heavily armored than anticipated, and you had only a few centimeters to reach his spark-and that would be the only way to kill him, since he bounced back from two EMP bombs still capable of fighting. One bullet would not be enough to kill, either. He would have fired in retaliation, and you would have had a front-row seat to your friends burning alive, their flesh melting from their bones, the bonds in the very molecules that made up their bodies unraveling. You saw what happened to the beach, the warehouse. Would you have been willing to live with their screams echoing in your ears?"
Brad's jaw visibly clenched and he crossed his arms over his chest in a protective gesture. "You're speaking in hypotheticals."
"So are you," Optimus pointed out. "When we get back to HQ, I want you to try to snipe a quickly-moving, heavily armored target which seems to be actively trying to kill you. Ask Sideswipe-I'm sure he'd enjoy the chance to rough someone up and he's the fastest we have. If you can demonstrate to me that you are capable of doing what you say you are, I will publicly apologize to you. But if you can't, you need to apologize to Megatron."
"I'll never apologize to a Decepticon," Brad said, his tone acidic.
"Who saved your life and the lives of everyone in this unit by not allowing you to play the hero," Optimus said. "Who taught you to be so selfish? So ungrateful to still be alive? I will have to report suicidal tendencies, you know, and that might get you dishonorably discharged, since the armed forces don't want anyone mentally unsuitable in this unit, which is under tremendous strain and stress."
"I don't want to die!"
"Then act like it," Optimus said. "It is not only your life in your hands. Your every decision, your every judgment, affects your teammates. Unless you actually want them dead for some slight?"
"No! It's not like that at all!" Brad hissed, his grip growing tight on his upper arms, he unable to look at Optimus.
"I will not be reporting this," Optimus said after letting Brad squirm in silence for a long minute, which caused Brad to look up at him, clearly confused.
"What? Why not?"
"Because you had a lapse in judgement, and that happens to the best soldiers and commanders," Optimus responded. "It is lucky that we all came out of this intact. But, try to reflect on what you can do better-for yourself, and for all the people relying on you: friends, family, comrades. Your loss would be felt by a web of people. At your funeral, do you want to be one body among many, a name read off a list, or would you rather people line up to speak of you, praises for you falling from their lips? Dead men make no mark on history."
Brad's face tightened, he clearly conflicted based upon how irregularly he was breathing and the pulse Optimus could see on his jaw.
"I will never trust a Decepticon," Brad snapped. "But…"
"Yes?"
"He's not a Decepticon anymore, he's human. He bleeds red like the rest of us. So...I'll give him a chance."
"Good," Optimus said. "Get some rest. I think Rho said that First Aid should be here along with a human doctor to look us over, so it won't be much rest, but after the kind of fight we've had, any rest should be welcome."
"Right…" Brad said and, after a long moment's hesitation, gave Optimus a salute and trudged back towards their group.
You know, I have never seen someone look quite so ashamed of themselves, Megatron observed as they all made themselves as comfortable as possible given the situation, curling up against each other, huddled for warmth. So, is that how the great Optimus Prime keeps his subordinates in line? By making them feel ashamed of their behavior if they ever step out of line?
I try not to have them feel ashamed, but rather guilty, Optimus said and took a seat next to Megatron, who was otherwise alone. What they did was bad-who they as a person is fine. Hopefully he will take this time to reflect and resolve to not let his teammates down again by craving personal glory.
You mean let you down again.
If he decides to choose me as worthy of his loyalty and consideration, yes, but I would prefer he have a group loyalty than loyalty to me alone. It's how the Autobots were able to move on after my 'death' and why the Decepticons are so disorganized after yours.
Oh, certainly, Prime, Megatron drawled. It was actually a little hot listening in as you reprimand him.
Only you would get off on someone being embarrassed, Optimus said and lightly shoved Megatron. Pervert.
It is too bad that you didn't make his scolding public, Megatron said as he righted himself, then leaned in further towards Optimus, catching his eyes, his own glowing an ominous red. Now that would have been extremely attractive.
You are a sadist.
You're so sweet, complimenting me like that.
Dear Primus…
Megatron smirked, and the expression made Optimus' breath hitch for just a moment. There was an edge to it, a subtle heat in Megatron's eyes that made Optimus' stomach feel...strange. It was almost...nice...to have Megatron looking at him like that.
He looked away, and Megatron chuckled softly enough that only Optimus could hear.
Optimus' body was screaming for rest, but being near Megatron meant that their wounds were quickly healing, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Megatron slid his arm behind Optimus' back and leaned his body against Optimus' side. It was terrifyingly intimate, but Optimus didn't want to push Megatron away. If anything, something needy and base within him was urging him to return the gesture, to embrace Megatron, because close-contact always felt good and they needed to heal quickly in order to direct the human doctor and First Aid to where they were hidden.
Instead, Optimus stayed frozen in place, desperately trying to wrangle his chemical body into behaving, shoving more-temping-than-they-should-be snippets of possibilities-Megatron straddling his lap, kissing him until he couldn't think; Megatron's fingers seeking out the bruises and injuries on Optimus' body before soothing the pain with his touch and kisses; himself learning Megatron's body, Megatron arching into his touches, body seeking more, while voicing how much he hated it-deep down into his unconcious. Optimus was certain he'd have some eventful and uncomfortable dreams, but awkward dreams killed no one.
Megatron's breathing eventually evened out and he slumped a little more against Optimus; the only feeling Optimus got from Megatron's thoughts was the soft neutrality of an exhausted sleep, so he knew Megatron wasn't faking it.
Optimus sighed quietly and settled himself as comfortably as possible as he waited for the medical help to arrive; the mission had technically been a failure since Scourge was still alive, but Optimus was fairly sure that people would be happier to have the unit come back safe, if a bit battered. They had done substantial damage to Scourge, too, so he would likely have to find someplace to hole up and heal-which meant that they would either find his base of operations, or a hidden Decepticon stronghold, since Seaspray and Sunrunner both knew his spark-signature and appearance, and that would help guide their search.
Optimus hated it, but this failure would also be a lesson to Rodimus. His choice of Autobots to send had been...less than ideal. He would learn everyone's strengths and weaknesses in time, but he would not always have Optimus and Megatron to make up for his inexperience. Optimus could only hope that he would be a quick learner.
It wasn't until around midnight that help finally found them.
