Disclaimer: Definitely an odd chapter to write out. The entire chase scene was difficult to plan, trying to make it come off as them being in a desperate rush and keeping the sense of danger. Though, I'm happy with how the end result.
I don't own Transformers.
"Speaking"
Thinking
Quick, long strides, passing by broken cement and shattered glass, and embedding into the thankfully thick soles of my worn shoes. Screams continued to pierce the air, with the rapid sound of gunfire and explosions. Keeping along the side of the street, watching the few Decepticons attack on the other side, I waited for a break in the action before ducking through an alley to rejoin the chaotic mess. People shoved past me, running through to the other side and away from the bullets and fire. Elbows in my chest, jostling the rifle on my back, until I popped out of the wall of bodies.
"Watch out!" It took a moment to register the shout as Ironhide's, and once I did, I threw myself against the side of the alley, watching the weapons specialist and Ratchet sprint down the street, firing over their shoulders at the oncoming enemy. Between the two of them, with the Allspark clutched in his arms, Sam furiously ran. Where is he-the evacuation. He was taking it to the evacuation point.
"Sam!" His head twisted in my direction, and his mouth opened. His shout was lost in the commotion, his voice unclear through the blasts. "Ergh!" Hurling myself back into the street, I sprinted to the middle of the street and began to run behind Sam, pushing my legs to make up for the feet between us. Yelling was a futile action now. It'd waste breath and slow me down.
"Keep moving, Sam! Don't stop!" The tank, having now transformed, fired upon the two of them. The Bots returned fire, shooting back at him while we tore through the streets.
"Look out!" Reaching forward, my fingers wrapped around his jacket and I pulled Sam to the road. A jet, perhaps Starscream if I took the time to check, flew down at us and transformed mid-air. The parked cars around him were overturned, sending flashes of hot sparks and metal flying around the street. Shuffling to the side against a still stationary vehicle, I threw my arms over my head as bits of debris pelted us, hearing the loud machinery overhead.
"Whoa!" Sam spared a look, getting a good view of the Decepticon second-in-command. Satisfied with his onslaught, he transformed and took off down the street. "Get up." He tugged at my arm, and we hurried back to our feet, turning to the Autobots behind us. Oh, no. Ratchet was knocked to the ground, slowly pulling himself back up with a groan. Hide clutched at a sparkling hole in his chest, energon staining the metal palm.
"Sam, get to the building!" Heeding Ironhide's words, while we wanted to verify that they were fine, there was no time to waste. Giving them a final glance, Sam took the lead in running towards the evacuation zone, and the rest of the Autobots and human allies were left behind.
No sign of any other Cons. So far so good. How much farther was it? Were we close? "Huff... huff... huff..." vicious pants, and possibly bleeding feet from the hard running; everything was hurting. My face hurt. The entire upper left, blocking out an eye and muffling sound. Let us be close. Let it be close.
A whistle, and the ground shook behind us. "Give me that Cube, boy!" Jinxed it. Biting my lip, I pushed myself to match Sam, grabbing his free hand and tugged him along. Separating now was not an option. The warlord saw both of us, and I did not want to find out if he knew it was me who shot him in the face.
"Whoa!" I yanked the teen to the side, almost having him fall to the ground and drop the Cube. A car driving up the street, unaware of the disaster ahead, brushed against his side. The driver hit the breaks, glaring at the two of us as we regained our sense and continued onward.
"There it is." The building was large. Giant iron gates over massive windows in the front, with intricate pillars and dozens upon dozens of smaller windows. A wire fence surrounded the front, and releasing his hand, we squeezed through the gap left unlocked.
Another door, left opened, and Sam took the lead through the massive abandoned building. The ceiling was high above our heads, supported with pillar after pillar. "You're not gonna get me," Sam panted. He looked around, searching for his next move. "You're not gonna get me!" He darted down the long hall ahead of us, bright sunlight shining through one of the windows and blinding our faces. A stairwell sat at the end, and climbing the littered steps, we hurried through a mirroring room on the new floor.
"I smell you... boy!" I looked back over my shoulder, hearing the roar echo around the small hall Sam lead us through. He's in the building. Sam darted to the right, finding a rickety metal stairwell and began moving upwards. Come on, come on.
"The rest of it's broken... this way!" Sam ran off through another door, and I paused to look above. The metal frames were broken, steps missing or rusted away. Third floor. Was this enough, to put a distance between Megatron and us? Could he reach us where we were?
Running through the hall, the pillars along the side resembling women in long robes, a massive bang erupted from behind. I jumped forward to join Sam, kicking my legs up to avoid the floor being ripped apart from underneath me. The feel of hot breath was felt on the back of my neck, the sensation of eyes staring at me. Don't look back. Don't look back. "Maggots!" Sam had reached the new stairwell, watching the metallic claws curl inward, making sure I reached him in one piece. Neither of us wanted to see if he would or could continue to chase us through the abandoned structure, and neither of us wanted to find out. Keep going.
The stairwell echoed in footfalls, each sneaker pounding against the flat metal as we ascended further and further up the building. The Cube was tucked under Sam's arm, keeping his other hand on the railing in fear of tripping or the floor breaking apart under his feet. Two steps behind him, keeping to his right, through the wall, I could hear the faint growling and movement, reverberating all around the tightly enclosed space. "Do you think he's waiting for us outside?"
"No," Sam said, jostling the Allspark to fix his hold. "I think he's still in here. Where did you go?" Halfway there. We were halfway to the roof. How many floors has it been? How long had we been climbing for? The blood pumping in my ears and staining the bandages around my skull, the fear chasing around in circles in my head; I had no exact sense of time.
"Saw Jazz was missing," I answered between breaths. "Shot Megatron in the face." Sam stumbled, nearly sliding back a few steps, and threw a look back at me. "He was about to be torn in half, Sam."
"Well, if he is waiting outside," he said, picking up the lost pace. "Then you might want to stay in here."
"Unless you're right in that he's still in the building, then that's a really bad idea." Two more floors. The top of the building was visible from our position now, closer with each step. "Sam, I-I just want to say that-before anything goes even more wrong-I am... really glad you guys took me in." Sam stopped, a few steps off from the top floor, and looked back at me. "You-Sam, what Sector Seven said, you know something's... off about me."
"Could've been a lot worse for you if we called the police." I nodded, swiping at the sweat staining my forehead. "The fire escape should be around here." He smiled, and waited until I was at the top before progressing again. Sam, he... he was brave. A lot braver than I'd taken him for. He knew what was at risk. How dangerous his actions were. Yet he also knew what would happen if he did nothing. "Over here." He gestured to a window, draped in a torn cloth. Tearing it off, he poked his head out of the empty frame. "Careful."
The black metal shook when he stepped out onto it. Beside the window, a ladder lead up to the rooftop. Sam awkwardly tucked the Cube under an arm, grabbing hold of one of the railings and began climbing. The rifle clanged against the bar as I positioned behind him and followed suit. "Overhead!" The whirling of blades filled the air, not like the vicious blasts of jets from the Cons, and Sam took off across the rooftop. "H-hey!"
Rusted building units sat abandoned, obstacles for running around to keep up with him. "Hey!" The chopper was close, lowering itself once it had caught sight of his movement. Reaching into his hoodie's pocket, Sam pulled out and slammed a flare against the wall, igniting its end and sending off red sparks. "Heeey! I'm over hereee!" Ducking around clothes string up on the roof, left by squatters who must have ditched the building with many others, we watched two helicopters fly in close, watching the red blaze and smoke drift up from beneath them.
"Ha!" Sam dropped the glare, seeing another helicopter rise up from below the building, keeping itself level with the roof. A solider tightened a belt around him, and with the same relief as the two of us, held his arms out to grab the Cube from his hands. Fingertips. It was held by the edge of his fingers, the Allspark almost reaching the man. Come on, S-! "Watch out!" Sam grabbed my arm, the one that was not damaged from the bridge fall, and hurled me to the ground.
"Missile!" Missile. A Con had fired at them. The chopper spun out, the tail swiping over our heads and breaking apart the building. Cement, and sparks flew around us, and through fearful shouts, he and I looked up to see the vehicle crash out of view, the dying whirls of the blades fading in the wind.
"We gotta move." A claw burst from the roof behind us, and scrambling to our feet again, we ran. Another claw, digging into the surface and pulling the rest of the warlord from the wreckage. "No-no! No!" There was nowhere to run. As Megatron pulled himself from the depths of the building, our access to the stairs was blocked. Sam rushed to the farthest statue of the building, the corner of the rooftop, and grabbed the stone robe. With the Cube still held tight, to the point the grooves of the runes left scratches in his hand, he shuffled along the edge until the streets were at his back.
Hesitation was a given. Falling being my cause of death, or... him. I scaled the other side of the statue, looping an arm around Sam's to try and keep him steady. "Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshlings?" Megatron's question, it was hard to determine if he was mocking. Whether he was actually interested in what our motivation was, to keep ahead of him and protect the strange item in his arm.
"Ooooh... where do I go?" Sam's voice was quiet, looking from the Cybertronian, to the street below. "Where do I go?" Nowhere. There's nowhere to go. Any movement he would make, would loosen the safety of his current footing. His life was threatened no matter where he went. Sirens blared beneath us, but it was hard to tell from where. "No. Ah. No. No, no, no."
"Steady, Sam." Red optics flickered from him to me, and I shuffled closer to Sam.
"You have some nerve to fire upon me, human." Oh, legs, don't fail on me now. I was shaking, struggling to keep myself in that one spot. A clawed hand wrapped around one of the statues, the second in the line of four. "Hmm. Give me the Allspark, boy, and you two may live you be my pets."
Pets? I frowned at the word, and felt a sharp tug on my arm from Sam. "Whoa!"
"Whoah!" Sam near-slammed his face against the statue. A section of the cement broke under his foot, plummeting towards the sidewalk far below. "Oh, no, no, no, no." Steady, Sam! I-what... now what? Accept his offer, and give up with Allspark? Pray that one of the Autobots gets to them in time? What do we do now? "... Blake?" Feet shifted slightly, and I spared a quick look to the teen. "You... know what we have to do, right?"
Honestly, the phrasing of that would've made me laugh, had I not been close to falling. "Y-yeah... I know."
Sam smiled, before we turned back to Megatron. The two helicopters from before flew past us, and Sam's following shout echoed on the wind with their sound. "We're never giving you this Allspark!" He hurried another look to me, smile turning weak. "Been nice knowing you, Blake." You too, Sam. It was... definitely a memorable one.
"Oh, so unwise." He growled, and brought his hand back. Attack. Jump. The weapon, a form of wrecking ball, came from his hand and flung forwards. Each statue before us, shattering upon impact. Jump! It hit the ground at the foot of our statue, and the woman broke at her waist, sending her torso backwards with the rest of us. JUMP!
I couldn't. He was too fast. The ground was at my back before I could move, and feet were above my head as I fell. Sam's arm was free from my own, somersaulting through the air screaming. Fire flared where the impact was made, a helicopter narrowly missing Megatron's assault. "Aaahhh-ah!?"
We hit warmth. Metal warmth, shifting underneath our trembling bodies. Our backs stung from the impact, and large metal fingers curled around us. "I got you." Winded, we turned ourselves around to face the Prime, using his legs and arm to support himself between two buildings. Dark blue optics, a drastic change from the violent red of Megatron's, stared back at us. Optimus. "Hold onto the Cube!"
Behind the hand holding us to his chest, we heard windows and buildings breaking apart, and an enraged growl from far above. What was happening outside, the wall around us, was unclear. All I could see was Sam's face, heavily coated in sweat, grime, and dirt. "Heh... heh..." from the sound, we could've thought that the Prime was jumping between the two buildings. The transition closer to the ground reversed, and we could hear civilians screaming outside of the grey blockade. Screaming, and the shouts of Optimus and Megatron knocking into each other as we free-fell the rest of the way to street. Tires squealed as cars came to a stop, and the hand around us loosened. "Sam?" Pulling ourselves into a crouch, we watched his face mask retreat. "You risked your lives to protect the Cube."
"No sacrifice. No victory." By no means, was I a Witwicky. No relationship there in the slightest. But in the moment, repeating Sam's four words in my head... that motto fit me to a T. Sacrificed a lot to get help them, huh?
"If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the Cube into my chest. I will sacrifice myself to destroy it." What? No. He-sacrified? Did he actually believe that getting rid of the Allspark would actually stop the Cons from continuing their attack on Mission City!? That's a horrible idea! "Get behind me."
Sam tugged on my sleeve, and I gave the alien one last look before sliding off his chest. A deep trench, possibly created from one of the Cons' missiles, laid just behind Optimus, and Sam slid down the rocky terrain into it. The muddy water immediately sank into my shoes, sliding close to the ground to meet him. Feet were cold, and the smell was retched. Massive wires stuck out on either side, and two ends of a broken water pipe passed over our head, dribbling more water down into the pit.
"It's you and me, Megatron." From the depths of the hole, we watched Optimus return to his feet, as did Megatron.
"No, it's just me, Prime." A rush of dirt washed over us, Sam's arm throwing up to block it.
"At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall." Ah, now there's something that's at least somewhat familiar to me. Even with the blotchy memories, that was one saying that was hard to forget.
"You still fight for the weak! That is why you lose!" There was no shooting this time. However, one of the Con's hands had been exchanged for a sword, swiping at Optimus and throwing him against a nearby building. Reaching the end of the trench, we pulled ourselves up high enough to watch the surrounding streets.
"Sam." I pointed down the street. Another Decepticon was shooting down the street, attacking the firing soldiers hiding within the first floor of a building. Several blasts erupted from behind Megatron, and turning our heads skyward, we saw several jets soar by. "Starscream?"
"One of them, probably. Any ideas?" He asked, turning back to look at me. His eyes were still partially focused on the fight, however, in case we had to move out of the way again.
And any idea, meaning any way to not assist Optimus in his rather foolish plan. Well, I don't want to be firing at him again. I'm not risking myself a second time. "I don't..." wait. I-I did have an idea. A rather crazy one, but it should work... I hoped. "Two birds and one stone?"
"Two..." brown eyes lit up, and he looked from the ongoing fight to me, stunned I was going that route. "You think?"
"Well, do you have any other ideas? I'm not shooting at Megatron again, and we don't have any other weapons." I rested a sleeve-covered hand on the top of the Cube, its warmth bleeding through the fabric. "It's all we have left." It was... horrible. Truly horrible, what my conclusion was. If we didn't destroy the Cube, we were done. We'd die, and the Autobots would be outnumbered. Even now, with so little Decepticons, we were struggling. We had to destroy the Allspark. Even... even if it means that they can't rebuild their home. "What other choice do we have, Sam?" All I could do, was pray that in the future, there would be a way to revive Cybertron without the Allspark's assistance. I'm so sorry, guys.
"Okay. Okay, let's... let's do it." The missiles returned, the quantity of planes having shrunken by two, and fired down upon the center of the street. "Aah!" Diving back down into the trench, we climbed out on the other side, distancing ourselves from the ensuing explosions. Optimus himself had been knocked to the side from the blasts, not having time to get out of the way, and we watched strike after strike fire at the warlord. Pieces of dark grey armor broke away, and Megatron fell to the ground, claws scraping against the pavement. An enraged growl left him, optics locking onto us.
"MINE!" We scrambled backwards, not wanting to put our backs to Megatron, while energon leaked from fresh open wounds. "I'll kill you! Mine! Allspark!" His sentences were desperate, clearly seeing that at that point, he wasn't going to win. No matter what happened, either his wounds killed him... or we did.
"Sam! Put the Cube in my chest! Now! Sam!"He shared almost the exact same tone as the Decepticon leader, though wanting us to destroy the Cube rather than hand it over. But I wouldn't do it; killing him. We wouldn't do it. Rushing forward, Sam slid to a stop under Megatron, still holding himself upwards on weak arms, and held the Allspark up to his chest. "No, Sam!" His arms shook, and the moment the artifact was close enough to his chest cabinet, a burst of orange light shot outwards into it. A startled and pained cry came from above our heads, mixing with Sam's own struggling grunts. His limbs shook, fighting to keep the Cube upright as it broke apart, bit by bit, into the blue light hidden behind Megatron's chest panels.
He needs help. Any second now, the teen appeared ready to collapse. Drop to the splintered roadway in exhaustion. Rushing to his front, I stared up at the Allspark and brought my bloodied hands towards the engraved symbols, glowing as it released its raw energy. "Mmm!" Sleeves falling down my arms as they were brought up, I paused for only a second before grabbing onto the other side of the Cube... and held back my own inhumane shriek.
Fire. it was like fire was on my hands, burning my palms, bursting through the skin on the other side. Trailing down my arms, snapping and biting at nerves and bones. My heart pounded viciously, struggling with the overflow of energy streaming from the contact. Let it stop! Please, let it STOP!
The final squares left my hands, and the remains of the Cube were sucked into the glow above. Stunned, Megatron straightened, clawing at where the Allspark had entered. Choking sounds, as though someone had wrapped a hand around his throat, fighting for air to fill damaged lungs. Red lights flickered, and Sam pulled us to the side as the titan came crashing down next to us. "Huff... huff... B-Blake...?"
"I don't...?" Was he... dead? Did we kill him? Optimus pulled himself to his feet, and Sam guided us away from the Decepticon, putting several feet between ourselves, and the one hand that was not clinging to his chest cavity. Is he?
"Hold up." Ignoring Lennox's voice, and the approaching soldiers with guns drawn, the Prime walked over to Meagtron. Another flicker, and then, the optics finally went out. He is. Megatron, the bloodthirsty leader of the Decepticons, was dead.
"You left me no choice, brother." His head turned to us, and Optimus knelt down to our height. Him no choice? What did that mean? He wasn't the one who killed him. Or is it because he felt like he gave us the idea? "Sam, I owe you two my life. We are in your debt." Debt? What, like a... life debt? Optimus, you really don't need to say that.
The squealing of wheels made our heads turn, as Optimus stood back up. Spinning the white cab around, Mikaela hopped out, giving a quick smile to Bee before running over to join us. Sam's shoulders sank in relief, having forgotten he had left her in the ravaged street several blocks away. He's still missing his legs though. Bee looked over at us, having spun himself around on the truck's platform, and gave a small wave. "Heh." So there's Bee. But where's-?
"Knew ya had it in you." From behind the tow truck, the sight almost made me collapse in relief. Ironhide and Ratchet walked towards us, Jazz in the middle and holding onto each of his arm's. The tear in his chest wasn't excessively leaking anymore, but was still far from repaired. "Never had a d-"
"Would you keep quiet?" Ratchet grumbled, glaring at him before throwing a look at the wound. "It's going to take cycles to repair that."
I bit back a chuckle, watching them. The mood around us was still heavy, but I appreciated the silver Bot's attempt to lighten it. Why wouldn't I still feel off? Starscream was probably still around; maybe even a few other Decepticons. I didn't even know of the number of human casualties. "Well, I did have help." Mikaela jogged over to us, equally distressed in appearance as the rest of us. Feel off, huh?Feel... off...?
Optimus looked around at the gathering group, humans and Autobots. "Thank you. All of you. You honor us with your bravery." It... wasn't just the ideas of what was left behind, after the battle was over. Something didn't feel right. I don't... my head? My heart...?
"Permission to speak, sir?" A voice, English in accent, spoke above Sam's head, and his and Mikaela's heads snapped upwards.
"Permission granted, old friend." The teen almost fell over, looking from Optimus to Bumblebee.
"You speak now?" No... that's not his voice. It was too deep, and didn't fit Bee. Though it was much clearer than his normal radio, it was clearly not him. The blow from the missile. My head was a bloody mess, and I was possibly still on the fence with a concussion from last night. And...?
The yellow and black Bot's own look was amused at Sam's hopefulness, but didn't confirm nor deny what he said. "I wish to stay with the boy."
"If that is his choice." It wasn't as if any of them were leaving any time soon. Staying here... in a world not their... own... oh, no. My heart. The energy expended from the entire event, intermingling with everything else, and the... Allspark... second wind gone.
"... yes... Blake? Are you okay?" Eyes. I could feel eyes and optics on me. Why were they on me? Why... why was everything going all blurry?
"S-Sam, I..." dropped. I dropped. Sam shouted, possibly my name, as several other voices gave surprised and worried exclamations. A pair of arms were quickly wrapped around me, managing to secure my limp self from hitting the pavement and injuring myself further. It went fuzzy, sight and sound, and darkness crawled into my vision as I managed to catch just a few final images.
Lennox barking an order, possibly his soldiers to get medical. "Blake, can you hear me?" A terrified beep from the Autobot scout, bright blue optics inhumanly wide. Ratchet forcing himself from rushing over, controlling the medical officer in himself while keeping the injured Jazz in place. "Blake?" Mikaela and Sam, hanging onto either side of me, staring at my glazed eyes as they at last fell shut. "Blake!?"
Until next time!
Angel