The flight back had been tensed. After picking up the seven Autobots (Nova Prime was counted as one of them) twelve Knights and three humans, Optimus ordered Brawn to retrieve the TRF soldiers who had been in their submersibles after escaping the rising Steelhaven. Some of the Autobots were uncomfortable with the idea of being aboard the same ship with those that had been hunting them for so long, but given the current situation, it was best not to argue.
Currently, Bumblebee was being tended to by Ratchet along with Cliffjumper. The medic was given assistance by Wheeljack as the scientist had some knowledge of medical skills. At the pilot seat, Brawn was contacting the Axalon and Hot Rod's group of their current situation. The rest of the Autobots were with Max, Zoe and Nova, standing them somewhat protectively away from the soldiers. The Guardian Knights were especially making sure the humans did no harm to Nova. The soldiers were also a bit uncomfortable, some of them fiddling with their rifles. The only ones that appeared somewhat relaxed were Lennox, Epps and Graham.
During the flight, Nova had begun to reveal the actual history behind Quintessa. He had learned of this knowledge when the armor, crafted by Alpha Trion and given to the Knights for safekeeping, was merging with him. Quintessa was a part of the earliest generation of Cybertronians born from the Allspark, the cube itself being a fragment of Primus's own spark. The femme herself was among the select few known as the Disciples of Primus, Cybertronians that served a specific Prime. The Guardian Knights were also members of the Disciples, serving under Prima, the first Prime, as his bodyguards and most trusted warriors. Quintessa was the aide and greatest student of Quintus Prime, the scientific mind of the Thirteen. She was noted to be highly skilled in knowledge of Cybertronian biology, to the point she was on equal footing with her master. However, that made her arrogant, Quintessa believing herself to be on the same level as the Primes.
The tragedy began when the Primes had discovered Earth. They learned of the planet when they had seeded the planet several centuries ago, to create Cyber-Matter to help hasten the population growth on Cybertron. It was when the Primes returned did they learn that Earth's core was Unicron. At first, they had planned to simply destroy the planet to put an end to the Chaos Bringer for good. But upon discovering the planet's inhabitants, humans, the Thirteen put a halt to their original plan as they valued all life and began searching for an alternative. The only one who did not agree was Megatronous, who believed that the Prime's care for life endangered their people and world. He was also sickened of how some of the Primes began to create new Primes from their own sparks. Four had already been born, the eldest being Omega Prime, followed by Optimus.
It was around this time when Alpha Trion, being the one in charge of overlooking the Allspark, received a vision from Primus. That one day, when the threat of Unicron returned and the fate of all Cybertronians came, a new Prime would be born. Primus gave no name except that this one would be 'The Prime of Life'.
Hearing this, Megatron approached Quintessa and was able to manipulate her into thinking she was this Prime. He then coerced her into helping Megatronous overthrow his brothers and sister and gain control of the Allspark for himself, so that he could become the sole ruler of Cybertron. While it was unsure if Quintessa would be fine of serving under him, her pride and arrogance made her join the Fallen Prime.
The first act was to get the Matrix of Leadership, a relic bestowed onto Prima by Primus during the battle with Unicron, to power up the Sun Harvester, which was currently in the hands of Solus Prime. Megatronous promptly murdered his sister, followed by Liege Maximo after the latter learned of his plans. The traitor Prime also temporarily gave Quintessa the powers of Prime, allowing the sorceress to kill Quintus, framing her master's death on Megatronous to cover her own role in the coupe. This was so Quintessa could gain Quintus's knowledge of manipulating life.
Afterwards, seven of the remaining Primes, Prima, Micronus, Nexus, Onyx, Vector, Amalgamous and Logos followed the newly dubbed 'The Fallen' to Earth, where their forces faced off against the rebels. The battle was intense, but the Fallen's power had grown, allowing him to slay all but Prima and Logos, the latter close to death. However, the leader of the Primes gathered the energies of his deceased brothers to mortally wound the Fallen, followed by Logos using the last of his strength to seal the traitor into a pocket dimension for all eternity. What followed next was already known, Prima sacrificed his own life to create a tomb made from his and his brother's bodies to hide away the Matrix of Leadership from those who would misuse its power.
The remaining two Primes, Alchemist and Alpha Trion, along with the young Omega and Zeta, tried to lead Cybertron, while searching for a new way to keep the Allspark going. One of their ideas was to teleport a sun to Cybertron, in order to energize the Cube indefinitely, while another was to somehow get the planet to move. The remaining Disciples, the Guardian Knights, also helped the two Primes as well. However, none of them suspected Quintessa forming her own plans, since with the Fallen's defeat and the lost of the Matrix caused her to change her strategy to gain rulership of Cybertron. She took Scourge, the remaining servant of the Fallen under her wing, along with her own creations the Infernocons. Later, Quintessa was able to deceive the Knights that she was in fact the Prime of Life, though she may have been deceiving herself as well.
Quintessa eventually came to the conclusion that she could usurp control of the planet and keep Cybertron's flow of energon going permanently in one stroke. That conclusion was none other than the staff, which would drain Earth's own energy to empower Cybertron's core. To do so, she would need to get to the planet's core itself, which could only be accessed by a Prime. So, Quintessa tricked the Knights into kidnapping a sparkling Optimus so she could control him and get to the core. Naturally, when the Primes discovered this ploy they tried to stop it. The resulting clash ended with Alchemist Prime using his powers to send both Quintessa and her Infernocons to the other side of the universe, far away from Cybertron. Sadly, the battle had left Alchemist Prime very weak and his spark eventually extinguished.
The Guardian Knights, realizing that they had been deceived, awaited judgment from Alpha Trion, the sole survivor of the Dynasty. Instead, the scholar had the Knights swear an oath to guard the staff for all eternity, if Quintessa were ever to return. The Knights took their ship, the Steelhaven, and traveled to Earth. There they could protect both the staff and watch over Unicron and the humans.
"And that's basically what happened." Nova said, finishing his story.
The two humans and Autobots were silent, taking all that in. The Knights backed up what Nova said, confirming that the story was correct.
"Basically, this Quintessa is suffering from a serious case of self-delusion?" Viviane asked incredulously.
"Pretty much" Nova replied. "However, that doesn't mean we can underestimate her. Though she no longer has the powers of a Prime, her mastery over life has improved that she is on the same level as Quintus Prime."
"Nova Prime speaks the truth." Optimus said. "I've seen her powers first hand. She will not be an easy adversary to defeat, though we must try anyway."
Everyone looked at Nova, expecting an answer. The newly born Prime, however, merely shrugged his shoulders. "It was never said. By the time Quintessa was banished, Cybertronian society had fallen into various tribes contesting for what resources remained. All I know is that Alpha Trion raised Optimus, while Omega Prime raised Sentinel. Zeta apparently wandered the planet and disappeared."
Suddenly, Brawn's voice could be heard from the speakers. "Everyone, we're approaching Stonehenge. The Steelhaven is also directly above the structure. I'm also picking up chatter from various human radios and news channels about large debris from Cybertron impacting all across the world. This is going to get a bit rough."
(Stonehenge)
Megatron and the other three had finally arrived at their destination. Around Stonehenge were large pieces of Cybertron that had hit the Earth, with chunks of the planet floating above them, nearly blocking out the sky. Waiting for them were Barricade, Shockwave, Blackout, Fracture, Astrotrain and Storm Surge, the latter transforming into a blue and white Zubr-class LCAC hovercraft. The four of them quickly transformed and landed next to the structure. There were no signs of any humans, military or otherwise, around them.
Nitro Zeus immediately ran up to Shockwave. "Ha, ha! Big bro!" Nitro yelled as he embraced the large purple mech in a hug.
Dreadwing just merely gave a nod. "Greetings, Nitro. It is good to see you as well." The Drone remarked.
"You betcha it is!" Nitro said back as he let go of him. "The Assassin Duo is back together!"
Meanwhile, Swindle and Payload approached Megatron. Both Cons bowed their heads in respect to their master. "My Lord, all remaining Decepticon forces are currently stationed around the ignition chamber. Once the device here is activated, we can head there ourselves." Blackout reported.
"Tidal Wave also did a brief strike against the nearby human fleet before heading up towards Cybertron." Storm Surge reported. "If the humans tried to retaliate, they'll have little to send after us before the process is complete."
"We've also picked up multiple Autobot signatures heading here. However, they will not make it in time given their current speed." Fracture added. She looked at Megatron with adoration. "It is your time, Lord Megatron."
The Decepticon leader nodded before looking up. Above them, the Steelhaven had finally arrived, hovering directly on top of Stonehenge. "At last the ship has arrived. Now we can begin the first stage to Cybertron's restoration."
"And the death of Earth." Barricade cackled. "I've always wanted to kill a planet."
"We won't be just killing a planet, but a god too." Added Astrotrain with laugh.
Raising the staff for all to see, Megatron announced. "Rejoice, my Decepticons! For a new age is among us! In the name of our world, I activate this portal and witness the rebirth of our home! And the death of our enemies!" His declaration was met by roars of approval by the Decepticons.
Unbeknownst to them, Burton was there. Thanks to Wheeljack, the old man was using a device that was cloaking him and the nearby military forces from the Decepticons' scanners. The moment Megatron was in his sight, Burton transformed his cane into a Cybertronian rifle and fired at the Decepticon. The Decepticon leader let out a gasp of pain as the energy projectile struck his shoulder. It was also the signal for the attack. Starting it off was Guzzle, now with an FV107 Scimitar alt mode, who fired a shot that hit Barricade in the chest, nearly knocking the enforcer on his aft. Soon the rest of the Autobots there as well as the British Armed Forces appeared, firing at the Decepticons.
Dreadwing fired a particle wave blast from his AstroMag cannon, destroying several tanks. Behind him, Astrotrain fired his Ionic Displacer Rifle, tearing apart tanks with each blast. Fracture and Payload immediately got in front of their lord, firing back at the humans and Autobots, the former firing her charged plasma blaster, while the latter fired his right forearm mounted minigun and his left forearm mounted rotor blaster, which fired concussive shells. Barricade fired his left wrist-mounted Laser SMG along with Storm Surge, who fired his dual forearm mounted proton blasters, all the while guarding Megatron's rear as helicopters came flying in.
Meanwhile, Starescream with his left forearm-mounted Vulcan Rotary Cannon, Nitro Zeus firing his left forearm mounted neutron minigun and Cyclonus with his right forearm mounted double-barrel laser revolver cannon were firing at the front. Joining in, Megatron roared as he fired a few shots from his fusion cannon before slamming his fist into the center of Stonehenge. Doing so revealed a piece of machinery that released a burst of electricity that went into the Steelhaven. Additional stone pillars popped out of the ground around the Decepticons, the sign that the device was ready.
As he got up, Megatron spotted Burton and realized he was the one who fired at him. "You wretched human!" He snarled as he fired his cannon, hitting the elderly human at point blank range. Burton was sent flying through the smoke and debris before landing on the ground.
"Lord Megatron! Autobot forces have appeared!" Astrotrain yelled over his plasma cannons.
Sure enough, the Iron Will and Axalon could be seen not to far away. With a frown Megatron picked up the staff. "Decepticons! To Cybertron!" He ordered before transforming and flying upwards. Starscream, Dreadwing, Nitro Zeus and Cyclonus soon joined him, ignoring the gunfire. Astrotrain transformed and opened his ramp for Fracture, Storm Surge, Barricade and Shockwave to walk on. Once they were on board the large Decepticon took off and followed the others.
A few minutes later, the two Autobot vessels had finally landed. Coming out of the Axalon were Prowl, Sideswipe, Jolt, Armorhide, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Hound, Jazz, Arcee, Elita-1, Chromia, Wingblade, the Aerialbots, Skids, Mudflap, Camshaft, Mirage, Warpath, Inferno, Crosshairs, Stratosphere, Brawn, Drift, Evac, Ramhorn, and the Dinobots. Following them were Izabella, Simmons, Jimmy, Leo, Dutch and Sqweeks. From the forests were Hot Rod and the rest of his team coming to meet them. Sideswipe optics lit up when he spotted a familiar golden colored mech. "Sunny!" The silver warrior shouted as he ran over to greet his twin brother in a hug.
Sunstreaker laughed. "Good to see you too, Sides!" He said back while Bob hissed happily. Surprised by the Insecticon's presence, Sideswipe nevertheless bent down and scratched him by the antennae.
As the rest of the Autobots greeted one another, Magnus's ship had finally landed. When the Iron Will's doors opened, Cogman immediately dashed out towards where Burton was lying. He was followed by Nova.
"My Lord! Lord Folgan!" Cogman cried as he ran over to Burton. The man had multiple scratches on his face and his clothes were badly burnt. His breathing was becoming shallow too. The Headmaster knelt beside his Lord, trying to find someway to help him, only to come to the sad conclusion that Burton wouldn't make it. Burton tried to raise a shaky hand which Cogman took with his own metallic hand.
"I had it Cogman…I had my moment." Burton managed to whisper.
Cogman nodded sadly. "You did my Lord. It was magnificent." The Headmaster complimented. "This is always the hardest part of my job. Watching Folgans die. However, out of all the Earls I served, you were the coolest of the Burton family." He added. The sound of footsteps could be heard and yet without even turning his head, Cogman knew that Nova standing behind him. "He's here, my lord. Young Adam is here." Cogman said.
Through hazy eyes, Burton looked upon the young man, the son of a woman who was like a daughter to him. Nova had managed to retract the metallic armor a bit, so his human face could be seen, as well as his right hand. Getting to one knee, Adam took Burton's other hand with both his Cybertronian and human hands.
"Thank you for everything…grandpa." Nova Prime whispered gently.
Burton managed a weak smile at that title. He then looked at Cogman. "Cogman, please. Serve him as you did me. Promise me that." He requested.
"Of course, my lord. As you wish." Cogman replied.
"Very good, Cogman. Carry on." Were Burton's last words. His breathing had finally ceased, and his chest had stopped rising. It was at that moment that the last Earl of Folgan had finally died.
Brawn's and Highbrow had finally arrived at that moment. Upon seeing Burton's status, they looked down with sad optics as the human they had watched since he was a child passed away. "Highbrow, right?" Nova Prime said as he stood up. "Take his body gently and bring him to the Axalon. We're not leaving him here."
Highbrow nodded. "Understood." The ancient Seeker said. With gentle hands, the flyer picked up Burton's form and cradled it closed to his chest, near where his spark was.
As Highbrow took care of Burton's body, the remaining three went back to rejoin the others. When they were close enough, Nova Prime was nearly knocked over by an overexcited Ramhorn. The Cybertronian Rhino was licking Nova's face, happy to see him. "Good to see you too, Ram." Nova said with a laugh.
Back with the other Autobots, Optimus, Magnus, Bumblebee, Springer, as well as the Protectobots and the Guardian Knights had finally regrouped with their comrades. Optimus saw Elita run up to him. As much as the couple wanted to express the joy they both felt for finally seeing the other, they knew that now was not the time. With a heavy spark, Optimus faced his comrades.
"Knights, Autobots! This cannot and will not be the end. To save our worlds and people, we are going to steal Quintessa's staff and restore Cybertron's core. Only you, Viviane, can take back the staff, whereas Nova Prime and his power of the Allspark, can re-energized the core. This will no doubt be one of the greatest battles we have ever fought, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour!" Optimus declared as the Autobots shouted in agreement.
Crosshairs nudged Hound's arm. "Love that guy. Goosebumps all the time." The paratrooper commented. Hound nodded in agreement.
Lennox's radio came alive. :Colonel, this is Burke! We're inbound on Ospreys. Should be having a visual of us by now: The gunner said.
Sure enough, three Ospreys were on approach towards Stonehenge. Graham was giving out orders to the men to be ready to move as Lennox, Epps and Santos watched the VTOLs make their way over.
"That's it? Only three Ospreys?" Epps asked, as he looked at the small number.
"The fleet had reported being attacked by a Gerald R. Ford-class Aircraft Carrier before it literally took off into the air. Probably a Decepticon. This was all they could spare along with a couple of Harriers and Typhoons from the Brits." Santos explained. "Think it will be enough?"
As much as Lennox would like to say, 'yes'. "No, nowhere close." The Colonel then looked back at the Autobots. They were still cheering after hearing their leader's speech. "But, we've been in situations like this before. We'll manage."
That's when Cliffjumper looked up. His optics widened. "Look!" He cried as the chunks of Cybertron started moving.
(Ignition Chamber, Cybertron)
21,000 feet above Earth, Megatron soon arrived at the remains of Iacon. Surrounding the former Hall of Records were hundreds of Decepticons, Vehicons, Assault Carriers and AA-guns. Hovering over the building was Tidal Wave, now in his flight mode. Behind the Hall was the Longshot, the Star Seeker's spacecraft. Escorting Megatron was Blast Off, a member of the Combaticons who had just arrived. He had a blackish brown McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle alt mode. Starscream and Blackout were also with him. Once they reached the entrance to the chamber, Blast Off flew off to regroup with the other Combaticons while the other three Decepticons transformed and headed inside. Waiting for them were more Decepticons, as well as Infernocus and Quintessa. The troops roared as their leader came striding in, staff in hand.
"Excellent." Megatron said as he approached the center of the chamber. There were two large statues on the side, holding swords up. Floating in the center of them was Quintessa. "I have recovered your staff of power!" Megatron declared proudly, his army shouting out in triumph.
"Well done Megatron." Quintessa commented as she called the staff up to her. "The treacherous Autobots and their human allies will attempt to stop us. However, only one of them is a true threat to our plans. I felt her just as I felt the staff. She is the only one who can regain the staff and stop the transference. We cannot allow her to enter."
"Do not fear. My army will stop them." Megatron responded as several assault fighters flew out of the chamber.
Quintessa nodded. "Then watch. For with this staff, the healing shall begin. Their world shall die and ours reborn!" She said as she pushed the staff into the mechanism below her. Energy surged outward, momentarily covering the entire chamber. Then arcs of lightning shot up towards Quintessa. The sorceress held her hands out as electricity moved through her body and out her fingertips. The lightning than traveled up the swords. The chamber began to light up in response.
Back on Earth, the planet's thermal energy, the energy of Unicron, was starting to get sucked up. They came out from the stones and into the bottom of the Steelhaven. The energy surged through the ship, inside and out, before being shot out from the ship's roof and hit the chunks of Cybertron. Slowly, the planet's pieces started to come together, rather violently as some pieces broke off. Across the Earth, the giant pieces of Cybertron began to cause untold amounts of damage.
The parts near Stonehenge were also acting up, as the humans and Autobots were witnessing. There were even a few close calls where a chunk that had broken off nearly crushed them.
"What the heck!" Epps shouted as a large cable-like structure nearly crushed him.
"Quintessa has begun the transfer! We must get to the Axalon!" Optimus ordered as he started running towards the large ship.
"You heard him Autobots! Get your afts moving!" Ironhide roared as he and the others followed their leader.
"Move! We need to get out of here!" Lennox ordered his team, followed by Max and Zoe. The rest of the British forces also followed them, abandoning their tanks. They had been ordered by the Prime Minister to assist TRF and the Autobots. Flying above the group of combined forces were the Autobot flyers, the Iron Will, and the Ospreys.
"Get to the Ospreys! Get to the Ospreys before we're crushed!" Santos ordered.
"They're going to roll right over us!" Shouted Hound as he kept running.
Armorhide jumped as a piece of debris nearly hit him. "How the slag is this healing Cybertron? It looks like she's causing more damage!" He exclaimed.
Evac was shielding Izabella and Adam as they continued running. He picked up the young girl when she nearly lost her footing. "Less talking more running!"
(The Axalon)
Fortunately, they had managed to reach the Axalon with little trouble. The Ospreys and Magnus's ship landed in the nearest hangar before the large Cybertronian ship went up. It easily bypassed large falling debris and the various floating sections of Cybertron. As the Axalon flew up, the Autobots and humans had managed to organize themselves once they relaxed from their little sprint.
Now, preparations were being made for the coming battle. Turrets were being armed and loaded, Ospreys were preparing for take-off. Autobots and soldiers were readying their weapons. Meanwhile, several of them were currently meeting in the command room. A holo-screen was on, showing the images of General Morshower, Secretary of Defense John Keller, and members of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the center of the room was a holographic projection of Earth and Cybertron. It was there that Perceptor and Wheeljack took the stage.
"According to what Optimus told us, Quintessa is draining Earth's energies, leeching it to restore Cybertron." Perceptor began as he pointed at the image. It showed what was obviously energy coming up through the Earth through the Steelhaven like a funnel and spreading throughout Cybertron. "The energy is the geothermal energy coming from the planet's core. After further analyst, Wheeljack and I deduced that the core also formed the magnetic field that protected humans from cosmic radiation. If the energy siphoning isn't stopped, then the core's temperature will drastically decrease, causing the field to dissolve."
"What would happen then?" Keller asked, though he had a pretty good idea what the outcome would be.
A JPL Engineer answered that. "If our hypothesis is the same, it will turn Earth into microwave with us as unprotected popcorn." The man explained.
"A rather interesting way to describe it. But, yes, that would be the most likely result." Added Perceptor.
There was a moment of silence as the humans gathered took that in. The idea of such a thing happening to them was not a pleasant one. To the side, Magnus leaned his head closer to Optimus's. "Are we not going tell them that their core is actually Unicron?" The newly designated second-in-command asked.
Optimus shook his head. "It would bring up too many questions. And now isn't the right time." The Prime whispered back.
Wheeljack took over. "From Evac's earlier scans, the ignition chamber was we dubbed it, is serving in a similar manner as the Sun Harvesters that the Dynasty used to use. In this case however, the chamber also acts as a battery charger. The energy is transferred to Cybertron's core, which in turn is having the planet reconstitute itself. The multiple impacts between the separated chunks are merging together by generating new cyber-matter that is acting like glue sort of."
"How do we stop it then?" Morshower asked the main question.
It was Optimus who answered. "As Merlin's DNA was etched into the staff, only his descendant Viviane can retrieve and stop the transfer."
"Okay. I know this isn't my place to say it, but I have to disagree with, what is to me, a dumb idea." The JPL engineer said. "Personally, I'm gonna rely of physics and mathematics to save the planet, not mysticism, fairies and some hobgoblins."
A few people gave the engineer a few odd looks but Mearing, who had been listening from another video feed, asked. "And what is your answer to this dilemma?"
A second, smaller image appeared on the screen. It showed what had been designated as the ignition chamber. It then focused on another chunk of Cybertron above the chamber. "See this. We fire tactical nukes at this chunk and make it detach. It swings down and knocks off the chamber and boom! Earth is saved." The engineer said with a satisfied look on his face.
"An interesting strategy but flawed." Wheeljack retorted. "First is that the chamber has its own gravitational field, which is being powered the more it drains energy from Earth. It won't go down even if you fired the nuke at it. The second is that Cosmos's scans show that the Decepticons have deployed Anti-Air turrets to protect the chamber. Any aerial crafts or projectiles will be shot down before they even get close. The final and most important reason is that the same gravity field that is holding the chamber is extended to the rest of Cybertron. Its why the planet didn't violently collide with Earth. If, by some chance, your plan did indeed work, the rest of the chunks would cease to remain afloat and fall back under the control of Earth's own gravity field. By my calculations, the impact would wipe out at least two-thirds of humanity, and render 80 percent of Earth a wasteland and uninhabitable, 60 if lucky."
A long silence filled the room as Wheeljack finished his explanation. The JPL Engineer had a disbelief look on his face towards how quickly and easily the Autobot scientist brought down his idea. It looked like he had gone catatonic and soon his screen went off.
Keller cleared is throat to get everything moving again. "Then it sounds like removing the staff would also deactivate the field too."
"True, which is why we must also restore Cybertorn's core in order to heal the planet, ensuring it and Earth's survival." Optimus replied. He gestured to Nova Prime, who was standing next to his leg. "As young Nova gained the powers of the Allspark, he possesses the infinite energy that the Cube had in order to recharge our planet's core."
Brawn walked up as the hologram on the table shifted. It was now showing the area between the Axalon and the Ignition Chamber. "The Axalon's shield can easily protect it from the numerous chunks, though its speed will be reduced. However, Megatron won't allow us to get close and will most likely send his flyers to keep us occupied. That is why we'll be taking the Ark and Ospreys to drop a small strike force commanded by Colonel Lennox and I close to the chamber while the rest of our troops keep their flyers distracted. At the same time, Stratosphere will take Optimus and Nova to where the core is located. It is imperative that Nova Prime begins recharging the core before the staff is removed. It's the only way to ensure that Cybertron does not crash into the Earth."
"Autobot flyers and our own pilots will be escorting us towards the chamber as well as keep any fighters off us as we head in." Lennox added as he walked up beside Magnus. "But we've also spotted another ship near the ignition chamber."
"The Longshot, the Star Seeker's vessel." Springer said. "If it gets into the fight, the Axalon won't stand a chance."
"Which is why we'll be sending a small force to infiltrate the ship to take it down before it can even get into the fight." Optimus said. Turning his head, the Prime looked up at Grimlock, who had been quiet the whole time. "Can we count on you and the Dinobots, Grimlock?"
The large Knight nodded. "Just leave it to us. We'll slaughter them all." The large mech said.
"We'll be deploying fighters to give assistance. The British Prime Minister has also dispatched squadrons too." Keller added. "We won't be staying out of this fight."
Suddenly a holo-image of Drift appeared. :Sensei, we have a situation: The samurai bot said.
"What's happening Drift?" Optimus asked.
:Some of the others are reacting…aggressive towards the TRF soldiers at the main hangar. Its best if you come and see for yourself: Drift said before signing off.
The Autobots and humans in the command room didn't even say anything as they made their way towards the hangar. When they arrived, they saw several Autobots surrounding the TRF soldiers. The bots were shouting, swearing in both human and Cybertronian languages, looking ready to kill the soldiers. A few even had their weapons out. The humans were also a bit uneasy too. They were outnumbered and outgunned and it didn't seem like the Autobots were going to show them mercy. Ironhide and Hound were trying to break them up but with no avail.
"What is going on here?" Brawn asked as he and Optimus approached the group. Lennox ran over to check on his men.
It was Hubcap who answered. "Why the slag are these murderers here?" The orange mech asked with venom. He pointed an accusatory finger at the TRF soldiers. Several Autobots nodded in agreement, voicing their own protests.
"They've been hunting us like animals! We have no reason to work with them!"
"I lost my friends because of them!"
"They're no different than The Human Resistance!"
"My friend was nearly murdered by these humans!"
"I've seen them kill non-combatants too, without mercy!"
"They don't deserve our help!"
"Kill them!"
"Throw them off the ship!"
More and more bots were getting riled up. It wouldn't be long before they start to get violently and actually kill the humans. Fortunately, any hostile action was ended when Optimus's spoke up.
"Enough!" He yelled. His voice got everyone's attention. Once all eyes and optics were on Optimus did he continue. "Now is not the time to be focused on grudges. I know many of you hold resentment towards the humans for what they have done to us these past six years. Believe me, my fellow Autobots, I know. But what we face right now is a threat far greater than we could've ever imagined. If we failed here, then Earth will be destroyed, and Cybertron will be ruled by a tyrant. I do not expect you to forgive the humans, but to put aside your anger for the time being."
None of them seem pleased, but they didn't resist. Though there were a few grumbles. Slowly, the crowd dispersed and headed off towards their assigned posts. The TRF soldiers let out long breaths of relief. Santos kept a wary eye on the Autobots as they walked away.
"You know, the polite thing to do would be to say, 'thank you'." A voice commented.
Turning around, Santos saw Max leaning against a wall, arms crossed. He, as well as Zoe, were now wearing pilot full body jumpsuits. Izabella, Nova, Sqweeks were also with him, while Canopy towered over them.
"You got something to say, Taylor?" Santos asked.
Max snorted. "If those guys went through with murdering you lot, they would've been in the right. I know I wouldn't bat an eye." Some of the soldiers flinched at his brutal comment. "The past six years, Cemetery Wind, you guys, and who knows who else, have hunted them like animals. Yet not once did they ever try and fight back. Maybe in self-defense but nothing else. The only time they brought the fight to the enemy was when they saw what The Human Resistance were doing to their people. I'd probably do the same thing. Also, did you know that Cliffjumper had a spy inside your HQ this whole time?" Max explained. He took satisfaction when the surprise look appeared on Santos's face at that last part. "We knew what you guys were doing the whole time and yet never even thought of attacking your base. Because if we did, it just be showing that humanity was right about the Cybertronians. You guys specifically never stopped hunting me."
Santos shifted his gear, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Orders. You were with them."
"With 'them'?" Max asked in what he meant by that. "I believe in one of the great ones. Optimus Prime. And his Autobots. I never lost faith. Heck even a kid knew the difference between the good ones and bad ones." He added gesturing to Izabella. "But you did. The whole world did. Now you want to fight with us. Well I appreciate you guys making the choice, thank you."
Max then walked off, joining Zoe who was staring at the clear sky. Canopy picked up Izabella and Sqweeks before leaving too. That just left Santos and several TRF soldiers with contemplative looks. Eventually, Santos came to a decision and tore off his TRF patch. One by one, the rest did the same. Cade watched with approval before taking out his phone. Seeing how they were preparing for the endgame, this might be the last chance he had to text Tessa. All he said was, 'I'll always be in the sky for you.'
A while later, Autobots and humans were at the main hangar, preparing for battle. There was an awkward atmosphere from the recent confrontation, but at least they weren't trying to kill the other. Nova Prime was checking his new body, trying to do a quick run through of what he could do. Surrounding him from a fair distance were the Guardian Knights. Each of them had their weapons out and ready. Some of the Autobots took a moment to look at them.
"Very mean looking, aren't they?" Drift noted.
Hound chewed his cy-gar. "Ah they look like wussies to me."
"Try saying that when they beat the crap out of you, Hound." Bumblebee said with his real voice.
It took a moment, but it finally occurred to the Autobots that the yellow mech was actually talking. "Bee!" Ironhide roared as he lifted the smaller bot up off the ground. "Your voice box, it's working!"
"Y-yeah. Guess it got back into place when I was fighting that Optimus clone." Bumblebee said as the weapon specialist put him down.
As the rest of his friends were crowding around him, congratulating the scout on getting his voice back, Izabella was talking to Epps. After watching how some of the soldiers were acting, the young girl noted that Epps and Graham, as well as some such as Master Sergeant Brian Burke, Chief Warrant Officer Jorge "Fig" Figueroa, Sergeant Mark 'Baby Face' Zimmerman, Staff Sergeant Josh Stone, Sergeant First Class Vega Hooch, Sergeant Eddie 'Hardcore Eddie' Speight, Lieutenant Dustin Perkins, Sergeant First Class Donald Eckerson, Staff Sergeant Ames Khruger, Sergeant First Class Aaron Mongo, Staff Sergeant Marc Lawson, Staff Sergeant Taylor "Tiny" Del Rey, Staff Sergeant Peter "Stackhouse" David, Staff Sergeant Ehren Rakishi and First Sergeant Zack "Don" Donnelly, the younger brother of the late Patrick Donnelly, were okay to hang out with. Beside her was Sqweeks while Canopy stood behind them. Izzy took looked at the rocket launcher Epps was adjusting. "Is that thing designed to kill Decepticons?" The girl asked.
"Nah" Epps said as he finished loading the launcher. "That's our job."
Suddenly, Roller's voice spoke through the ship's speakers. :Everyone, you might want to get moving! The scanners are picking up a large number of hostiles incoming!:
Flying through the clouds and around the chunks of Cybertron, several dozen Vehicons, both jetfighters and helicopters, were flying towards them, as well as other aerial Decepticons. Leading them were the Seekers: Thundercracker, Skywarp, Ramjet, Thrust, Dirge, Slipstream, Sunstorm, Nacelle, Acid Storm, Hotlink, and Bitstream, with Dreadwing also joining them. Starscream was flying at the very front. They were heading straight towards the Axalon.
"Wheeljack! Activate the storm generator!" Optimus ordered as he activated the dropship's engines.
:Copy that, Prime. Preparing generators!: The inventor responded.
As the soldiers boarded the Ospreys, the Autobots that volunteered for the assault got onto the Ark. That included Crosshairs, Jazz, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Mirage, Jolt, Roadbuster, Topspin, Leadfoot, Arcee, Chromia, Elita-1, Armorhide, Brawn, Smokescreen, Clocker, Drift, Cliffjumper, Inferno, Skids, Mudflap, Salvage, Blazemaster. Joining them were Bumblebee and Hot Rod, who would be using the two remaining Assault Carriers. They were all preparing for take-off. The Dinobots were herded aboard the Iron Will by Cosmos and Windcharger, while Gears did some last-minute checks. Stratosphere opened his ramp as Optimus, Nova, Evac, Ramhorn, Cogman and Rewind got on board. Camshaft, Dune Runner, Hoist, Perceptor, Trench, Strongarm, Knock Out, Grindcore, Scattershot, Rollbar, Wheeljack, Signal Flare, Brains, Wheelie, Landmine and Hubcap had elected to remain behind with the other Autobots when the Decepticons attacked the Axalon. Sqweeks and Canopy were also hanging back to watch Izabella.
"Depeche Toi, Bumblebee! Get aboard!" Hot Rod said to the yellow mech. Ironhide was gripping the back of the assault fighter the French speaking Autobot was piloting, while Hound was on Bee's. Once Bumblebee was seated in place, both mechs powered up their fighters.
The Ospreys began spinning their blades, Omega Supreme and the other Autobot flyers readied their engines. The remaining Autobots all cheered for the strike force. Canopy was also cheering when he noticed that two people were missing. "Izzy? Sqweeks?" He asked as he looked for his friends, who were originally just near his feet.
In one of the Ospreys, Yeager and Viviane were having help getting their seat belts on. Lennox was shouting out orders. "Okay remember everyone! We're way above the altitude that Ospreys are meant to fly, so be prepared for a bumpy ride!" The Colonel said.
"That doesn't make me feel better, Lennox." Cade yelled.
"Wasn't supposed to." Lennox retorted as he ordered the pilots to take off. As the Osprey started to life off, a tarp came off, revealing Izabella and Sqweeks. Cade did a double-take when he saw the pair. "What are you doing here?" He asked, more like demanded.
Izzy seemed a bit stunned at being caught. "I-I don't know. Sqweeks had snuck on board, and I got worried."
"Now I'm worried. We need to get her off here." Cade yelled at someone to listen. "Damn it, Adam's going to kill me."
Unfortunately, no one heard him as the Osprey's rotors began to spin faster. "That's probably a bad idea." Izabella commented.
The Axalon dispersed the static smoke. The smoke covered the lower hangar where the strike force was. Its electric field caused the Decepticons to fly above it and away from the hangar. This also left them open to the ship's turrets. "Roller sir. Decepticons are preparing to dive towards us." An Autobot reported in the command room.
Sitting on the command chair, Roller nodded as he began giving out orders. "Tell the gunners to open fire. I want the shield on as well automatic turrets. Divert power from the magnet and the storm generator once the strike force is out. Have response teams on standby for possible boarders. Medics and repair teams too. I am not losing this ship or anymore crew members again. Am I clear?"
There were multiple responses as his orders were sent out. Roller contacted the strike force. "Strike team, you're clear to depart. Primus be with you."
The first to fly out were the Aerialbots and Wingblade. After them were the Ospreys alongside Blazemaster, Whirl, Springer, Blades, Tomahawk, and Skyhammer. Omega Supreme followed behind them along with the two Assault Fighters and Highbrow. Finally, the Knights took off, combining into Dragonstorm who roared as he flew behind the others. The Typhoon FGR4s and AV-8B Harrier II Plus' linked up with them as they headed towards their target.
Meanwhile, the Axalon's turrets had already opened fire. Autobot gunners fired from their cockpits and rockets were launched as well. Numerous Vehicons were shot down, and the rest were forced to scatter as they opened fire on the Autobot vessel. Starscream fired a missile and destroyed a turret when he spotted the strike force. "Lord Megatron. The Autobots have dispatched a small task force and are heading your way." The Seeker reported.
Back at the Ignition chamber, Megatron nodded. "Continue your attack on the Axalon. If it reaches here to support the Autobots, we will not be able to hold it back. Dispatched some fighters to go after them." Megatron ordered. He then turned around and looked at the Assault Fighters. They had been held in the reserve for situations such as this. "Intercept those Autobots!" He ordered as the fighters took off.
"Dreadwing! Take command of the Vehicons! Seekers with me!" Starscream ordered as he flew after the Autobot/Human strike force. Following him were the rest of his squadron.
"It shall be done." Dreadwing replied as he took out a turret. "Jet Vehicons! Continue engaging those turrets. Helicopter Vehicons! Begin boarding the Axalon and engage the crew!"
(Strike Force)
Hound cheered as Bumblebee's flyer flew past the Ark "Yee-Haw!"
Back with the strike force, they were so far in the clear. The Ospreys were having some trouble stabilizing but did not show any signs of malfunction just yet. "Yee ha!" Hound cheered as they soared through the air.
On the Ark, the Autobots were preparing themselves for when they landed. Crosshairs, Brawn, Kup, and Armorhide had manned Omega's rear, sides and upward gun pods, since the large Cybertronian couldn't multi-task. They fired the autocannons at anything in view. Magnus was at the front looking at the scanners. "Stratosphere, Cosmos. We're nearing the checkpoint. Be prepared to split off towards your assigned locations."
:Understood, Magnus: Cosmos replied.
:Copy that, Magnus. I'll make sure to get these guys there safely: Confirmed Stratosphere.
Omega suddenly spoke up. "Warning: Decepticon flyers detected. Location: Rear and front."
The Assault Fighters had arrived and had begun to open fire on the Autobots and humans. At the same time, the Seekers did a dive and opened fire from behind. The Aerialbots took the lead and fired their missiles and downed five of the carriers. Some of the Decepticon fighters tried to attack from the side but were intercepted by Hot Rod and Bumblebee.
"Take them out!" Ironhide yelled behind Hot Rod. The weapon specialist fired one of his shell cannons, hitting a fighter's gun. The French speaking mech fired his fighter's weapons, destroying the Decepticon one.
"We got boogies coming to us, Bee!" Hound shouted. The yellow mech let out a click in agreement as he downed a fighter.
Thundercracker let loose his rockets and struck the nearest Osprey. "Incoming! Incoming!" The pilot shouted. Immediately, the Osprey released flares that confused the missiles' built in homing signals. The projectiles harmlessly passed by and instead detonated on one of the large chunks of Cybertron. Next up Skywarp fired his weapons at another Osprey but was blocked when Omega Supreme got in front of the human aircraft.
Izabella was clutching Sqweeks tightly. "It'll be fine. Everything will be okay." She tried to reassure her friend and herself. The little blue mech was clicking wildly.
"Fighters, we need you distract the enemy ships or we're not going to make it!" Lennox ordered.
The Harriers and Typhoons immediately opened fire on the orbital assault fighters, managing to down three before the rest turned their attention on them. It soon became a dogfight between the Aerialbots, the human fighters against the assault carriers.
Back on Omega Supreme the Autobots immediately fired at the Seekers, forcing the Decepticons to scatter. "Keep them off of the Ospreys." Magnus ordered the bots at the gun pods.
"Magnus. We've reached the checkpoint." Prowl reported.
"Copy that" Magnus nodded and contacted the others. "Prime, Cosmos, you can now detach from the main force."
Once that was said, Stratosphere made a hard turn to the right, while the Iron Will turned to the left towards the Longshot. As expected, some of the assault fighters went after them. Dragonstorm automatically pursued the ones going after Stratosphere, while Wingblade went to support Cosmos's group. Letting out a stream of flame from one of his heads, Dragonstorm downed one of the fighters. Another head latched onto a second fighter once close enough. The ship was immediately destroyed against Dragonstorm's teeth.
Wingblade had already opened fire with his wing mounted plasma rotary autocannons on the fighters chasing the Iron Will. He quickly downed two of the fighters before firing his wing-mounted ionic pulse missile launchers, destroying the last four instantly. Once the ship was in the clear, Wingblade did a turn and regrouped with the others. He shot down another fighter before it could destroy an Osprey.
With the Ark, the Autobots were busy trying to shoot the Seekers. However, the Decepticon flyers were very nimble, dodging any attempts to bring them down. "Slag it all! These fraggers just don't stand still!" Complained Crosshairs.
"Quit complaining and just keep shooting!" Brawn yelled as he managed to shoot down a fighter. "At least the fighters are easier to hit than the Seekers."
The Ark shook a bit, causing the Autobots to stumble. Skids and Mudflap both collided with the closes wall. "Dem foolz are gonna be in a world of hurt when I'd get my handz on dem!" Skids complained.
"Yah! Bitchez gonna a good whoop ass!" Mudflap shouted in agreement while currently upside down.
Jolt and Ratchet were checking on Omega's status. "The big guy is still holding strong, Magnus. But we can't fight off those Seekers and protect the humans at the same time." Ratchet reported.
Magnus nodded and contacted the others. "Autobot flyers except Blades. Break off from formation and engage the Decepticon Seekers. We'll provide cover for the human aircrafts.
:Copy that Magnus. We're on it: Silverbolt replied as turned around. Air Raid and Breakaway followed as they fired at the Seekers. Wingblade and the helicopter Autobots also followed. Blazemaster began shooting at Skywarp, who was forced to turn around as the blue and orange Autobot flew after him. Wingblade had engaged himself in a dogfight against Thrust and Dirge, while Skyhammer and Tomahawk were duking it out with the other Seekers. Despite the numbers being stacked against them, the Autobot flyers were holding their own. Highbrow began chasing after Ramjet and Thundercracker, who was doing well despite his older alt mode.
"Time to show these youngsters what real flying is all about!" Highbrow said as he continued the pursuit.
By then, the Ospreys and Omega were flying above a large piece of Cybertron. The same one that the ignition chamber was on. The human jetfighters had rejoined them by then and had spotted the AA gun. "Colonel Lennox, we're seeing AA fire coming near the ignition chamber. The Ospreys might be able to get close enough, but the large ship won't be able to get close to it with that turret in the way."
"Copy that. You get that Magnus?" Lennox asked as he was jostled a little.
:Loud a clear, Colonel. Omega will land us a bit back, so it will take us a little bit to regroup with you. Bumblebee and Hot Rod will support you until then: Magnus replied.
(Ignition Chamber)
"Oh yeah, about to have some fun here fools." Mohawk cheered as he stood on top of a rock. He, Nitro, Blackout, Ransack, Tankor, Brimstone, Kickback, Overcast, Long Haul, Wreckage, Soundwave, Laserbeak, Scowl, Rumble, Bonecrusher, Incinerator, Divebomb, Terradive, Storm Surge, Cyclonus, Fracture, Payload, Stockade, Astrotrain, Barricade, Dirt Boss, Blitzwing, Lugnut, Hailstorm, Space Case, Jetstorm, Mindwipe, Sideways, Bludgeon, the Combaticons and Stunticons had gathered together with other Decepticons and Vehicons. They were all watching as the Ospreys approached, eagerly awaiting for battle. With them were Straxus and Infernocus.
Nitro chuckled. "Not if big bro blows them all up first." He said.
Megatron watched as the three Ospreys were heading towards them, the jetfighters doing their best to provide cover. Snarling, the Decepticon leader looked at Shockwave. "Blast those insects out of the sky!"
Dreadwing bowed. "As you order, my liege." He said emotionlessly. Walking forward, the other Decepticons and Vehicons made room as he cocked his arm cannon. Taking aim, Shockwave launched a barrage of rockets at the Ospreys.
Osprey pilot at the front saw the rockets first. "Incoming!" He cried but it came too late. The rockets managed to hit the first two Ospreys, damaging them badly, while the last one managed to dodge the rockets just barely. The sudden shift caused the aircraft to lost is stability and all of them began to descend down to the ground to fast.
"Hold on, we're going down!" Lennox cried as everyone held onto their belts tightly. Izzy hugged Sqweeks as much as she could.
"Brake, brake, brake! Keep away from the edge!" The pilots shouted to one another as they slid across the chunk of Cybertron. The rotor blades broke apart and some of the wings also flew off too. None of the Ospreys landed gracefully, that was for sure.
The Ospreys eventually stopped, but the soldiers had little time to relax. Already, Decepticon forces were moving in, firing their weapons. Use to this, Lennox was already giving out orders. "Everyone, get out, get out!" He yelled as he helped Figs to his feet.
"Get the big guns out! Cover our boys, c'mon!" Zack shouted as Epps and Burke fired their rocket launchers. Perkins was directed some British Soldiers to ready mortar launchers
The soldiers rushed to get out of the crashed Ospreys, firing at the oncoming Decepticons. Several were already killed before they could even fire, some sent flying from the explosions. Others were able to properly fire back, shooting nothing but explosive rounds, as well as stingers and grenade launchers.
Megatron was calmly walking towards the battlefield. Beside him were Shockwave, Nitro Zeus, Blackout and Infernocus, while Decepticons and Vehicons ran past them, eager to get into the fight. Infernocus also split into his six components and raced off. Megatron raised his fusion cannon and unfolded his battle mask. "Kill them all!" He declared in Cybertronian.
To the side, situated on a small hill was the gun emplacement, shifting between its turrets and AA guns as it fired at both human ground and air forces.
The soldier cursed as he fired his rifle, covering Max as he helped Zoe to cover. "That damn turret is tearing us apart!"
"Colonel! Cover up ahead!" Graham shouted over the sound of gunfire. Pointing with his rifle, the British soldier directed them to a large crater.
The soldier winced as gunfire from a passing by assault carrier nearly hit him. "Alright, everyone to the crater! We're too exposed here!" He ordered.
Any soldier that could made a dash towards the crater, stopping every now and then to avoid getting blasted. The Decepticons were unrelenting as they continued to hold the humans back. Up above, Bumblebee and Hot Rod's fighters had arrived, spotting their allies in trouble
"Looks like they need some help. Let's get down there, boys!" Ironhide shouted.
Hound cheered. "Let's rock, Bee!" He yelled.
"Let's kick ass!" Agreed Hot Rod.
The two Autobot fighters shot down some more Decepticons as they made their way towards the humans. Not too far behind, the other Autobots had already disembarked from Omega, and were trekking towards the frontline. Omega, having transformed, was coming up from the rear. The large Cybertronian was shielding his allies from aerial Decepticon attacks. He fired his back-mounted thermo rocket launchers and chest and wing plasma blasters. The barrage destroyed multiple Vehicon flyers and ground troops, giving the Autobots and humans some breathing space, if temporarily.
Back with the humans, most had managed to reach the crater and took cover as energy bolts flew over them. Soldiers had set up light machine guns and let loose their explosive bullets. Stinger missiles were also fired, downing any Decepticon or drone they could hit. Bumblebee and Hot Rod flew over their human allies, close enough for Ironhide and Hound to jump off and land.
"Getting down with the big boys!" Hound exclaimed as he let loose his triple minigun. Ironhide brought out his shell cannons and fired. The additional firepower of both the weapon specialist and commando had made the Decepticons pause, with several of their numbers being killed before the rest took cover.
"Ironhide, we got a Con on the high ground!" Lennox shouted as he spotted Hailstorm readying his shoulder-mounted missile launchers.
"I see him!" The weapon specialist shouted. Taking out his Heavy Iron 0.1 Ironhide fired at Hailstorm. The oncoming attack from the assault rifle knocked the Decepticon off balance just as he fired his artillery. The rockets either landed away from the humans or accidentally hit an assault carrier.
Two soldiers were blown away when the turrets from the large gun emplacement fired at them. Hooch cursed. "That gun emplacement is the real problem! We can't move forward with it there." He exclaimed as he held his head down.
Max and Zoe were also with him. Izzy was being shielded by Viviane when she heard Hooch. Looking back to the crashed Osprey, Izabella saw Sqweeks hiding under the wreckage. An idea as the young teen quickly got up and ran off. "Izzy! Get back here, now!" Cade ordered over the gunfire.
"I'll be right back!" She shouted as she ran behind Hound's leg.
Izzy safely made it over to Sqweeks. "Sqweeks, Sqweeks! Listen to me. See that big ass gun?" Izabella asked, pointing at the large turret. When the small blue bot nodded, Izzy continued. "I need you to get over there and blow it up!"
Sqweeks looked at her as if she was crazy. He let loose a torrent of clicks and chirps, but Izzy wouldn't hear it. "It will work! Okay, you're small and ugly! No one will see you!" She screamed as an explosion appeared near them. However, Izzy remained steadfast. "Now blow it up!" Izzy yelled.
Sqweeks was silent for a moment. His shifted his optics between the turret and Izabella. Then he let out a confident, "Chihuahua!" And rolled off.
By then the rest of the Autobots had arrived. Their aerial fighters were still engaged with the Seekers as well as the Assault Carriers. They also had to contend with Terradive, Space Case, Cyclonus, Nitro Zeus, Ransack, Incinerator, Blitzwing, Lugnut and Divebomb.
"Omega Supreme provide support for our flyers. Ease their load." Magnus ordered the large Cybertronian.
"Understood" Replied Omega as he fired his right arm-mounted dual heavy laser cannons. Several assault fighters were destroyed. The giant Autobot then fired his left-arm mounted thermo rocket launchers, blowing up several Decepticons and Vehicons on the ground. Among the causalities were Bitstream and Hotlink, the teal and the purple colored Seekers being too slow to avoid the beams.
"All Seekers! Focus your firepower on Omega Supreme. Down that annoying relic!" Starscream ordered as he fired his concussion rockets at the giant. Omega raised his left arm to block the attack, before firing back at the attacking Seekers.
Back with the other Decepticons, Megatron was firing his fusion cannons at the humans and Autobots. Seeing how the enemy were able to gain ground, the Decepticon leader snarled. "Combaticons, Stunticons, Infernocons! Transform! Kill them!" He ordered.
Seeing their comrades in trouble, Hot Rod and Bumblebee did a dive to assist them. "The gray hound!" Hot Rod said, pointing at Infernocus. The two Autobots fired their fighters' weapons at the demonic Cybertronian, hitting him in the back several times as they flew past him. Annoyed, Infernocus fired at them with his nucleon shock cannons. The assault fighters were shot down and the two Autobots were forced to abandoned them before they crashed. Unfortunately, Bumblebee and Hot Rod landed not too far from Infernocus who was soon upon them.
"Hot Rod! Bumblebee! Get out of there!" Evac yelled as he flew to their aide. He fired several rockets while spinning up his minigun. Infernocus was stunned as the projectiles hit him. That gave the two Autobots time to get to safety. Unfortunately, Infernocus managed to recover quick enough and fired his Particle Cannons at Whirl. One blast hit Whirl at the wing and another struck the flyer head on. Whirl was forced into robot mode as he violently hit the ground.
"Whirl!" Hot Rod cried as he ran over to his comrade. "Docteur Ratchet! Get over here!"
"It's, it's no good…" Garbled Evac. Weakly, his clawed hand went to his chest. There, his spark could be seen, and he was leaking energon profusely. "He, he got a lucky shot…" Evac whispered as his body went still. His large optic lost its light and went dimmed. Hot Rod cursed as he was forced to leave Whirl's body when the Decepticons pressed their attack.
"Slag it all!" Hound cursed as he gunned down another drone. "We're an Autobot down! Repeat, Autobot down!"
"Everyone, get to cover!" Cliffjumper yelled as he fired his SMG, killing a Vehicon. Using his riot shield, he protected some human soldiers as they joined the others in the crater.
"Flyers! Avoid those combiners and that AA-gun! Continue supporting us from the air!" Magnus ordered as he fired his blaster rifle. He launched some rockets that stunned Menasor, saving Arcee from getting hit.
All the while no one saw Sqweeks moving across the battlefield. His large optics locked onto the large turret. With a chirp he continued rolling towards his target.