Given the stressful day they had, there was no surprise both Megatron and Arcee were completely out by the time they hit their respective berths in their newly acquired chambers. Bolt was up by the region's morning clock of 4 AM with barely a few hours of recharge having been used to being deprived of good rest for a year. He checked in on each chamber they were in separately across the Endeavor.
When he got done with that, he scoped out the Mystic Marshlands for any unwanted creatures and simultaneously rewound the surveillance to see if anything abnormal passed by. He knew the ship hardly had its shielding anymore but at least it had sensors that spanned up to a thousand feet away. Given his chambers lied just next to the main controls, he could activate any defense necessary in a matter of seconds if under attack by whatever seemed to wish to tear apart the ship.
He had told Arcee and Megatron about the Allspark's army of lieutenants that seemed to be guarding the gems, but he didn't mention his theory that the monster after him and the ship may just be one of them or perhaps something more dangerous. He wasn't sure but he feared the Endeavor wouldn't hold up if whatever it was attacked a few more times. If it was recruited by the Allspark or let loose on the island in general, Bolt had to wonder just why the Allspark, known for mostly its bouts of compassion, would now be willing to kill everybody that it comes across instead of just talking to them...or communicating through code, whatever it used.
Bolt placed his legs on the control panel edge and leaned back in his chair, taking some Energon he had brought up with him and drinking it through the slot in his faceplate. As he switched to live feed of the willow with the orange of daylight breaking through nearby on the horizon, something occurred to him that he really never thought of before.
How much Energon did he have left to sustain himself? Granted, a Cybertronian could last a few weeks without it but it wasn't good for their system. His cargo hold had, estimated, enough to last maybe a year, also accounting for fuel for weaponry and the ship's remaining defenses. But with two more Cybertronians on board and there was no telling what injuries may occur, that year supply could be cut down to two months. If they didn't get the gems within that timeframe and get the Allspark, and he had a bad feeling it was indeed going to happen, they would perish from starvation if not outright killed by running low at the wrong time stranded in the wild.
Suddenly, the silent alarm he had set up after awaking to not disturb his guests triggered. Since nothing seemed to be assaulting the ship, Bolt went into action and found the source of the alert via camera. On the left upper side of the exterior camera that was flashing a red symbol on it, he saw a huge black and red striped figure. Unable to make out what it was, he tried a different camera angle but it only showed the tip of the tail. Then he recognized it...sort of.
The dark creature that was hunting him was here in the marshlands again. Switching back to the other camera, he saw it move around the upper area of his sight, staying out of view just enough to where he couldn't pin what species it was. He knew the coloring but never caught sight of it enough to make a distinct judgement of just what he was dealing with.
Normally, he dealt with it with sound or a pulsar gun. This time, he wanted to finally know if wasting Energon on the ion cannon was worth it. Activating the last ion cannons the ship had, he opened fire on it. A few shots got it straight in the side but the blasts didn't seem to do anything physically. The creature roared and he could hear it through the ship's dense walls before it ducked out of sight. Checking the other cameras to confirm it had left, Bolt sighed and rubbed his faceplate.
He heard Megatron's chamber door open and the mech came out rubbing his optics with a yawn unfazed, "I take it...that's the creature?"
"It left...thankfully. This was the first time I used the cannons on it though and nothing. It just walked away like it only got pinched a little," Bolt moaned. "Today's encounter was a good day though. You should have seen it a week earlier. It tried to rip apart my hull. It knows I'm in here, smart enough to deduce there's living Cybertronians inside. Guess it wasn't as motivated as before or it's biding its time to wait until I'm dead from low levels. I don't know."
"Smart creature," Megatron mused.
"Tell me about it."
The warlord took a seat beside Bolt and examined the exterior cameras. No sign of whatever it was.
"So, Lord Megatron-"
"Just Megatron is fine now," the larger mech urged. "The Decepticons are no longer a faction therefore there's nothing to rule. I give you permission to use my name."
"Megatron...I need to talk to you about Arcee privately. With her still asleep, that shouldn't be a problem."
"What do you need to know?"
Bolt sat upright and tinkered with a few controls, one of which redirected a camera towards the distant tower of the Allspark's current residency. "I've been thinking about this mission we've decided to go on, retrieving those gems and taking the island from the Allspark's control. The more I think on it, the riskier everything seems to be than previously acknowledged."
Megatron leaned back in his chair as Bolt offered him a cube of Energon which he gladly took. "How so?"
"Spikes of raw Allspark energy have been detected the past few days all over the island. I didn't say anything last night except for mention of those pit-spawn monsters roaming about. I think the Allspark knew you were coming to stop it, so it's putting every type of defense up against you."
That made the Decepticon leader scowl, "Technically, we didn't ask to be here but I have heard the Allspark can see into the future so I guess we had no choice. The fact that it may have known about the betrayal of Arcee doesn't sit right with me."
"Which is why I want to talk about Arcee in this. She wants to reclaim her throne, and I don't blame her, but I fear we might not be getting out of here alive. The Allspark had its defenses before mainly at the tower but this...I think Arcee is better off not going back or trying to. It sounds bad, I know, but this is suicide. Hypocritical of me to say, of course. In the circumstances, I will protect her and you to the best of my ability even if that means not letting both of you go out there."
Megatron frowned but he wasn't angry, only disappointed. "As much as I admire your survival skills, sitting here and doing nothing won't be any easier. Arcee would agree with me on that. If we stay here safe and sound, we will die eventually stuck and alone. If we try our best to make it home or off this island, at least we have a chance at actually living and making a difference like exposing the bot who sent us here."
Bolt stared at him. "And yet you're a prisoner of the Autobots still."
"I am paying for what I've done to our world. There's a difference. Besides, if we were to look at this from a rescue standpoint, bringing back the Queen of Cybertron might just grant me my freedom and you'll have high honors too."
There seemed to be some hesitance with Bolt but the warlord could tell his former subordinate was slowly understanding his point of view. There wasn't much to gain standing in one place in a lifetime than there was going out into the unknown and risking a chance to really live again.
"I don't care much for the reward aspect, but you're right. And that predatory creature will eventually get us too so no point in sticking around an inevitable death. You convinced me; we will do this or die trying. The ultimate adventure indeed...damn it," Bolt laughed.
Arcee awoke with a stretch and a yawn as her systems booted up. The window of the ship which lied parallel to an unused desk showed it was day and she could see a blue jay perched on the lip of the exterior chirping away.
Boom!
The ship shook and she was upright in seconds.
"My bad, I was trying to recalculate the turrets!" Bolt's muffled voice resonated within the ship.
Scowling with a small smile, she exited her room and saw Megatron and Bolt in the far main deck. Bolt was typing something fast and the screen above was going stir-crazy, glitching slightly until the Vehicon hit it with his fist and it stopped.
"What are you two doing?" She asked.
Megatron huffed and pointed, "The mad inventor nearly blew us up."
"I did not! I hit the wrong sequence of buttons and the turret freaked out but everything is okay now," Bolt hissed back.
"Well, if you boys are finished having fun with the turrets, I'm going to go outside. Anyone care to join me?"
Bolt turned around quick and immediately spoke, "Arcee, wait, there's something I need to discuss with you."
She gave a frown and crossed her arms.
"I want to know, your words only, are you sure you want to go through with finding those gems and taking on the Allspark? If we start this, there's no going back. The Allspark will hit down hard which means this moment of rest we had, for you especially, might just have been your last."
"I understand."
"So, you want to do this? Because just so you know, the entire island is going berserk. The Allspark knows what we want so it's going to send everything it has at us. That's why I'm trying to get these turrets back on line. You and Megatron are going to be the ground forces. Each gem you find will only anger it more."
Arcee smirked and looked at Megatron, "Ready to rock this island to the core?"
Slowly, Megatron gained a matching smile, "Not patient to set up a plan, are you?"
"Says the gladiator that used to make up fighting techniques on the fly. The first gem is in that giant willow, right? How about we take it right here, right now?"
Bolt went to protest, "Whoa, whoa, hang on a minute! Let me get the comms up and running before you go shooting up the place and getting yourselves into unwanted trouble! Give me a thirty seconds head start. Jeez."
Arcee mockingly bowed and gestured to the exterior door, "After you, my Lord."
"Charming, dear Queen."
Before they could even activate the door to the outside, the ship suddenly shook hard nearly knocking all of them to the ground. Megatron and Arcee peered at Bolt who instantly put his servos up, "I didn't touch anything this time."
The screens flashed a warning as another rumble hit. The lights flickered as Bolt went to work through the cameras.
Megatron then said, "That creature didn't return, did it?"
Bolt found the problem and gulped, "Good news, not the creature. Bad news, it's Titanium!"
"I'm afraid to ask who that is," Arcee sneered.
"Titanium is a large monogoliath, one of the largest on the island. She's the matriarch of a herd. However, as of recent, she began killing her own. I don't know why but it seems the Allspark's influence may have redirected her bloodlust towards us."
"Meaning?"
He turned to them. "Meaning, if we don't stop her soon, she'll tear apart this ship and most likely eat us. Monogoliaths are the equivalent of omnivores as the humans would call their diet unlike the elephants native on Earth who are herbivores. You wanted action, now you have it. Defend the ship from her until I can get those turrets online. Do whatever it takes!"
As Bolt ran towards the control console for the turrets and went to work, Arcee and Megatron used the elevator to instead go up to the roof to determine where Titanium was. When they reached the outside, another jolt sent Megatron stumbling and Arcee forced to crawl briefly to keep balance. Looking over the edge, they saw her.
Indeed, one of the largest monogoliaths they had seen so far, Titanium stood a massive sixty feet and seemed to have two sets of full-grown tusks and a small third set growing in, giving them an idea of just how old she was as well. She roared at them, stomping her feet and lifting her trunk to arch in annoyance.
"I'll take her head on," Megatron said. "Take to the trees and use your agility to out-maneuver her. Find a weak point on her flank."
Arcee couldn't argue with a decent plan and obeyed.
As the monogoliath hit the ship again, Megatron jumped down and redirected her attention to him. "Come on!"
Titanium's normally orange optics seemed to glow fiery red and she swiped at him with her trunk. Megatron winced when part of the tusk clipped his thigh but he was otherwise still intact. She made another swipe, this time her trunk hitting him spot on and sending him into a row of trees that broke instantly. As they toppled, she gave a roar.
Megatron grabbed his aching helm and struggled to get up. It wasn't the hardest hit he ever took but it certainly wasn't the easiest. Once he was back up, he shot at the beast with the black cannon strapped to his arm. Two of the shots missed but the noise alone made her charge. He barely dodged when she swiped again, ripping another tree right out of the ground, roots and all.
"Arcee, tell me you see a way to hurt her!" He called over the comm.
The blue femme leaped from tree to tree observing the monogoliath's fighting style. "Not so far. Her back is armored up and her neck seems thick. Maybe a shot to the lower middle might be a weak point."
"Technically no," Bolt's voice said. "Let me chime in and say that monogoliaths are almost armored completely. They are tanks on Kanjis, designed to take scrap from no creature alive. However, there's a uniqueness to this species most don't have. Each monogoliath has a different weak spot."
As Megatron caught Titanium's horns from crushing him, he used all his strength to keep her from pushing forward before bellowing and using the remainder to make her topple.
Arcee watched as she asked, "So, Bolt, you're saying her weakness could be anywhere? Also, have you been listening in this entire time?"
"Of course, how else do I make sure you guys aren't getting killed off the bat? I don't want to be stuck alone with her, Primus no! Anyways, yes to the first. But I can tell you where it is if I get a good look at her. The armor pattern on them is always different as well. The structure of the armor tells a lot. Tell me, do you see any thin armor or something that looks a bit off from the rest of her?"
"Everything looks the same except..."
"Except...?"
"Her underbelly. Megatron just toppled her and exposed her underbelly. Near the middle of her abdomen, the metal looks lighter."
"That most likely is it. Megatron, shoot her underbelly. It won't be enough to kill her but it will cause her pain and keep her at bay."
Megatron grunted as the monogoliath got up. "Copy that."
He activated his cannon again and Titanium growled as a few blasts made her stagger back, but she kept her position and shook her head with malice before charging. Megatron ceased fire and ran at her but just as they were about to make contact, he initiated a slide and managed to barely miss being rammed by her tusks. With her underbelly exposed for the brief second he was beneath her, he fired again.
She whined in agony and reared. The ground shook when she hit down hard but Megatron merely laughed. "How the mighty do fall. I was expecting more of a challenge!"
"Don't get cocky. Monogoliaths may have weak spots but they don't get their names for being one-hit wonders..."
Sure enough, Titanium was on her feet in seconds. She towered over Megatron imposingly though the warlord showed no fear. One crushing step towards him and he matched her by backing away. When she got too close, Megatron punched her though she gave him a side glance in response.
"Nice job," Arcee smirked.
"I'm doing the best I can here given the situation," Megatron growled. "Maybe if you helped out more..."
"I don't want to get blasted!"
"By what?"
"By this!" Bolt cackled.
The ship rumbled on its own this time as several large turrets emerged from the ship's side. All of them locked onto Titanium's position as Megatron quickly ducked out of the way wide-eyed.
Titanium trumpeted and growled at the ship, steam blowing through the vents alongside her neck and waist. As the turrets charged up, Titanium reared a second time, showing off her bulky figure to scare off her opponent...except she failed to realize the ship now had a perfect shot at her weak armor.
"Goodnight, Dumbo."
Bolt pulled the trigger and Megatron got below one of the turrets only to see them light the monogoliath up like Hydrax during the lunar festivals. Pieces of bluish-green armor were sent flying as a massive green ball of flame engulfed his view of her. Titanium made a single noise that neither Megatron or Arcee could describe but it sounded painful, pitiful even.
After a minute, the turrets finally ceased and Megatron stared in shock at what he saw. Still standing on her hind legs, Titanium was motionless and her armor everywhere aside from her underbelly was still intact. However, said underbelly now had a giant hole it and every organ was fried to a crisp. Slowly, the dead body of the monogoliath tilted forward until it hit the ground, her optics flickering dead as the rest of her.
Arcee climbed down to Megatron, staring just as hard as he was while Bolt busted out of the entrance door in a proud manner. "Talk about your pachyderm parboil. Did you doubt me? Or did you doubt me?"
"Wow, you were kidding about the turrets!" Arcee exclaimed.
Bolt said, "Yep, packs a punch. However, just so you know, that just cost us one-eighth of our reserves so please don't ask me to use it again. Now, let's load her up before any nightpaws come out to feed off her corpse. Her metal is valuable as are her tusks. Can be made into weapons and shields, something that may or may not extend our survival here a bit longer."
Arcee and Megatron looked at each other, then looked at the smoking carcass of Titanium before shrugging.
"Cybertron at my command. Everything is in order and no sign of Arcee or any suspicious friends of hers to ruin it."
"With all due respect, your-"
"Queen!"
Haywire gulped, "...W-with all due respect, my Queen, if Optimus Prime gets word you acquired the throne, there's no telling what he will do. Arcee was his most trusted first commander. You just signed a death warrant and the people will be furious as well, thinking you were the one who drove the Allspark out."
"The citizens, Autobot and Decepticon, will never know because I will turn them against her."
That confused Haywire and he raised a servo in question. "How can you turn them against her if you already-?"
"Simple, right now, they think Arcee is still in charge so I will play along and add some unfavorable rules to the mix. The more tyrannical my guise seems, the more the people will despise 'me,' then I'll take over and fix everything under my own decrees. Cybertron will be so thankful, everyone will forget about that wretched bitch and I will be a hero to them! For the time being, I stay out of the limelight. No one visits me, no one sees me onscreen. Understand?"
Haywire frowned but he knew there was nothing he could do. Reluctantly, he sighed, "Yes, my Queen."
When he was dismissed, he scowled after he turned his back on the new ruler of Cybertron. This was not what he signed up for. He had to do something. He needed to get ahold of Arcee and find a way out of this mess.
Others under Arcee's former command weren't happy either, he knew. The guards were there only to serve but he could tell they weren't liking their boss's reign. The councilmembers were distraught on what to do, especially since they were under strict orders that if they didn't comply, they would be killed.
It was like a nightmare unfolding. There was still time. Maybe a possibility to get Optimus' attention but at the same time, it was risky as his leader could get wind if any of the guards were loyal and set a trap for Optimus. It was now only patience and cunning that gave him hope. And hopefully, Arcee came back with the one thing powerful enough to undo this, the Allspark.
Bolt spent the remainder of the day grinding down the armor of the monogoliath and the tusks into weapons combined with the older blasters and melee weapons he had onboard his vessel. When he was done with a few of the less-complicated mods, he presented them to his teammates.
"For the time being, this should get you farther through the marshlands as well as the island itself. These mods ensure a larger supply of firepower and a boost. I cannot say it will defend against all enemies you may find out there but it's a start."
Arcee attached two of the mods to both her blasters, one stayed relatively the same while she replaced her second with a heavier mod blaster.
Bolt chuckled, "I see you like the gatling gun mod. More blasts, faster reload. However, it does have a slightly lesser degree in damage than your other which has the firepower mod."
"I like it, suits my personality. You don't mind if I take this blade too, do you?"
As she held up a katana made from the tusks, Bolt said, "By all means."
Megatron equipped a rapid-fire mod on his arm cannon and grabbed two falchion swords, attaching them to his back. "Most impressive."
"If you think that's impressive, wait until I build the real good stuff. Tell you what, bring me back parts of creatures you find and I might be able to build something even grander than what you have now. Also, Energon, if possible. I'll work on the rest of this while you're away. Remember, as soon as you find that gem piece, return to the ship. I can mask its signature so the Allspark will stop sending creatures after us in this area."
Arcee then frowned, "You think it'll send more?"
"Are you kidding me?" Bolt replied deadpanned, "I told you already, it'll do everything in its power to stop us. There's no telling what is going to come after you. Kill anything that crosses your path or it just might kill you. A mere monogoliath is the least of your worries. In fact, I bet you anything that nightpaw you saw when you first arrived might have been hunting you already by influence of the Allspark or worse, its own bloodthirsty ambition."
"Then I guess we're going to have to get rid of it," Megatron smirked.
"That's the spirit! Now, go out there and teach this island you both are survivors. Watch your six and bring us home!"
AN: The action starts now! Bolt is right though. A monogoliath is definitely the least of their worries...
