Chapter 05
The area in front of the Ark was a mess. Pieces of metal, pipe, wire, rock, dirt and various other debris were scattered all around the area. Autobots were everywhere working quickly and diligently in order to get the power plant dismantled before the next attack. It would still be some time before sunrise and the light that they were using-powered by the last remaining generator within the plant itself-would run out shortly. Soon they would be working by infrared.
Jazz helped Bumblebee and Sideswipe lift a very large segment of piping and hauled it out of the way for sorting. After a few dozen yards they tossed it to the ground near several other similar pipes.
"I don't like it," Bumblebee said after dropping the pipe. "Prime said to destroy the plant. It would be much faster to have Omega Supreme or Defensor just blast it to pieces." He looked at Jazz. "And I'm surprised that you let yourself talked into this crazy scheme Ironhide came up with! It's not a good idea and I still don't like it."
Jazz looked uncharacteristically sheepish. "The idea's not that bad. Think about it. When Prime gets back with a way to fight this thing we're going to need energon to fight with." He swung his arm wide and gestured to the power plant, now three-quarters disassembled. "This way if we just make it look like we destroyed it and keep the reactors and generators and stuff hidden from prying Decepticon eyes, we'll be able to put if all back together again. This way we don't have to wait for a new one to be built. The time it would take to do that might cost lives."
Bumblebee looked up at Sideswipe to get his opinion on the matter. "I don't know. Just because it seems like a good idea doesn't mean it'll work out like we want it to. Few things around here ever do." Exasperated, the little yellow Autobot transformed into his mini-car form and drove back to the deconstruction site. Jazz watched him drive into the distance and was soon lost in the shadows between floodlights. Omega Supreme was stripping the skeletal framework of the plant down even further, the big Autobot was pulling apart steel girders and converting it to scrap with ease.
Jazz turned back to Sideswipe. "Do you think I need an overhaul for going through with this?"
"Don't look at me, Jazz," Sideswipe said, transforming into his automobile mode. "I'm just a fighter. You're more the leader type, you're supposed to be the one telling me what to do." He sped away, kicking up dust and small rocks in his wake.
Jazz sighed, converted to his own car mode and drove toward the Ark. As he neared the entrance he transformed again and waited for Ironhide to finish directing Hoist who was lowering a piece of the reactor core into Gears, a small blue and red dump truck. The reactor part fit neatly into Gears' truck bed and he drove off to stash it where-they hoped-the Decepticons wouldn't be able to find it. "Get this to Beachcomber at the cave, then come back for the next shipment," Ironhide said. "No problem, Ironhide, I'll be back before you miss me." When Gears had gone and Hoist had pulled away, Jazz walked up to Ironhide.
"That'll be a long time," Ironhide muttered and walked over to Jazz. "How's everything goin' on your end of things." Ironhide started to walk back into the Ark, apparently expecting Jazz to follow, which he did.
"Things are almost done, but I'm still having doubts about this whole thing."
"Relax, don't get your tailpipe in a knot. We'll be buttoned up before the Decepticons even get ready to come back. Trust me." He grinned at Jazz and patted him on the shoulder.
They walked to the bridge where Blaster was downloading Teletraan One's files. If the Decepticons did managed to break through their defenses they didn't want them to get confiscate the information inside Teletraan One. It had been decided to simply backup Teletraan One's data and shut him down.
In another corner of the room, Ratchet and Wheeljack were just completing the final maintenance checks on the last few that were injured in the last battle, much to Brawn's dismay since he was still upset over being forced into maintenance.
Blaster stepped away from Teletraan One to allow Rewind-one of his cassette warriors designed to battle Soundwave's similar minions-pop out of the computer's input module and back into his chest repository before looking to Ironhide and Jazz.
"We're all done here," Blaster said. "That's the last of the files that needed archiving. Now all we have to do is get the power core back into the mountain, take down the rest of the power station's framework, and sit tight until Optimus comes back with the goods."
Jazz felt a little more comfortable now that they were almost done. Even though the hardest part was still ahead-staying hidden from the Decepticons. Once they showed up at the Ark and found that nobody was home they would start searching, and the Decepticons could be very thorough when the wanted to be. He hoped again that their plan to keep everything under wraps would work, the plan hinged on them being able to stay clear of prying enemy eyes and scanners.
His neural banks filled with worry he decided to go to the cave where the power plant components were being stored. He wondered if Optimus Prime worried this much about everything. Probably, he conceded. Jazz didn't envy Prime's job at all, especially after this ordeal. "Guys," Jazz said to Blaster and Ironhide. "I'm going to go check on Smokescreen and see how soon he'll be ready. Just be sure you keep monitoring Teletraan One's perimeter systems. We want to know the second the Decepticons start the music."
After getting a nod from his fellow Autobots he transformed and drove to the landing bay where Smokescreen and Huffer were preparing a device. Converting to robot form he knelt beside them. "Almost finished?"
"Yup, just now we did," Smokescreen said while he closed up a panel on the cylindrical device and sealing it.
Huffer stood up and said, "With this we should be able to hide the reactor's energy signature from Megatron until Prime gets back with . . . well, whatever he comes back with."
Jazz just hoped that Prime came back at all. Cybertron was a death trap waiting to close on any Autobots unfortunate enough to wander into the wrong place. Besides, he thought, he didn't want to lead forever. "Let's get this thing rollin' to the hidey-hole, then. Once you get there, fire it up and stay put. We won't be too much longer."
Huffer transformed and attached a small trailer to his orange hitch and drove off with the device in tow. Smokescreen transformed his sleek gray and blue auto mode and followed after Huffer.
Jazz leaned back against the wall to try to clear his head. There was way too much riding on this; they should have just destroyed the power plant like they were ordered. They could have come up with some other solution afterward it was certain the Decepticons definitely couldn't get the energy. While he wasn't able to come up with a better solution-and he had thought long and hard on that-he just knew there had to be a smarter course of action besides directly disobeying Optimus Prime.
Jazz fed a logic program through his central processing unit, hoping to clear out some of the heavy thoughts when he felt the tremor. Dust and bits of mechanical debris rained down on him in a light shower. At first he thought the volcano into which the Ark had crashed was erupting again. He switched on his seismic monitoring device but found that the source of the disturbance was not in the mountain. It was coming from outside.
He transformed and slammed his accelerator to the floor. As he drove through the bridge area he noted that it was empty. He drove to the Ark's entrance and found the remaining Autobots had gathered at the end of the entry ramp, staring out into the dissipating night. All of the spotlights had been pivoted to point at the mouth of the ridge, where everyone was now focused. Jazz transformed to stand next to the others and followed their gaze, but that was unnecessary, he knew what to expect. Coming up the front of the ridge was their worst nightmare, the rising sun providing a high-contrast view of the situation.
Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, and Swarm-in his largest form-were approaching with the rest of the Decepticon army following close behind. Several hundred meters away from the Ark they all stopped to stand menacingly in front of them. Jazz took in the scene and saw Megatron standing on a cliff high off to the right. It seemed to him that the Decepticon leader looked right at him when he spoke a single command.
"Attack!"
Chaos erupted.
* * *
Megatron was pleased with himself. His military insight had proven flawless once again. He had acted on an instinct to have Soundwave send Lazerbeak and Ratbat to check up on the Autobots. And it had paid off. He discovered that the Autobots had planned to dismantle the power station and hide the key energy producing components from him. It was a foolish plan at best. Nothing could be hidden from the might of his army. He simply decided to push up the attack by a couple of hours and the gambit had paid off. As always the Decepticons were at least two steps ahead of the Autobots.
From his vantage point, high on a cliff overlooking the Autobots base of operations he watched the battle unfold. Soundwave stood next to him, acting as a second set of optics so that nothing in the battle would escape his notice. With his most powerful warriors leading the assault Megatron was sure the Autobots would be defeated this time, and the power station would be secured in Decepticon hands in mere hours. Already the pathetic Autobots were fleeing before the might of his gestalt warriors, running about in a panic instead of planning. Had they no contingency plan? For being unprepared they deserved their fate, he thought sardonically. A Decepticon installation would never have been caught this unaware. The slaughter would prove gruesome and fulfilling.
Bruticus was already at the remainder of the power station and fending off Omega Supreme, trying to put him out of the way while Menasor stole the reactors and core. The other Decepticons were only a diversionary measure, to keep the Autobots from regrouping. So far, everything was going perfectly.
The Protectobots appeared and formed Defensor, coming to the aid of several Autobots that were being herded away from the power station by Devastator. Defensor grabbed Devastator around the legs, tackling him. Megatron was hardly concerned, he knew the punishment his troops could take, and even so the fight was still serving its purpose. It kept anyone from getting too close to the power station.
The sound of jet engines drew Megatron's attention to the sky above the ridge where he saw a group of his jet fighters flying in attack formation and raining laser blasts onto the battlefield. Then he saw his troops were being pursued by the Aerialbots.
The Aerialbots launched a synchronized barrage of laser and missile fire at the Decepticon fighters. To avoid the attack the Decepticons dove to the ground, transformed, and returned fire. The Aerialbots transformed and combined into the powerful warrior Superion, who landed next to their enemies. Superion began to blast large craters into the ground in the area, apparently in hopes of taking out a few Decepticons. The foolish Autobot air guardian did not realize that the Decepticons were already clear and Swarm was approaching from behind.
Swarm, in his largest form, leapt up as though trying to tackle Superion outright, but at the last moment disengaged into his smallest mode and grabbed hold of the Autobot's arms and legs and pulled him apart. Swarm then instantly recombined and caught the Aerialbots in his cupped hands. Before the Autobot aircraft had the chance to revert from their respective Superion parts, Swarm threw them across the battlefield into Omega Supreme who was already taking a heavy beating from both Bruticus and Menasor. The Aerialbots knocked Omega Supreme to the ground and sent him sprawling.
Bruticus wasted no time and drove his fist with all his strength into Omega Supreme's mid-section. When he pulled his fist back up it was covered with pieces of scrap metal, wiring, circuitry, and rock. His fist had gone completely through Omega Supreme and into the ground below. Bruticus stood up and kicked the giant fallen Autobot, adding extra damage. Menasor had already managed to secure part of the power core when Bruticus moved to grab the remaining reactors.
Devastator still grappled with Defensor, but Swarm dealt with that as well. Using a technique similar to the one he had used on Superion, the Nanocon transformed into its secondary form and had each unit pull at a limb while the sixth went for the head. Defensor reeled from the unexpected attack and stumbled backwards. Devastator saw his chance and fired his weapon into Defensor's chest. The impact of the explosion roughly put the Protectobot gestalt to the ground. As Defensor crashed to the rock floor of the ridge Swarm flew into the air and disassembled further, falling on the downed Autobot like his namesake.
Megatron watched with pleasure as Devastator, now free to seek new targets, reached and picked up a fleeing yellow Autobot in vehicle, Grapple. Up until now, the smaller Autobots had escaped much notice as the battle had focused on the larger warriors on both sides. Grapple, transformed into his robot form and valiantly fired again and again at Devastator's head in a desperate attempt to free himself, but it did him little good. Devastator put the Autobot between his huge, purple hands and squeezed. The combined power of the Constructicons focused into the hands of Devastator and crushed with its force. The Autobot's cries for help went unanswered as his destruction was at hand. Satisfied with his work Devastator tossed lifeless Autobot carcass aside. The Decepticons had drawn first blood.
The struggle between Swarm and Defensor quickly neared its end. The Autobot tried in vain to pull the Nanocon's tertiary parts off of his body, but he was separated before long; his smaller Autobot components scattered about in different directions. The five Protectobots hit the ground and transformed weakly into their robot forms. Each of them must have seen a secondary Swarm unit coming for them respectively since they tried to escape. They didn't succeed, of course. Each of the six Swarm units dismembered the Protectobots further by ripping off their arms and legs. Satisfied that they were no longer a threat Swarm left the broken Autobots where they lay and immediately found a new target.
Two Autobot sports cars of similar make, one yellow and one red, approached Swarm in an apparent attempt to help the Protectobots before it was too late. It was already too late, but overwhelming and impossible odds never seemed to stop the sappy, heroic Autobots. The two cars transformed into robot form, and began to fire at Swarm. Three Swarm units were felled, but the remaining three dodged to get close enough to the red Autobot- Sideswipe. The three units dove onto the "hero" and began to pound him relentlessly. Sideswipe called to his partner.
"Sunstreaker, get out of here! I'll hold them off! We can't take them out!" Megatron lost site of Sideswipe as Swarm destroyed him, transforming quickly between secondary and tertiary modes in a writhing mass of destruction. When Swarm pulled back there was not much left of the Autobot except for a few glistening red shards. The yellow Autobot heeded his comrade's advice and transformed into his vehicular and sped away. He was not fast enough, however. The three Swarm units that had been knocked down by the Autobot attack were already back up and flying through the air. The group landed in front of Sunstreaker's path, blocking his escape as eighteen smaller units.
Sunstreaker, however, did not slow down. "Man, this is really gonna hurt, not to mention what it'll do to my finish," he said. He increased his acceleration and plowed through the small Decepticon wall. Swarm let him go as the attack that had begun to come from above was of a more pressing urgency.
Overhead, the Autobot called Powerglide was sailing over the battle toward the ridge with Jazz hanging on tightly to the landing gear while laying down a covering fire on Swarm. The small red plane dodged several assaults by Blitzwing-and counterattacks by Swarm-to drop Jazz off on the cliff right next to Megatron, a gutsy move for an Autobot. Swarm quickly combined into his primary mode once again and sprung up in front of the retreating Powerglide who was caught by a massive backhand and swatted into the mountainside, colliding with such force that he was embedded in the rock. Swarm quickly transformed to secondary mode and made his way back toward the power plant, thrashing any Autobot that got in its way.
Pleased the battle was going well for him Megatron momentarily spared his attention for the new arrival. Jazz stood with a horrified and tired expression on his face, no doubt feeling helpless at the carnage befalling his pitiful army. "Such is the ways of war, Autobot. If you are not prepared to pay the prices then you have no business participating."
Jazz forced his gaze to Megatron. "Stop this, Megatron. Just stop! You have what you came for. Can't you just leave us now?"
Megatron leaned closely to Jazz's face, looking into his optics, the Decepticon's eyes blazed. "We don't have all of what we came for, now do we?" He could see the confusion cross the other's face so he decided to be more specific. "You can stop this slaughter at any time, Autobot. Just let me know where the other power station components are located and we will cease this assault...for now," he added, just to emphasize the point that not only could the Decepticons never be defeated but also to show him just how powerless they were.
Jazz faced the ground with slumped shoulders-deciding-then he looked back up indignantly. Anger and despair played across his features and for an amusing moment Megatron thought that the Autobot was going to try to attack the Decepticon Leader. Then Jazz yielded. "You win, Megatron. The other parts of the reactor core are in a fortified cave not far from here. I'll take you there myself if you want."
"That will not be necessary. We are more than capable of finding it on our own." His smile turned sinister. "Now, I have no further use for you." He raised his right arm and pointed his mounted fusion cannon at Jazz's head. "Prepare for oblivion."
From behind Megatron a voice shouted, "Stick it in neutral, Megatron. Or your buddy here gets it!"
He spun to the source of the voice and found Ironhide standing over Soundwave. Soundwave was on his back and the Autobot had a red-plated foot placed on Soundwave's chest so none of his cassettes could be deployed for aid. Ironhide's blaster was aimed directly at Soundwave's head. The blue Decepticon struggled to stand up, but every time he managed to budge an inch Ironhide pressed down with his foot, pinning him. Megatron cursed silently for leaving himself open enough to allow an Autobot to sneak up on his position undetected. "So, you think to manipulate me, Autobot? I knew you were rash Ironhide, but I never imagined you would be this foolhardy."
Ironhide ignored the banter. "What's it gonna be? You got about five astro-seconds before Soundwave's a grease spot."
In response Megatron jumped into the air and flew several meters above the cliff. He hovered there a moment, taking careful aim with his fusion cannon, before letting loose a concentrated blast of energy. The section of the ridge where Ironhide and Jazz were standing with Soundwave exploded, sending a cloud of rock and dust into the air. Megatron knew his aim was true and Soundwave would not be destroyed, the Autobots' fate however, may be different. But that hardly mattered any longer.
He flew higher to survey the battle zone. He could see things much more clearly now that the sun had risen mostly above the horizon. Broken Autobot carcasses littered the area and heavy damage to the power plant was evident. The resistance was minor now and he decided he would be able to pull some troops from the fight without endangering the overall mission.
From the settling cloud of debris Megatron created from his attack on the mountainside, Soundwave appeared and seemed undamaged. Of the Autobots, however, there was no sign. Good. "Soundwave, inform Dirge, Ramjet, and the Constructicons that I am in need of their assistance. Transmit them our coordinates and have them join us as soon as possible."
"As you command, Megatron," Soundwave sang in response.
Moments later the eight warriors he had summoned flew to him from various parts of the battlefield, all the them looking a little disappointed that they were summoned from the thrill of fighting.
"It has come to my attention that the Autobots have hidden vital components of the power station in a cave in this region. Find them," Megatron commanded.
Immediately, his warriors began their search, each scattering in a different direction. Confident that his warriors would carry out their task and victory was well in hand, Megatron returned his attention to what he knew were the final moments of the battle. There was nothing left of the power plant except mangled wreckage and most of the fallen were Autobots, and they were not moving. The entire area was scorched with black streaks and patches from laser burns and explosions. Swarm was moving into the Ark, to seek and destroy any further opposition. Everything had gone perfectly. All that remained was to find the rest of the power plant modules- the more energy the better.
Soundwave arrived from the southwest flew in close. "Megatron, there is a report from the Constructicons. The location of the cave containing the power station modules has been discovered."
Elation filled Megatron's circuits. "Excellent. Lead the way." They flew around the north side of the volcano that housed the Ark and through a small mountainous pass. A short distance later, Megatron saw a small group of Decepticons gathered around the mouth of a cave. It was carefully excavated under an outcropping of rock and would easily have been overlooked. Scattered at the mouth of the cave was smoldering shards of rock. "What is going on here?"
Scavenger, the Constructicon spoke up first. "The Autobots apparently believed that by sealing the opening of the cave with a rock they would avoid detection. We have destroyed it."
"No one has entered yet?" Megatron asked, suspicious.
"No," Scrapper said. "We didn't know if there were any traps . . . and we were waiting for you, of course."
"Soundwave, send Ravage inside to disarm any surprises the Autobots might have thought to leave for us," he commanded.
Soundwave nodded and pressed a button on his left shoulder. "Ravage, eject. Operation: Search and destroy." His chest cavity opened and procured a cassette that transformed into the form of a black metallic jaguar. Ravage landed easily on his feet and looked around for a moment before proceeding into the cave at a trot.
Long moments passed before Ravage returned. The robotic feline leapt into the air and transformed back to his cassette mode and deposited himself back in Soundwave's chest. "Megatron, the Autobots do not have any defenses in place."
Megatron scoffed. "Well done, Ravage. Apparently the Autobots were too stupid to create defenses or we have arrived before they had the opportunity to put any in place. In either case their energy is now ours!"
The communicator spoke up again with additional information. "Ravage also reports the presence of four Autobots within the cave."
"It doesn't matter. Victory is assured. Inside, at once!" Megatron motioned to his small gathering of troops to enter the cave. They ran down the long, recently excavated corridor and found a large chamber at the end. One of the Constructicons commented on how terribly the mountainside had been hollowed out, but Scrapper told him to shut up. From the size of the area, it appeared as though the Autobots had, indeed, thought to hide all of the power station parts as well as themselves within this cave.
Coming to the end of the tunnel Megatron saw the Autobots that Ravage had discovered. They were standing ready and had taken up battle positions, their weapons drawn. If he was remembering correctly-all Autobots began to look the same after a while-they were Smokescreen, Huffer, Gears, and Beachcomber. Megatron gave his order. "Destroy them! Destroy them and take them and their precious energy source!"
The cavern immediately filled with laser fire, mostly from the Decepticons, and the Autobots were quickly buried under falling rock as a sheer wall in the back of the cave collapsed under the relentless Decepticon firepower. The fight was relatively brief, much to the dismay of many of the Decepticons, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Dirge moved to the back of the cave and found a pile of mechanical parts. He picked up a small motor and called over his shoulder. "I think we hit the jackpot!"
Megatron came over to investigate. The entire back half of the cave and a second, smaller chamber were filled with the parts they were looking for. Jackpot indeed. The components were piled several times taller than any of the Decepticons present, and stacked five or six layers deep.
"There's more here than they had left in what was left of the power plant, Megatron," the Constructicon, Bonecrusher, said.
The other Constructicons gathered around the parts, intrigued. "Yeah," Scavenger said. "But it's only the generators and reactor bits. There's nowhere to house them."
Hook, arguably the smartest of the Constructicons, hit scavenger in the back of the head. "You imbecile! We can build another power plant in a few days. You are a Constructicon!"
"Cease your inane quarrelling," Megatron commanded. "Soundwave. Let the other Decepticons know that the battle is over. They may leave any Autobots on the battlefield in any condition they are currently in. They are all to regroup here immediately. We need to get these components back to Decepticon headquarters quickly."
Soundwave complied and the others began to empty the gather the fragments of the reactors and load them onto Long Haul, the green Constructicon who had transformed into a dump truck. After a short time additional Decepticons began to arrive and aid in the transport. All was going well until there was an outburst from the cavern's entrance.
"Why didn't you let us finish them off!" a familiar raspy voice shouted.
Megatron spun to face the source of the disturbance: Starscream. All of the others were staring at the Decepticon air commander, but he gave no indication that this bothered him, he rarely did. Slowly the others backed away from the entryway, clearing Starscream a path. They knew what was coming and scrambled to get back to work.
"Starscream, explain your outburst. Why are you not working with the others to clear this cave?"
Starscream swept his hand horizontally through the air in a wide gesture. "You called off the attack when we could have finished them off!"
"You're a short sighted fool, Starscream." Megatron returned to supervising the operations and continued. "Securing these power plant components is far more important than the Autobots at the moment. With this we have all of the power we need to crush them. As it took three attacks to get this far, our current energy level is insufficient to have 'finished them off' anyway. Now we can come back at full capacity and destroy them at our leisure."
"So you're not worried in the slightest, mighty Megatron?" Starscream said, acidly, folding his arms across his chest/cockpit.
"Of course not! Don't be absurd. The Autobots are done for. We have the power supplies we need and soon this miserable ball of mud that the humans call a planet will be ours to do with as we please."
"Then I suppose the fact that Optimus Prime was nowhere to be seen during the battle doesn't give you the least bit of concern, because you have it all figured out. Right, Mighty Megatron?" Starscream smiled treacherously at his leader before lending his aid to the others in lifting the machinery.
Megatron stood astounded. Could it be that he overlooked something as significant as this? And to have Starscream point it out, of all things! Optimus Prime would never be absent during a major conflict without a very good reason. Something was definitely amiss. "Starscream, explain yourself, and this had best not be another one of your rebellious schemes."
Starscream merely moved into the cave to assist with the work of moving the reactor components. Sarcastically, he said, "Don't worry about it, Mighty Lord. I was wrong for questioning your eye for detail."
That fused it. Megatron's temper snapped and he fired a low-powered blast at Starscream, hitting him in the arm and forcing him to drop the device he was carrying. Starscream fell to a sitting position on the chamber floor. Megatron moved to stand over him. "You will change your tone if you value your life. Now, let me know what you saw!"
Starscream began to grovel as usual. "I-I'm sorry, Megatron. I shouldn't have said . . ."
"Quit your babbling and start saying something useful, Starscream! Was Prime at the battle or not?" To drive the point home he pointed his cannon at Starscream's other, undamaged, arm.
"No, I didn't see him at all," Starscream said frantically.
Megatron kicked him in the chest and sent him onto his back. He spoke to the rest of the gathering. "Did anyone else notice Optimus Prime at the battle?" There was brief discussion among his warriors, but no one could be certain they had seen the Autobot Commander.
"Blast!" Megatron shouted. He thought a moment about what would keep Prime away from the battle. "The Autobots must be up to something. But what? What could it be?" he thought aloud. He climbed upon the pile of rubble that had buried the four Autobots. "Unload these components quickly. The Autobots may have a contingency plan after all, we must move as fast as possible before they can implement it. We cannot risk a second strike until we have enough energon. This battle has left us drained and vulnerable to Autobot treachery. Besides, if Optimus Prime is personally involved in the Autobots' countermeasure, then it could be something to consider very seriously."
He looked around at the large milling group until he found who he was looking for. "Astrotrain, transform into your ground transport mode. Decepticons, load the parts into Astrotrain, as quickly as possible." Astrotrain transformed into a train and opened his hatch and Decepticons immediately began to fill his cargo hold with reactor parts.
The work was quick and efficient with all of the disassembled gestalts and Swarm. Before long all of the power station components were loaded into Astrotrain and they were ready for launch. Satisfied that all was complete, Megatron ordered all of the Decepticons to return to base.
As they returned to headquarters Megatron dreamed of the power that he would control after the power station was rebuilt. The uses he could put that energy to, the millions of astro-liters that he could use to build new minions, destroy the Autobots, and conquer the galaxy. He smiled deeply to himself. It would only be a matter of days now, if that long, before all of his dreams would come to pass. They no longer had to deal with the Autobots or worry about their involvement. Finally, victory, true victory was at hand.
* * *
The destruction was unbelievable. The casualties were high. The landscape was demolished. The power plant was gone. The Decepticons had won.
Jazz sat numbly on a fallen boulder lost in his own thoughts. He didn't think that the battle could have gone any worse if they had tried. Ironhide was standing next to him, trying to comfort him. It did no good. He felt like he had let Optimus Prime down. That's probably because I have, he thought grimly.
"C'mon, Jazz," Ironhide was saying. "We gotta help with the others. This is getting us nowhere fast. The Decepticreeps could be back at any astro- second and I, for one, want to be as ready for them as I can."
Jazz looked up. Ironhide was just as battered and dirty from the blast they took from Megatron, as he was himself. How they had survived he still didn't know. One moment it was a blinding flash of energy and the next it was Ironhide pulling him out of a pile of rubble.
Slowly, he picked himself up off the blackened boulder and began to walk back to what was left of the Ark. Swarm had caved in the entrance to the ship and a small tunnel had to be dug to get inside. Only the small Autobots and Spike could get inside at the moment-Bumblebee, Brawn and Cliffjumper. Blaster had even lent his cassettes-Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Eject, and Rewind-to go in and help. Early reports from inside were not good. There was rubble everywhere and Teletraan One was demolished, but Ratchet and Wheeljack said that it would most likely be salvageable-at least based on what they had seen on the images Blaster's cassettes were able to bring back. It was lucky that they decided to shutdown Teletraan One, it most likely minimized the damage. The one good decision I made today, Jazz thought.
The Autobot casualties had been placed in front of the rubble that blocked the entrance to their headquarters. They were placed into two groups: wounded and inactive. Luckily, most fell into the former category. Nearly everyone was injured in one way or another, some more seriously than others. In fact, as Jazz watched Wheeljack and Ratchet were working quickly, trying to repair Omega Supreme, but from the looks of it he wasn't going to pull through. The huge hole punched clear through him by Bruticus was not a thing that could easily be fixed, especially cut off from supply materials inside the Ark as they were.
Then there was the other group, the group of the dead. So far the number was not very large, all things considered, but then again even one was too many. Besides that, they kept finding more. So far there was Grapple, Skids, and Sideswipe. Jazz looked at them, remembering horribly, what Megatron had said to him about the price of war and being prepared to pay it. As he watched Huffer and Beachcomber approached with Smokescreen draped between them, his body broken from falling rock and punctured from Decepticon laser fire. They laid him down next to the other three. The fatalities were growing and showed no sign of stopping soon.
Jazz transformed and drove away from the group of wounded and dead and went to inspect what was left of the power plant. Anything he could do to put the deaths of his friends out of his neural network. He approached the still smoldering remains of the power plant's structure where many Autobots were clearing the wreckage out of the way and placing it in piles. They were separating the remains by metal type so that it might be recycled. He noticed that most of the walls were gone and there was debris hip-deep nearly everywhere he looked. He did note that most of the frame was probably salvageable. In fact, a lot of it had barely been damaged. The Decepticons had only gone for the core and ignored the rest of it. Then he saw something that gave him a glimmer of hope.
He wasn't sure what it was-the light of the morning, the position of the fallen walls-but something about the way the ruined structure suddenly appeared sparked him imagination. An idea that, if they pulled it off, would mean the Decepticons would hard pressed to do something like this again.
He transformed again and drove as fast as he could to catch up with Ironhide. When he arrived he noticed there were two new bodies, Gears and Hoist. Ironhide was still with Ratchet and Wheeljack by Omega Supreme's side. The large Autobot was in separate pieces, as though he was in mid- transformation into his defense base mode. The two technicians had stepped back.
"Well, that's about all we can to until we can get another motivator," Wheeljack was saying. "But we can't get that until we clear those rocks out of the way so I can get spare parts from inside."
Ratchet nodded in agreement. "At least Omega Supreme's condition has stabilized. For a moment there it was not good. It's lucky we were able to force a partial transformation into his transformation cog."
Jazz looked at the pieces of Omega Supreme. By transforming him, even part of the way, it separated the most heavily damaged-and therefore the most potentially deadly-pieces from vital components. He could be kept alive in parts, but not as a whole. Jazz complimented Ratchet and Wheeljack for their genius. The two Autobot technicians smiled, but then moved on to help the other critically injured comrades.
Jazz turned to Ironhide. "I was just down at the plant site and I saw something that would make Megatron think twice about attacking the Autobots again."
"What are you talkin' about, Jazz?" Ironhide said as he started drilling through some of the rubble that blocked the way into the Ark.
He explained his idea without too many details-in this early stage there weren't many anyway. When he was finished he asked Ironhide what he thought.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What's the problem? It's not impossible to pull off and then ol' Megatron won't be able to bother us anymore. I think it's a great idea."
Ironhide paused in his drilling and cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked at Jazz. "You better have Ratchet check you out, I think your circuits are sizzled from that fall. First of all, we don't have the kind of power that it would take to do it. And second, there are too many injured. Also, I don't know about you but I wouldn't know the first step of starting something like that. Do I need to keep goin' here?"
Jazz shook his head. "I'm not saying it'll be an easy job, I'm just saying that it's a way to take care of the Deceptichumps."
"Yeah, after we finish it. Look around and tell me how long that'll be." Ironhide started drilling through the rubble that blocked the Ark's entrance again, collapsing a large chunk of the obstruction. "The first thing we need to do is get back inside the Ark and figure out a way to get that power core away from Megatron, or at least destroy the parts before he gets a chance to use them to cause too much damage."
Jazz agreed and he began to help Ironhide drill, hoping that there would be some way to implement his plan. It would save a lot of lives, he thought.
The area in front of the Ark was a mess. Pieces of metal, pipe, wire, rock, dirt and various other debris were scattered all around the area. Autobots were everywhere working quickly and diligently in order to get the power plant dismantled before the next attack. It would still be some time before sunrise and the light that they were using-powered by the last remaining generator within the plant itself-would run out shortly. Soon they would be working by infrared.
Jazz helped Bumblebee and Sideswipe lift a very large segment of piping and hauled it out of the way for sorting. After a few dozen yards they tossed it to the ground near several other similar pipes.
"I don't like it," Bumblebee said after dropping the pipe. "Prime said to destroy the plant. It would be much faster to have Omega Supreme or Defensor just blast it to pieces." He looked at Jazz. "And I'm surprised that you let yourself talked into this crazy scheme Ironhide came up with! It's not a good idea and I still don't like it."
Jazz looked uncharacteristically sheepish. "The idea's not that bad. Think about it. When Prime gets back with a way to fight this thing we're going to need energon to fight with." He swung his arm wide and gestured to the power plant, now three-quarters disassembled. "This way if we just make it look like we destroyed it and keep the reactors and generators and stuff hidden from prying Decepticon eyes, we'll be able to put if all back together again. This way we don't have to wait for a new one to be built. The time it would take to do that might cost lives."
Bumblebee looked up at Sideswipe to get his opinion on the matter. "I don't know. Just because it seems like a good idea doesn't mean it'll work out like we want it to. Few things around here ever do." Exasperated, the little yellow Autobot transformed into his mini-car form and drove back to the deconstruction site. Jazz watched him drive into the distance and was soon lost in the shadows between floodlights. Omega Supreme was stripping the skeletal framework of the plant down even further, the big Autobot was pulling apart steel girders and converting it to scrap with ease.
Jazz turned back to Sideswipe. "Do you think I need an overhaul for going through with this?"
"Don't look at me, Jazz," Sideswipe said, transforming into his automobile mode. "I'm just a fighter. You're more the leader type, you're supposed to be the one telling me what to do." He sped away, kicking up dust and small rocks in his wake.
Jazz sighed, converted to his own car mode and drove toward the Ark. As he neared the entrance he transformed again and waited for Ironhide to finish directing Hoist who was lowering a piece of the reactor core into Gears, a small blue and red dump truck. The reactor part fit neatly into Gears' truck bed and he drove off to stash it where-they hoped-the Decepticons wouldn't be able to find it. "Get this to Beachcomber at the cave, then come back for the next shipment," Ironhide said. "No problem, Ironhide, I'll be back before you miss me." When Gears had gone and Hoist had pulled away, Jazz walked up to Ironhide.
"That'll be a long time," Ironhide muttered and walked over to Jazz. "How's everything goin' on your end of things." Ironhide started to walk back into the Ark, apparently expecting Jazz to follow, which he did.
"Things are almost done, but I'm still having doubts about this whole thing."
"Relax, don't get your tailpipe in a knot. We'll be buttoned up before the Decepticons even get ready to come back. Trust me." He grinned at Jazz and patted him on the shoulder.
They walked to the bridge where Blaster was downloading Teletraan One's files. If the Decepticons did managed to break through their defenses they didn't want them to get confiscate the information inside Teletraan One. It had been decided to simply backup Teletraan One's data and shut him down.
In another corner of the room, Ratchet and Wheeljack were just completing the final maintenance checks on the last few that were injured in the last battle, much to Brawn's dismay since he was still upset over being forced into maintenance.
Blaster stepped away from Teletraan One to allow Rewind-one of his cassette warriors designed to battle Soundwave's similar minions-pop out of the computer's input module and back into his chest repository before looking to Ironhide and Jazz.
"We're all done here," Blaster said. "That's the last of the files that needed archiving. Now all we have to do is get the power core back into the mountain, take down the rest of the power station's framework, and sit tight until Optimus comes back with the goods."
Jazz felt a little more comfortable now that they were almost done. Even though the hardest part was still ahead-staying hidden from the Decepticons. Once they showed up at the Ark and found that nobody was home they would start searching, and the Decepticons could be very thorough when the wanted to be. He hoped again that their plan to keep everything under wraps would work, the plan hinged on them being able to stay clear of prying enemy eyes and scanners.
His neural banks filled with worry he decided to go to the cave where the power plant components were being stored. He wondered if Optimus Prime worried this much about everything. Probably, he conceded. Jazz didn't envy Prime's job at all, especially after this ordeal. "Guys," Jazz said to Blaster and Ironhide. "I'm going to go check on Smokescreen and see how soon he'll be ready. Just be sure you keep monitoring Teletraan One's perimeter systems. We want to know the second the Decepticons start the music."
After getting a nod from his fellow Autobots he transformed and drove to the landing bay where Smokescreen and Huffer were preparing a device. Converting to robot form he knelt beside them. "Almost finished?"
"Yup, just now we did," Smokescreen said while he closed up a panel on the cylindrical device and sealing it.
Huffer stood up and said, "With this we should be able to hide the reactor's energy signature from Megatron until Prime gets back with . . . well, whatever he comes back with."
Jazz just hoped that Prime came back at all. Cybertron was a death trap waiting to close on any Autobots unfortunate enough to wander into the wrong place. Besides, he thought, he didn't want to lead forever. "Let's get this thing rollin' to the hidey-hole, then. Once you get there, fire it up and stay put. We won't be too much longer."
Huffer transformed and attached a small trailer to his orange hitch and drove off with the device in tow. Smokescreen transformed his sleek gray and blue auto mode and followed after Huffer.
Jazz leaned back against the wall to try to clear his head. There was way too much riding on this; they should have just destroyed the power plant like they were ordered. They could have come up with some other solution afterward it was certain the Decepticons definitely couldn't get the energy. While he wasn't able to come up with a better solution-and he had thought long and hard on that-he just knew there had to be a smarter course of action besides directly disobeying Optimus Prime.
Jazz fed a logic program through his central processing unit, hoping to clear out some of the heavy thoughts when he felt the tremor. Dust and bits of mechanical debris rained down on him in a light shower. At first he thought the volcano into which the Ark had crashed was erupting again. He switched on his seismic monitoring device but found that the source of the disturbance was not in the mountain. It was coming from outside.
He transformed and slammed his accelerator to the floor. As he drove through the bridge area he noted that it was empty. He drove to the Ark's entrance and found the remaining Autobots had gathered at the end of the entry ramp, staring out into the dissipating night. All of the spotlights had been pivoted to point at the mouth of the ridge, where everyone was now focused. Jazz transformed to stand next to the others and followed their gaze, but that was unnecessary, he knew what to expect. Coming up the front of the ridge was their worst nightmare, the rising sun providing a high-contrast view of the situation.
Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, and Swarm-in his largest form-were approaching with the rest of the Decepticon army following close behind. Several hundred meters away from the Ark they all stopped to stand menacingly in front of them. Jazz took in the scene and saw Megatron standing on a cliff high off to the right. It seemed to him that the Decepticon leader looked right at him when he spoke a single command.
"Attack!"
Chaos erupted.
* * *
Megatron was pleased with himself. His military insight had proven flawless once again. He had acted on an instinct to have Soundwave send Lazerbeak and Ratbat to check up on the Autobots. And it had paid off. He discovered that the Autobots had planned to dismantle the power station and hide the key energy producing components from him. It was a foolish plan at best. Nothing could be hidden from the might of his army. He simply decided to push up the attack by a couple of hours and the gambit had paid off. As always the Decepticons were at least two steps ahead of the Autobots.
From his vantage point, high on a cliff overlooking the Autobots base of operations he watched the battle unfold. Soundwave stood next to him, acting as a second set of optics so that nothing in the battle would escape his notice. With his most powerful warriors leading the assault Megatron was sure the Autobots would be defeated this time, and the power station would be secured in Decepticon hands in mere hours. Already the pathetic Autobots were fleeing before the might of his gestalt warriors, running about in a panic instead of planning. Had they no contingency plan? For being unprepared they deserved their fate, he thought sardonically. A Decepticon installation would never have been caught this unaware. The slaughter would prove gruesome and fulfilling.
Bruticus was already at the remainder of the power station and fending off Omega Supreme, trying to put him out of the way while Menasor stole the reactors and core. The other Decepticons were only a diversionary measure, to keep the Autobots from regrouping. So far, everything was going perfectly.
The Protectobots appeared and formed Defensor, coming to the aid of several Autobots that were being herded away from the power station by Devastator. Defensor grabbed Devastator around the legs, tackling him. Megatron was hardly concerned, he knew the punishment his troops could take, and even so the fight was still serving its purpose. It kept anyone from getting too close to the power station.
The sound of jet engines drew Megatron's attention to the sky above the ridge where he saw a group of his jet fighters flying in attack formation and raining laser blasts onto the battlefield. Then he saw his troops were being pursued by the Aerialbots.
The Aerialbots launched a synchronized barrage of laser and missile fire at the Decepticon fighters. To avoid the attack the Decepticons dove to the ground, transformed, and returned fire. The Aerialbots transformed and combined into the powerful warrior Superion, who landed next to their enemies. Superion began to blast large craters into the ground in the area, apparently in hopes of taking out a few Decepticons. The foolish Autobot air guardian did not realize that the Decepticons were already clear and Swarm was approaching from behind.
Swarm, in his largest form, leapt up as though trying to tackle Superion outright, but at the last moment disengaged into his smallest mode and grabbed hold of the Autobot's arms and legs and pulled him apart. Swarm then instantly recombined and caught the Aerialbots in his cupped hands. Before the Autobot aircraft had the chance to revert from their respective Superion parts, Swarm threw them across the battlefield into Omega Supreme who was already taking a heavy beating from both Bruticus and Menasor. The Aerialbots knocked Omega Supreme to the ground and sent him sprawling.
Bruticus wasted no time and drove his fist with all his strength into Omega Supreme's mid-section. When he pulled his fist back up it was covered with pieces of scrap metal, wiring, circuitry, and rock. His fist had gone completely through Omega Supreme and into the ground below. Bruticus stood up and kicked the giant fallen Autobot, adding extra damage. Menasor had already managed to secure part of the power core when Bruticus moved to grab the remaining reactors.
Devastator still grappled with Defensor, but Swarm dealt with that as well. Using a technique similar to the one he had used on Superion, the Nanocon transformed into its secondary form and had each unit pull at a limb while the sixth went for the head. Defensor reeled from the unexpected attack and stumbled backwards. Devastator saw his chance and fired his weapon into Defensor's chest. The impact of the explosion roughly put the Protectobot gestalt to the ground. As Defensor crashed to the rock floor of the ridge Swarm flew into the air and disassembled further, falling on the downed Autobot like his namesake.
Megatron watched with pleasure as Devastator, now free to seek new targets, reached and picked up a fleeing yellow Autobot in vehicle, Grapple. Up until now, the smaller Autobots had escaped much notice as the battle had focused on the larger warriors on both sides. Grapple, transformed into his robot form and valiantly fired again and again at Devastator's head in a desperate attempt to free himself, but it did him little good. Devastator put the Autobot between his huge, purple hands and squeezed. The combined power of the Constructicons focused into the hands of Devastator and crushed with its force. The Autobot's cries for help went unanswered as his destruction was at hand. Satisfied with his work Devastator tossed lifeless Autobot carcass aside. The Decepticons had drawn first blood.
The struggle between Swarm and Defensor quickly neared its end. The Autobot tried in vain to pull the Nanocon's tertiary parts off of his body, but he was separated before long; his smaller Autobot components scattered about in different directions. The five Protectobots hit the ground and transformed weakly into their robot forms. Each of them must have seen a secondary Swarm unit coming for them respectively since they tried to escape. They didn't succeed, of course. Each of the six Swarm units dismembered the Protectobots further by ripping off their arms and legs. Satisfied that they were no longer a threat Swarm left the broken Autobots where they lay and immediately found a new target.
Two Autobot sports cars of similar make, one yellow and one red, approached Swarm in an apparent attempt to help the Protectobots before it was too late. It was already too late, but overwhelming and impossible odds never seemed to stop the sappy, heroic Autobots. The two cars transformed into robot form, and began to fire at Swarm. Three Swarm units were felled, but the remaining three dodged to get close enough to the red Autobot- Sideswipe. The three units dove onto the "hero" and began to pound him relentlessly. Sideswipe called to his partner.
"Sunstreaker, get out of here! I'll hold them off! We can't take them out!" Megatron lost site of Sideswipe as Swarm destroyed him, transforming quickly between secondary and tertiary modes in a writhing mass of destruction. When Swarm pulled back there was not much left of the Autobot except for a few glistening red shards. The yellow Autobot heeded his comrade's advice and transformed into his vehicular and sped away. He was not fast enough, however. The three Swarm units that had been knocked down by the Autobot attack were already back up and flying through the air. The group landed in front of Sunstreaker's path, blocking his escape as eighteen smaller units.
Sunstreaker, however, did not slow down. "Man, this is really gonna hurt, not to mention what it'll do to my finish," he said. He increased his acceleration and plowed through the small Decepticon wall. Swarm let him go as the attack that had begun to come from above was of a more pressing urgency.
Overhead, the Autobot called Powerglide was sailing over the battle toward the ridge with Jazz hanging on tightly to the landing gear while laying down a covering fire on Swarm. The small red plane dodged several assaults by Blitzwing-and counterattacks by Swarm-to drop Jazz off on the cliff right next to Megatron, a gutsy move for an Autobot. Swarm quickly combined into his primary mode once again and sprung up in front of the retreating Powerglide who was caught by a massive backhand and swatted into the mountainside, colliding with such force that he was embedded in the rock. Swarm quickly transformed to secondary mode and made his way back toward the power plant, thrashing any Autobot that got in its way.
Pleased the battle was going well for him Megatron momentarily spared his attention for the new arrival. Jazz stood with a horrified and tired expression on his face, no doubt feeling helpless at the carnage befalling his pitiful army. "Such is the ways of war, Autobot. If you are not prepared to pay the prices then you have no business participating."
Jazz forced his gaze to Megatron. "Stop this, Megatron. Just stop! You have what you came for. Can't you just leave us now?"
Megatron leaned closely to Jazz's face, looking into his optics, the Decepticon's eyes blazed. "We don't have all of what we came for, now do we?" He could see the confusion cross the other's face so he decided to be more specific. "You can stop this slaughter at any time, Autobot. Just let me know where the other power station components are located and we will cease this assault...for now," he added, just to emphasize the point that not only could the Decepticons never be defeated but also to show him just how powerless they were.
Jazz faced the ground with slumped shoulders-deciding-then he looked back up indignantly. Anger and despair played across his features and for an amusing moment Megatron thought that the Autobot was going to try to attack the Decepticon Leader. Then Jazz yielded. "You win, Megatron. The other parts of the reactor core are in a fortified cave not far from here. I'll take you there myself if you want."
"That will not be necessary. We are more than capable of finding it on our own." His smile turned sinister. "Now, I have no further use for you." He raised his right arm and pointed his mounted fusion cannon at Jazz's head. "Prepare for oblivion."
From behind Megatron a voice shouted, "Stick it in neutral, Megatron. Or your buddy here gets it!"
He spun to the source of the voice and found Ironhide standing over Soundwave. Soundwave was on his back and the Autobot had a red-plated foot placed on Soundwave's chest so none of his cassettes could be deployed for aid. Ironhide's blaster was aimed directly at Soundwave's head. The blue Decepticon struggled to stand up, but every time he managed to budge an inch Ironhide pressed down with his foot, pinning him. Megatron cursed silently for leaving himself open enough to allow an Autobot to sneak up on his position undetected. "So, you think to manipulate me, Autobot? I knew you were rash Ironhide, but I never imagined you would be this foolhardy."
Ironhide ignored the banter. "What's it gonna be? You got about five astro-seconds before Soundwave's a grease spot."
In response Megatron jumped into the air and flew several meters above the cliff. He hovered there a moment, taking careful aim with his fusion cannon, before letting loose a concentrated blast of energy. The section of the ridge where Ironhide and Jazz were standing with Soundwave exploded, sending a cloud of rock and dust into the air. Megatron knew his aim was true and Soundwave would not be destroyed, the Autobots' fate however, may be different. But that hardly mattered any longer.
He flew higher to survey the battle zone. He could see things much more clearly now that the sun had risen mostly above the horizon. Broken Autobot carcasses littered the area and heavy damage to the power plant was evident. The resistance was minor now and he decided he would be able to pull some troops from the fight without endangering the overall mission.
From the settling cloud of debris Megatron created from his attack on the mountainside, Soundwave appeared and seemed undamaged. Of the Autobots, however, there was no sign. Good. "Soundwave, inform Dirge, Ramjet, and the Constructicons that I am in need of their assistance. Transmit them our coordinates and have them join us as soon as possible."
"As you command, Megatron," Soundwave sang in response.
Moments later the eight warriors he had summoned flew to him from various parts of the battlefield, all the them looking a little disappointed that they were summoned from the thrill of fighting.
"It has come to my attention that the Autobots have hidden vital components of the power station in a cave in this region. Find them," Megatron commanded.
Immediately, his warriors began their search, each scattering in a different direction. Confident that his warriors would carry out their task and victory was well in hand, Megatron returned his attention to what he knew were the final moments of the battle. There was nothing left of the power plant except mangled wreckage and most of the fallen were Autobots, and they were not moving. The entire area was scorched with black streaks and patches from laser burns and explosions. Swarm was moving into the Ark, to seek and destroy any further opposition. Everything had gone perfectly. All that remained was to find the rest of the power plant modules- the more energy the better.
Soundwave arrived from the southwest flew in close. "Megatron, there is a report from the Constructicons. The location of the cave containing the power station modules has been discovered."
Elation filled Megatron's circuits. "Excellent. Lead the way." They flew around the north side of the volcano that housed the Ark and through a small mountainous pass. A short distance later, Megatron saw a small group of Decepticons gathered around the mouth of a cave. It was carefully excavated under an outcropping of rock and would easily have been overlooked. Scattered at the mouth of the cave was smoldering shards of rock. "What is going on here?"
Scavenger, the Constructicon spoke up first. "The Autobots apparently believed that by sealing the opening of the cave with a rock they would avoid detection. We have destroyed it."
"No one has entered yet?" Megatron asked, suspicious.
"No," Scrapper said. "We didn't know if there were any traps . . . and we were waiting for you, of course."
"Soundwave, send Ravage inside to disarm any surprises the Autobots might have thought to leave for us," he commanded.
Soundwave nodded and pressed a button on his left shoulder. "Ravage, eject. Operation: Search and destroy." His chest cavity opened and procured a cassette that transformed into the form of a black metallic jaguar. Ravage landed easily on his feet and looked around for a moment before proceeding into the cave at a trot.
Long moments passed before Ravage returned. The robotic feline leapt into the air and transformed back to his cassette mode and deposited himself back in Soundwave's chest. "Megatron, the Autobots do not have any defenses in place."
Megatron scoffed. "Well done, Ravage. Apparently the Autobots were too stupid to create defenses or we have arrived before they had the opportunity to put any in place. In either case their energy is now ours!"
The communicator spoke up again with additional information. "Ravage also reports the presence of four Autobots within the cave."
"It doesn't matter. Victory is assured. Inside, at once!" Megatron motioned to his small gathering of troops to enter the cave. They ran down the long, recently excavated corridor and found a large chamber at the end. One of the Constructicons commented on how terribly the mountainside had been hollowed out, but Scrapper told him to shut up. From the size of the area, it appeared as though the Autobots had, indeed, thought to hide all of the power station parts as well as themselves within this cave.
Coming to the end of the tunnel Megatron saw the Autobots that Ravage had discovered. They were standing ready and had taken up battle positions, their weapons drawn. If he was remembering correctly-all Autobots began to look the same after a while-they were Smokescreen, Huffer, Gears, and Beachcomber. Megatron gave his order. "Destroy them! Destroy them and take them and their precious energy source!"
The cavern immediately filled with laser fire, mostly from the Decepticons, and the Autobots were quickly buried under falling rock as a sheer wall in the back of the cave collapsed under the relentless Decepticon firepower. The fight was relatively brief, much to the dismay of many of the Decepticons, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Dirge moved to the back of the cave and found a pile of mechanical parts. He picked up a small motor and called over his shoulder. "I think we hit the jackpot!"
Megatron came over to investigate. The entire back half of the cave and a second, smaller chamber were filled with the parts they were looking for. Jackpot indeed. The components were piled several times taller than any of the Decepticons present, and stacked five or six layers deep.
"There's more here than they had left in what was left of the power plant, Megatron," the Constructicon, Bonecrusher, said.
The other Constructicons gathered around the parts, intrigued. "Yeah," Scavenger said. "But it's only the generators and reactor bits. There's nowhere to house them."
Hook, arguably the smartest of the Constructicons, hit scavenger in the back of the head. "You imbecile! We can build another power plant in a few days. You are a Constructicon!"
"Cease your inane quarrelling," Megatron commanded. "Soundwave. Let the other Decepticons know that the battle is over. They may leave any Autobots on the battlefield in any condition they are currently in. They are all to regroup here immediately. We need to get these components back to Decepticon headquarters quickly."
Soundwave complied and the others began to empty the gather the fragments of the reactors and load them onto Long Haul, the green Constructicon who had transformed into a dump truck. After a short time additional Decepticons began to arrive and aid in the transport. All was going well until there was an outburst from the cavern's entrance.
"Why didn't you let us finish them off!" a familiar raspy voice shouted.
Megatron spun to face the source of the disturbance: Starscream. All of the others were staring at the Decepticon air commander, but he gave no indication that this bothered him, he rarely did. Slowly the others backed away from the entryway, clearing Starscream a path. They knew what was coming and scrambled to get back to work.
"Starscream, explain your outburst. Why are you not working with the others to clear this cave?"
Starscream swept his hand horizontally through the air in a wide gesture. "You called off the attack when we could have finished them off!"
"You're a short sighted fool, Starscream." Megatron returned to supervising the operations and continued. "Securing these power plant components is far more important than the Autobots at the moment. With this we have all of the power we need to crush them. As it took three attacks to get this far, our current energy level is insufficient to have 'finished them off' anyway. Now we can come back at full capacity and destroy them at our leisure."
"So you're not worried in the slightest, mighty Megatron?" Starscream said, acidly, folding his arms across his chest/cockpit.
"Of course not! Don't be absurd. The Autobots are done for. We have the power supplies we need and soon this miserable ball of mud that the humans call a planet will be ours to do with as we please."
"Then I suppose the fact that Optimus Prime was nowhere to be seen during the battle doesn't give you the least bit of concern, because you have it all figured out. Right, Mighty Megatron?" Starscream smiled treacherously at his leader before lending his aid to the others in lifting the machinery.
Megatron stood astounded. Could it be that he overlooked something as significant as this? And to have Starscream point it out, of all things! Optimus Prime would never be absent during a major conflict without a very good reason. Something was definitely amiss. "Starscream, explain yourself, and this had best not be another one of your rebellious schemes."
Starscream merely moved into the cave to assist with the work of moving the reactor components. Sarcastically, he said, "Don't worry about it, Mighty Lord. I was wrong for questioning your eye for detail."
That fused it. Megatron's temper snapped and he fired a low-powered blast at Starscream, hitting him in the arm and forcing him to drop the device he was carrying. Starscream fell to a sitting position on the chamber floor. Megatron moved to stand over him. "You will change your tone if you value your life. Now, let me know what you saw!"
Starscream began to grovel as usual. "I-I'm sorry, Megatron. I shouldn't have said . . ."
"Quit your babbling and start saying something useful, Starscream! Was Prime at the battle or not?" To drive the point home he pointed his cannon at Starscream's other, undamaged, arm.
"No, I didn't see him at all," Starscream said frantically.
Megatron kicked him in the chest and sent him onto his back. He spoke to the rest of the gathering. "Did anyone else notice Optimus Prime at the battle?" There was brief discussion among his warriors, but no one could be certain they had seen the Autobot Commander.
"Blast!" Megatron shouted. He thought a moment about what would keep Prime away from the battle. "The Autobots must be up to something. But what? What could it be?" he thought aloud. He climbed upon the pile of rubble that had buried the four Autobots. "Unload these components quickly. The Autobots may have a contingency plan after all, we must move as fast as possible before they can implement it. We cannot risk a second strike until we have enough energon. This battle has left us drained and vulnerable to Autobot treachery. Besides, if Optimus Prime is personally involved in the Autobots' countermeasure, then it could be something to consider very seriously."
He looked around at the large milling group until he found who he was looking for. "Astrotrain, transform into your ground transport mode. Decepticons, load the parts into Astrotrain, as quickly as possible." Astrotrain transformed into a train and opened his hatch and Decepticons immediately began to fill his cargo hold with reactor parts.
The work was quick and efficient with all of the disassembled gestalts and Swarm. Before long all of the power station components were loaded into Astrotrain and they were ready for launch. Satisfied that all was complete, Megatron ordered all of the Decepticons to return to base.
As they returned to headquarters Megatron dreamed of the power that he would control after the power station was rebuilt. The uses he could put that energy to, the millions of astro-liters that he could use to build new minions, destroy the Autobots, and conquer the galaxy. He smiled deeply to himself. It would only be a matter of days now, if that long, before all of his dreams would come to pass. They no longer had to deal with the Autobots or worry about their involvement. Finally, victory, true victory was at hand.
* * *
The destruction was unbelievable. The casualties were high. The landscape was demolished. The power plant was gone. The Decepticons had won.
Jazz sat numbly on a fallen boulder lost in his own thoughts. He didn't think that the battle could have gone any worse if they had tried. Ironhide was standing next to him, trying to comfort him. It did no good. He felt like he had let Optimus Prime down. That's probably because I have, he thought grimly.
"C'mon, Jazz," Ironhide was saying. "We gotta help with the others. This is getting us nowhere fast. The Decepticreeps could be back at any astro- second and I, for one, want to be as ready for them as I can."
Jazz looked up. Ironhide was just as battered and dirty from the blast they took from Megatron, as he was himself. How they had survived he still didn't know. One moment it was a blinding flash of energy and the next it was Ironhide pulling him out of a pile of rubble.
Slowly, he picked himself up off the blackened boulder and began to walk back to what was left of the Ark. Swarm had caved in the entrance to the ship and a small tunnel had to be dug to get inside. Only the small Autobots and Spike could get inside at the moment-Bumblebee, Brawn and Cliffjumper. Blaster had even lent his cassettes-Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Eject, and Rewind-to go in and help. Early reports from inside were not good. There was rubble everywhere and Teletraan One was demolished, but Ratchet and Wheeljack said that it would most likely be salvageable-at least based on what they had seen on the images Blaster's cassettes were able to bring back. It was lucky that they decided to shutdown Teletraan One, it most likely minimized the damage. The one good decision I made today, Jazz thought.
The Autobot casualties had been placed in front of the rubble that blocked the entrance to their headquarters. They were placed into two groups: wounded and inactive. Luckily, most fell into the former category. Nearly everyone was injured in one way or another, some more seriously than others. In fact, as Jazz watched Wheeljack and Ratchet were working quickly, trying to repair Omega Supreme, but from the looks of it he wasn't going to pull through. The huge hole punched clear through him by Bruticus was not a thing that could easily be fixed, especially cut off from supply materials inside the Ark as they were.
Then there was the other group, the group of the dead. So far the number was not very large, all things considered, but then again even one was too many. Besides that, they kept finding more. So far there was Grapple, Skids, and Sideswipe. Jazz looked at them, remembering horribly, what Megatron had said to him about the price of war and being prepared to pay it. As he watched Huffer and Beachcomber approached with Smokescreen draped between them, his body broken from falling rock and punctured from Decepticon laser fire. They laid him down next to the other three. The fatalities were growing and showed no sign of stopping soon.
Jazz transformed and drove away from the group of wounded and dead and went to inspect what was left of the power plant. Anything he could do to put the deaths of his friends out of his neural network. He approached the still smoldering remains of the power plant's structure where many Autobots were clearing the wreckage out of the way and placing it in piles. They were separating the remains by metal type so that it might be recycled. He noticed that most of the walls were gone and there was debris hip-deep nearly everywhere he looked. He did note that most of the frame was probably salvageable. In fact, a lot of it had barely been damaged. The Decepticons had only gone for the core and ignored the rest of it. Then he saw something that gave him a glimmer of hope.
He wasn't sure what it was-the light of the morning, the position of the fallen walls-but something about the way the ruined structure suddenly appeared sparked him imagination. An idea that, if they pulled it off, would mean the Decepticons would hard pressed to do something like this again.
He transformed again and drove as fast as he could to catch up with Ironhide. When he arrived he noticed there were two new bodies, Gears and Hoist. Ironhide was still with Ratchet and Wheeljack by Omega Supreme's side. The large Autobot was in separate pieces, as though he was in mid- transformation into his defense base mode. The two technicians had stepped back.
"Well, that's about all we can to until we can get another motivator," Wheeljack was saying. "But we can't get that until we clear those rocks out of the way so I can get spare parts from inside."
Ratchet nodded in agreement. "At least Omega Supreme's condition has stabilized. For a moment there it was not good. It's lucky we were able to force a partial transformation into his transformation cog."
Jazz looked at the pieces of Omega Supreme. By transforming him, even part of the way, it separated the most heavily damaged-and therefore the most potentially deadly-pieces from vital components. He could be kept alive in parts, but not as a whole. Jazz complimented Ratchet and Wheeljack for their genius. The two Autobot technicians smiled, but then moved on to help the other critically injured comrades.
Jazz turned to Ironhide. "I was just down at the plant site and I saw something that would make Megatron think twice about attacking the Autobots again."
"What are you talkin' about, Jazz?" Ironhide said as he started drilling through some of the rubble that blocked the way into the Ark.
He explained his idea without too many details-in this early stage there weren't many anyway. When he was finished he asked Ironhide what he thought.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What's the problem? It's not impossible to pull off and then ol' Megatron won't be able to bother us anymore. I think it's a great idea."
Ironhide paused in his drilling and cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked at Jazz. "You better have Ratchet check you out, I think your circuits are sizzled from that fall. First of all, we don't have the kind of power that it would take to do it. And second, there are too many injured. Also, I don't know about you but I wouldn't know the first step of starting something like that. Do I need to keep goin' here?"
Jazz shook his head. "I'm not saying it'll be an easy job, I'm just saying that it's a way to take care of the Deceptichumps."
"Yeah, after we finish it. Look around and tell me how long that'll be." Ironhide started drilling through the rubble that blocked the Ark's entrance again, collapsing a large chunk of the obstruction. "The first thing we need to do is get back inside the Ark and figure out a way to get that power core away from Megatron, or at least destroy the parts before he gets a chance to use them to cause too much damage."
Jazz agreed and he began to help Ironhide drill, hoping that there would be some way to implement his plan. It would save a lot of lives, he thought.