Author's Note: The 'Cons are back! Here we go again. What will happen this time?
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Years of Darkness
Chapter 8: Battle at Metroplex
The Decepticons were not really ready for battle, but they were wary of Galvatron. He'd torn apart anyone who dared to defy him. He was even further sunken into madness than was normal for him. None of them wanted to dare his temper. It would be like running a killer obstacle course, one no one got through alive. They piled into the shuttles, muttering amongst themselves.
"Trypticon! Transform!" Galvatron yelled.
There was a roar. Then the city itself began to transform. Soon it had become a gigantic black and purple dinosaur. That was Trypticon's true form.
"We go to Earth!"
The shuttles launched into space.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Metroplex:
"You were right," the American president said on the screen. "Quintessons."
Ultra Rodimus nodded. "I thought as much. The Quintessons are power-hungry monsters. They were taking the crews of those ships to be lab rats and guinea pigs."
"What are these things capable of?"
"Millions of years ago, they encountered a planet populated by a normally peaceful race of what they considered primatives. The Quints sold them weapons technology. Not even a decade later those people were gone. They had fought over the weapons, and had destroyed themselves and their world through civil warfare. The Quints didn't care about the death and pain they'd left behind. All they cared about was their profit. They created us Autobots as slave robots, but we rebelled and drove them off Cybertron."
The president shuddered. "What is being done about the Quintessons?"
"I sent some of the more hot-headed and aggressive Autobots out to chase them off. Their instructions were to use any means necessary. From the reports the base on Pluto has been sending, several Quint ships resisted and are now space dust. Sharkitcons aren't the most intelligent of beasts."
"What are Sharkticons?" the puzzled president asked.
"Qunitesson bullyboys. They're almost brainless. They transform into sharklike beasts with a lot of teeth. They have four limbs armed with claws. In their robot modes they carry spiked maces. They can't think for themselves. The Quints use them as shock troops."
"So the destroyed ships were full of these Sharkticons?"
"And one Quintesson enforcer per ship. They're the ones who extracted the crews without leaving a trace."
"And they will not bother us again?"
"We will do everything we can to prevent it."
"Thank you." The president reached for his console, then paused. "You never did say how you became Prime. What happened to Rodimus Prime?"
"Tell me, do you believe in miracles?"
"Maybe, but what does that have to do with it?"
"Everything."
"Then yes."
Ultra Rodimus leaned back in his chair. "Rodimus Prime is dead. He was killed in battle on an alien planet far from here. And from his remains was born Ultra Rodimus. Primus, our god, resurrected me into this form. So I used to be Rodimus Prime. Now his blood stains the soil of a distant world and Ultra Rodimus has taken his place."
The president blinked in surprise. "So it was a true miracle."
"It was. Primus will intervene in our lives when he is permitted. He is more active in our lives than you might think. And those of us who bear the Matrix can always sense Primus's presence. When we die our souls return to him."
"What does the Matrix have to do with your god?"
"Who do you think created it? And his essence, his power, is stored within."
The president digested that for a moment. "I will speak with you again later. I have pressing business to attend to."
Ultra Rodimus nodded. "Later, then."
The president signed off. Ultra Rodimus shut down his comm unit and returned his attention to the piles of paperwork covering his desk. Working steadily, he managed to get more of it done than he'd expected.
His mate's amused thoughts reached him through their bond. Still at it, are you?
Only way to get rid of it, lover-mine. So yes, I'm still hard at work.
You told the president about your rebirth?
He asked for it. So I told him. I think he's still trying to digest the idea of a god that truly exists.
Magnus's thoughts had the apple-flavor of laughter. Can you blame him? Most Americans spend their lives pretending that gods don't exist, but we have concrete proof that ours does. Our proof is so complete that many of the humans who work with us are beginning to follow Primus.
Ultra Rodimus snorted.
The comm unit beeped frantically. Ultra Rodimus reached for it.
"Ultra Rodimus."
"This is the Pluto sensor base! We're sending a priority one threat warning! We've detected a Decepticon battle fleet heading straight for Earth! And Trypticon is with them!"
Magnus got the information from Ultra Rodimus's thought. The city's battle sirens began to scream. Added to them was a second siren, the siren that warned everyone to get out of the city. Humans and Autobots and visiting aliens flooded out, heading for the safety of hidden caves dug into the nearby cliffs. The Autbots had built the caves to keep their allies safe in case of an attack that required Metroplex to transform.
The last stragglers had just reached the caves when the Decepticons appeared over the mountains.
"Trypticon crush Metroplex!" the giant dinosaur roared.
"Not if I crush you first!" Metroplex transformed to his robot mode.
Trypticon stomped toward him, shaking the ground with every step. Metroplex tensed to meet him. When the two titans clashed, the ground shook as if wracked by a magnitude seven earthquake.
Miles away, at the University of Oregon, the seismometers in the labs began to go wild. The needles were recording the tremors of something major.
"Earthquake! Magnitude six!"
"Calm down," the university dean told the students. "I just got word from the colleges near the source of the tremors. It's not an earthquake. It's Metroplex fighting Trypticon. Both of them are so huge that merely walking makes the ground shake like an earthquake."
"Target the gestalt team member who forms the gestalt's main body!" Magnus roared over the Autobot frequency. "We don't want a repeat of last time!"
Motormaster was shot down quickly. Swindle and Onslaught followed soon after. It was clear that the Autobots were all for shooting every member of the gestalt teams, not just the main body parts. Within a few minutes, the Decepticon gestalts were taken out of the picture.
Galvatron creamed in insane rage. "Attack!"
The battle raged around the site of Autobot City. Everyone avoided the clash between the two city-bots, not wanting to be crushed beneath their feet. The two giants were utterly oblivious to anything but their battle, and Metroplex was beginning to gain the upper hand.
Ultra Rodimus turned to look at the two. Trypticon's back was to him. Ultra Rodimus transformed to his own dinosaur form and unloaded all of his laser cannons and missile launchers into Trypticon. The Decepticon city-bot screamed in pain.
"Thanks!" Metroplex broadcast.
"No problem! Just get rid of him!"
Metroplex chuckled, then returned his attention to his fight.
One of the Sweeps targeted Magnus's back. He took aim. Before he could fire, a roaring demon descended on him. The Sweep turned to see what was going on.
He felt hot breath hit his face like a wall. His head was in a prison of sharp, curved metal teeth dripping with a fluid that served the same purpose as saliva. The last thing he saw was the thick metal tongue curling toward him. The darkness shut out the world.
Ultra Rodimus's powerful jaws snapped shut with the sound of two cars colliding. The Sweep's head was taken off in one powerful bite. Ultra Rodimus spat out the head, then spun around to use his powerful claws on another enemy. Astrotrain shrieked as those claws tore deep gashes down his back. The Decepticon triple changer got out of the way seconds before Ultra Rodimus's jaws snapped shut where his head had been seconds before. The Prime transformed to jet and began chasing down the Decepticon jets.
Metroplex delivered a metal-shattering uppercut to the underside of Trypticon's jaw. The Decepticon giant staggered backward, off balance. The warring Transformers scattered like mice as the giant dinosaur toppled over. Trypticon landed hard, shaking the ground and digging a deep crater. Metroplex grabbed him by the tail and flung him away.
Galvatron spun in place, looking for someone.
"And who are you looking for?" a voice growled from behind.
Galvatron turned.
Behind him stood the young Autobot Prime, carrying his favorite weapon, his massive battleaxe. Ultra Rodimus was glaring at him.
Ultra Rodimus spun his axe. "I'm right here, you nutcase. Still wanna tangle with me?"
The Decepticon leader roared and lunged at him. Ultra Rodimus sidestepped, striking the shaft of his axe across Galvatron's back.
"You'll have to do better than that if you wanna catch me," the Autobot taunted.
"Hold still!" Galvatron lunged again.
"Sorry, no can do."
Their duel continued along those lines for some time. Then the blades of Ultra Rodimus's axe bit deep into Galvatron's shoulder.
"My lord!" Cyclonus appeared. "We are being badly beaten!"
Galvatron glared at Ultra Rodimus, eyes blazing with hate. "Retreat!"
The Decepticons pulled themselves out of the battle and ran to the shuttles. Nearby, Trypticon heaved himself to his feet and ran. The Autobot fliers chased the Decepticons out past Earth's moon, then returned.
Metroplex transformed back to city mode, groaning in pain as his injuries introduced themselves.
"See that the wounded get to Medbay," Ultra Rodimus ordered. "Then see to Metroplex."
"Yessir!"
"Don't call me 'sir'!"
To be continued...
Another chapter down. Still one or two more to go. If you want to see them, review for them.