Considering the very obvious dullard that Vince was, Malita was honestly surprised about how useful he was. She'd ended up leading him to a nearby fast food restaurant, K.O. Burger, to manipulate information out of him.
"The local handyman?"
"Yeah." Vince nodded, though it was clear that he was none too pleased, talking about Kent. "He's who everyone goes to if they need something built. Him, or Pete Ross. They're like a dream team."
"Everyone in Jasper knows him?" Malita asked curiously, propping her head on her hands as she rested her elbows on the table.
Vince nodded. "Somewhat. Everyone knows OF him. I think the Darby's and Prime know him best. He used to babysit both of them when they were younger. He was still our age."
Now that was interesting.
"Really?" Malita asked with a raised eyebrow. "And where are they at the moment?"
Vince shrugged. "Don't know, don't care." He responded. "They always disappear after school, not that I care. Though, Darby's mom is a nurse at the hospital, just like Kent's girl."
"Kent's girl?" Malita asked, every single bit of her attention now on Vince. She was thinking of using these… Darby people against Kent, or this Pete Ross.
But now, she had an even better target.
"Yeah. Amy Jane." Vince said with a nod. "She and Kent have been together since they were in high school. Had a kid before they graduated, actually, and Kent dropped out because of it." He explained, looking up in thought. "If I remember right, her name is Krys or something."
"Really?" This just kept getting better and better. "And where would I find them?"
"I don't know where they live." Vince replied with a shrug. "Mrs. Darby might, but I do know Miss Lang knows."
"Miss Lang?" Malita asked in interest. "Who's that?"
"She owns a little coffee shop, the Talon, on the other side of town/. She and Kent were real close together, along with Ross and Chloe Sullivan."
Perfect.
"Would this Miss Lang be there now?" Malita asked with a raised eyebrow.
Vince nodded. "Yeah. She works there till about eight o'clock. Why?"
"Well… I'm interested in the Kent man Tally talks so much about!" Malita answered with a smile, going into the bubbly girl persona. "She's always saying how great of a man he is, and how much she looks up to him!"
Vince snorted. "Yeah, right." He muttered under his breath, before looking at Malita, his cocky smirk returning. "So, pretty girl, you ready for the ride of a life time?"
Malita giggled. "Only if you give me a ride to the Talon!" She said, hopping out of her seat and to her feet as she moved around the table, before leaning down towards Vince in an intentionally suggestive way, running a finger down his chest as she whispered into his ear. "And I might just reward you…"
Vince was immediately hooked. "Oh? How so?" He whispered back, more than excited at the prospect of getting a chance with the girl in front of him.
"Well…" Malita began, a seductive edge in her voice. "I'm not opposed to… pleasing you, on the way there, big man." She promised. "Take me there… and afterwards, I might just… well… I've been on a dry spell for a while now…"
Vince didn't need any more encouragement. Malita had him, hook, line, and sinker.
Growing up, Malita was taught to use anything she could to her advantage, whether it was to manipulate or interrogate.
So, even though she was with Starscream (Something that was probably going to change soon), she was not above using sexual advances to get her way.
And though she thought Cybertronians were superior to humans… there was something about flesh compared to soft metal that felt… better.
And as someone who's definitely sexually confident, and not a whore like some want to insinuate, she had absolutely no problem using her body to manipulate people. And if Starscream had a problem with it…
They were Decepticons. They've done worse than cheating on lovers.
"U-Um, yeah!" Vince nodded eagerly, standing to his feet so abruptly that he nearly knocked the entire table over. "Let's go!"
Malita let out a giggle as she watched him go. He was eager to please.
She liked that at the moment.
"... after the events that have occurred on this day, it is very good to see you return, Skyquake." Optimus said, looking at Skyquake with a glum expression.
"Megatron still intends to bring through an army of Cybertron's dead?" Skyquake asked for reaffirmation.
"We must destroy the Space Bridge." Optimus responded. "Otherwise, all of humanity will be enslaved, if not destroyed."
Skyquake nodded in understanding, before turning to look at Clark. "And since it is in space, you will be unable to accompany us, Clark?"
"We don't know if I'd be able to breathe, or even survive in space." Clark explained.
"You are our biggest asset, Skyquake. Both figuratively and literally." Optimus declared. "Your help will be paramount to our success, as you are also our only flyer at the moment." His eyes narrowed seriously. "You have an advantage none of us do."
"Then allow me to help in any way I can." Skyquake said, turning to look at Optimus. "I will keep the Decepticons away as best I can while you destroy the Space Bridge."
"No offense, but are you sure you can hold them off by yourself in the air?" Bulkhead asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I was not the leader of the Combaticons for no reason." Skyquake replied, glancing towards the wrecker. "I can handle Eradicons and Vehicons."
"For your sake, and this world's, let us hope you are correct." Optimus said, before turning towards Ratchet. "Ratchet, activate the GroundBridge."
Ratchet nodded, and turned back towards the control panel, pulling the GroundBridge lever.
The familiar green vortex swirled to life as all of the Autobots, sans Ratchet, lined up in front of the GroundBridge.
All of the humans watched as they prepared for the last stand on the Space Bridge.
Clark stood behind Amy, who was holding Krystal in her arms.
Miko was standing at the handrails, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.
Raf stood looking through the hand rails, worried for his guardian.
Jack stood behind Talida, his arms wrapped around her as they both stared at their family, ready to risk their lives once more.
"Good luck, Dad." Talida whispered.
"Be careful, Skyquake." Krystal said quietly, looking at her large friend, who smiled at her.
"I shall, Krystal." Skyquake promised with a smile, before he turned away from the girl and towards the others, leaving the child to watch sadly.
She didn't want him to go.
Optimus turned towards the GroundBridge, and he engaged his battle mask, his eyes narrowing in determination. "Autobots, Roll Out!"
Every single Autobot followed the command. While most of the Autobots had ground based vehicle modes, Skyquake jumped, backflipping into his jet mode as he took off out of the Autobot Base. Optimus was the first to follow, leading the others through the GroundBridge as the sounds of varying engines echoed through the base.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Krystal asked, glancing up towards her parents in her mothers arms.
Clark smiled, hiding his own discomfort and worry.
"Of course." He assured his daughter with a gentle smile, even though he was worried himself.
In theory, it was a simple mission. Get in, reverse the flow, get out before it explodes.
But the execution was never that simple, nor would it ever be. They didn't know how quickly the Space Bridge would blow up. And the Decepticons were already present, so it would be a surprise if they weren't currently on the Space Bridge already.
The Autobots were at a disadvantage.
And for once, there was nothing Clark could do about it.
Above Earth's orbit, Megatron smirked with glee as he watched Soundwave lock the Space Bridge onto Cybertron.
His plan was nearing fruition. Soon, he would have his army, and nothing, not even the Kryptonian, would be able to stop him. He would have his army.
He would rule this planet.
And he'd make Optimus watch as his oh so precious home was taken over by the Decepticons.
By him.
The Kryptonian would hopefully not be an issue. After all, if Malita's plan was working, the Kryptonian would likely be occupied by the danger his loved ones were in.
He'd taught his daughter well.
Soundwave continued to type away commands at the computer, before finally, he turned towards Megatron, and nodded.
Megatron's smirk grew. "Finally… Soundwave, activate the Space Bridge." He ordered the silent Decepticon.
Soundwave nodded, before turning back towards the computer console and typing in commands.
Megatron watched the entire Space Bridge shift slightly, before a massive vortex, similar to a GroundBridge, opened up.
The green swirling vortex spun to life with aggressive vigor, determined to fulfill its master's wishes.
The green glow reflected across the glass of the Nemesis, and across Megatron's own silver helm as he stared at the Space Bridge before him.
However, his eyes caught something.
It was someone, flying around. A green earth jet.
No human craft would be able to leave it's planet's orbit, and there was only one flyer on Earth at the moment who had that color of paint.
Megatron snarled.
"Skyquake." He growled, glaring at the traitor who was currently flying around his Space Bridge.
He watched the former Combaticon leader fly towards the large swirling vortex, before he transformed and landed at the base of the Space Bridge.
"Lord Megatron, shall I send the armada?" Starscream asked, looking up towards his master, who growled.
"No." Megatron denied. "I will extinguish the traitors' spark personally." He proclaimed as he turned away from the control panel and began marching off, leaving his followers to watch him.
Below, out of the view of the Nemesis command deck, the Autobots drove out of their own GroundBridge, floating towards the Space Bridge.
"Autobots! Transform, and gravatize!" Optimus ordered, transforming into his robot mode with the others following suit. They floated towards the Space Bridge, gravity beams erupting from their feet as they got close enough to land on the Space Bridge.
Though most of the Autobots landed rather gracefully, Bulkhead once again struggled some.
"Don't look up, or down." Bulkhead reminded himself quietly. "Or left."
"Skyquake, are you in position?" Optimus asked through the comlink, raising a hand to activate it.
"Affirmative, Prime." Skyquake confirmed through the comlink. "I stand at the base of the Space Bridge at the moment. The Decepticons have seen me, but they haven't sent anyone out yet."
"Stay cautious. Megatron will not allow us to simply tamper with his Space Bridge." Optimus warned the aerial bot. "And considering your past allegiance, it is very possible that Megatron will wish to terminate you personally."
"His own pride and arrogance will compel him to do so." Skyquake agreed.
"Wait." Bulkhead spoke up, turning to look towards Optimus. "If Megatron is gonna face us directly, should it really be Skyquake going after him?"
"Skyquake is more than skilled enough to take on Megatron, Bulkhead." Optimus assured the wrecker. "Though I wouldn't normally ask any of you to take on my enemy, Skyquake is one of the few people I know who could take us either of us."
"It was me who Megatron tasked with eliminating Prime at the battle of Technor, and those orders had still stood until my change in factions." Skyquake informed the other Autobots.
"And I must admit that Skyquake came very close." Optimus admitted. "However, Megatron wasn't renowned in the pits of Kaon for his brute strength alone, Skyquake." He advised the flyer. "Though I have faith in your skills at holding him off, Megatron would not face someone of your caliber unless he knew he had a solid chance."
"I am aware, Optimus." Skyquake assured. "And though I hold no illusions about killing Megatron, I assure you that I can hold him off."
"Let us hope so, Skyquake. For your sake, as well as the Earth's." Optimus warned the aerial bot, before turning towards the others. "The rest of you, we will find the Energon Flow Regulator."
Though Malita had fulfilled her promise to Vince about the ride to the Talon… she was completely positive that he was getting nothing more.
How rude could one be?! Even for a Decepticon, she would never say such vulgar things to her lover lest he, or she, deserved it!
And that's not even mentioning that he didn't warn her!
"Oh… oh yeah… you got a good mouth, doll." Vince said as he attempted to zip his pants back with one hand while Malita wiped her mouth of the residue the reward she'd provided for the orange haired teen next to her.
Malita glared at Vince. "Don't you know it's rude not to warn a girl?" She snapped as she finished wiping her mouth. "You're lucky I didn't bite you."
Vince shrugged, as if he didn't even care. "What? You're probably used to it anyway."
Malita's eyes shot wide at his words, before they narrowed. "Are you- did you really just say that?" She asked in disbelief. She would not let that remark stand.
"Uh, yeah?" Vince replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you knew what you were doing. That comes with practice."
Malita's lips peeled back into a snarl. "What's that supposed to mean?" If his next remark led to what she was thinking it was going too…
"You're a whore." Vince scoffed. "Don't even try to deny it."
Malita's jaw actually dropped in shock. He said it! He actually said it!
She had the inkling that a lot of people didn't like this guy. If Kent didn't…
What do you know? They actually agreed on something.
"You really are an ass." Malita said, with a shake of her head. "You're not getting anything more than that." She snarled.
It was a good thing they were already close to the Talon, as she could see the sign for the building just ahead as Vince slammed on the brakes.
"Excuse me?!" Vince growled, snapping his gaze towards the teen in his passenger seat. Malita ignored him as she promptly opened the passenger side door, climbing out of the vehicle without a second thought, to Vince's anger. "Hey, get back here!" He yelled, quickly climbing out of his car and chasing after Malita.
"Get lost!" Malita snapped without turning back.
Vince moved to grab her arm and stop her in place. "Hey, you owe me some-"
Malita was at the end of her rope. She was already pissed at his rude attitude, and his arrogance, not to mention the insinuation that she was a whore. But the moment he grabbed her arm.
No one lays a hand on her.
It was a good thing no one was on the street.
Malita whipped around, jerking her arm from his grip as she grabbed the collar of his jacket and threw him down a nearby alley.
Vince let out a grunt as he hit the concrete ground within the alley, sliding along the ground. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have the common sense to leave well enough alone.
"Hey, you bit-URK!"
Vince was interrupted by Malita appearing right next to him, dragging him up off the ground by the neck. He let out a grunt of pain as she slammed him up against the wall, before he found himself looking into her eyes.
Her red glowing eyes.
"I'm sure other people are afraid of you, or will gladly give you what you want." She snarled, her eyes narrowed in rage as she glared at the teen in her grip. "I'm not one of them. I will kill you if you touch me again."
Any bravado Vince had was wiped away at the site of the inhuman eyes staring into his own. "W-What are you?"
Malita growled at him. "I am Malita. And I promise you, I can put you through more pain than anything you've ever felt." She threatened. "And you better believe I would, before I ever kill you, Vince."
Vince's eyes were wide with terror, before he began to nod vigorously. "Okay, okay!" He gave in. "I won't touch you again, I'll leave you alone!" He swore, raising his hand in surrender.
Malita scoffed at the site. "You talk a big game, but give in front of someone stronger than you. Pathetic." She threw Vince to the ground, towards the entrance of the alley, watching him scramble towards his feet. "Leave."
Vince didn't need to be told twice. He took of running out of the alley, quickly disappearing around the corner. It wasn't long before Malita heard the roar of his car's engine, and watched the flaming vehicle drive off.
"That was irritating." Malita mumbled to herself as she walked out of the alley, before turning towards her target.
The Talon.
The building resembled an old movie theater, the building's name running along a large black structure upright.
At least she knew where she was looking.
The familiar sound of a jet echoed through the area as Skyquake stood at the base of the Space Bridge, looking around for the source.
His blue optics narrowed when he spotted the familiar vehicle form of his old leader.
The gunmetal silver of Megatron's paint had a green hue from where the Space Bridge's glow shone off of it, as he transformed and landed harshly upon the base of the structure, a fair distance away from the aerial bot.
"Skyquake." Megatron growled as he stood to his feet, his optics glowing purple in contrast to their usual red color as he glared at the former Combaticon leader. "Oh, how far you have fallen. You were once my most loyal follower."
"And you were once a noble Decepticon." Skyquake retorted, glaring down his former master. "Now, you are nothing more than a monster."
"How Optimus got to you so quickly." Megatron remarked, his eyes glinting in amusement. "I was under the impression that your orders were to kill him."
"That was eons ago." Skyquake replied. "However, I now know that I was lied to. Prime has always fought for freedom… but you… once, you might have fought for that as well." The aerial bot conceded, before his eyes narrowed. "But now, you are now better than the ones who kept us enslaved in Kaon."
Megatron's eyes narrowed. "Nonetheless, you are a traitor to the Decepticon cause. And traitors will be terminated." The Decepticon Leader ejected his blade from beneath his fusion cannon as he spoke.
Skyquake gave a glance towards the blade, before his eyes narrowed. Reaching behind his back he pulled out a long blade, the handle a green and gold to match his own paint. "You know as well as I do, Megatron, that terminating me will not be an easy feat."
"Oh, I know, Skyquake." Megatron said with a smirk. "But I have something that will help me in this battle."
As if on cue, Megatron's optics, as well as his Decepticon insignia, glowed a bright purple, emanating a menacing hue, providing a foreboding feeling deep inside Skyquake.
Skyquake stared at his former master. "So it's true. You have infused your spark with Dark Energon." He muttered, before his eyes narrowed. "Know this, Megatron. Though I hold no illusions about facing your army, perhaps the removal of your head shall pause it."
Megatron let out a menacing laugh that echoed through the air at Skyquake's words. "DO you truly believe you can defeat me, Skyquake?" He asked with a smirk.
SKyquake's face didn't change. "We both know the answer to that."
Megatron's smirk faded at the words, and lighting crashed in the background from the Space Bridge vortex as the two glared at each other.
And then Megatron let out a battle cry as he charged towards the former Decepticon.
To which Skyquake returned with one of his own.
And then the two clashed.
Lana Lang had the most vibrant colored hair that Malita had ever seen.
That was the first thing she noticed.
The second thing she noticed was that she was not alone.
The woman, who wore a shirt with a name tag spelling 'Lana' was sitting at the store's counter, talking to a couple of people.
If Malita had to guess, business was slow, as the store was completely empty at the moment aside from Lana and her visitors.
The first was a large black man with a buzz cut. He had a friendly smile on his face as he leaned over the counter top, laughing at something Lana had just said. He wore a pair of brown carpenter pants and some black work boots, along with a red shirt.
Next to him was a woman, pale skinned in appearance, with long blonde hair. She wore a red jacket over a blue shirt, and she had a purple skirt and a pair of brown high-heeled boots.
However, what caught Malita's attention the most, however, was the bump in her belly.
She was pregnant.
"...so," Malita heard Lana explaining something to the couple. "Jace is running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and me and Ben are just laughing our heads off." She said with a smile, in relation to an event that Malita had no clue about. "And the entire time, he doesn't think 'Hey, my glasses might be on my face! I did sleep in them!'"
The couple laughed as Lana finished her story, and Malita found her lips twitching at the idea of some idiot not realizing he was wearing his own glasses.
"Jesus, Lana," The man said with a chuckle. "Ben's gonna have that cousin of yours forgetting he even has glasses if you give him long enough." He remarked with a shake of his head.
"Yeah." The woman agreed with the man, whom Malita assumed was her husband. "Maybe Nell should keep her hubby away from her son in the mornings." She commented with a playful smile.
Lana rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face was a clear indicator that she wasn't offended. "Chloe, Pete, I think we both know that Ben isn't the worst influence on Jace." She remarked with a knowing smile. "I mean, do we not what hear what comes out of Clark's mouth, even in front of his own daughter?"
Oh? Malita's eyes widened when she heard that, and she hid behind a column of wall, out of the three's sight as she listened.
If it was Kent they were talking about, then Malita needed to hear this.
A deep laugh could be heard from the man, Pete, at Lana's words. "I think we should just accept that Clark is a whole 'nother breed." He commented. "I think Amy gave up on getting him to watch his language when Krystal turned three."
Malita peeked around the corner to watch the three, catching Chloe rolling her eyes, as if she were recalling a memory. "It's not like there's much she could've done anyway. I mean, Kryssie was around Clark more during those first three years after she was born, while Amy was in College and Med School."
Pete let out a snicker at that. "That's true. Maybe those first two years, it wasn't Clark's mouth they had to worry about. Mr. Kent had one hell of a mouth."
"Heart of gold and the mouth of a sailor." Lana laughed.
The more they spoke of Kent, the more Malita found herself feeling…
Jealous.
This man has this much ungodly power, and yet, he doesn't have anyone coming after him? Anyone trying to hurt him, take advantage of him? He has a loving family! A woman and a daughter who cared for him!
All she ever got was pain and suffering from her father, and the loss of her mother!
Well… now was the perfect time for Kent to know just what it was like. When his loved ones were put in danger.
Standing up straight, Malita walked around the corner of the wall, making her presence known to the three.
"Hi!" She said, entering the bubbly girl persona, if only for a moment. "Is there a Lana Lang here?" She asked, as if she hadn't been listening the entire time.
Lana perked up as the three turned to look towards her. "Um, yeah." She nodded, giving a smile to the teen. "Do I know you?"
Malita shook her head. "Nope!" She replied, never leaving her face. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the guy my cousin always talks about. The guy out on the street said you might know him?"
"Oh?" Lana asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's your cousin?"
"Talida Prime."
The three's eyes all widened in surprise, not at all expecting that answer.
"Talida's your cousin?" Lana asked in surprise, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "Well, it's nice to finally meet one of the elusive Prime family."
Malita smiled, shaking the woman's hand in return. "It's nice to meet you too."
"So, who's this man Tally keeps talking about?" Pete asked, turning to look at Malita. "Jack?"
"Jack?" Malita asked in confusion, not at all recognizing the name. "No, the man she keeps talking about… Clark, I think?" She acted as if she had no clue who Kent was, as if she'd never met him. "She said it was her old babysitter."
"Yeah, that's Clark." Pete nodded with a chuckle. "Everybody around here knows him. Matter of fact, we went to school with him."
"He's our best friend." Chloe agreed with a nod, before she rolled her eyes. "Even if he was a pain in high school."
"Oh?" Malita asked, tilting her head to go along with the persona. "Was he a bad person in school?"
"No." Lana shook her head. "Clark, a bad person? You'd be hard pressed to find anyone with a better heart than him."
The burn on her shoulder indicated otherwise.
"But he always had a bad temper." Lana explained to the techno-organic.
"And that's not even talking about the man's swing." Pete added with a whistle. "Oh boy, if you were on the wrong side of him, you'd be lucky if you didn't have a fucking concussion." He chuckled, his eyes wandering over towards Lana. "You remember when he found out Whitney was two-timing you and Amy?"
Lana nodded, smiling slightly at the memory. "No warning, no build-up, no hesitation. He just walked into school." She giggled at the memory.
"It was 'Hey Clar-WHAM!' and Whitney was on the ground. I remember you going nuts over him until Clark told you why he did it." Chloe recalled with a chuckle. "Hey, didn't we celebrate suspension?"
"That one… among about five others." Lana said with a nod, glancing towards Pete. "Remember Reggie?"
Pete rolled his eyes as a scoff escaped his lips. "Course I do. The fat bastard couldn't leave well enough alone, and the one time he popped with the word that shall not be named, what happened?"
"You busted his nose before Clark put him out, didn't you?" Chloe recalled with a smile.
Pete nodded. "Blood, all over me. Me, Clark, and Buford were suspended."
Chloe nodded, smiling affectionately. "My big man." She said, leaning over and kissing Pete.
Lana rolled her eyes. "Get a room, you two, this is my cafe." She remarked mirthfully, before she looked back at Malita. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you looking for Clark?"
"I want to meet the man my little cousin talks so much about!" Malita lied, a deceivingly happy smile on her face. "She thinks the world of him, and I'd love to see what the man himself is like."
Pete nodded in understanding. "I get that." He said with a smile, before turning to look at Lana and Chloe. "Either of you know where he might be? It's Saturday, so we're off today."
Chloe and Lana both shook their heads in regards to Pete's question. "He's supposed to come by the Talon some time at five, from where we're having that piping issue in the sink. But I don't know if he'll be able to make it." She admitted with a sigh. "He hasn't been able to make much outside of work."
Pete let out a sigh, before he pulled out his cellphone. "I'll see if I can call him."
The three watched in anticipation as Pete dialed Clark's number, before bringing it up to his ear.
After about thirty seconds though, Pete took the phone away from his ear with a sigh. "Nothing." he said, turning to look at Malita. "Sorry kid."
Malita smirked. She had all the info she needed anyway, and she knew exactly how to keep Kent out of her father's helm.
"No. I'm sorry."
Malita's hand shot out, glowing green as it was charged with Telekinetic energy as it slammed into Pete's chest.
Pete's eyes widened only for a second as the fist flew towards him, before he was sent flying across the room, hitting the wall hard with a painful grunt, before collapsing in a heap, unconscious.
"PETE!" Chloe yelled in horror, moving on instinct towards her unconscious husband, only for Malita's hand to shoot out and stop her, her hand bathed in a green glowing flame.
"Ah, ah, ah… You might want to stay where you are." Malita said with an evil smirk. "Otherwise, you might end up with… problems." Malita made sure the woman noticed her eyes glancing down towards her swollen stomach.
Chloe gasped and she wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach. "You wouldn't…"
Malita's eyes had an evil glint to them. "Try me."
"What do you want?" Lana asked, fear filling her voice as she eyes Pete's unconscious form.
Malita's grin darkened. "Payback."
"Ratchet, we have arrived at the Energon Flow Regulator." Optimus informed the medic over the comlink. "Skyquake is currently occupying Megatron." He explained as he stood guard, along with Bulkhead and Bumblebee, in case Megatron grew wise or sent Vehicons to stop them.
"Well, this shouldn't take long." Ratchet remarked. "Arcee, are you in position?"
"Affirmative, Ratchet." Arcee said with a nod.
"Good." Ratchet responded. "Follow the line from the flow regulator to the Energon Pump. There should be a valve."
"I see it." Arcee nodded as she pressed a button, causing the valve to eject out of it's compressed form, the handles flipping out in the process.
"Good. To turn all that power against itself, all you need to do is reverse the current."
Even though Ratchet couldn't see it, Arcee nodded out of habit as she gripped the handles of the valve. It took some effort, but she managed to twist it, spinning it completely opposite of it's original position.
"Current reversed." Arcee informed over the comlink.
"Good." Ratchet said over the comlink. "Now, you need to get out of there! The Energon is going to be fighting itself already! You don't have long before the Space Bridge explodes."
"Understood." Optimus said with a nod, turning to the others. "Autobots, fall back!"
"Skyquake, our mission is complete! Fall back!"
Optimus' warning was followed by a fist to Skyquake's face.
Megatron and Skyquake had already forgotten their swords. It had quickly devolved into a fight of fists, trading blows with each other.
For every hit Skyquake would land, Megatron would follow up with three of his own. It was his sheer bulk and strength that gave him an advantage against the strongest of bots and cons.
Though he and Dreadwing were twins, Dreadwing was always the sneaky one. And there was a size difference between the two. Whereas Dreadwing was as tall as Optimus, a little shorter than Megatron, Skyquake was taller than Megatron.
If it weren't for the fact that he could take so much damage, Skyquake would more than likely end up as dead as anyone else who'd faced either Cybertronian leader.
Megatron came at him with a hard left hand, slamming hard into Skyquake's face and staggering him back.
The Decepticon leader immediately followed it up with a powerful uppercut that sent him back even farther.
"I was not only renowned in the pits of Kaon for my strength, Skyquake." Megatron reminded as he punched the former Combaticon leader in the stomach. "But for my cunning!"
"That may be true, Megatron." Skyquake admitted as he caught the Decepticon leader's fist in his own grip, standing to his full height as he glared at his former master. "But Optimus was believed to be your only equal, and yet, you sought me to end him."
Megatron's eyes narrowed, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "An underestimation of my enemy."
"No." Skyquake shook his head as he pulled his own fist back. "An overestimation of yourself."
With all the power he could muster, Skyquake let out a roar of anger as he slammed his fist directly into the Decepticon warlord's face, sending him flying away from the Space Bridge.
"Skyquake, NOW!" Optimus' voice rang through the comlink, and spurred Skyquake into action.
Jumping into the air, Skyquake transformed into his vehicle mode, blasting off and away from the Space Bridge, towards the others' position, and the Ground Bridge.
Megatron righted himself, turning to look in the direction he was thrown from. His sight just barely caught Skyquake entering a Ground Bridge portal, before the Ground Bridge closed.
The Decepticon Leader growled in annoyance. "NO!"
His frustration only grew, as he spotted something happening with his Space Bridge.
It was exploding.
A chain reaction was kicking off through the entire thing, and he could see the Space Bridge was beginning to fall apart.
Once it exploded…
WIth a growl of annoyance, Megatron transformed into his jet mode and flew away, taking off in the direction of the Nemesis.
"Father." The voice of Malita came through her comlink. "How goes the progress with your army?"
"We delayed too long." Megatron said with a growl. "The Autobots were able to discover the only flaw with it's construction because we gave them the chance." He snarled with a growl. "I will scrap Starscream for this failure."
"Perhaps, father, we may be able to make today somewhat useful." Malita remarked to her father. "I'm waiting on the Nemesis."
"You have returned from your investigation?" Megatron questioned his daughter.
"With prisoners."
Before Megatron could even question what she meant, she could hear the sounds of whimpering and crying from the background, along with the sound of a male's voice attempting to comfort the others.
"Quiet!" Malita snapped at those in the background, before she addressed her father once more. "I have the best friends of Clark Kent."
If Megatron had been in robot mode, his eyes would've widened, and then he would've smirked.
"Send a message to the Autobots." Megatron ordered, a plan forming in his mind as he flew back to the Nemesis.
"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." Bulkhead admitted as the rest of the GroundBridge closed behind the Autobots.
"I take it you were successful?" Ratchet asked, turning to look at Optimus.
The Autobot leader nodded. "Arcee managed to reverse the current, and our sensors are no longer detecting the Space Bridge in orbit." He declared, glancing towards their computers.
"Oh, thank god." Clark said with a sigh of relief, allowing himself to fall back onto the couch in the human area.
"Yay!" Krystal said, jumping and wrapping her arms around her mother's waist in excitement. "We did it!"
Amy let out a laugh as she hugged her daughter. "That we did, Krys!"
Talida jumped up and down, practically screaming with joy as she latched her arms around Jack's neck, hugging him tightly with joy. "Yes, yes, yes!"
"Okay, loosen the grip, killer." Jack said with a laugh, though he gladly hugged Talida back.
"Sweet!" Miko exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air.
"Great job, Bee!" Raf congratulated the Autobot Scout.
"I believe we should celebrate the occasion." Skyquake remarked, smiling at the joy within the base, glancing towards Optimus. "If it is alright with you."
"We have averted a crisis that would have spelled the end of humanity, and us." Optimus said, smiling at Skyquake. "Though I'm not one for these types of celebrations, I am not going to deny any of you the chance to-"
"Optimus…" Ratchet's voice interrupted his leader's words, and the uncertain tone in his voice had everyone's attention. "I'm receiving a comlink request."
"From who?" Bulkhead couldn't help but ask. "Wheeljack?"
"No." Ratchet shook his head, before slowly turning to look at Optimus. "From Megatron."
The base went deathly silent at the medic's words.
"King Con himself?" Arcee asked in disbelief.
"W-What would Megatron want to get ahold of us for?" Jack asked in slight fear. "There's nothing good coming from it… right?"
"No." Talida answered with a shake of her head. "Nothing good at all."
"I say we ignore it! He has nothing we want and we just destroyed his Space Bridge!" Bulkhead couldn't help but remark, turning to look at Optimus. "Why would he be calling us?"
"I fear that we will not like the answer, Bulkhead." Optimus answered. "Ratchet, patch us through."
With a nod, Ratchet did as ordered, patching them through to the Decepticon Leader.
After a few seconds, they heard the bone chilling fill the air.
"Ah… so you humored me, did you, Optimus?" Megatron's voice came through.
Most of the Autobots glared at the control panel, where Megatron's voice came from.
"Why have you contacted us, Megatron?" Optimus asked, eyes narrowed as he questioned the Decepticon leader.
"Straight to the point? Very well." Megatron muttered. "I wish to speak to Clark Kent."
If Clark wasn't tense before, he was now, shooting straight up off the couch the moment his name left the Decepticon Leader's mouth, as everyone turned to look at him.
"What makes you-"
"Spare me the bluff, Optimus." Megatron interrupted, knowing exactly what Optimus was going to attempt. "I know he is there. He is probably listening at this very moment." Megatron paused for a moment. "Aren't you, Clark?"
Clark's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Optimus.
Optimus shared a look with Clark, before turning back towards the screen.
"And why should we grant your request?"
There was a moment of silence, a feeling of tension rushing through the base. The atmosphere felt so thick, it was almost impossible to breath.
But when the comlink activated once more, it wasn't Megatron who was speaking.
"Dear god, what do you want with us?!"
"NO! LEAVE US ALONE!"
"CLARK!"
While the voices were foreign to most of them, Clark recognized every single voice he'd just heard.
Amy found her gaze wandering over to Clark, who was staring in wide-eyed horror at the console as he realized exactly what was going on.
It felt as if a pit had opened in his stomach, only filled with all the most negative emotions he had. Fear, terror, rage, all at once they slammed into him, and he found himself frozen, trying to process what had happened.
"Recognize them, Clark?" Megatron asked, using Clark's first name in an attempt to get to him. "Because they recognize you."
Clark grit his teeth, and in less than a second, he had moved from his spot in the human area, to the top of the console.
"What do you want?"
"Ah… so that's you." Megatron said with a voice of amusement. "Nice to hear the voice of the man who scarred my daughter even more."
"She's lucky she didn't get worse." Clark growled. "And she'll be lucky if I don't get my hands on her after-"
"Malita knows that revenge is true strength." Megatron interrupted Clark. "And what better revenge against a man she can't hurt… than to hurt his loved ones?"
"If you hurt them, I swear to god-"
"You are in no position to make threats, Kryptonian." Megatron interrupted Clark once more. "I hold the control here, not you."
Clark let out a growl, but he said nothing else. After all…
Megatron was right. Clark wasn't in a position to demand anything.
"Not so violent now, are we?" Megatron taunted.
"Screw you." Clark growled, glaring at the computer console in place of Megatron.
The Decepticon Leader ignored Clark's remark as he spoke. "You will meet Malita at these coordinates, alone, or Soundwave will terminate these fleshlings you call friends."
Clark's teeth would've shattered if he'd gritted them any tighter, and his fingernails were digging into his palm as he stared at the coordinates.
"Fine, Megatron. I'll play your game." Clark conceded, to everyone's shock. "But know this… if I find out that a single hair has been harmed on any of them, especially Chloe, I swear…"
"You'll what, Kryptonian?"
Clark's lips pulled back into a snarl as his nose scrunched. "I will tear that ship of yours apart, piece by piece, and I will start with that bitch you call a daughter."
There was silence on the other end, before Megatron spoke once more.
"Good luck… Clark."
And then the communication was cut.
A/N: So, I know I might be annoying some of you with these author's notes, but I leave them for a few reasons. As much as I love writing this, I really like hearing your opinions and reading your reviews. It's encouraging to see that people enjoy this story. Sure, others will ask for favorites and follows, and yes, that is nice, but it's the reviews that really encourage me. They drive me, and so anyone who reads any chapter of this fic is encouraged to review.