Author's Notes: Better late then never! We are here on the edge of battle, Soundwave and the gang have every move covered, ready to end Arachnid's insanity for good... but as fate tends to do, the unexpected happens. A new player enters the scene, and all their careful planning could fall to pieces before this old foe.
As always, please follow, and comment to tell me what you think! Thank you all for reading!
Location: Upper plains outside of Slaughter City
Grimlock
Soundwave sure was takin' his sweet ol' time snuffing out one bug. While the Cons and Bee's team took down the big pest herself, Grimlock and his gang were here to pick off the bug's reinforcements. But the night was passing them by with no battle. There were no sounds of fighting or Insecticon screeching in any direction. Nothing came sniffing them out, so Grimlock broke orders and went around looking for a fight. Even that turned out to be only a little entertaining. They had already rounded up all the infected they could find and tied them in a growing pile. Now Grimlock was bored, and so were his men. And when Dinobots got bored, things tended to break.
Swoop was laid out, bend backward over a beam. He was either dead or in recharge from lack of things to do. Sludge was occupying himself by trying to stack the unconscious infected bots in a sort of tower. They usually toppled after seven or eight bots, but Sludge would only frown and start over. Grimlock had send Slag and Snarl off to round up more infected to kill time.
Since this whole scrap pile of a virus started, this was the first time they had to go out and find infected. Usually, the poor fraggers were everywhere. Grimlock was not the type to waste time observing, but even he thought that was suspicious. The infected Insecticons could smell Energon from a decent distance. If they weren't swarming, it was because they got ordered not to.
'We only found a few infected bots in the city boss.' Snarl's voice reported over their com.
To which Slag added, 'And we sliced through them like beryllium baloney!'
Grimlock's whole mood soured in an instant. "It's cesium salami. We've been over this. I'm not letting you drag me into this damn debate again Slag."
"Ha!" Swoop laughed without moving from his maintained awkward pose.
Grimlock growled. And with that stupid conversation, he decided they had all waited long enough. "All right boys. Come on back. We're gonna bust Arachnid's helm ourselves. Looks like Chief Creepy can't do anything without us…"
A sharp pang in his commlink system interrupted the thought and made him wince. He pressed a scuffed digit to his helm. "Slag, Snarl, you hear me?"
Only static answered.
Swoop shot up from his bent over position and Sludge knocked over his own tower with a jolt. They both looked at Grimlock, confused.
"My auditories are hurtin' boss." Sludge complained.
"Coms are dead." Swoop realized. "Probably not a good sign."
"Probably not." Grimlock agreed, shoving his sword into the ground to use as leverage to hoist himself up. "Let's move out. Silence means trouble. Let's see which Con messed things up."
"Um, what about Snarl 'n Slag?" Sludge wondered.
"They'll figure out there's a problem and catch up." Grimlock faced the crumbling Con city, then froze. His senses burned. Something big was coming. The once silent hills in the distance buzzed.
"Ominous." Swoop snickered.
Grimlock rose an optic ridge as the ground shook from the growing uproar. "We may have found where the bugs were hidin' this whole time."
Beating wings and primal screeching rose from the hills. A dark cloud made of hundreds of Insecticons. Grimlock felt the dark smile pull his lip plates over his fangs. Finally, something to do.
"I've got the two hundred on the left." Swoop said eagerly. "Snarl and Slag'll be mad they gonna miss it all."
"Sad day for them." Grimlock snickered. "When they see the swarm, they'll know to move their afts."
More bugs crashed up from holes in the ground. Mandibles clicked and screeched with hunger. Appendages twitched and contorted from the dark substance that twisted them from the inside.
"This'll be enough bugs to make both beryllium baloney and cesium salami!" Sludge announced, cheerful as he transformed and stretched his long neck up to the darkening sky.
'Optics up, boys!" Grimlock snarled. He unleashed the building fire in his body so he could transform. He roared through the pain, coming out of the change with a laugh. "For the sake of my sanity, I hope the Cons never stop causin' trouble! Can you imagine us in peace time?"
"I guess we can fight each other if we get desperate enough." Swoop encouraged, vanishing into his winged form to take to the night sky. "Or maybe we can pick a fight with them Predacons. They seem like a riot!"
Sludge bounded forward on four stumpy peds, ready to snatch at the lowest hanging Insecticons. Grimlock squared up, ready to unleash the fire boredom had threatened to extinguish. The Insecticon swarm was near deafening as it came upon them. Putrid purple droplets rained down onto their chassises… Then the swarm zoomed by Grimlock and the others as if the three were not there.
"Rude!" Swoop snapped and tried to slash at a few making up the end of the formation. They ignored him, not fighting, and absorbing the damage so they could continue with the others.
Sludge lumbered after the swarm in a pitiful chase. He snapped up at the Insecticon's dangling legs. "Wait! I only wanna bite ya!"
Grimlock's fire sizzled anticlimactically as he watched them buzz off. They weren't even headed to back up their so-called queen bug in the Pits of Kaon. They seemed to be… leaving. What where they up to?
"Grimlock!"
He looked upwards when the voice of the familiar fiery Vehicon rang out. Sharpshot landed out of their transformation. The rest of their squad-maintained formation above them. "Good thing I found you. Our Coms are dead. Some sort of interference pulse came through. It knocked everyone off the chatter frequency. I can't communicate with Lord Soundwave or any of the other squads at all. How are yours?"
Grimlock spit some excess ignition oils into the dirt. "Eh, ours is done too. Mine as well yell to the others as much damn good as the Coms'll do us."
"Why'd the bugs leave?" Sludge whined after he came trudging back, having caught not a single Insecticon.
"They're heading northeast." Grimlock managed a shrug despite lacking shoulders in his larger form. "Whatever is there is apparently more impressive than we are."
Sharpshot staired off in the general direction the Insecticons had traveled. Grimlock could tell they were pondering something behind that unreadable visor. "It's a straight line to the Autobot city Iacon."
"Ya think?" Swoop asked.
"I know." They confirmed. "The dead Coms, and now the swarm headed for the Autobot Capital… they planned this." Ever the clever bot, even if just a trooper. Grimlock assumed the Cons must have broken the mold when cloning this one.
"The bugs had a way to cut off our coms?" Swoop asked, not convinced at all.
"Doubtful." Sharpshot said. "It's whoever is working with Arachnid. They must have a decent team working to maintain the forced radio silence. But that doesn't matter right now. If we can't warn Lord Soundwave or the others, we need to stop whatever they are trying to do. But with no Coms, we can't request a Bridge to cut them off." They looked between the swarm, vanishing on the horizon, and then at Grimlock and the others. "We'll have to fly."
Sludge looked at his own stumpy legs sadly. "But, I don't got no wings." He complained.
Swoop only laughed; his teammate's gripe ignored. "Like old times, right Grim?"
Grimlock rolled his optics. "Yeah, nothin' like dangling from your skinny peds a few hundred kliks in the air." But he didn't protest as Swoop came around to snatch him from the ground. As they rose, Grimlock saw Sharpshot laugh at the sight. "Laugh it up Con! Better hope Swoop don't drop me on ya!" he said, though couldn't help but smile too.
Once done snickering, Sharpshot yelled up to their unit, "Go get the others back in the city! We're cutting the swarm off!" Half broke away and headed towards the crumbling buildings to retrieve Snarl and Slag. "No worries, I'll catch ya if you fall." Sharpshot promised after catching up in their arial form.
The Cons that remained came down and clamped onto Sludge, lifting him up to follow suit. Sludge's mouth hung open in a lopsided smile, his four peds running fast through the open air. "Look boss! I got me some wings!"
Location: The Pits of Kaon
Soundwave
Arachnid's chosen stage was dramatic indeed. She picked the Gladiatorial arena that created the mighty Megatronus. She had been correct in that regard. This was the birthplace of the Decepticon movement.
The dark dilapidated catacombs brought back memories. They were violent and Energon soaked, but Soundwave couldn't help but reminisce of his time spent in this place. Alongside Megatron… before the war, before the cause had a name. Before Megatron was Megatron.
It wasn't exactly how Soundwave remembered it. The once buried structure had undergone recent 'renovation.' Arachnid's tunneling activity appeared to have been to expose the pits to the sky above. Now there was a jagged view of the dark sky from the arena's center. Whatever purpose such an addition served he couldn't guess. Soundwave hoped to alleviate Arachnid of her Spark before he found out.
As his team marched forward, hugging the shadows, he saw another addition to the once familiar location. The statue of the undefeated gladiator Megatronus. The statue who stood sentinel at the entrance, had been decapitated. The statue's helm was gone, only Primus knew where, the chassis defiled with web and dried dark Energon.
It appeared Arachnid had a point to make. Soundwave doused his inner vitriol at the sight and motioned his soldiers forward. Arachnid's corrupted life signal was his goal. It was unmoving, waiting for them.
He delayed their advance in the shadows of the entrance hall to check on their other units. He needed to get a larger picture of their perspective battlefield.
In the strategic silence, the most talkative Autobot couldn't help but run his mouth plates. "So, this is the place that started it all, hu?" Smokescreen wondered to himself. He studied the decapitated statue of Megatronus thoughtfully, as if he were with a tour group, critiquing the local art. "Makes you wonder why the big guy didn't stay here. Seems like he was in his element."
Thunderblast beat every other Decepticon's retort to the ignorant comment with a biting response. "Because he was sick of fighting to the death just to have the basic right to have a name. But hey, you're right. He should have stayed in the mines and never saw the sun again, until a rogue cave in took him out. Clobber should have kept getting beat by crooked cops for not working hard enough. While we're at it, your old Prime Optimus should have sat locked behind his desk in Iacon. All while that corrupt, sad excuse for a Prime Sentinel pranced right along with everything the Senate said! Count yourself lucky Primus forged you so high and mighty-"
"You've made your point." Soundwave said.
Thunderblast clicked her jaw hinge shut. She rolled her optics at Smokescreen, crossing her servos and glaring at a wall.
The deflated Smokescreen went a few beats in awkward silence. Soundwave assumed he was concocting a retort to throw back at her. What he didn't expect was what the Elite Guard rookie responded with. "Sorry." He mumbled with slumped shoulders.
Thunderblast was in a similar state of surprise. She glanced his way, unsure how to respond to the Autobot's regretful admission. She looked ready for him to bite back at her with some elitist Autobot rhetoric. Then finally, she vented. "Don't worry about it…and thanks."
Clobber looked between them, then indulged in a big goofy smile. "Good work guys."
The reports finally came in to break up the awkward tension.
'There is still no aerial movement, my Lord.' Blitzwing reported. 'All is quiet…a vittle to quiet. Should ve be concerned about that?'
The short answer was yes, but Soundwave didn't sow that seed of uncertainty in his troops.
"Grimlock says there's nothing to report above ground." Bumblebee said in a whisper.
"And apparently they're getting bored." Wheeljack added, not as quiet as his teammate. "The Dino's will come gunning for you Con's if we don't give them something to do."
Soundwave would have been more irritated with the complaints in any other scenario. But his own scans revealed no Insecticon activity either. Even hidden, the lack of anything attacking them was disconcerting.
Arachnid would be able to smell their Energon. She was planning something, as always. But how much of her usual scheming self was still intact through her condition? There was no way for him to know until he laid optics on her. That moment was fast approaching.
He commanded his forces to split, covering every entrance into the arena. The Autobot Arcee was leading her own pack a few paces behind him. He was sure they were communicating on their own com frequencies. Then he was sure of it when he caught her sneer at Bumblebee. They were probably telling her to fall back. She gave Soundwave a hopeful glance. He only nodded again, assuring her their prearranged promise was still in place.
The usually dark, artificially lit Pits were now exposed to the night sky above. Such a place felt wrong to see natural light, even if it was the cloud choked night.
He halted before they crossed the opening into the arena. The others did the same. They had found her.
She was seated up in the stands by herself. Sucking clean a disembodied servo and perched on Megatronus's statue helm. Despite their maintained cover, Arachnid paused, sniffing the air. She smiled wide. She knew they were there. "Well, well, well, here at last! Soundwave, mighty leader of the Decepticon army. I would say it is good to see you, but that would be a lie. Though I am excited you decided to fight this out. It would have been easy to agree to my deal. But where is the fun in that?" She tossed the servo she had drained of Energon over her shoulder and stood.
"What, no hello? Come on, Soundwave, I hear you're all about talking now adays. Am I not important enough to use the dusty voice box on? I took over Megatron's precious Slaughter City. I have Cybertron under my peds. I arranged this meeting in the Pits of Kaon for Primus sake! I'm really trying here…" Her blustering ended, and she stared with a sudden gasping intake. "Arcee! My dear Arcee, you're here too, aren't you? I'm so flattered, did you change sides to the Decepticons to have a chance to see me again?"
Soundwave caught Arcee smoldering behind him. Her steely blue optics were trying to pierce through Arachnid's helm before the snipers did.
"Don't take the bait." Bumblebee whispered. "She wants you to react."
Arachnid broke her longing, hungry gaze away from their entrance when the Scout spoke. All at once her whole playful aura fell. "Oh no… You haven't changed anything. Soundwave just drug the Autobots along." She tisked her glossia as she sat back down on the statue's decapitated helm. "Aligning yourself with the Bots… how the mighty have fallen. You, Soundwave, of all Cons, are going to join with their cause? Seemed like a thing Starscream would have done. And here I hoped the rumors were untrue."
Already outed, Soundwave stepped out into the dim light of the arena. The Autobots followed, but his army remained hidden. Many were taking up position, readying to take her out from afar. He only had to stall until that time came. "Is there a point to all this?" Soundwave finally indulged her by asking. "Your swarm is scattered, making this a rather ineffective trap. What do you plan to gain from this meeting?"
Her grin only grew more demented. She stepped along the seats, closing the distance in a slow and dramatic fashion. As she drew closer, Soundwave saw her condition. The virus had ravaged her chassis, and he could only assume her mind was in a similar state. Her once vibrant purple optics flickered black. Her usual smooth and deadly movements were now disjointed. Her focus flitted about. She was unable to settle on one target for too long, or she was seeing targets that were not there. He also caught her wipe a dribble of purple from her lip plates with the back of her servo. She either couldn't keep the leaking in check, or she was barely holding herself back from lunging for the main Energon artery in Soundwave's throat.
Her ability to hold her thirst in relative check had been a great strain on her mental faculties. She was grasping on to the loosest thread of sanity.
"If you would indulge me." Arachnid said and couldn't keep the hunger from her tone. "I would love a rematch, just for my own peace of mind. You can even use that little birdy you love to flaunt to give yourself an edge in fights. I assumed you would appreciate the venue I chose for our little spar. You and Megatron loved knocking fists in this arena I hear tell."
"This place could be a living nightmare." Soundwave said, cold as ever so not to give her any emotional satisfaction. "It was an honorless hell in it's prime. Where slaves fought and died to gain the smallest glimpse of self-identity. Yet somehow, you being here has manage to defile it's already wretched soil."
Arachnid bellowed a laugh. "Who knew you had a sense of humor! I knew this little playdate would be worth it one way or another."
'Her current location isn't ideal for a clean shot.' Demolisher reported over the Com.
Soundwave activated his blaster and fired. Arachnid jumped out of range, making him miss his intended mark, which had been her Spark. She wasn't unscathed though. His blast clipped her shoulder, making a bloom of slow oozing purple seep from the wound. Much like the other infected, pain seemed little concern to her. She didn't even loose her smile, but she did retreat a few seats backwards. That was hopefully a better position for his snipers.
"You wanted to know my end game, right? If you don't want to play fair, I guess I can share. I'm still looking for a Spacebridge to take me to Earth, since you so rudely won't let me partake in yours!" despite her grin, she had flashed to rage. The contradicting emotional fight taking place on her faceplates was alarming to witness. "So, I've had to improvise and look for someone else who WILL help me. And wouldn't you know it? On my most recent tunneling into the Iacon prisons you and Predaking left in your wake, I found a few treasures."
From one of the side entrances by Arachnid, there was movement from the shadows. The lumbering form of an infected Insecticon came into the open. They were dragging a second cowering form with them.
The sight of the other bot made Bumblebee gasp an intake. "Decimus?!"
Soundwave was sure Arachnid saw the disgust on his faceplates form in real time, even when he tried to suppress it. Really? First, Decimus survived an army of vicious Predacons. Then he managed to live through Energon thirsty Insecticons? Decimus couldn't have made himself useful for once and just gotten eaten?
The trembling ex-Senator was worse for wear, but by some twisted miracle they hadn't bitten him, yet.
The old bot beheld the Autobots across the arena with a pitiful air of renewed hope. "T-Team Prime! Praise Primus, I'm saved." He said. It was as if he completely forgotten he intended to have Team Prime snuffed out if they no longer suited his plans.
"She hasn't bitten him yet." Bumblebee mumbled, though didn't sound as disgusted by that fact as Soundwave felt. "Why do you need him, Arachnid!" Bumblebee demanded.
"I like to think he may come in handy as a bargaining chip." Arachnid said with a smile. He has info my new friends may want after our arrangement is over. Oh, and with very little threatening required, he told me where to find this in the Iacon vaults."
She yanked something free from behind the helm of Megatronus and displayed it to the sky like a new trophy. Soundwave didn't recognize the strange artifact right away. It was some sort of energy container... a battery? It was as big as Arachnid was, with swirling purple energy contained in its center. He couldn't guess what it was or why she would want it. What Soundwave did know was the horror stricken Autobots as they laid optics on what Arachnid was sporting.
"Explain." Soundwave whispered to Bumblebee, the latter of whom could not take his shocked gaze from the item. "Is it an Autobot weapon?"
"No." Bumblebee all but whimpered. "Worse. That's the vessel Optimus sacrificed himself to imprison Unicron's Anti Spark in."
Soundwave stared at the yellow bot. He was waiting for some other explanation that wasn't ludicrous. But none of the Autobots cracked. This wasn't a misplaced joke.
Memory of what Megatron had explained to him while they spoke on Pluto returned. Everything that took place while Soundwave was stuck in the Shadow Zone before Rhea had freed him. Megatron had been overtaken by Unicron... The Autobots freed him from the Destroyer's control. This vessel was what the Prime had used to seal the destructive god away. His sacrifice saving Earth and Cybertron from the ethereal being forever. This same vessel, Unicrons prison, was now grasped in the servos of the Dark Energon crazed Arachnid.
Scrap.
Soundwave glared across the arena at the trembling Ex-senator. If there was one Bot to doom the universe in exchange for his own life, it would be Decimus. But to be disappointed he would have needed to be surprised.
"You wanted to know what I need Earth for? Isn't that right, Soundwave?" Arachnid almost sang. "Megatron's obsession with the blood of Unicron always eluded me. But then I had the fortune of carrying it within my own veins! Once I get to Earth, I will have unlimited access to the source of Dark Energon. It will be enough to say, infect Cybertron's core once more, as us Con's did before the war really kicked off! It'll corrupt the restored Energon here and give me even more minds to control.
But Megatron failed because he wasn't thinking big enough. He wanted to serve Unicron like some trained Minicon puppet. I am not so short sighted. After all, I hold Unicron in my hands now. Who exactly is in control of whom?
Megatron tried to face Unicron as one mind, and he got crushed like a bug. But my mind can control a hive of Insecticons! Unicron would have to challenge the might of a whole hive mind to take me down. I am willing to bet he will struggle with that task if I return his anti-Spark to Earth after I have poisoned it with the virus touched Dark Energon!"
"She's completely lost her mind." Arcee informed the group sharply. "And that insanity will get everyone on Cybertron AND Earth killed."
Soundwave couldn't agree more. Silent, he moved his troops in. Unicron or not, she was still grossly outnumbered. If she remained focused on blustering to them, one of his many surrounding units would get into position and snipe her. They could tag the Insecticons next, and Decimus would get hit with a rebound bullet if they were lucky.
A sharp screech brought pained static into Soundwave's vision. The Autobots all winced in unison along with him, some grabbing their helms in pain.
'Take the shot!' he ordered into their com chatter. Only painful interference reported back. His worst-case scenario had happened. Whatever allies Arachnid had cut communication across the airwaves. He took aim himself. He couldn't get a clear shot either. She was using Unicron's vessel as a shield. So, he would have to get closer. Fine. He could risk the bite if he could end this madness quickly.
Soundwave rushed forward. Despite the loud protesting from the Autobots, Arcee joined him. Shortly thereafter Decepticons once hidden in the shadows came bursting out to charge. They may not have direct orders from their coms, but they followed his example.
Arachnid remained where she was. She seemed unconcerned in the face of the mob rushing her way from all directions. The only thing she did was place Unicron's container down, and for some reason, cover her auditories.
Then Soundwave heard a single word. It had been his own name, spoken in a low, rumbling pitch from some unknown shadow.
Pain pierced through his Spark with enough force to bring him to the ground. He felt Laserbeak screech in similar anguish. In the corner of his vision, he saw everyone crumble. Arcee by his side, and even his prepared snipers in the higher stands recoiled in agony.
His helm rung, dizziness threatening to bring him back down into the dirt of the arena. He fought through it and forced his focus back onto Arachnid. She had done nothing… Who had been behind that attack?
"I almost forgot." Arachnid said with a shrug as she pulled her servos away from her helm. "Part of my alliance with my new friends, aside from not biting them of course, was to let them have a chat with you. They wanted to catch up, and who am I to stand in the way of old war buddies?"
She stepped aside as the shadow of a bot came through the entrance behind her. They shook the ground with each tank treaded step, shoving their way past the Insecticon in their way.
Soundwave shook off the effects of the auditory attack and focused on this newcomer. Then his Spark froze.
Soundwave was scared only a few times in the past cycles. When he worried over Rhea or Laserbeak's safety for example. Seldom did he feel fear when facing down an opponent. But he did now. Seeing this long-lost bot and their stolen face for the first time in millennia. Like the legends of some ancient horror made manifest. He felt the same terror overtake his own army around him. Decepticons gasped in shock and true horror. Some even dropped their weapons as a natural fear response.
The bot loomed over Arachnid, but his red opticed focus remained locked on Soundwave. He crossed his massive servos. Soundwave could almost feel the smile behind his Decepticon shaped mask. He spoke again, but this time, his voice wasn't weaponized. "Long time no see, Soundwave... So, I hear you are Decepticon Leader, eh? That's a funny joke."
Soundwave clenched and unclenched his fists before forcing his voice box to thaw. "Hello Tarn."
