Chapter 6: Rossum's Trinity

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" Sideswipe muttered, as he sorted through data discs.

"What do you want me to say, sides? I needed to get out and stretch my motor. Some guys in the city wanted to race, I knew I could beat them, and I did!"

"So tell me, what did you win?" Sideswipe asked.

Sunstreaker turned and stared blankly at him.

"Well...it wasn't like...for a reward. Pride. I won pride!"

"I'm so happy for you." Sideswipe replied dryly. "Tell me, how do you acquire this pride legally, and what do you exchange it for? Money? A new rifle? Maybe some overshields?"

"Less yapping." Ratchet called, as he sawed open some dead circuitry from an autobot's grey corpse. "You're distracting me from my work."

"Oh wow. Is that the last guy who missorted your data files?" Sunstreaker asked.

"Don't be foolish." Ratchet replied. "I wouldn't leave a body. And this poor fellow is named Fastback. He was killed in Petrohex this morning. Some experimental weapon, Prowl wanted me to do an autopsy."

"Experimental weapon?" Sideswipe asked. "Are his insides inside out?"

"Is his spark inside his brain?" Sunstreaker added.

"Is his t cog full of Engex?"

"Did his optics get turned to rust?"

"For Primus sakes, shut up!" Ratchet shouted. "Have some respect!"

"We do!" Sideswipe argued. "It just looks like..." he trailed off.

"The necrobot." Sunstreaker finished, horror in his voice. "He kills things in weird, freaky, horror vid kinda ways. Was it the necrobot?" He asked.

Ratchet let out a long sigh, looking at the two terrified mechs.

"It was Rossum's trinity." He replied with annoyance.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged looks.

"That...doesn't sound like any horror vids I've seen." Sunstreaker replied with a frown.

"It's not from a horror vid..." Ratchet replied, as he began analyzing samples. "Rossum's trinity. You've never heard of it? If you damage the spark, t cog, and brain module all at the same time, it can cause full body shutdown. Poor Fastback apparently inhaled something in his vents that damaged all three. Rossum's trinity. Shockwave's work, I would guess."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged a skeptical glance.

"I'm still saying necrobot." Sideswipe concluded.

"Gonna have to concur." Sunstreaker agreed.

Ratchet bowed his head.

"You know...if I had to choose between having Megatron himself, or the two of you in this medibay right now, alphabetizing my files...I'd hurt your feelings." He said bluntly.

He might have been exaggerating.

Optimus stood up slowly, glaring at Megatron, seeing the madness in his optics. The pent up rage, looking ready to release.

"It was only ever a matter of time." He stated, vents puffing.

"Indeed. I needed to regroup. Defeat is not something I'm used to." Megatron replied. "How many are with you?"

"Just these two." Optimus replied, looking at Jazz, and an angry looking Mirage.

"Hang on Optimus!" Warpath called, sliding down the rock face, with Bluestreak and Perceptor behind him.

They slid in behind, guns raised, as Optimus let out a groan of annoyance.

"I've never known you as one to lie, Orion." Megatron said with mock surprise, optics moving from the new arrivals back to Prime. "Perhaps the Primacy has already corrupted you?"

"The only corruption here is that badge." Optimus replied, gesturing to the purple face that adorned Megatron's chest. "Why are you here?"

"I wasn't aware that these mountains were autobot property. Why can't we be here?" Megatron asked with mock innocense.

"You crawl back into your hole and hide for a year." Optimus said, walking around the mech, as the other decepticons raised their guns. "And only come out to visit a crater in the middle of a mountain range. Along with half your forces. It's too suspicious to ignore."

Megatron's optics seemed to burn brighter as he spoke.

"I was not hiding. I was...rebuilding." Megatron replied. "And when I'm done with you and your mechs, you will wish you had ignored this place."

"This doesn't need to keep escalating." Optimus said, looking Megatron in the optics, his expression softening. "I will not have your decepticons hunted down. I will not have them arrested. If you stand down, end this war now..."

"I intend to end this war now." Megatron replied, lifting up his fusion cannon. "This is all it will..."

There was a whizzing sound, and then a disc came in and smacked against the mech's helmet, bouncing off, and falling at his feet.

Megatron paused a moment, shocked at the truly unexpected attack, then stared down at the disc with wide optics.

"What in the name of..."

"My drone!" Perceptor exclaimed, running in, and scooping it up off the ground. He slowly looked up at Megatron as he picked it up.

"Heh...sincerest apologies..."

Megatron raised his fusion cannon to the scientist, and Perceptor's optics widened.

"HEY MEG!" Warpath shouted.

Megatron looked up at the very loud, red autobot.

The mech squared his hips, then fired his chest cannon, as Perceptor dove out of its way.

Megatron was hit full force by the tank shot, and the other autobots turned to Warpath with wide optics.

"Don't do that!" Jazz shouted.

Megatron's ferocious optics turned to the red mech. "Fatal mistake." He hissed, deploying his energon flail.

Optimus sidestepped in front of the mech as he deployed his energon axe, and blocked the flail.

"This is between you and me, Megatron." He snarled. "Leave them be."

"Oh no, Prime. This is our war. All of us. We are all fair game!" Megatron snarled, untangling his flail from the axe and swinging it.

Sky Lynx came soaring down into the crevice, lasers erupting from his mouth, blasting decepticons away.

"What the slag is that?!" Astrotrain demanded, before a laser blasted him off his feet.

"Bring it down!" Megatron commanded, as he swung at Optimus again, the prime blocking his blow.

Skywarp and the seekers fired up at Sky Lynx as he soared overhead.

"Optimus, let's go!" Sky Lynx screeched, as laser fire singed his wings, puncturing his metals.

He came swooping down, and landed in the crevice, his ramp lowering as the autobots changed form and roared towards him.

Optimus and Megatron continued their battle, as Sky Lynx kicked Thundercracker against a rock with one of his massive claws.

"Optimus!" Sky Lynx called, as Megatron took aim at him with his fusion cannon, and Optimus shoved it down at the last minute, making it fire into the ground.

Megatron grabbed Prime, and tried to overwhelm him with strength, his teeth clenched.

"You will not defeat me this time, Optimus!" Megatron snarled. "I know you too well. I'm ready for you now, old friend." He mocked.

"Prime, get down!" Sky Lynx shouted.

Optimus turned to look at the large mech, then pulled himself out of Megatron's grip, and threw himself at the ground.

Sky Lynx opened his mouth, his laser glowing red.

Megatron's optics widened, and he raised his fusion cannon.

It let out a metallic whine. It had overheated from his last shot. Megatron's spark sank.

Sky Lynx fired, the laser hitting Megatron directly in the chest, and blasting him across the crevice, sending him slamming into a rock and falling to the ground in a smoking heap.

Optimus turned and sprinted for Sky Lynx, as Soundwave looked up at them, his visor and faceplate concealing his rage.

"RAVAGE! LASERBEAK! EJECT! IMPEDE THEIR ESCAPE!" He shouted.

The two cassettes fired from his chest, Ravage sprinting at Optimus, while Laserbeak flew overhead, cutting towards the fleeing mech.

Optimus dove for the ramp, and Jazz smashed the button, quickly closing it, as Sky Lynx lifted off, leaving the enraged minions behind.

"Primus, this is uncomfortable." Sky Lynx whined. "I must've been hit over a dozen times." He said, as he soared over the mountain, smoke coming from one of his wings, and made his way back towards Iacon.

Optimus lay heaving on the floor of Sky Lynx's cabin.

"Maybe...a bit too close?" Jazz asked, collapsing next to the mech.

Soundwave turned and ran to Megatron's side, as Starscream watched with somewhat restrained jubilation.

"Megatron?!" Soundwave asked, putting a hand on the mech.

"A pity." Bludgeon remarked, walking over. "His vendetta against the Prime, so personal...it made him vulnerable."

"Truly a tragedy." Starscream sneered in agreement.

Megatron stirred, then rose, smoke still pouring from his frame. His body creaking as he stood. His optics full of hatred.

His chest was blackened. His decepticon badge was missing it's right side, burned away by the laser.

"Do explain, Bludgeon." He snarled. "Do explain to me how I am vulnerable."

"Forgive me, my lord." Bludgeon replied, his voice free of fear.

He almost sounded bored, as his optics ran across Megatron's still burning metals.

"But I believe you have let your personal feelings for the newest Prime get in the way of our mission."

Megatron grabbed the mech's pinkish red helm, and forced his head up, to look him in the optics.

"The only feeling I have for the new Prime, is the same raw hatred that has driven me to overthrow the previous two Primal regimes." He shoved Bludgeon aside, turning, his smoking frame walking away, the burn of Sky Lynx's laser causing a consistent pain that he ignored. "Besting Orion Pax and his meager forces will be even easier. Mark my words."

Ironhide and Brawn wrestled in the hangar bay, as Bumblebee watched with bored optics.

"You're seein what he's doin, right?" Ironhide asked, as Brawn pinned him against the floor. "Usin his weight distribution to his advantage."

"Yep. I see it." Bumblebee replied glumly.

"He doesn't see anything, Boss." Brawn muttered. "Optics are glazed over. Just like Bluestreak's when I talk to him about weapon calibration."

"No, I see it. You're...putting your weight on him. Your alt mode weight..?" Bumblebee stammered.

The two mechs stared at him with incredulous optics.

"His what?" Ironhide asked.

"Lemme give him a personal demonstration." Brawn barked, getting off of Ironhide.

"Oh no, I'm good actually, I got one from Mirage..." Bumblebee began.

"Nonsense." Brawn replied, putting his head down and charging at the mech.

Bumblebee barely had time to turn around, before Brawn bowled him over, and put his full weight down, forcing Bumblebee to the ground.

"This is war, Bumblebee! You must pay attention!" Brawn barked, lifting him up and slamming him back down. "You're a soldier!"

"Down boy!" Ironhide shouted, grabbing Brawn by his yellow back plate, and lifting him up with one arm. "Last thing we need is someone getting sent to see Ratchet."

There was a wailing sound, and all optics turned to the hangar entrance.

As Sky Lynx soared over the towers of Iacon.

One of his wings was burnt, and smoking.

And it became increasingly clear as he taxi'd in that he was not flying.

He was falling with style.

"Everybody get back!" Ironhide shouted. "Clear the hangar!"

Sky Lynx pulled up as he flew over one of Metroplex's turrets, and got just in the hangar door, before he slammed against the floor, sending sparks flying.

He slid across the bay, knocking weapons crates and energon refineries out of the way before coming to a stop, smoke pouring from his frame.

"Ow." The space dragon muttered, as he weakly tilted his pointy face to look at the others.

"Hello Ironhide. Lovely evening, eh?"

His ramp lowered, and Optimus staggered out. The other autobots followed him.

Bluestreak made it three steps before falling to his knees and purging on the ramp.

"Oh ew." Jazz muttered, jumping out of the way.

"Did...did you just...throw up...in me?!" Sky Lynx demanded. "Oh you little...oh silly me it's not your fault just...just...SOMEONE CLEAN IT UP!" He shouted.

"My bad..." Bluestreak moaned, as Prowl came over and helped him up.

"Did you find anything?" He asked, as he helped the nauseous autobot along.

"I'll take him." Brawn offered, taking Bluestreak toward the medibay.

"Whatever it was better've been worth it." Ironhide said, walking up to the wounded Sky Lynx. "Looks like he took a pounding."

"He did. Get Ratchet." Optimus commanded. He turned to Prowl. "Ask Perceptor. He collected data. We just..."

Prowl noticed his mildly chipped paint. "Oh man. You took some hits."

Arcee ran up to them. "What happened? Was it really Megatron?"

Optimus let out a long sigh as he finally allowed his vents to catch up with him.

And he nodded.

"It was Megatron." He breathed. "We engaged in battle."

"So exactly what we didn't want to do." Prowl replied. "Perfect." He paused as he saw Mirage. "How did you get out there?"

Mirage looked timidly over at him.

"Oh. I uh...stowed away."

"Mirage, we will discuss that later." Optimus said sternly.

"I understand." Mirage replied, walking away.

"Optimus." Perceptor called, holding the drone in his hand as he walked up. "With respect. I know what Megatron is after." He held up the drone.

A small bit of purple liquid ran down the edge of it.

"What...is that?" Arcee asked.

"Dark energon." Perceptor replied, fear in his optics. "And this was only from drilling a matter of...feet into the ground. I must immediately take this drone to my lab and analyze what we found on that mountain. I fear Megatron is up to something deeply sinister."