Chapter 13: Undertaking
Seaspray lugged the MARB with the other four autobots into the cavern that led underneath the manganese mountains.
"Welp. This is where it gets tricky." Seaspray muttered, turning on his headlights. "Any idea which way this Titan is?"
"No." Mirage replied, looking down at the river. "But this has to be flowing somewhere. We follow the stream. It will likely lead to Trypticon."
Bumblebee leaned over the edge of the MARB, frowning as he looked into the energon.
"Is it just me or is this energon starting to get a bit...purple?"
"It's not just you." Seaspray replied. "This feels weird."
"This means we're on the right track." Mirage concluded. "Keep pushing, Seaspray."
Optimus transformed up, as the jets streaked overhead.
"Find cover, fast!" He commanded.
Ironhide threw down some forcefield generators, and dove behind them, as the jets circled back around.
Bluestreak and Brawn fired up aimlessly at the seekers as they streaked overhead.
"Pick your shots!" Ironhide shouted. "Don't just shoot for the sake'a shooting!"
Warpath looked up at Skywarp as he circled around. His optics narrowed.
"Watch and learn!" He shouted.
He leaned back, waiting a moment, then fired his chest cannon.
Skywarp let out a cry as the shell tore through his stabilizer, and he was sent crashing across the ground.
"YEAH! THATS HOW ITS DONE!" Warpath boasted, as Ironhide ran up and high fived the mech.
"Autobots, ground those fliers!" Optimus commanded, blasting apart Ramjet's wing as he flew overhead, sending the conehead crashing to the ground. "We need to even the playing field!"
"I could not agree more." A voice declared from above.
Optimus looked up to see Megatron sliding down the mountainside, and landing before the autobots.
"Even the playing field. You've held the balance of power for far too long, Optimus." He snarled, stepping forth, as Blitzwing and Brawl slid down on either side of him. "And what did you do with it?" He asked, firing a shot from his fusion cannon that tore apart one of the forcefields. "Nothing!"
Sideswipe fired from behind a forcefield, hitting Megatron in the shoulder.
Megatron turned his steely optics to the mech, rage on his face.
"Sideswipe, autobots, get back!" Optimus shouted.
Arcee dove over and pulled Sideswipe away.
"Get behind me." She commanded, raising her blasters, optics locking with Megatron.
Megatron smirked, as he stepped towards her.
"Do you intend to use those on me?" He asked.
Arcee fired both blasters, hitting him in the chest, and stopping his advance momentarily.
"Does that answer your question?" Arcee asked.
"Indeed it does." Megatron replied, raising his fusion cannon. "Unfortunately you won't like my answer."
Ironhide let out a roar as he charged at the mech, slamming the fusion cannon into the sky, causing Megatron to shoot down one of his own seekers.
Ironhide punched Megatron across the face, then brought his fist slamming down on the mech's helmet.
"I been waitin to get my hands on you Megs." Ironhide snarled angrily.
Megatron grinned at this.
Then he grabbed Ironhide's fist as he swung it, and squeezed it, crushing two of his fingers, and causing Ironhide to let out a growl of pain.
"Then you are a greater fool than I've been told." The warlord hissed, as he punched Ironhide across the face, grabbed his head, and slammed it off his knee.
He punched the dazed mech again, knocking him back, and turned in time to see Arcee leaping at him.
He grabbed the femme out of the air and slammed her against the ground, punching her down repeatedly, ripping off one of her doorwings and tossing it aside.
He heard a yell, and looked to see Sideswipe charging at him.
He grabbed the mech by the throat before he could land a punch, and lifted him up, crushing his neck metals in his grip.
Sideswipe let out a weak whimper of pain as Megatron raised him up.
"That's enough!" Prowl shouted, shooting Megatron in the shoulder with his rifle.
Megatron turned to him, optics looking ferociously angry. And betraying more than a little surprise.
"Prowl, fall back!" Optimus shouted, as he grappled with Blitzwing.
Prowl ignored him, firing his rifle again, hitting Megatron in the leg, to little effect.
Megatron hurled Sideswipe into the ground with disgust, and turned toward Prowl.
"I never thought I would see you on a battlefield, Prowl." He spat. "Always the coward."
"I'm not the one that hid from the world for a year because he got his aft kicked." Prowl countered.
Megatron grimaced at his words, and let out a growl of rage as he raised his fusion cannon.
"No!" Ironhide shouted, grabbing the mech's leg.
Megatron looked down at the battered autobot with amusement.
"Such heroic nonsense." He taunted, lowering his fusion cannon toward the mech's head.
It began to glow, when a scream broke Megatron's concentration.
He looked up in time to see Blitzwing's chassis flying at him.
The mech crashed into him, knocking them both over.
Megatron barely had time to stand before Optimus was on him, fists pounding his frame.
"That's enough!" Optimus shouted, beating down on Megatron in a rage, fists tearing off chunks of gray metal without mercy.
Seaspray began to slow down as the stream narrowed ahead of him.
"It has to be close, right?" He asked. "I don't know how much farther it goes."
Ratchet checked the MARB's scanners.
"We're close." He replied. "Dark energon readings are...getting somewhat absurd."
"Uhh...guys?" Bumblebee said, turning on his headlights.
He pointed them upward.
A giant grey bulkhead stood ahead of them, embedded in the cave wall. The stream seemed to be continuing underneath it.
"Well...looks like we found our Titan." Jazz muttered.