A few days after his humiliation at the Iacon council, Megatron gathered his followers and launched an attack. This offensive turned into the first battle in an all-out war for control of Cybertron. Every capable Autobot was called into service to deal with the growing menace, now known as Decepticons.
During this time, severe damage was done to the core of the planet, and the data clerk Orion Pax ventured there to try and repair the ill effects. As he stood in front of the heart of Primus himself, the ancient Autobot detected the innate spark in Orion. For his bravery, compassion, and heroism, Primus bestowed upon the unsuspecting Autobot the Matrix of Leadership. It was here that a very surprised and humbled Orion Pax became the greatest hero of the Autobots, Optimus Prime.
With the impromptu coronation of Optimus, Megatron's war efforts doubled. In the eyes of the mad Decepticon, Optimus had just robbed him of his right to rule. Determined to see his former friend suffer, Megatron led his army into countless battles that spanned over the stellar cycles. Thousands of bots sacrificed their sparks on either side of this conflict, fighting for control over cities, supplies, and everything else imaginable.
…
Ten stellar cycles into the War for Cybertron, the Decepticons launched an offensive on the city of Iacon, determined to claim it in the name of Megatron. Vehicons marched towards the city in innumerable masses, flyers passing above them while dropping missiles and plasma fire upon the Autobots. The Autobots returned this assault with one of their own, the Elite Guard charging to meet the oncoming hoards, and soldiers manning turrets to try and hit the descending Decepticons.
Amongst the flyers laying siege to the city were two unmistakable Decepticons. One was Starscream, the Captain of Megatron's Seeker division, and the other was Massacre, Megatron's second in command. The two sent missile after missile down at the Autobots, Massacre let out a cruel cackle, transforming as she landed on the spire of a building. Starscream landed as well, the two cons looking down at the carnage.
"Look at them all." Massacre chuckled darkly. "Nothing but pieces of scrap to be tossed onto the heap."
Starscream chuckled at his superior's description. Though he may not get along with most of the Decepticons, Massacre was one of the few that he tolerated for their shared sadism when it came to the Autobots.
"And there are those who say I have a way with words." He commented.
Starscream gazed down at the battlefield again, sending down a few shots with Massacre doing the same. They both thoroughly enjoyed the sight of the bots falling to their assault, and then a certain figure caught Starscream's eye.
"Well, well." He voiced. "What have we here?"
Massacre turned her gaze towards where Starscream was looking, squinting into the distance. A cruel smile graced her face as she saw a familiar blue and red bot leading the charge.
"As I live and process." she said. "Optimus Prime himself."
Starscream saw the gleam in her optic sensors, that sadistic spark he knew he could use to his advantage. After all, just because he tolerated Massacre's existence doesn't mean he wouldn't use her to further his own game.
"How fitting that the greatest Decepticon warrior and the leader of the Autobots should be in the same place together." Starscream told her, smiling maliciously.
Massacre paused, turning to her fellow con with a suspicious look.
"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice conveying her suspicions.
"Well… Just imagine the thrill of the hunt." He told her, his voiced laced with a persuasive edge that cut through Massacre's suspicion. "The glory of the battle. The praise of Lord Megatron. You could actually be the one to cripple the Autobots…. By eliminating their leader."
Massacre smirked as Starscream's proposition. The very idea sent sparks coursing through her system. She held up her arms, transforming them into heavy machine guns as a grin plastered itself onto her faceplate.
"Then why are we still standing here like a bunch of Vehicons?" she demanded.
"After you, 'Commander'." Starscream offered.
Massacre jumped down from her vantage point and blasted at any Autobot she set her sights on.
…
Down below, Optimus was pinned down by heavy Decepticon fire, forced to hide behind a destroyed building. He fired around the corner of the building, taking down a dozen Vehicons before being forced back behind the wall.
"This is Optimus Prime!" he voiced over comms. "I need additional support at my location! Now!"
"This is Arcee, reporting in with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper." a female voice replied. "We're on our way."
"Hurry!" Optimus yelled before standing up and firing his blaster at some cons.
From across Iacon, Arcee led her two companion towards Optimus' position. Unfortunately, this put them right in Massacre's line of sight. The two fem-bots had a history across the war, both of them harboring a deep hatred for one another. When the con saw her coming to Optimus' aid, Massacre shifted her arms into her most powerful weapon, the Ion cannon.
"Sorry, Arcee." the Decepticon sneered, her arms coming together to form the cannon. "Looks like you won't be escaping me this time."
Arcee heard the ever familiar sound of the ion cannon being powered up, and immediately panicked. She had seen the devastation that weapon could inflict, and had lost her previous partner Tailgate to the cruel con's cannon.
"Everybody move!" she screamed.
Massacre fired the Ion cannon right in the middle of the three Autobots, which caused a shockwave that sent them all flying in different directions and leaving a large crater in the ground. Once the smoke cleared, Massacre jumped down into the crater, surveying the damage done before going over to the Autobot closest to her, Cliffjumper.
"Hey there, hot shot." she taunted, grabbing the bot by the metal horns that protruded from his head. "Gotta say, out of all the partners Arcee's had, you're definitely the best looking."
"Thanks… but you're not… my type." Cliffjumper joked through the cloud of pain scrambling his circuits.
Massacre cackled, which began to rouse Arcee from her stupor. She looked up at the Decepticon, her optic circuits widening.
"No!" She screamed.
Massacre turned to Arcee, smirking.
"Arcee, so glad you're online." She called out, dragging Cliffjumper over to where Arcee lay prone. "I was just getting acquainted with your new partner."
"Take your servos off of him!" Arcee demanded, trying to rise to her feet.
Massacre just laughed, bringing her foot down hard on Arcee's chest plate, forcing her back onto the ground. Arcee struggled under Massacre's foot, trying to transform her arms, but finding it difficult to concentrate. Massacre snickered, then turned her free arm into its machine gun form, leveling the barrel of the gun with Cliffjumper's spark chamber.
"Any last words, Autobot?" she asked.
Before he could get a word out, Massacre let off one long, consecutive chain of blasts. In that instant Cliffjumper's spark was extinguished. Arcee let out a scream of anger as she attempted to free herself from Massacre's foot. However, the Decepticon just grabbed her, holding her up in the air as she aimed her gun at the captive Autobot.
"So many partners." She lamented, her voice laced with sarcasm and cruelty. "Tailgate, now Cliffjumper, not to mention all those poor little bots who were barely growing into their protoforms."
"I'll snuff your spark myself you glitch!" Arcee screamed.
Massacre cackled, preparing to fire.
"Somehow, I highly doubt that."
"Massacre!" a voice shouted.
Both fem-bots turned to see Optimus running towards them, skidding to a stop as he aimed his blaster right at the Decepticon. Massacre's grin grew even more malicious as she dropped Arcee, turning towards Optimus with a cocky stance.
"Optimus," Massacre greeted, holding her arms out wide. "Just the bot I wanted to see."
"What do you want, Massacre?" he demanded.
"Oh, a few things actually." She replied, counting them out on her fingers. "Your destruction, to watch Arcee cry over her latest partner. Oh! And this."
She aimed her gun at Bumblebee, who was trying to sneak attack her, sending several rounds through the yellow Autobot's neck. That's when Optimus took a swing at her, sending her colliding into a wall. She pulled herself free, grinning like a mad-bot.
"And here we go." she declared, firing at Optimus.
Optimus quickly ran away from the oncoming fire, sending a few blasts of his own her way. She, however was quick to dodge, and even quicker to return fire. Prime took cover behind some debris as Massacre refused to let up her attacks.
"You will not win here, Massacre!" Prime shouted.
"We'll see about that!" Massacre shouted.
"Massacre!" Megatron shouted over comms. "What is going on down there? Why haven't you secured Iacon?!"
"Because I'm about to bring an even greater victory to the Decepticons!" Massacre declared, still firing on Optimus. "The end of Optimus Prime!"
"What?!" Megatron demanded.
"Don't worry, my lord." she assured him. "I'll bring you back his head as a trophy, after I send the rest of him to the scrap heap!"
"Do not underestimate him!" he ordered. "Fall back. Now!"
"Have some faith in me, Megatron!" she admonished him, continuing her assault. "I was built for this! If I can't take out a made up data clerk, then I deserve to be sent to the Well of All Sparks."
While she was distracted, Optimus leapt over his shielding, transformed into his truck mode and charged towards Massacre. He rammed into her at full speed, causing her to bounce a bit before falling on her back. Furious, she transformed into jet mode and blasted into the air. Once she got high enough altitude, she released several missiles in Optimus' direction. Optimus drove off, swerving out of the way of all oncoming missiles, except one that went off right next to him. The resulting blast caused him to flip and transform back into robot mode before crashing hard on the ground. As he got on one knee, Massacre landed right in front of him, weapons aimed right at his face plate.
"Your reign is at an end, Optimus Prime." she told him, powering up her weapon. "And it wasn't short enough."
"Neither was your master's reign of terror." He responded.
He quickly transformed his arm into his sword, slicing off Massacre's hand in one swift motion. She screamed in pain, clutching her sparking stump before turning to Optimus angrily. She lifted her other hand, weaponizing it into a sword as well.
"I was going to make your death quick." she told him. "Now you'll suffer!"
She brought her sword hand down on him only for him to block it with his sword. The two traded blows with their blades until they were locked, the two staring each other down. Optimus used this opportunity to transform his free hand into a blaster and aim it at her spark. She barely had time to move before the blast hit. Though she managed to prevent her spark from being 100% destroyed, it sustained significant damage, causing her to fall to her knees.
"M-Megatron." she stammered, Energon pouring from her gaping wound.
"Your dark master cannot help you." he informed.
She chuckled, Energon dripping down her chin as she gave one final smile.
"We'll… s-see..."
The light faded from her eyes as she fell forward, her spark extinguished. Back up top, Starscream looked upon his fallen comrade, unable to keep the smirk off of his face plate.
"Such a pity." he said with false sincerity.
He then transformed into a Cybertronian jet and flew off to bear the news to Megatron. Back on the ground, Optimus continued to look down at his fallen enemy. Around him, the vehicons that had not fallen were retreating, taking with them the Decepticons that led them.
"Optimus Prime to all units," he called out over comms. "Iacon is ours."
While many Autobots cheered at the victory, Arcee held her fallen partner, pounding the ground in anger. Bumblebee laid on the ground, a pool of Energon around him, and yet, surprisingly, he was still functional.
"Ratchet, you're needed!" Optimus frantically called out.
Ratchet rolled up in his vehicle form before transforming quickly, examining the downed Autobot.
"He's still online, thank the Allspark," Ratchet observed. "But his voice box has sustained severe damage. I need to get him back to my lab immediately."
"Ironhide," Prime called over comms. "I need a medical transport immediately."
"On its way Prime!" Ironhide responded.
As the Autobots retreated with Bumblebee, they left Massacre's shell out on the battle field. Several vehicons came up to the shell of Massacre, collecting her, and her severed hand. Undetected, they disappeared from the city.
…
"Unbelievable!" Megatron shouted as Starscream reported what happened.
"Master, I-" Starscream tried to explain.
Before he could continue, Megatron smacked him halfway across the room. The Decepticon landed hard, nearly snapping a wing on impact. He groaned slightly, then let out a whimpering cry as Megatron stalked towards him.
"I ordered her to pull out!" Megatron said aggravated. "And what did you do Starscream? Nothing! Now I have lost my second in command, and one of my finest warriors!"
"I am sorry master." Starscream apologized, backing away on all fours. "I had such confidence in her skills. I thought for sure she would rid you of Optimus Prime."
He finally reached the wall, trying to press himself against it as Megatron loomed over him.
"No one rids me of Optimus Prime but me!" Megatron yelled, slamming his fists into the wall mere inches from Starscream's faceplate. "Do you understand me?! Do you?!"
Starscream quickly nodded, stammering out his understanding. Megatron then turned away from Starscream, allowing the con to get to his feet once more.
"Now, I must find a suitable replacement for Massacre." He snarled. "I cannot go without a second in command, not this early in the war."
Starscream gulped, then stood up, deciding to try and take a chance. However, before he could utter a single word, Shockwave spoke out.
"Actually, My Lord, you may not have to." He declared.
Both Starscream and Megatron turn towards the purple, one-eyed Decepticon as he came into the room. Though he lacked any features in the screen that served as his face plate, the gleam in his solitary eye showed a cockiness of someone who was sure of themselves, and of what they had to say.
"And why is that, Shockwave?" Starscream questioned, more than a bit put off by Shockwave's interruption. "Surely you're not suggesting yourself as a possible candidate."
"Far from it, I assure you." Shockwave replied. "After all, why replace when you can revive?"
This threw the two cons for a loop. Megatron's optic sensors narrowed as he tried to figure out the meaning of Shockwave's words. Thankfully, the con didn't leave his Master in the dark for long.
"Do you remember the tale of Dead End?" Shockwave asked.
"Yes, yes, we've all heard the story." Starscream replied, his voice laced with annoyance. "The Cybertronian that sought to keep himself from the Well of All Sparks. Every bot hears the story."
"Indulge me, Captain." Shockwave requested. "Please."
"Let him speak, Starscream." Megatron declared.
"Thank you, Milord." Shockwave said before going into the tale. "As Starscream so eloquently put it, Dead End sought a way to save himself from the inevitable shutdown all bots must enter. In his desperation, he found a way to rekindle the power of his spark, by using protoforms."
Shockwave tapped a button on his arm, activating a holographic projection that displayed several calculations.
"I've crunched the numbers, and I do believe that Dead End's method could actually work." He declared.
Megatron's fists tightened with a squeak of metal.
"Whether it works or not, we do not have any protoforms to test!" Megatron snapped. "The assault of Iacon would have provided us with the necessary supplies, but-"
"But thankfully, I have an alternative solution to that as well." Shockwave interjected.
"What, more young-bot fairytales?" Starscream asked with heavy sarcasm.
"No, something different." Shockwave replied.
He typed on his arm again, bringing up a new set of calculations and notes, this time done by another bot. From the signature in the corner, Megatron and Starscream could see that it was written by Preceptor.
"I have been working for some time to try and find a way around our lack of protoforms, and in my study, I found what has been dubbed the Organic Energon Theory." Shockwave explained. "Preceptor, the Autobot head of the Cybertron Organic Research Division, theorized that certain organic specimens could be used to create a synthesized Energon. He also believed that certain sentient organic beings could also possess the spark of life needed to act as a rudimentary protoform… in a pinch of course."
"As… fascinating as this all is," Starscream remarked, "I fail to see how this helps us, especially since there are no organics on Cybertron!"
"Be silent, Starscream." Megatron ordered, old memories flitting through his processor. "I know of one such organic."
Starscream blinked in surprise, turning to his master.
"Master, are you honestly thinking about-"
"I said be silent!" Megatron shouted.
Starscream flinched hard, stumbling back and holding his arms up to defend himself. Megatron sneered, then waved him off.
"Both of you, leave me." He ordered. "And send for Blitzwing. I have a mission for him."
…
The little organic, though nowadays she was just called The Organic, ran along the thick branches of the various trees around her dome, launching herself from tree to tree. Occasionally, she would take hold of thick vines and swing across the dome, releasing the vine so she could rebound off of the glass walls before landing on the ground in a triumphant pose.
Hoist, who had been coming in with her daily sustenance cubes, applauded her show with a grin. She bowed, then sauntered over to the bot, nimbly climbing up the tree closest to him.
"Seems you're finding all new ways to keep yourself entertained while we're away." The bot remarked, handing her the cube.
"You should see the inside of my cave." The organic replied, taking a bite of the cube. "I've covered every rock in some form of drawing. I've even cleaned off the older ones to make room for newer ones."
"If I could fit, I most likely would." Hoist told her.
"I was gonna move to the outside of the cave, but I just couldn't bring myself to erase it." The organic explained.
She gestured to the outside of her cave, which still bore the muddy writing from her first attempts at Cybertronian letters. She let out a sigh, thinking of how long it had been since Ratchet had visited. Being the Chief Medical Officer, it was no surprise when he ended up being called to the front.
"Any news on Ratchet today?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it.
Hoist chuckled, but before he could answer her inquiry, there was a knock at the door of the lab. Hoist looked through the dome, more than a bit confused. He turned and left the biodome, heading to the door as the organic approached the glass. Hoist opened the door to the lab, and the second he did, a rapid burst of laser fire reduced his chest plate to scrap metal.
"Hoist!" The organic screamed as the Autobot fell.
From the doorway, a light brown bot emerged, twin guns on his shoulders smoking from the onslaught. His face was a black screen with red, pixilated eyes and a pixilated, jagged mouth. As the guns moved back into place, the bot let out a cackle.
"Well that was easier than expected!" He declared, his voice slightly crackled.
The bot then turned to the dome to see the organic staring at him in horror. His pixilated eyes locked onto her, then his face began to spin rapidly. When it stopped spinning, the pixilated face had been replaced with a light purple one that had an eye that resembled a monocle.
"The organic Lord Megatron requested." He mused, his voice more refines and calm. "This certainly makes my job easier."
He turned towards a shelf that held several empty specimen jars, grabbing one. The organic's eyes went wide as she backed away, bolting for her cave. The bot's face spun again, this time settling on a red face with a big chin, a gap tooth, and a long visor for eyes.
"Come back here you little insect!" he shouted, his voice louder, deeper, and with a menacing edge.
The organic scrambled into the cave as the airlock opened up, allowing the Decepticon to enter. He reached into the cave, trying to reach her, but unfortunately the cave was barely big enough for him to fit his arm in. In anger, the con gripped the cave, wrenching it from the ground and exposing the organic. She barely had time to scream before he slammed the jar down over her, trapping her. He scooped her up and closed the lid, his face returning to his purple one.
"I don't see why something so puny can be of such importance to lord Megatron, but it's not my place to question him." He remarked.
As he said this, a grappling hook shot towards the organic's jar, catching it and pulling it from the bot's grip. The jar was then pulled into the arms of Grapple, who was glaring at the con with a vengeful gaze.
"Blitzwing…" he swore.
Blitzwing's face spun again, the red one making a reappearance.
"Hand over the organic, Autobot!" He demanded.
"You want her?" Grapple asked, holding her jar close. "You'll have to pry this jar from my cold, offline servos."
Once more, Blitzwing's face returned to its purple one, his shoulder guns lowering. Rather than let out a burst of laser fire, a sub-zero ray shot out, coating Grapple's body in thick ice. The ice creeped onto the edges of the jar by the time he ceased firing, leaving Grapple a frozen Autobot-sicle. Blitzwing walked over, snapping the organic's jar free of Grapple's frozen servos, his face becoming pixilated.
"Well it's not exactly offline," he lamented, pushing on Grapple's head to send him falling over, "But it's definitely cold!"
Grapple's frozen form shattered into scrap metal on impact, various bits of him scattering across the biodome. The organic screamed, banging against the glass of her jar as the con activated his wings, flying through the glass of the dome and into the sky. The organic should have been terrified, but seeing her friends destroyed like they were nothing had her blood boiling.
"You three-faced son of a glitch!" she screamed. "I hope you rust in some scrap heap for all eternity!"
"Mute it, insect!" Blitzwing's red face demanded.
To ensure his orders were obeyed, the con gave the jar a solid shake, sending the hapless organic flying into the glass hard. She slumped hard, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell into unconsciousness.
…
The organic slowly came to, her head pounding and a large knot forming on her head. She sat up, rubbing her forehead as her vision began to clear. She was still in her jar, but her Decepticon captor was no longer flying. Instead, he was marching through a long, darkened hallway of an eerily lit building.
"Wh-Where are we?" The organic whimpered.
"Kaon." Blitzwing's purple face explained. "The Decepticon capital, and the last thing you will ever see."
The organic gulped hard, huddling against the glass as Blitzwing brought her into a large room that almost looked like a medical bay. Two bots were standing over a large table where a fem-bot laid prone and lifeless. Though the organic didn't recognize the one-eyed bot, the second bot she recognized all too well.
"One organic, just like you wanted Lord Megatron!" Blitzwing's pixilated face declared, holding out the organic's jar.
Megatron turned to Blitzwing, his optic sensors locking onto the organic as she let out a terrified squeak. He grinned at her, revealed rows of sharp, metallic teeth that made the Decepticon appear all the more menacing.
"Excellent." Megatron responded, taking the jar from Blitzwing. "Hello little one. Perhaps you remember me?"
The organic was pretty sure she'd just pissed herself, and every fiber of her being wanted to just curl up in a ball and disappear. However, she forced herself to appear strong, the images of Grapple and Hoist fueling her anger.
"I remember you." She told him, swallowing hard to try and make her voice steady. "I remember seeing you at the Iacon council meeting. I also remember doing this after you stormed out."
She blew a raspberry at Megatron, earning a snicker from Blitzwing's pixelated face. Megatron shot Blitzwing an angry look, signaling him to shut up. The bot instantly got the message, switching back to his purple face as Megatron glared at the jar.
"You're lucky I require you online, or I would personally leave you to suffocate." He growled at her.
"Perhaps I should take the specimen before you accidentally destroy it." The one-eyed bot suggested, "That spark of life is what we needs to revive Massacre."
The organic looked at the one-eyed bot, then her eyes slowly drifted to the fem-bot on the table. There were fresh welding marks on her arm where the limb had been reattached, and extensive repairs on her chest were abundantly clear. Still, despite the obvious attempts to repair her, it was clear that she was offline.
"Massacre…" The organic whispered, remembering the footage of her from the vids she'd seen. "She's-"
"Offline." Megatron sneered. "Felled by Optimus Prime…"
The organic snorted.
"Good riddance." She told him, meeting his optic sensors defiantly. "One less Decepticon on the planet."
"For now." Megatron admitted before turning to the one-eyed bot. "Shockwave, prepare of protoform infusion."
If Shockwave had a mouth, he probably would have been grinning. The organic's eyes widened as she tried to push herself into the glass of her jar.
"Protoform?!" she repeated. "You're trying Preceptor's Organic Energon theory?! It's never been tested! It may not even work!"
"It's about to be." Megatron said, grinning cruelly. "Do it!"
Shockwave opened the jar, dumping the organic into the open protoform depository on Massacre's chest. The organic could only hold her breath as Shockwave shut the compartment and walked over to a console beside Massacre's shell.
"Commencing organic infusion." He declared, pulling a switch.
The organic tried to get out, but was barely able to keep holding her breath. However, she didn't have to do it for much longer before thousands upon thousands of volts of electricity began to course through her body. She screamed in agony as the process did its job, bringing Massacre back to life.
…
Megatron watched at Massacre's optic sensors snapped open. He smiled at the experiments apparent success as the fem-bot sat up, looking at her servos in fascination.
"How… is this possible?" she asked, turning her hands slowly and flexing her digits.
"Welcome back to the land of moving parts, Massacre." Megatron greeted.
Massacre looked up at him, then stood up. She stumbled slightly, catching herself on the table before she face planted. Megatron watched her steady herself, then straighten up.
"Megatron…" she said softly, her optic sensors scanning the room. "I have something to tell you."
Megatron chuckled as Massacre gave him a strange grin. Then, she blew a raspberry at him, her metallic tongue clicking against her teeth seconds before her metallic fist connected with his faceplate. The con hit the ground as Massacre took off in a dead sprint towards the entrance. Both Megatron and Shockwave were stunned, though the former quickly became pissed.
"Shockwave! What have you done?!"
"Th-the organic…" Shockwave stammered out "Its consciousness must have- taken over Massacre's offline processor."
Megatron let out a howl of rage before getting onto the Decepticon comm links.
"Megatron to all Decepticons!" he called. "Massacre has been infected with an organic virus! Capture her at all costs! I want her online!"
…
Massacre, or more appropriately, the organic in Massacre's body, ran as fast as she could, cursing how loud her new mechanical limbs were. Under better circumstances, she probably would have tried to get used to what had happened, but the blaring alarms echoing through the facility made it all too clear that time was luxury she didn't have.
"I have to get out of here." She whispered. "But where's the fracking exit?"
As she streaked around a corner, she nearly ran head on into a platoon of vehicons. They all aimed their weapons at her, their featureless faceplates displaying no emotion. She gulped, slowly raising her servos before an idea formed.
"Picture the weapon in your mind, and it will appear." she whispered, thinking back to everything Ratchet had taught her.
She closed her optic sensors, remembering the war vids she'd watched, and all the times the evil Massacre had appeared. She remembered the twin machine guns that decorated her arms, focusing on that image. The metal plates on her arms moved and shifted, transforming them into the large machine guns. The vehicons all seemed to falter as Massacre smirked.
"See ya!" she practically screamed.
She opened fire, reducing the vehicons to scrap metal as she continued to try and find her way out of the building. She continued running when several blaster shots came from behind her. She turned around to see Starscream and several other vehicons chasing after her.
"This can't be good." she muttered, taking cover behind a wall.
She powered up her machine guns, coming out from behind her wall and taking aim at Starscream. He ducked for cover as Massacre opened fire. The vehicons were mauled down, but Starscream was able to return fire, forcing Massacre to take cover herself.
"Scrap..." she swore, "How am I supposed to beat him? He's an actual Decepticon, and I'm not. I'd need one heck of a weapon."
That's when she remembered something that the evil Massacre had used before. A devastating cannon that could easily wipe out any who opposed her. Focusing on the image, her arms began to transform, locking together to form the large, cannon-like weapon.
"Perfect." She whispered
She came out of her cover and charged up her weapon, aiming it right at Starscream. The Decepticon took one look at it and nearly lost his oil.
"SCRAP!" he shrieked.
She shot the weapon right at Starscream, blowing his incoming reinforcements, the wall, and half of the building center to bits. Starscream had been able to dive for cover, but was focused more on escaping from Massacre rather than catching her. As Massacre's arms returned to normal, she looked at the wall and grinned.
"There's my way out." She said with no small amount of relief.
Knowing that time was of the essence, Massacre focused on images of evil Massacre's vehicle mode, a slick Decepticon jet built for speed. Her entire body began to shift and morph, which completely freaked her out, but she couldn't afford to let herself succumb to her fear. The second she fully transformed, she floored it, taking off into the sky.
…
Back in the med bay, Megatron waited for news of Massacre's capture. When the comm crackled to life, he immediately spoke up.
"Have you caught her yet?!" Megatron demanded.
"I'm sorry, Lord Megatron." Starscream's voice answered. "But she- She managed to escape."
Megatron's teeth clenched and his fists tightened.
"Deploy your fleets, Starscream!" Megatron demanded. "Do not let her enter Autobot-controlled Cybertron!"
"A-as you command, Master." Starscream replied.
Megatron cut communications, turning to Shockwave slowly. The Decepticon scientist tried to back away, but was stopped by his livid Master. The con's claws dug into the metal of Shockwave's arms, leaving deep gouges
"You… You cost me my greatest soldier!"
"M-Master, I-I swear on the Allspark, I never meant for this to happen!" Shockwave pleaded.
"You told me that your plan would restore my second in command, and now some organic virus has overtaken her system, turning our greatest weapon against us!" Megatron screamed.
"I couldn't have known what would happen!" Shockwave tried to explain. "Please Master!"
Megatron wanted nothing more than to rip out his spark, but he also knew that Shockwave's words rang with truth. The process had never been tested, and side effects were to be expected. His rage calmed somewhat, though he was far from a forgiving mood.
"While that may be true, this egregious oversight must not go unpunished."
With one hand still gripping Shockwave's arm, Megatron turned his free hand into a long sword, one that sliced through Shockwave's arm in a spray of Energon. The Decepticon howled in pain as Megatron crushed the severed appendage in his grip.
"Be grateful I'm sparing your pathetic life." Megatron snarled. "And pray that Starscream succeeds in cleaning up your mess!"
…
Massacre landed hard in a barren area of Cybertron, transforming back into her robotic form as she flopped onto the ground. She was breathing hard as she sat up, struggling to her feet as she tried to figure out where she was. Unfortunately, she'd been unconscious during her flight to Kaon, and she'd never been able to see much of Cybertron outside of Iacon.
"Scrap…" she swore, leaning against a metallic ridge. "What am I gonna do?"
The sound of approaching jets spurred her into motion, taking cover behind the ridge as a hoard of flying vehicons passed overhead, Starscream at their head. Panic began to set in as she hid.
"The Decepticons…" she whispered. "They'll turn me into scrap metal if they find me, and the Autobots would do the same… Scrap…"
She hugged her legs, trying desperately to come up with a plan and wishing she was back in her biosphere back in CORD. Thinking back to CORD reminded Massacre of her Autobot friends, Preceptor, Wheeljack, Grapple, Hoist, and then finally, Ratchet.
"Ratchet…" she said softly, an idea coming to her. "Ratchet could help me… He could fix me, get me out of this Decepticon."
She tapped the side of her head like she'd seen her friends do constantly when using their comms.
"I just hope he's somewhere near CORD." She prayed as she input the frequency.