Chapter Nine – Battle of Area 51
"Get a move on it Bluestreak!" Huffer screams as he, Wheeljack, Trailbreaker, Sparkplug, Spike and Brawn run down the long corridor of the Autobot ship.
"Wait! We can't just go to the far north…what about Optimus Prime's orders to stay here?" Bluestreak moans as he tries to catch up.
Wheeljack picks up Spike as they dash and quickly transforms into his sporty car mode as he places the young man inside of him. Trailbreaker pulls up beside Sparkplug and allows him to climb in.
"We've got to get a move on to see what that energy signature was…" Wheeljack says as he converts. "It might have something to do with Archeville and that Project of his."
"You don't know that for sure Wheeljack…" Spike says as he buckles up. "Could be just a bunch of meteorites heading through the atmosphere…or maybe even a space debris…or…"
"Yeah right!" Trailbreaker scoffs as he too transforms. "All in formation and arriving just at the same time Prime and the others leave? My processors it's not a coincidence!"
"I'm with you on that one Trailbreaker." Sparkplug says patting Trailbreaker's dashboard. "Archeville's men have pulled the wool over our eyes before, who knows what that madman has in store for us all next. Chances are they saw Prime and the others heading out and decided to move the project before they could get to it."
"But we can't be sure of that Dad." Spike responds as he hears his father over Wheeljacks speakers. "What if it's something else? Something that has nothing to do with it?"
Huffer transforms into his orange truck cab mode and leads them out of the Ark. "We'll talk about it when we get there guys…transform and roll out!"
Suddenly Cliffjumper blocks their way at the exit and folds his arms over. Everyone stops in their tracks as they see him there and Bluestreak finally catches up to the rest of them.
"Move it Cliffjumper! We've got a mission!" Huffer shouts.
"I ain't moving till someone tells me what's going on."
Huffer transforms back into robot mode shakes his fist at him.
"Move aside dang blasted! We're on our way to solve a riddle."
Cliffjumper laughs and places his hands on his side.
"Oh come on…you are going to solve a riddle? If I remember correctly, Optimus Prime told you nut jobs to stay here and baby-sit me."
Spike rolls down Wheeljack's window and pops his head out.
"How did you know that? You were confined to your quarters."
"But I still got my clearance to activate Telatran's inner security monitors. I watched the entire conference from my room…" Cliffjumper grins.
"Why you sneaky lil' devil." Trailbreaker laughs. "I guess the next thing your gonna tell us is that if we don't take you with us, you're gonna tattle on us to Prime."
"See Trailbreaker…you know me better then you thought." The red mini robot winks.
"Well we can't have someone like that sitting alone at the base. What do you say Huffer? Think we can take this no good so-and-so with us?" Brawn chuckles.
Huffer tilts his head back and gives a long sigh. "Oh…alright. But you're a civilian now…so you'll do as I say. No weapons, no charging in ahead of us and for crying out loud…just do as you're told for once. You got that?"
"Just wanna see what all the fuss is about, that's all Huff."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna get a lip full when Prime gets back?" Huffer moans again.
"This was your big idea Huffer." Wheeljack snickers as Spike sticks his head back inside. "So quit wasting time giving him the rules and lets get a move on, huh?"
Huffer transforms into his orange cab mode again and laughs. "You got that right buddy. Autobots transform and move out!"
Bluestreak and Cliffjumper transform and join the others as the speed out of the ship, as they head out down the road, Spike looks back at the ship with concern.
"But what about protecting the ship? Won't Optimus be mad for not staying?"
"Don't worry Spike." Wheeljack says. "We'll be back before Prime even knows we're gone. Telatran One…activate security protocols!"
Inside the ship, the voice of Wheeljack giving the command switches the computer on and the monitor scrolls with a flashing Autobot insignia.
"Affirmative. Security protocol activated." The booming voice of the computer announces.
Just as the group leaves the perimeter, a large blue electric force field surrounds the area as it protect the ship inside. With the base now safe, the fast driving group head down the dirt road and suddenly flash into their transwarp speed.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A sudden blast of weapons fire sends a gaping hole through the alien ship's structure. Inside the vessel, more humans with weapons await the Decepticons as they step through; with Megatron leading them all he kicks a group of the similar armed humans out of his path and fires his massive plasma cannon down at them all. The death is quick and painful as the men scream in their final moment. Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Soundwave trample through the rest and fire on the rest that seem to pop out of every corner above and below them.
"This is too easy!" Starscream laughs. "These humans are utterly stupid as all be!"
"Then they must be surprised to see another of their kind come in then, right Starscream?" Thundercracker says in a sarcastic tone.
Starscream gives the Decepticon a back slap for talking to him like that and points his cannon at the other jet robot's head.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself Thundercracker…or I'll blast them out for you!"
"Just…just kidding…" He nervously smiles back.
Megatron glares back at them as he continues on ahead into the large alien ship. "Enough of your foolish play…forward Decepticons! Forward to victory!"
Soundwave keeps close to the leader and begins protecting him like a bodyguard; he randomly shoots the humans trying to stop them and scans the interior for him.
"The ship looks to be familiar in design and I've already detected a command bridge a few feet ahead."
"Well done, Soundwave. As soon as we secure the vessel have Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy and Skywarp put on patrol."
"As you command mighty Megatron." The yellow-eyed robot bows.
"Scan the bridge I want to know if there are more of these pathetic fleshlings inside."
"Scanning…Scanning…Scan complete. The humans are trying to fortify the door as we speak." Soundwave explains to the leader.
"Foolish humans, they dare try to stop us from gaining entry? They are no match for the might of the Decepticons. Such a weak display…I had expected more." Megatron snarls in disgust. "This secret better be worth all their lives…because that's exactly what I'm going to take away from them all!"
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
On the barren road leading into Area 51, Optimus Prime and the other Autobots drive down the fresh black looking asphalt as they come out of trans-warp. The blinding bright flash at the end of the road brings them zooming in one after the other, as they all soon begin to drive at a normal rate of speed as they approach Area 51. Optimus Prime, leading the convoy behind him, begins to slow down as he sees the smoldering ruins of the front gates ahead. As the massive tractor-trailer comes to a stop, the other vehicles behind also break and edge out from behind to see what is causing the leader to halt.
"What the dilly-o Prime?" Blaster shouts out from inside Jazz. "You bust a tire or somethin'?"
Optimus remains in his cab form and uses in inside sensors to scan the debris, he is horrified by the remains of crushed humans, helicopters ripped to shreds and burning on the ground and the sight of the gate busted wide open to the base beyond.
"Something…or someone…has been here before us." Prime says to the questioning communications officer.
"Before us?" Sideswipe now utters as he parks beside Sunstreaker. "Oh great…you mean we came all this way for nothing?"
"Guess the humans decided to take on Archeville by themselves after all, huh Prime?" Sunstreaker now adds.
The leader remains rumbling his engine as he thinks things over. The carnage is far to widespread to be the work of other human military, Prime had seen the tactics humans tend to make and the fact that they could take out such advanced weapondary like Archeville's men seemed questionable. His thoughts were plagued by questions as he mulled over what might have happened here, but rather then waste more time and trying to figure it out, the leader simply moved forward and passed the gate area.
"I don't have a good feeling about this Prime." Red Alert now says as he pulls up beside the large red and grey tractor-trailer. "If this was the humans attacking each other…why isn't there any more of them laying about?"
"Maybe they caught them by surprise." Jazz now adds. "We've seen the humans plan for war before Optimus…"
"Yes." Prime answers back. "But we've also seen the terrible weapons in the hands of Archeville's men. Red Alert has a point…if this was a battle with other humans attacking each other…there should be more then this. This could be a trap…a way of luring us in to whatever waits inside."
"Enough yappin and more action Optimus" Ironhide groans. "Time to see what's going on up there!"
The transformer zooms past the other and his leader as he floors it down the road, the obvious path had been cleared by whatever had attacked the humans, suggesting that something had pushed it all away as it head inwards. As Ironhide zipped past them all, Optimus Prime suddenly began to follow the hasty mini van as he tried to keep up.
"Ironhide! Get back here!" He screamed. "Blasted all…we'd better catch up to him before he gets his hub cabs blown off."
"It wouldn't be the first time." Inferno chuckled as he increased speed with the others.
Red Alert, in his supped up red and white Lamborghini fire chief car mode, flashed his red lights on top of his roof and moved back behind Optimus Prime.
"I really have a bad feeling about this…" Red Alert moans.
The convoy continues down the road, just as the sound of explosions and weapons fire can be heard in the distance.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Constructicons fired at anything and everything that moved or crawled. Merciless in their task, they made sure all the humans on the base were being wiped out as Megatron had instructed them to do. Bonecrusher and Scrapper transformed again and rammed down the various buildings that stood on the ground. Hook, Long Haul and Mix Master spread out across the fiery base and looked around for any hidden pockets of resistance. The human soldiers stood their ground and fired everything they had at the metal monsters, but realizing the effort was futile, they retreated together as they ran to the last area where they could regroup.
"This is a slaughter!" The leading soldier shouted. "We need reinforcements! NOW!"
"Ask and ye shall receive…" Commander West said as he approached the center of the huddled group.
Taking an out a cellular phone, the man pushed the send button and spoke into the device with a manner of calm.
"Bring out the tanks…and prepare to open the main weapon doors."
A few feet away from where they all stood, several lowering sections began to appear as massive trap doors opened to allow desert-camouflaged tanks to drive out from underground. These tanks where massive and obviously built with the usual technology they had been incorporating into their military as before. The tanks had large cannons that pulsated with energy at the ends of them, a high pitched whine of the power build up and a large blue release of the shot propelled over to where each of the Constructicons stood and knocked them out of place. The men cheered at the sight and followed in behind the tanks as they took it as a sign to strike back.
"They want a war?" West smirked as he remained behind watching with pride. "Then by all means…lets give them the biggest one."
As the commander continued to watch the action unfold ahead, from behind came a glaring light that made him turn round and take notice. Speeding up towards the man at a high rate came Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Ironhide, who was still ahead of the rest, transformed and pointed his weapon down at the bewildered man.
"Stay where you are and don't move…my finger is just itchin' for somethin' to do some shootin' human."
Prime quickly transformed as he approached the surprised human and glared at him in anger.
"Surrender the base and yourselves! This secret is over…" Prime demanded.
"Nothing is over…and we surrender to no one!" West screams up at Prime. "Not to you…nor them!"
As the other Autobots transformed and looked up at the battle Optimus himself was now staring at, they could clearly see the tanks and troops firing away at the very threat they thought was gone forever.
"Decepticons!" Bumblebee gasped in amazement.
"How can that be?" Ironhide questions. "They're all dead…aren't they?"
Prime focus his robotic eyes and zooms in on the ferocious battle.
"It's them alright. The crash must not have been as serious as we had all assumed…but…if they're here that means…"
"Megatron!" Prowl says completing his leader's thought. "If they survived…so did he!"
"What have you done?" Prime says in horror as he looks down at West. "What have you and Archeville done!"
The man smiles and laughs at Optimus Prime's expression.
"We've taken control over our fate and that of the world…soon we will be the ultimate power to be reckoned with!"
"You fools…" Prime says shaking his head. "You damn fools…you've only started a chain reaction that will end very badly for all of us."
Turning back to watch his tanks firing away at the Constructions, he folds his arms over and snickers at the Autobot leader's statement.
"I think we will have everything under control. Now that we have the weapons…the technology…we will be the ones dictating terms. Once the Decepticons are under our control…you and your Autobots will be next. Time to admit you've met your match Prime…we've won!"
Look up at the Constructions grouping together and trying to block the various energy blasts at them, Optimus Prime gives a long sigh and readies his gun for what he knows is inevitable.
"No you haven't. Control is the last thing you've got right now…and believe me…you're about to get a dose of humility of the worst kind."
The green colored Decepticons circle around each other back-to-back and fire at the tanks swarming them.
"These humans are beginning to get on my nerves Scrapper!" Hook shouts.
"Then by all means…lets show them what real devastation is like!" Scrapper says as he clenches his fist. "Constructicons! UNITE!"
The group of Decepticons transforms into their various vehicle modes and then begins transforming again. West and the other humans watch in awe as they suddenly see the vehicles shift and contort into a new form they've never seen. Each Constructicon begins folding over and linking to each other, Scrapper and Mix Master join with Long Haul and Hook as they form legs and a torso; Bonecrusher and Scavenger merge together as they mount on the sides and create two massive arms. West's jaw gapes open as he sees the final form coming together and notices they've become a massive robot body. As a panel slides open on the top of the form, the massive head comes rising out and the black and chromed head of the monster robot now completes the transformation.
"Holy Shit! What the hell is that?" West utters.
"Devastator." Prime breathes out as he says the Decepticon's name.
The massive Decepticon's eye flashes and gives a rising evil chuckle as he comes online.
"Humans…" The loud booming voice of the monster announces. "Prepare for your obliteration!"
West looks up at Optimus Prime just as he in turn looks down at him.
"Congratulations…you've just lost control." Prime states.