Transformers Prime: Miami
Chapter 19: The Battle of Miami (part 4)
Miami International Airport
Grimlock roared as he locked on to Optimus and charged into a full sprint at the Autobot leader. The Autobots began to fire on the large metallic dinosaur as Bulkhead valiantly put himself in-between Grimlock and his leader. Before Bulkhead could cry out for OPtimus to move, Grimlock lowered his head and rammed him with enough force to send Bulkhead flying. Bulkhead yelled as he felt himself get airborn and then crash into a parked private jet nearby.
Optimus tried to move out of the way but Grimlock caught the lower part of his right leg and swung him up in the air. Catching him in his massive jaws, Optimus barely had time to hold his jaws open to keep it from snapping him in half. Optimus grunted as he struggled against the powerful jaws. He punched Grimlock repeatedly in the nose and eyes.
"Grimlock!" Verity yelled " I knew he was big but not THAT big!, What's he doing here? I thought the Dinobots were forbidden to come to Earth?"
Prowl laid down suppressive fire as bumblebee transformed and rushed to OPtimus's aid. "The last time I heard from Grimlock he and the Dinobots were hunting the Combaticons on Tivus!, I would say we're lucky it's just him, but if he's with the Renegades it isn't good for us in the slightest!"
Prowl was right as he knew of Grimlock's reputation, and it was one that filled even Prowl with fear. Leader of the fearsome Dinobots, Grimlock was all about strength and being the very best at what he does, causing utter devastation. During the great war on Cybertron, it was the mindset that combiner teams, Cybertronian teams that could merge into one gigantic robot. Was the wave of the future as far as warfare was concerned. Grimlock merely scoffed at the notion and prided himself on bring these combiner giants down to size. He had no fear when it came to battle; he hated weakness in any form. Grimlock was known for causing panic on the battlefield; Decepticons threw down arms and retreated whenever the Dinobots arrived. There were only five, but they were more than a match for any decepticon force. This brought up another key point in prowl's mind.
"It's just Grimlock, I wonder where the other Dinobots are?" He asked as he scooped up Verity and moved to a flank that was out of Grimlocks peripheral vision. Prowl and Verity could see Grimlock taking on four Autobots at once. Green light and Bumblebee attacked him from high as Optimus stayed on his feet drew Grimlock's attention as bulkhead came from behind and leapt up on Grimlock's back pounding him with his mace arm.
Grimlock scrunched into a small ball and then roared as his head flew up and his mighty tail swung in a 360 degree arc that knocked every Autobot back in one fell swoop. Prowl knew at this rate the Autobots would not last long against the Dinobot leader. He looked around the airport and familiarized himself with his surroundings. He took several mental notes of the various trucks and planes littered about the air field. He looked at Verity who was holding her side and reloading her clips. He smiled as he knew she would have his back to the very end, as proud as he was of that devotion, he knew it was a problem.
"Ok we continue on to his flank ,I'll draw his fire while you attak from his rear guard, If we get him to the refueling tanks it might slow him down, What do you think Prowl?" Verity asked as Prowl knelt behind her and raised his finger at her head.
"Great plan Verity, we just need to change one thing ." He said calmly.
Verity wrinkled her forehead at the suggestion by her partner " What needs to be changed—" She stopped as Prowl discharged an electrical blast at her eyes that knocked her out instantly. She slumped back, as Prowl caught her and picked her up gently.
"You, you're not a part of this equation Verity.." Prowl said somberly as he set her on some crates away from the fight. "You're going to bitch me out when you wake up, but at least you'll be alive! " Prowl then transformed and raced toward Grimlock.
Ibanez coca factory (Or what's left of it)
"Elita, Did I hear your right? Grimlock is here?" Arcee asked in a raised tone
Elita tried to recall Prime; over and over .She gritted her teeth in frustration "Damn! Spark of a Glitch!"
"Wait I take it this Grimlock is bad news?" Jack Darby asked as behind him Yuri was tending to April's cuts and scrapes with his makeshift med kit.
"He's the leader of the Dinobots, Autobots that take the form of the prehistoric creatures that lived on this planet before humans." Arcee said "If Grimlocks here and fighting the Autobots we don't have a lot of time.
"We need to drop off the humans at the base first. " Elita said as the idea was instantly shot down.
"Out of the question!" Jack began
"No way, Josie!" Yuri shouted.
"No way Jose` but close enough!" Jack corrected
" I think what Jack and Yuri mean to convey is they aren't going anywhere " Agent Greene said as she got off her cell phone.
"I admire your spirit I really do, but this is Grimlock, he ranks up there as a force of nature! Besides April needs to get to safety.."
"No!" April snapped "No, do you dare start to baby me now; Optimus needs us I'm going to be there!"
April had come too as Elita was calling Optimus, Her shirt was tore open as her bra could be seen Various marks that Delilah bug sharp wires into her skin had stopped bleeding, April was starting to feel a little strength return as the faint smell of almonds from the fear toxin still lingered on her scrubs shirt. She had to focus on something else anything, and right now she was all for rescuing Optimus and the other Autobots.
"Ok , Your right." Elita One nodded as she made a call to Perceptor "Preceptor what's your status? "
"I've found and disabled the bugs and computer Viruses Delilah installed, but I'm still working on getting the ground bridge online again. You may want to try Ratchet as their ground bridge is still operational."
"Roger that, Ratchet come in!" Elita called
"Yes Elita, what can I do for you?" Ratchet said over the comms
"We need a ground bridge to Optimus's coordinates. " She ordered.
"Sending one to you now.. "Ratchet said as he opened up a green portal to Elita and her team.
Elita transformed as Agent Greene got in her, Jack mounted Arcee and April and Yuri climbed into Mirage.
"Autobots roll out!" Elita ordered as they raced through the portal. As soon as they did, Is when Chromia and Delilah came out of hiding. Delilah jumped off of Chromia and pulled her laptop from her backpack. With a few quick keystrokes, she found the cycle rate of the Portal. She took out a hand held device that was the size of a TV remote and fired it at the portal. It seized the portal and it wrapped a golden light around it.
"Do you have it?"Chromia asked.
"One Second, and Boo- yeah!, I reversed the polarity of the Portal, you now have a way into the Autobot base." Delilah said as she packed up her laptop.
"Sideswipe and his team are still 20 minutes out, Looks like it's up to you and I to say hi…." Chromia said as she transformed and April got on her. They raced into the portal and soon found themselves in Jasper.
Delilah leapt off as Chomia transformed and before Ratchet could ask what the heck was going on, she pounced on the doctor and began to pummel him.
"Ratchet!" Miko yelled as Delilah zeroed in on Miko and Raf, she pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot them both in the back as they turned to run away. They fell to the ground as Delilah felt her arm being grabbed and held behind her back, She looked to see Agent Fowler had in her a large arm grip.
"That wasn't very nice! Calm down I don't want to hurt you!" He warned
Deliah scowled as she smashed her forehead against his nose, He loosened up his grip just enough so Delilah could wriggle out and take his arm to wrap it behind his back. She kicked his knees out from under him and she pulled up. Fowler screamed as a wet snap and blinding flash of pain told him his arm was now broken.
"Hurt me?" Delilah mocked "You'll be lucky if I don't kill you!"
"Delilah! Get over here and do your job!" Chromia spat as she dropped the now unconscious Ratchet on the ground. "There will be time for mindless violence later. Get us this ground bridge tech.."
Still looking at Chromia , Delilah sent a blow to Folwers neck knocking him out, She stalked over to the computer terminal and set up her laptop and began to type .
"Don't ever speak to me like that again…."Delilah said quietly.
"Sidswipe, this is Chormia. The Autobot base is secure." She said over the comms.
"Good bridge us there immediately" Sideswipe ordered.
Miami International Airport.
Green Light screamed as she was caught in Grimlocks massive jaws, She felt his teeth rip into her body frame and her energon spilled out around his jaws . He shook her violently with his jaws before flinging her into Bumblebee with enough force that it self them flying into a DC 10 Jet. Bulkhead was knocked out as Grimlock paused as he felt something lodged into his back molars. Whatever it was it started to beep faster and faster. He tried to poke at it with his tiny arms and then the red Energon grenade that Green Light planted in his mouth exploded. Grimlock roared as fire and smoke enveloped his head. For a brief moment Grimlock was now blind, deaf, and disoriented. It was more than enough opportunity for Prowl to take advantage of.
Prowl raced behind Grimlock and fired a cable that dug into his side, He raced around Grimlock wrapping the cable around him over and over. Turning on his afterburners Prowl sped out and pulled the cable tigher around the large dinosaur. Grimlock roars as he felt himself be bounded and then topple over. Prowl had known Grimlock from long before , so he knew how he fought and he knew what would slow him down. Prowl released the cable and raced to the tanker filled with liquid nitrogen.
Transforming ,Prowl shot at the hitch separating the tank from the truck, He grasped onto the heavy tank that was filled with the Sub freezing liquid, and screamed as he picked up it up, He used all of his strength as he thought of Verity, All the times they shared together. When he first met her when she was a young kid at the age of 14, how she would sneak on to missions and get herself into trouble that the Autobots would have to rescue her. He thought of the times they shared when they were in between conflicts and her smile. Watching her grow up, and her distress when the Wreckers had to leave her behind. He remembered clear as day the look of relief and happiness when Prowl said he was staying behind and would never leave her. He was so proud of her the day she graduated the Police Academy, He watched her from afar as she was a beat cop, and jumped at the chance to help her in her work when she made detective. He lived his life for her, and now he saw he was willing to give it up for her.
He lifted the tanker above his head prepared to throw it when Elita one transformed and stood in between him and Grimlock.
"PROWL!, STOP NOW! STAND DOWN!" She yelled. "Stand down! That is an order!"
Prowl looked at her with wide optics and dropped the huge tank behind him, He dropped to one knee as he felt the pain in his arm gears. He looked up at Elita one .
"Ok , this I gotta hear….." He chuckled.
Before she could explain Grimlock roared and snapped the cable around him off, He roared as he started to charge Elita and Prowl. Then Elita one turned around and faced the Dinobot.
"Grimock!, Stop!" She shouted.
Grimlock stopped in his tracks and looked at Elita one as he cocked his head to one side and instantly recognized her.
"Hrrrr Elita? Is that Elita one?" He asked.
"Yes Grimlock, it's me, it's good to see you again." She smiled.
"Hrmm Me Grimlock not know you are here, You go fishing with Grimlock when Gimlock finishes destroying Optimus Prime?" He asked.
"We can go fishing Grimlock, but I'm asking you not to destroy Prime." She said as she patted his nose.
"Why not?, Grimlock was told to destroy Optimus. Grimlock destroy Optimus!" He argued.
"We are not going to do that! " Elita said again forcefully " Who told you to do that?"
Grimlock scratched his head as he saw Arcee and the humans start to tend to the Autobots. " Grimlock's life was saved by Sideswipe, Sideswipe lead now, Lead Autobots and Deceptcons off planet, before planet go into black hole. Sideswipe come to Earth , wants to rule. Grimlock no care. Grimlock just wants to fight."
"I understand that Grimlock, Sideswiped saved your life, you feel like you have to follow him, but who do you owe a Spark Debt to?" She asked,
"Elita, " Grimock said lowered his head in partial shame. "Grimlock owe Spark Debt to Elita One…."
"Follow Elita Grimlock, Follow your friend." She said lovingly.
Grimlock transformed into his robot mode " Me Grimlock follow Elita, Follow Elita always! Can Grimlock still destroy Optimus Prime?"
"No Grimlock, do not destroy Optimus, Help Optimus." She ordered.
Verity opened her eyes to see she was back in Elita's base, She looked up to see the Autobots tending to their wound, She knew instantly that Prowl knocked her out to keep her out of the fight, What kept her from screaming at Prowl was the fact she saw April alive and ok.
"April!" She called out as she ran to her and held her in a tight hug "Thank God you're ok.."
April squeezed back "I'm ok Verity, I'm ok.." Her voice breaking.
Prowl came to them as Verity looked at him " Don't talk to me right now." She said coldly. Prowl took a few steps back and went back to his energon drip.
"Ok you wanna explain why he's here and not pummeling us?" Bulkhead asked Elita one and pointing to Grimlock, who was playing with a lobbing ball in his dinosaur form.
"Grimlock and I go way back, Just shortly after Optimus and I were separated, Arcee and I were part of a recon unit that was sent to spy on a Decepticon weapons depot on the moon of Koran. Grimlock and the Dinobots were sent to the same bas under different orders. When the Decepticons got wind of them being there they self-destructed the base with them in, I t caused a massive moonquake. Arcee and I managed to warn the Dinobots in time before they were crushed, but Grimlock wasn't so lucky. He was pinned down by a large beam. I had to work fast to free him and then haul him out just as the base was swallowed up by the Moonquake. "
"Grimlock was so grateful to Elita, he swore a spark debt to her, He is sworn to protect her and follow her ." Arcee said.
"it was cute at first but then got very clingy, that's when I took an assignment that cause us to be separated. " Elita said
"Looks like Team Elita has a new member."
"We manage to stop the Renegades from causing massive damage, but I fear they haven't stopped, We must find out their next move " Optimus said " Send a call out to Ratchet we will need to regroup and formulate a plan."
Mirage nodded as he sent a call out to Ratchet " Ratchet, this is Autobot base Gamma two come in over." Silence passed as Mirage spoke again " Ratchet, come in over. "
Then the Autobots gasped as Sideswipe came on the screen " Ratchet isn't in at the moment but if you like you can make an appointment and he will get back to you ." He said mockingly.
"Sideswipe what have you done !" Optimus said sternly
"I want to negotiate to terms of your surrender and the release of the hostages. "Sideswipe said as he turned the camera to show Ratchet lying on his side, smoke billowing from him and Miko and Raf tied to chairs bound and gagged, and far off to the distance was agent Fowler strapped to a table in great pain as his arm was broke and pulled away from him in a very painful position. Delilah Danzig stood over Miko and Raf with an evil grin, she took a bit of Miko's hair and sliced it off with her large bowie knife.
"I nor my renedages will harm the humans, I give you my word ,That's why I have a human on my team, I can't speak for her of course, Oh and someone wants to say hi to you Elita." Sideswipe said as Sunsteaker came into the picture.
"Sunstreaker!" Elita one growled "Explain yourself. "
Sunstreaker smirked "You know how it goes boss lady, Energon is thicker than oil. I have to back my brother up you know that, Just like the battle of Tygas, you remember that right?"
Elita paused "Yeah, I rememeber that, I remember how it ended too. "
"So you know we mean bisnuess, " Sunstreaker continued " It's going to only get serious from here on out. "
"Very Well, if that's the way it's going to be, you are on your own." Elita said in a tone that Verity seem to catch.
"We both wouldn't have it any other way."
"No sunstreaker, we wouldn't. I just hope you're ready." Elita said.
Sideswipe came back in the picture "Only Optimus and Elita will come through the portal, no one else. Any interference with you Autobots will result in Delilah doing what she does best, Isn't that right Miss Sullivan? "He mocked as April turned her head and buried it deep in Verity's shoulder. Verity held her as she could feel her trembling.
Then a proximity alert sounded from the Japer base as Chromia looked at the computer, they could see something was fast approaching the base on land.
"Something's coming, It's a human car, Computer identifies it as June Darby…" She said
Jack and Aprils eyes went wide as they realized it was breaking dawn in Nevada and Jack hadn't been home yet, this cause June no other option than to come to the Autobot base. Jack searched his pants to see his phone wasn't on him so there was no way she could reach him even if she wanted to.
"Let her in, and as soon as she gets in blast the car to pieces." Sideswipe ordered as Razorclaw, Skids and Chromia moved into position at the mouth of the entrance.
"MOM!" He yelled as April cried out
"NOO!"
"Do not harm her!" Optimus shouted
"Then you better get her quickly then." Sideswipe said as he opened a portal to the base.
Optimus and Elita one then left to enter the portal unaware of the trap that lay out before them.
Next Time: The Renegades make an attempt to cripple the Autobot leadership in one fell swoop. In order to save Optimus Elita unlocks a secret power that spells disaster for her, and Delilah makes a poor judgment in character about Verity. It's the final part of the Renegades vs the Autobots, Winner gets Earth!