Welp, this chapter came out far more quicker than I originally thought thanks to some inspiration from a friend. Credit goes to the amazing Mistress Megatron for helping me out the chapter's title because the original one did NOT sound too good for this two-parter. Be sure to visit her profile page because she is a damn good writer!

This two-parter chapter will have the names of characters at the top of some paragraphs to determine settings and who is the focus on them. Um... just read the chapter, you'll see what I mean. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I had fun with it!

Chapter 16:

Ring Around the Halo – Part I

Optimus Prime

As Starscream blasted towards Optimus at alarming speed, the Autobot commander's processor and optical sensors calculated and determined the exact velocity that his opponent was travelling and how long it would take for him to reach him. His processor calculated that Starscream was travelling at less than mach one in order to prevent himself from going face first in the ground. With a chance that his shot may miss, Optimus aimed his left blaster and primed it to the fullest.

He waited.

Starscream continued to come; hard and fast.

With optics squinting and his inner self screaming to release the shot, he fired two shots of plasma bursts at the flying Decepticon. The first shot flew past his form harmlessly, but the second shot scored a direct hit on his left wing.

Starscream faltered somewhat on his flight path, but he seemed to recover enough to keep on coming.

He was just seconds from hitting him full on when Optimus released another two shots at him. Both shots managed to hit him square in the chest, but never penetrating his armour. It was enough to send him falling from his path and head straight to Optimus thanks to being pushed by his thrusters. He was just a microsecond from him and Optimus neatly stepped aside just as Starscream lost control and skidded across the ground, dust and dirt kicking up in his wake.

From all around them, the Decepticons were firing random shots at their opponents. The team of N.E.S.T soldiers commanded by Major Lennox and Epps quickly fanned outward in an attempt to keep most of them occupied while Ironhide managed to fire a shot at Mixmaster just as he tackled him to the ground, throwing a set of punches into his face that were enough to keep him well away from the rest of his faction.

The Bike Sisters – Arcee, Chromia, and Flareup – skittered about relentlessly around a red Decepticon armed with caterpillar treads for whips, firing random shots at him. It was enough to keep him occupied and far enough to not get any aid from his allies.

As Ironhide fought Mixmaster, he took a double take when he realised that there were now seven Decepticons instead of eight. He frowned and tried to voice his concern to Optimus, but Mixmaster delivered a full on punch to his faceplates, distracting him from opening up his com-link to his commander. He growled angrily and delivered a punch of his own to the tall black and white Decepticon.

Starscream picked himself up off the ground and snarled viciously at Optimus. "You'll pay with that with your life, Prime!" he threatened.

Optimus just simply returned his plasma blasters into his back, shifting them into their fuel tank forms. He stood up tall, optics narrowing dangerously and his lips tightening beneath his mask. He changed his stance, legs bunching up together and elbows pushed outward. Without warning, he charged directly for Starscream, his broad feet smashing into the ground as he continued to run like an athlete sprinter.

The surprise of the charge was enough for him to tackle into Starscream full on with his four tonne body. Metal crunched, bent, and dented in several places as the two titans clashed. They rolled, tossed, and turned as they struggled to gain the upper hand. But Optimus managed to score several punches into Starscream's faceplates.

Starscream attempted to deflect the blows that were coming in hard and vicious.

Optimus was about to throw in another punch when Starscream rolled his body toward the left, surprising him as he found himself on his back. A massively clawed foot pressed down upon his neck, cutting off the oxygen to his tanks. Optimus gasped and tried to remove the full on weight of his opponent, but Starscream didn't budge at all.

The Decepticon commander leaned forward, bright red optics leering with glee. "I shall enjoy watching you choke, Prime," he sneered. "It will be a slow and painful death for you!"

Sideswipe

"I don't like this, Sideswipe," Ratchet whispered as he, Sideswipe, and the four N.E.S.T soldiers quietly moved toward the back of the Decepticon base. While Sideswipe had been eager to get inside, Ratchet had been ever the cautious one.

Fortunately, the back had been unguarded since all the Decepticons were outside and the lead soldier – Greg Boiling – motioned to two of the soldiers on his right and they went forward, assault rifles drawn until they reached the left and right sides of the door, listening for a split moment before one of them threw a frag grenade inside. It rolled inside and detonated seconds later, pieces of sabot shrapnel scattering in different directions. When there were no cries of agony from within the building, the second soldier waved over to the rest.

As they made their way inside, Sideswipe glanced sideways at his companion and shrugged. "You worry too much," he snorted.

Ratchet shot him a look that he ignored as the soldiers checked their corners, their rifles primed and ready. Sideswipe's legs bunched together at the slightest sounds as he skated slowly forward on his wheeled feet, the machine gun in his back pointing wherever he looked.

The base was bigger than he originally thought it would be, reminding him of the human saying 'like navigating through a maze'. Sometimes they wound up at a dead end; other times they found empty cells with no signs of life.

He heightened his sensors to maximum capacity, knowing that he had better luck than Ratchet and the humans in searching for their target. He wasn't the master of certain martial arts for nothing, having trained his frame and processor to go through just about every technique he could learn until there was nothing left to take in. By blocking out the breathing of his comrades, he could detect the faintest sounds that no one else could hear.

The corridor's end opened to a wide room. The walls and the ceiling towered over the group, at least thirty metres from the floor to the roof while the floor stretched outwards sixty metres ahead of them. The entire room was shadowed in complete darkness with only a fair bit of light getting through a few holes in the roof from the moon. Another corridor at the end of the room lay in the middle, probably leading them to their next destination.

Sideswipe found himself smirking at the wideness of this place. If it wasn't a Decepticon base, this would have been a perfect training ground for him.

Fortunately, his proximity sensors were always on high alert as well and they detected the movement just as Ratchet picked up the movement as well. He raised an arm upwards, halting the team's advancement. By keeping them back, they would not get in the way of whatever it was he may encounter. After all, it was his job as their escort to protect them and Ratchet at any cost, even if he didn't like the job.

He silently moved forward, sensors maximized for any signs of danger.

His sensors went off again just as a small form pounced upon his chassis, startling him as he fell on his aft. He heard the clicking noise of assault rifles being aimed at his attacker.

"No, don't shoot!" Greg's gruff voice cried in alarm. "You could hit Sideswipe! Lower your weapons!"

Something with red optics leaned toward him, jaws opening wide and littered with thousands of needle-like teeth, but he lashed out with the blunt side of his right sword that hit the creature in the side of the head, earning a hiss in response.

It rolled several times before it managed to right itself and getting back up on its four paws.

Sideswipe picked himself up as well and scanned the being in the darkness, though it was hard to make out because of how his attacker blended in perfectly with the gloom. And he knew only one Decepticon who could do that: Ravage.

Ravage snarled from the shadows, hackles raised, before he lunged forward again, claws outstretched towards his victim.

But Sideswipe was ready by lifting up an arm to block the incoming feline. Ravage's jaws latched onto it and his claws grasped his thick arm, burrowing their way deep into his metallic skin until they bled precious energon that splattered onto the ground. He grimaced from the attack, but he managed to raise a three-fingered hand and pry the hissing beast off him. He used as much strength as he could by tossing him several metres away.

Ravage landed on his back and picked himself up. He let off a snarl of anger, having lost the element of surprise, and darted in the direction of the exit, but not before Sideswipe raised an arm and fired a few shots at him from his wrist blaster, a couple of them hitting his left hip. Ravage let off one final yelp before he vanished into the night.

Sideswipe snorted in amusement. "Pft, felines," he huffed cockily, retuning his blaster back into his wrist.

The N.E.S.T soldiers and Ratchet were at his side.

Ratchet attempted to make a grab for his injured arm, but he pulled it away. "Just let me look at you," he growled impatiently.

The silver mech shot him a glare. "No need for your concern, Doc," he snorted. "I am a warrior, I bleed for conflict."

"My name is not Doc!" Ratchet snapped, but Sideswipe just ignored him as he skated forwards slightly, checking to make sure that there was no one else in the room.

"We should probably get moving," he said, frowning a bit. "I do not like the feeling of this place."

"I agree with Sideswipe," Greg nodded. "Something tells me that there are worse things than that cat that we bumped into."

"Fine," Ratchet grumbled in defeat, but not before he turned to Sideswipe and jabbed a finger into his chest. "But after we're done here, I'm taking a look at that arm of yours."

"Whatever," Sideswipe sighed and he and the team prepared to advance forward, only to stop in their tracks when they spotted a small, silver mech with serrated claws on his hands standing before them. Only one word escaped Sideswipe's mouth that made Ratchet think twice. "Sideways."

Optimus Prime

Just when Optimus thought he was going to lose consciousness, a blast from the sidelines hit Starscream right in the back where his thrusters were. Starscream hissed in pain and he was forced to remove his foot off the struggling Autobot commander. Optimus knew that he needed to take advantage of the situation fast before Starscream recovered and he reacted accordingly by sweeping one leg underneath him, causing Starscream to fall onto his injured back.

Optimus stood up to his full height and he managed to catch a glimpse of Major Lennox and a few N.E.S.T soldiers standing a distance away on a small grassy hill, one of them with a rocket launcher pointed in their direction and smoking from its barrel. He gave them the universal thumbs up and Major Lennox waved in response.

Starscream was once again back on his feet and he released a missile in the humans' direction.

"No!" Optimus cried as the missile flew toward them at lightning speed.

Suddenly a massive black form stood between them and the missile and it hit the mech square in the back. Optimus' optics widened as the smoke and dust evaporated to reveal Ironhide shielding the humans from the missile. Thanks to Ironhide's thick armour, he was only mildly damaged.

"They don't call me Ironhide for nothing," he grunted.

Optimus nodded with a knowing smile, shaking his head with amusement before he returned his attention back to Starscream, his left hand shifting into his blade. He let off a battlecry and lashed out with his blade, the sharp side cutting deep into his armour. Starscream hissed in pain and countered with a blow of his own, his claws outstretched and slashing against Optimus' battle mask, leaving four sets of scrapes on it. Optimus responded by giving Starscream another headbutt, knocking his sensors off balance for a moment, but it's enough for him to go on the offense again.

Optimus once again tackled Starscream to the ground, throwing in a couple of punches to his face, energon staining his knuckles and his opponent went on the defensive, trying to shield his face from the series of blows that were connecting every single time.

The blows would have continued if Optimus hadn't left himself wide open.

This was taken immediate advantage of as Starscream lashed out with his claws again, burrowing them deep into Optimus' midsection... spilling energon.

Before Optimus could have a chance to recover, Starscream once again rolled him onto his back and planted his foot on his bleeding body. He dug his heel deep into it, earning a groan of pain from the Autobot commander's vocal processor.

Starscream glanced all around him, and he spoke up, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear him. "You all shall be the first to witness the fall of the Optimus Prime!" he announced. "Now he shall die at the hands of the true Decepticon leader!"

"Hail Lord Starscream!" Grindor announced from afar. "Hail Lord Starscream!"

Starscream smirked, his optics returning to Optimus Prime's pathetic form. He raised an arm above his head, claws wide. "Now die!"

The arm came down and fell towards Optimus' spark chamber.

Up next: Ring Around the Halo - Part II!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, but I apologise for it being a bit short and the cliffhanger. The real stuff begins in the next one. Until the next update, stay tuned!