This is the first of three big show downs. Each will have their own chapter. And all three are taking place almost simultaneously with each other and with the battle raging on. This chatper will be more of an emotional fight, a battle of wills between to two femmes with some action sprinkled in. My intent is to reveal a piece of the past between the two femmes, explaining more about Thunder's brother and what Elita's involvement was in his death.

Now that that's out of the way…

Elita-One versus Thunderblast

Elita

I knew this day would eventually come to pass. I was not looking forward to it because it meant that one of us was probably going to die. I never needed to be bonded to Optimus, to share the family bond with Megatron and Thunderblast, to know that the femme hated me. She never hesitated to tell me whenever we met on the battlefield, much more so here on Earth.

I didn't harbor such feelings towards her. In fact, I did not want to kill Thunderblast but if there were no other options then I would do it. I must do it. I cannot afford to be terminated now. Not when my daughter was free, not when I had a family…a sparkmate that needed me.

'I love you my daughter,' I said to Kacey over our bond, getting a brief glimpse of her in her original jet form, that Trion had designed specifically for her when she was still a sparkling, flying across the sky.

'I love you to mother. Please, be safe,' she said back to me and I could feel how much she loved me, how much relief she felt knowing that I was alive.

My poor little sparkling. I can only imagine what she had gone through the past several days not knowing if Leo, Bumblebee, or myself was alive or dead. I'm sure Megatron told her I was dead out of spite. The very notion of them torturing and tormenting my little sparkling infuriated me.

I focused on that rage and used it when Thunderblast charged recklessly towards me. Leaping up I flipped over her, twisted in the air, and landed on my feet facing her. Thunderblast was a quick and agile as myself, both of us being the same build and height made us an even match for each other. So she was able to stop quickly and turn to face me.

"So we finally meet, Elita," she growled, pure hate filling her optics and distorting her facial features. "I have waited a long time for this moment. There's no more hiding behind your mech now."

"If you knew me at all you would know that I never hide behind Optimus!" I said as she easily dodged my punch by leaning back out of my fist's reach.

"I know enough!" she snarled, surprising me with a foot to my stomach, kicking me back. I only staggered a step or two before balancing myself. "You killed my brother! And that's all I ever needed to know!"

This time when she charged at me I charged at her too. It caught her off guard just enough for me have the advantage. Utilizing my momentum and weight, I threw my forearm at her head…hard. Thunderblast's head stopped while her body's moment kept going until it finally stopped. The femme landed flat on her back as a result.

"Would it make a difference if I told you I didn't kill him?"

"Ha! I find that hard to believe since it was you standing over my brother's body with a weapon in your hand," she scoffed, her optics flaring as she slowly rolled onto her hands and knees then climbed to her feet.

Thunderblast didn't hesitate with her attack. She ran at me and tackled me to the ground. Her fingers clawed and scratched at my face, one almost grazed my optic. Her desire for revenge gave her a strength I had not anticipated and I found myself at her mercy.

Luckily for me, Primus saw fit to step in and intervene.

A pair of sparring mechs in a vicious struggle of their own knocked her off me. Freed, I quickly got to me feet just in time to see Optimus take Megatron down to the ground since the Decepticon leader lost his footing stumbling over Thunderblast and myself. Optimus landed a hard right to Megatron's face while pinning his neck down with his left hand. He punched him again and again.

A weapon's blast sounded and the side of Optimus' helm sparked causing him to howl out in pain, grabbing his antenna. His momentary lapse enabled Megatron to push my love off. Both mechs were quick to recover and get to their feet, charging at one another once again totally oblivious to our presence. In retaliation, I retrieved my own weapon and shot at Thunderblast, sending her gun flying out of her hand.

"They have their own fight just as we have ours," I said to the Decepticon femme.

"You're right," she smirked, rubbing her hand. "Besides, I can't wait to see the look on Prime's face when I kill you."

"I take it that means you still don't want to know the truth about how your brother died."

"I know the truth!" she shouted, coming after me once again.

This time I raised up my hands and just grabbed her as she grabbed me. She tried to fling me to the ground but I countered her move, staying on my feet. We grunted and growl, pushed and pulled at each other to no avail. Neither one of us could gain the advantage over the other.

So Thunder tried a new tactic and went for my face. I managed to move my head in time before her fingers gouged one of my optics out. However, her mistake was letting go with one of her hands. It was all the advantage I needed.

I spun her around, twisting her arm at the same time, forcing her to her knees. She growl and spat the foulest Cybertronian curses at me.

"You have all this hatred for me for no reason! I didn't kill your brother!"

"You were the only one in the room with him! Of course you did! I saw…"

"You saw nothing except what you wanted to see! The truth was, Thunder, you're brother killed himself!"

"LIAR! My brother would never do such a thing!" she fumed, managing to gather enough strength to break from my grasp. "And don't you ever say such things about my brother!"

"Don't tell me you didn't know…that you didn't suspect."

"Suspect what?"

"Fool, you're blind by the love you have for your brother. Were you so oblivious to the rumors of a spy in your midst?"

Thunderblast stepped back a moment. I continued before she went back on the offensive.

"The truth is that your brother was supplying information to the Autobots. Names. Locations. Strike forces. Dates. He and many other Decepticons came to realized that Megatron was obsessed with the Allspark and was going to destroy Cybertron in his quest for it!"

"Your sparkmate sealed Cybertron's fate the day he sent the Allspark from its home!"

"It was the only way to save our race as a whole!" I countered. "Megatron was killing everyone in his path. Autobot or Decepticon! Your brother knew that day would come when Optimus would be left with no choice. Stormryder was doing what he could to prevent it. But he finally realized there was nothing he could do to stop Megatron and it was becoming more difficult for him to get us information. So, I came to your brother in disguise to tell him that Optimus agreed to his terms, that he and the others would be welcomed amongst our own in the fight against Megatron."

Thunderblast stood there with a look that could kill. Frag it to pit! There was just no getting through to her. She was as obsessed about things as Megatron!

"If you don't believe me than ask your sparkmate," I smirked. "You know Megatron better than anyone. He's very good at manipulating mechanisms for his own gain. And he has you right where he wants you."

Finally! For a moment she faltered. For a moment I thought perhaps I had persuaded her.

But then the moment passed.

Thunderblast

I narrowed my optics at Elita, preparing to strike when the moment was right.

"So why did he kill himself if he was going to defect?" I demanded.

"You of all mechanisms know the answer to that. Better to die then be captured and tortured. He was running out of time. Starscream was closing in on him. Stormryder wasn't going to give up the names of the others that wanted to defect. He grabbed my gun and shot himself so that the others still had a chance. Frag, if you found out he was the traitor you probably would have turned him in yourself!"

"You don't know me!" I shouted, forcing my tears back caused from the emotional scar from so long ago. "I loved my brother! He was everything to me. He raised me from a sparkling, taught be everything I knew about the Decepticon way. And you took him away from me!"

"I am truly sorry," she frowned, looking genuinely apologetic. It made me so sick I couldn't bear to look at her! "I did not wish him dead. But honestly, ask yourself this…why didn't he include you in on his plans? Why didn't he try to persuade you to leave with him? Hmm, Thunder? It was because he knew he couldn't turn you! Your own ambition for power was just as unbreakable and as ruthless as Megatron's!"

I had enough! With a roar I launched myself at her, using my thrusters for an extra power boost. Elita got a single harmless shot off before I took her to the ground, sending her gun hurtling through the air. I didn't let up! Her arms desperately fought off my punches. I didn't care how many of them actually landed on her face. She was going to pay one way or another and I didn't care what part of her I was beating the slag out of!

Suddenly Elita's leg hit me square in the back, sending me face first into the dirt. I had forgotten how nimble she was. And quick. She was on her feet by the time I got to my hands and knees. Her foot impacted hard against my abdomen over and over until I managed to grab a hold of it. I twisted her leg hard and tossed her to the ground.

Obviously hand to hand we were far too even for one to ever totally gain the advantage over the other. Elita must have been thinking the same thing as me. I tackled her down from behind before she could even get close to her weapon.

We wrestled and rolled around, throwing fists and feet at each other. Doing anything to harm the other just enough of advantage over the other. A mere astrosecond of a gap was all either of us needed. And it was Elita that got it first with a hard forearm to my left optic.

I was momentarily dazed but forced myself to quickly recover. And when my vision cleared I smiled. There partially buried in the dirt was my gun right in front of me. I grabbed it and fired, shooting Elita in the back of the shoulder. The femme cried out but refused to fall so I shot her in the back of the leg.

It took two shots to her leg but Elita finally fell to the ground. She rolled over panting heavily as I approached her. Not once did I take my aim from her. I wasn't going to let her get the advantage this time, not ever.

Finally, after so many long years I had her. My revenge was at hand. I forced the tears back from the relief that my brother's death was to be avenged at last. It was actually quite difficult restraining myself from pulling the trigger because I had been waiting for this moment for such a long time.

And I had to wait just a little bit longer, per Megatron's orders. Oh well, today was a glorious day for the Decepticons so far, what's a few more minutes.

'I have her, my love,' I said to him over our bond.

'Have her call her lover through their bond,' he responded.

"Call him. Call your mech through your spark bond."

"Frag you!" she spat, literally too.

I slowly wiped the lubricant from my optic.

"Call him!" I snarled at her, pressing my gun against her chest even harder.

Elita said nothing, nor did her face betray any fear. I did detect that her spark rate had elevated slightly. Regardless, my point was made for a moment later I heard him cry out.

"ELITA!"

I watched with immense satisfaction as Megatron took Prime to the ground, pinning him helpless. I could see the fear in the Autobot leader's optics. I could even feel the desperation within his spark.

"One move and she dies," I smirked when the other Autobots advanced towards me, weapons drawn.

"Back off! That's an order!" Prime shouted to his officers that'd advanced. "Ironhide, I said stand down!" Ironhide growled but reluctantly lowered his cannons. "Get off me brother! I give you my word that I will not do anything."

"That's right little brother, you will not do anything," Megatron chuckled rising to his feet. With a strong hand he yanked Prime up to his feet and held him in a choke hold. "You will do nothing but watch as Thunder slowly kills your precious Elita."

"Take me instead! I've always been what you wanted."

I laughed, "Prime, you fool! We have you right where we want you. You will suffer as you watch her die. Then we'll kill that miserable piece of slag you call a daughter too!"

"Kill either one of them and I will rip both of you apart," Prime growled.

"We have you outnumbered," Prowl interjected.

"Not anymore," Starscream snickered from behind me.

I momentarily glanced back to see him, Cyclonis, and a couple of others. All looked as if they'd been badly damaged but were still functioning enough to continue the fight.

"About time you showed up," Megatron commented and I could feel his annoyance with Starscream over our bond.

"I've come to report that Venom has captured the young femme and is on his way," Starscream said. Of course I noticed how he said my son's name with distain and I narrowed my optics at him. No one talks with that tone about my son!

"You saw this for yourself?" Megatron asked.

"Unfortunately no. However, he did make radio contact with me to gloat about it," Starscream answered, not looking too happy either which of course made Megatron smile.

'Venom…'

'I'm coming mother. I have the Autobot. You'll be proud of me. I did it all by myself. I even made Starscream crash so I could go after her without him getting in my way.'

'You did well my son. Your father is most pleased. I can see it.'

'Really?!'

'Yes,' I chuckled back over our bond. 'Get here quickly and see for yourself.'

'Be there in a few klicks!'

"I don't see why we need to wait for the femme to get here, my Lord," I said to Megatron, putting my gun in Elita's face.

"I agree. We tortured the youngling enough for now. Kill Elita at your leisure."

"With pleasure!" I grinned and primed my gun to maximum fire power while slowly moving it over Elita's body trying to decide which part I was going to blow off first.

Up next: Optimus versus Megatron