Disclaimer: I guess I shouldn't be surprised few reviews this story's garnered. Plenty of hits though, so that's got count for something. Anyway, I don't... you know what? Let's skip that part and get on with the next chapter!

Chapter V

Autobot Headquarters
26.09 miles from Autobot City
16:00 hrs.

As the battle raged on at Autobot City, the Autobot's mountain headquarters was under equally heavy assault. The combined efforts of the Decepticon gestalts Bruticus and Menasor found them laying waste to the Autobot's home base. It wasn't as simple as they'd hoped. The Autobot gestalts Defensor and Superion fought off their counterparts as best they could. For the most part, they were succeeding. But the attack was serving as more of a diversion, while Megatron led his own forces in razing Autobot City. Superion or Defensor could've attempted to make the trip to the city, but Bruticus and Menasor made it nearly impossible. Meanwhile, Trailbreaker was busy coordinating operations inside the base. These operations were mainly tending to the wounded, which was made more difficult due to the absences of Ratchet and Red Alert. As this was going on, Sideswipe rolled in from the battlefield after which a loud explosion followed.

"Sideswipe," Trailbreaker said to his Autobot comrade. "What's happening out there?"

"Superion and Defensor are getting their tailpipes handed to 'em. Still fighting, though," Sideswipe informed Trailbreaker. "Did you get in contact with Omega Supreme or Skyfire?"

"Still trying but the 'cons are making it tough to reach them!" Trailbreaker said before another explosion rocked him and Sideswipe to the floor.

Sideswipe pulled himself up to a knee and snarled, "Man, they really picked a bad time to go off world."

Outside of the base, Superion was being double teamed by Menasor and Bruticus. The Decepticon gestalts bashed the Autobot gestalt repeatedly from one to the other. Each blow came with increased force. Superion, to his credit, continued valiantly fighting. He tried for a wild strike to Bruticus but missed when Bruticus ducked. But Bruticus wasn't prepared for another blow, this one catching him square in the face. Superion struck again, all the while preventing Menasor from interfering with a swift mule kick. It still bought Bruticus enough time to pull his gun into the fray, but Defensor prevented his natural gestalt rival from pulling the trigger. Bruticus kicked Defensor off of him and then tackled him to the ground. All the while, Superion and Menasor traded heavy hits with each other. Menasor tried a wild swing that was caught by Superion before the Autobot gestalt flipped his counterpart up and over. The momentum sent Menasor crashing into the landscape, leaving behind a massive trench. Before Superion could make his next move, Menasor blasted him in the shoulder. Superion fired back, striking Menasor right in the face. Meanwhile, Bruticus was practically dominating Defensor with repeated blows to the chest. Superion fired on Bruticus, striking the gestalt directly in the back. Bruticus was stunned but not down yet, and returned fire on Superion. Superion ducked but wasn't prepared to be tackled hard by Menasor. The gestalts slammed into the landscape with the force of an earthquake. Bruticus prepared to fire on Superion again but Defensor prevented it from happening.

Back inside the base, Sideswipe and Trailbreaker watched the massive battle royal through a monitor. "I hope their having better luck in the city." Sideswipe said.

"You and me both!" Trailbreaker said concurrently.

The Decepticons continued flying through the skies above Autobot City, taking every potshot available to them. Thankfully, most of the city had been transformed into battle station mode through the efforts of Springer and Arcee. That alone didn't make things easy for the Autobots. They needed reinforcements in the worst way. In the meantime, the city's massive automated defense cannons fired back at the Decepticons. Not all of the cannons were automated. The communications tower served a secondary function as a manned defense fortress, something Blaster took full advantage of. He most certainly enjoyed shooting Decepticons out of the sky.

"Yeah, baby! Listen to 'em shout," he exclaimed in excitement. "Watch 'em crash 'n' burn, Wheeljack!"

Wheeljack, the Autobot's inventor (and mad scientist) was pretty sure by that point that Blaster had lost his mind. "I think you're enjoying this a little too much, Blaster."

Blaster enthusiastically laughed, "If the city's gonna go down, then let's all go out in a blaze of glory."

Wheeljack shook his head when he noticed the familiar image of Perceptor entering the fortress. "Perceptor, where've you been? I thought you'd be helping Ultra Magnus coordinate the counterattack."

Blaster overheard and turned toward the two Autobots. "What's shakin' Perceptor," A minor tremor rocked the fortress, after which Blaster added, "Aside from this fortress?"

"Ultra Magnus is busy with the counteroffensive, but he's sent orders to contact the moon bases for reinforcements," Perceptor said before the fortress was rocked again. "Blaster, you transform and connect to the communication system. Wheeljack and I will try to boost the signal."

"Works for me," Blaster exclaimed as he started pressing several switches. "All systems go!"

Blaster transformed into his stereo mode while Wheeljack worked on boosting the signal strength. "The signal's boosted as high as it'll go. It's now or never, Blaster!"

"Hold on to your receptors, boys," Blaster connected to the system and began transmitting the signal. "Autobot City to Moon Base One; Optimus Prime, do you read me? We got Decepticons blitzing the city and we're requesting reinforcements. We're really takin' a pounding! Don't know how much longer we can hold out!"

In no less than a nanosecond, the signal was shot out of the city and into the sky toward the stars. With luck, it would bounce off the Earth's moon, onto a random manmade satellite and travel toward Cybertron space. Luck that the Autobots so desperately needed!

As it turned out, Lady Luck, or the Cybertronian equivalent of such, was on the side of the Autobots. Having taken over the duties of Prowl, Mirage was busy monitoring the goings on Cybertron when he noticed a blinking light on the console. A blinking light usually indicated one thing alone.

"Optimus, I'm getting a signal from Autobot City."

In mere moments, Optimus Prime arrived right beside the Autobot Saboteur. "Patch it through, Mirage."

Mirage flipped a switch and Blaster's voice came through. "Autobot City to Moon Base One; Optimus Prime, do you read me? We got Decepticons blitzing the city and we're requesting reinforcements. We're really takin' a pounding! Don't know how much longer we can hold out!"

Optimus Prime's optics glowed a nearly intimidating blue hue. "Megatron!"

"Blaster, how much longer until you're finished?" Wheeljack asked.

"About three more cycles," Blaster responded. "Why?"

Wheeljack was looking straight up at the class ceiling of the fortress. "Somehow, I doubt we even have three cycles."

Perceptor looked up to where Wheeljack was looking, catching sight of the giant robot wasp hovering overhead. "Hurry up, Blaster!"

The giant wasp that was Ransack hovered over the fortress. The Autobots waited for the Insecticon to make its move, and then Ransack clung onto the glass. The glass didn't shatter, but that didn't stop Ransack from thrusting its giant stinger right through it. Ransack punctured numerous holes into the glass in an attempt to reach the Autobots inside, but the Autobots were luckily well out of reach. Until several cracks appeared on the glass! Thinking quickly, Wheeljack rushed to the console and began pressing several buttons and flipping switches.

"Whatever you're doing, do it fast, Wheeljack." Perceptor urged.

Wheeljack didn't allow himself to hurry, instead staying focused as continued pressing buttons. Ransack continued to assault the glass with its stinger. But Wheeljack was finally ready. One single, blinking red button beckoned the Autobot inventor, and Wheeljack obliged. He slammed the button as hard as he could. In an instant, the entire fortress was bathed in a massive electrical current. At one million volts, the current would be lethal to organics. So, what would it have done to a giant Decepticon wasp? The answer came as Ransack was caught by the current's full force. The creature shrieked yet continued to attempt to breach the fortress, and Wheeljack turned up the voltage. Ransack could only take so much and it was finally forced to disengage its assault and buzz away.

Down below, Megatron had noticed the activity. He ultimately surmised that the Autobots were attempting to reach Optimus Prime. "Soundwave, halt that transmission!"

"Affirmative," Soundwave said before launching himself into the air. He flew toward the fortress before coming to a sudden stop. "Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Ratbat: eject! Operation: Interference!" Soon after, four rectangular objects emerged from Soundwave's tape deck.

Perceptor spotted Soundwave hovering nearby. "We have another problem!"

"Is it that nasty bug again?" Blaster asked.

"Worse!" Wheeljack answered.

The understatement of the stellar-cycle as the Minicons quarter of Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage and Ratbat converged on the fortress, with Rumble leading the charge. The moment the four landed atop the glass, they began attempting to rip the main dish away. Acting quickly, Wheeljack unleashed another electrical current. Ratbat blew that plan to the Pit with a high pinched shriek. The shriek shorted out the controls that operated the defenses, and almost fried Wheeljack in the process. Meanwhile, Rumble and Frenzy succeeded in ripping the dish clear while Ravage literally scratched and clawed on the glass.

Rumble and Frenzy regroup by the jaguar robot and looked down at the Autobots. "Hey Frenzy," Rumble called out. "What do you do when you find a shell?"

Frenzy cracked a wicked smile. "First we crack the shell…" Frenzy transformed his arms into pile drivers.

Rumble did the same and then finished the statement, "Then, we crack the nuts inside!"

Blaster transformed before joining Perceptor and Wheeljack. "That ain't good!" he said.

Blaster found his comment proven right when Rumble and Frenzy began pounding on the glass. Cracks rapidly appeared everywhere around the epicenters until the glass finally shattered. Shards rained down into the fortress, showing the Autobots inside. Then Rumble and his comrades lunged down at the nearest Autobot, who turned out to be Wheeljack. Ravage and Frenzy pounced on Perceptor just as quickly, leaving Blaster unscathed for the moment. Try as they might, Perceptor and Wheeljack couldn't fight off their smaller opponents.

"Get out of here, Blaster," Perceptor shouted, all the while throwing Ravage off of him. "Save yourself!"

"Find Ultra Magnus," Wheeljack added before batting away Ratbat. "Help him defend the city."

"No way in the Pit," Blaster declared moments before kicking Ravage away. "Soundwave wanna play it like that? I'm game!"

Much like Soundwave had done moments ago, Blaster unleashed four of his cassette-styled Transformers. Almost immediately, the Minibots team of Rewind, Eject, Steeljaw and Ramhorn engaged their Decepticon counterparts. This bought Wheeljack and Perceptor enough time to get clear as Blaster helped them up. The three larger Transformers found themselves watching as battle royal ensued right in front of them between the miniaturized Transformers.

"Blaster, please tell me you managed to get through to Prime." Perceptor exclaimed.

"If I didn't…" Blaster said matter-of-factly. "…Then we're all gonna look like burnt out toaster ovens."

"We should try to locate Ultra Magnus and the others," Wheeljack pointed out. "Something tells me we're nowhere near out of this situation yet."

Night began to fall as the Decepticons continued their siege on Autobot City. The Autobots were starting to turn the tables on the invaders. The city defense cannons had succeeded in either shooting down several flyers or grounding them all together. But the cannons were slow to track the sky, so tagging Decepticon flyers took precise aim and luck. The grounded Decepticons attempted to advance on the city wall, but the Autobots had taken the high ground within numerous corridors. This gave the Autobots a clear shot on Megatron and his forces. Ultra Magnus and Blur were among the Autobots firing on the Decepticons, along with Grapple, Tracks and another new, younger Autobot: Breakaway. As the shootout continued, Hoist and Pipes arrived and joined Magnus.

"Where've you two been?" Magnus asked without glancing at either of them.

"Held up in traffic," Pipes joked. "Huffer didn't make it, and Kup and Hotrod are searching for Arcee and Springer."

"Oh yeah, baby," Breakaway enthusiastically shouted. "Line 'em up so I can shoot 'em down!"

"I see the new recruit is fitting in nicely." Hoist stated.

"A little trigger happy if you ask me!" Pipes added.

Blur was moving back and forth from one window to another in rapid succession. "We've-got-Decepticons-outside-the-gates. Decepticons-shooting-up-the-gates. Decepticons-up-in-the-air. Decepticons-Decepticons-Decepticons-everywhere!"

"We get it Blur," Magnus shouted. "Just keep shooting. We've got to hold until reinforcements arrive. I hope!"

Across from the group, Breakaway smirked and said, "Yeah, bring it on, Decepti-creeps. I got plenty for all of ya," Breakaway's weapon of choice, a rapid fire Cybertronian-styled sniper rifle, was aimed at the first Decepticon he saw: Megatron. In his own impetuous manner, Breakaway proclaimed, "Say hello to my little friend!"

Breakaway had Megatron dead center in his sights and pulled the trigger. A single shot was discharged from the rifle and traveled rapidly toward the Decepticon leader. It caught him dead on the left shoulder, sending tiny fragments flying into the air. It also caught his attention. Breakaway fired again, this time striking Blitzwing and Ramjet while Ultra Magnus and company gave him some cover. Megatron caught sight of Breakaway and sneered at the young Autobot. Breakaway's grin dissipated as he watched Megatron raise his fusion cannon. At that point, Breakaway realized that his own impulsiveness was about to get him killed. Luckily, Tracks tackled Breakaway to the floor just as Megatron opened fire on him. The shot literally blew the off a portion of the corridor ceiling. Tracks gazed at the damage before helping Breakaway up.

"Thanks, Tracks!" he said

"You're good, kid, but you still got a lot to learn," Tracks said. "If we live through this."

Down below, Megatron was snarling madly when Soundwave approached. "Megatron; current weaponry insufficient to breach city walls."

"I told you we should've attacked the moon bases." Starscream berated Megatron, who quickly answered with a swift back fist to the Air Commander's face.

"No doubt the Autobots have contacted Optimus Prime by now," Megatron ultimately acknowledged. "Astrotrain, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Megatron." Astrotrain said from afar.

"It's time to unleash our secret weapon! Bring the Contructicons down on our current position." Megatron ordered.

"Understood, Megatron," Astrotrain responded. "ETA: ten cycles."

"Be here in five, Astrotrain."

The Autobots continued shooting after which Blitzwing stated, "Maybe we should pull out, Megatron. The Autobots are too well fortified."

"No, we're too close to stop now, Blitzwing," Megatron explained. "Keep shooting, unless you want to deal with me."

Deep in the vastness of space, a lone Autobot shuttle entered passed by the rings of Saturn on route to Earth. Inside the shuttle, Optimus Prime was at the controls guiding the shuttle to Earth. He wasn't alone, as he was joined at the helm by Mirage, Hound and Sunstreaker. Waiting in the back were the giant forms of the Dinobots and they were preparing to go straight to battle. Optimus knew full well what and who was waiting for them in Autobot City. He knew Megatron was there, fully expecting him to arrive.

"Optimus," Sunstreaker called out. "I'm picking up two signals closing in on our current position. They're both Autobot signatures."

"This is Skyfire, do you read me? I'm here with Omega Supreme. We received a distress signal from Autobot City and Autobot Headquarters."

"Skyfire, this Optimus Prime; both areas are under heavy assault from Decepticon forces," Optimus responded. "We need to provide assistance as soon as possible."

"Understood, Optimus," Skyfire said. "We're with you!"

That's all Optimus Prime could ask for from any Autobot under his command. Now all that was needed was to reach Earth. Reach Autobot City! Optimus had to hope and pray to Primus that the city was still standing. It just had to hold out a little longer. Just a little longer!

Meanwhile, far out the reach of both Earth and Cybertron, something ominous was watching. Studying! Waiting for the right moment to make its move. Images of the Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons alike, flooded through the inner workings of the great entity. The images soon rested on Optimus Prime. It continued to wait. It could wait a little longer, and then it would strike. The wait would be worth it.

Author's note: So, the siege rages on but help's on the way. Whereas the movie centered solely on the city, I opted to include the battle royal at the volcano based headquarters between the gestalts. Next chapter, Devastator make his appearance, sans the Michael Bay wrecking balls. (idiot!)

Let me know what you think so far. Seriously, because I'm not deleting this story.