Disclaimer: OOPS! I forget to go over the difference between the movie and the previous chapter. My bad! And for some reason, I imagined Stan Bush playing in the background. "The Touch" is so friggin' cheesy now. In 2010, there are better songs out there. "Hero" by the band Skillet comes to mind. I'm just saying! And of course, I do not own Transformers!
Chapter VIII
Autobot City
09:03 hrs.
Megatron could barely move when he took notice of Optimus Prime standing across from him, plasma rifle at the ready. He suddenly took notice of the discarded laser pistol nearby. The very thing he needed, but first…
Throwing his hand up in defense, Megatron said, "No more, Optimus Prime. I am defeated. I can fight no longer. I beg of you, please; grant me mercy."
Optimus Prime cocked his head to a side, utterly appalled that his most sworn enemy would beg for mercy. Starscream maybe, but Megatron? "You've sacked every city of our home world, from Stanix to Polyhex, Kaon to Iacon. You enslaved and killed countless Cybertronians for your own gains and made our own home into a barren shell of its former self. Had there been no war, I would have even considered you a brother. But you've shown time and again that you are without mercy and now, you plead for it," Optimus Prime himself wouldn't have believed himself to be so full of anger, never would've imagined his words to be laced with such resentment. And all the while, he didn't notice Megatron inching ever so closer toward the laser pistol. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff."
Megatron inched closer to the pistol, all the while trying to hide a sly smirk on his face. But then the sound of a motor was heard. Megatron turned toward the sound and saw a bright red vehicle gunning for him. On instinct, Megatron grabbed the pistol just as Hotrod changed shape and tackled him down. Hotrod reached for the pistol, and Megatron in turn reached for Hotrod. All the while, Optimus Prime tried to gain a clear shot.
"Get out of the way, Hotrod." he said.
Too late. Megatron had Hotrod in his grasp and the pistol pointed at his head. "Drop the weapon, or I blow this Autobot's circuits all over this field."
"You'd hide behind a defenseless Autobot, Megatron?" Prime said.
"Why not, Prime? You've hidden behind Alpha Trion all those centuries ago," Megatron said. "Now, disarm yourself before I choose to disarm this Autobot." 'Disarm' was a word said with extra emphasis.
"Take… the… shot, Prime." Hotrod urged.
Optimus Prime couldn't take the shot even if he wanted to, not at the cost of one as young as Hotrod. Primus, forgive me! he thought and then lowered his rifle.
Megatron smirked at the favorable turn of event as he pulled the trigger and a purple beam of light and energy shot out. The shot scored a direct hit to Optimus Prime's already damaged torso. Fire, smoke and die cast constructed metal rained out of the body of the Autobot leader. Hotrod watched on helplessly as Megatron fired more shots at Prime. Every single shots was trained on the wound and anywhere else that Prime hadn't been damage and driving him back step by step. To his credit, he was still standing.
"Fall. Fall," Megatron shouted and fired more and more. "I said FALL, DAMN YOU!"
Optimus Prime continued to be hammered and torn apart by repeated shots to his upper body. Yet he still wouldn't fall. In a last ditch effort, he tried to fire back. Maybe he'd hit Megatron. Maybe he'd hit Hotrod. It was impossible to know for certain. All that mattered was the last shot, which came from Megatron. That last shot was finally enough to send Optimus Prime crashing to the ground. Megatron smirked at his success and stood up with Hotrod still in his death grip.
"You will be rewarded in oblivion, Autobot punk." he snarled and then tossed Hotrod aside.
Hotrod was slammed hard again a wall where bits debris fell on him. Incapacitated, he watched as Megatron slowly approached Optimus Prime. By Primus, what have I done!
Megatron gave the fallen Autobot youth no further thought. He didn't even care if he tried to attack again. All that mattered in the here and now was Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime, who had been Megatron's greatest enemy and sometimes ally since the beginning, was down on his hands and knee in pain. His entire body sustained extreme damage; armor was sheered off and scorched so badly that it was nearly unrecognizable. Worse still, Optimus Prime could feel his energon reserves dwindling rapidly. Megatron was no worse for wear; his own body was littered with similar scorch marks and he was leaking fluid and his own energon reserves were at dangerously low levels. That didn't stop him from kicking Optimus Prime across his sternum. He followed that with viscous axe handle to the back, and then with another kick to the face. The last move moved Optimus Prime toward the edge of the field, a two story drop waiting for a victim. Megatron glanced at the pitfall, then at Prime and then back at the pitfall. One simple push could end it all. No! Megatron wanted to savor the moment. He wanted to finish Prime personally; face to face. So, he arrogantly stepped in between Prime and the pitfall and aimed the pistol at Prime's head. Then he pulled back and grasped Prime's head so they were truly face to face, optic to optic.
"Where's that fearsome Autobot resolve now," Megatron mockingly asked, to which Prime didn't answer. Megatron threw him down and aimed, ready for the kill. "With you gone, the Deceptions will finally return Cybertron to its former glory; in my image, as it should be. Although I will admit that you and I; we could have been brothers."
"The Autobots… will never surrender to you, Megatron" Prime strenuously declared.
"Even near death, you continue to defy me. Admirable, but pointless. You still fight for the weak and that why you lose," Megatron said. "I would've waited an eternity for this moment. It's over, brother."
In a last act of defiance, Optimus Prime simply said, "Never!"
Megatron was amused for a little more than a microsecond and prepared to fire. He pulled the trigger and… nothing. No bright purple light emerged from the gun. Megatron looked incredulously at the gun, astonished beyond belief that it wouldn't fire. Then he saw why; energy in the gun was depleted. Optimus Prime saw this as his chance and with his last ounce of strength, connected with a viscous double axe to Megatron's chest. The blow was so severe, so decisive and so brutal, that it sheered away the Decepticon insignia. Pieces of Megatron fell away from him, and soon Megatron himself ironically fell down into the pitfall. He endured the forthcoming death drop, first slamming onto a second story platform before crashing further down into ground level where he laid unmoving.
Up above, the alternate jet form of Starscream looked down at the crumpled heap of Megatron. Megatron has fallen. It's about time! he thought.
Optimus Prime struggled to stand up. He held his torso where the heavy wound remained, from which fluid seemed to stream. The rest of his body was so heavily damaged that he could barely walk. Yet he did, toward the edge of the field. He looked over the edge at the fallen form of Megatron, who still not moved since his plunge. Other Decepticons quickly approached their leader. Soundwave, Slipstream, Astrotrain and Scrapper by the look of it. Optimus Prime thought back to his words to Megatron before the battle; One shall stand, one shall fall. On this day, Optimus Prime stood victorious, but soon collapsed to the ground. From the other side of the field, Hotrod rushed to Prime's side.
"Optimus, I'm so sorry," he said. "Please forgive me."
Optimus Prime could say nothing to Hotrod. He reached out to the Autobot youth, which Hotrod interpreted as a need for assistance. Hotrod assisted in helping Prime to his feet as a small convoy of vehicles led by Ultra Magnus approached. Hound and Mirage were among the group along with Blur, Grapple and Tracks. They all assumed robot form and Ultra Magnus was the first to take in the full scope of the damage that Optimus Prime had sustained.
"By Primus," he whispered and turned to Hound. "Hound, radio Perceptor and have him and Wheeljack ready the infirmary."
"He looks pretty banged up." Frenzy said.
"Wouldn't you, Frenzy," Rumble asked. "He looks like he went ten rounds with a Cybertronian Space Slug."
"They even exist anymore?"
Listening to the exchange of the two Minicons, Slipstream said, "Morons!."
Rumble and Frenzy turned to Slipstream and collectively asked, "What?"
"Enough," said a raspy voice. The voice clearly was that of Starscream as his assumed robot form among his brethren. He looked down at Megatron; something Megatron had done to him for too long. "How do you feel, mighty Megatron," Starscream asked with mock sympathy and casually kicked Megatron. "What a mess!"
"Starscream," Soundwave suddenly said. "Preliminary scans indicate excessive external and internal damage. Likelihood of survival: sub nominal. Recommend fall back procedure and return to Cybertron."
Blah, blah, blah, Starscream thought and turned to Astrotrain. "Astrotrain, transform and get us out of this dump."
"Are you nuts, Starscream," Astrotrain asked. "I was barely able to make the trip to the shuttle when we hit it. I can't carry everyone all the way from here to Cybertron."
Starscream grabbed Astrotrain and said, "Then we'll leave the dead," he said and then turned to Scrapper. "Scrapper, have your team salvage the wounded, but leave the dead to rust."
"And what of Megatron?" Slipstream asked.
Starscream glared at Megatron, who to his surprise was moving. Weakened, Megatron whispered, "Don't leave me here."
If only, Starscream thought and turned to Soundwave. "Soundwave, you carry that worthless scrapheap."
Soundwave wasn't much for arguing, and even if he was, arguing with someone like Starscream was the equivalent of having a death wish. But Soundwave was loyal to a fault to Megatron and he wouldn't leave him to die here. He helped Megatron to his feet only for Megatron to collapse. He couldn't walk on his own, which indicated the probability that the fall crippled him. Soundwave elected to carry Megatron to where Astrotrain had just assumed his alternate locomotive form. Rumble and Frenzy followed, collectively carrying Megatron's discarded fusion cannon. Along the way, the Constructicons recovered their wounded while the dead were left to rust. Starscream himself was wounded as he had a noticeable limp in his step. Watching everything transpire, Slipstream was confused by all of this. Considering that she was basically a clone created by Starscream, she knew better that most except for Megatron. She confronted him as he coordinating the evacuation.
"This isn't like you, Starscream," she said. "Why waste your time savaging the wounded?"
"There's a reason for everything, my dear," Starscream explained in a way that suggested that he was up to something. And what else was new with him? Slipstream chose not to press the issue further and accompanied her brethren. After she left, Starscream made contact with the Decepticon gestalts. "Onslaught or Motor Master, do you read me?"
At Autobot Headquarters, the Combaticon leader Onslaught had taken cover along with his team. "Onslaught here!"
"This is Starscream. I'm ordering an immediate fall back. Get to the Space Bridge and return to Cybertron."
Onslaught, who had never liked Starscream even though he created the Combaticons, said, "We can still win this, Starscream. Where's Megatron anyway?"
"Megatron has fallen, for real this time," Starscream said, and this time he wasn't lying. "I'm taking command and I am ordering you to fall back. Return to Cybertron via the Space Bridge and meet with Shockwave. Starscream out!"
"I hate that guy." said Swindle.
Across the landscape, Omega Supreme fired away at the pinned down the combiner teams. Skyfire and Silverbolt led the Arielbots in attacking from above, while the Protectobots tended to the wounded inside the base. But soon, the Combaticons and Stunticons were making their getaway. This didn't stop the Aerialbots from chasing after the unusual assortment of vehicles. The airborne Autobots fired away and managed to strike several of the Decepticons cars, among them Wild Rider, Dead End, Swindle, Blast Off and even Motor Master. Onslaught and Brawl fired back to buy some for their comrades. Vortex created a whirlwind to throw their attackers. Fireflight and Slingshot were caught right away, but the hulking figure of Omega Supreme made his presence known yet again. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe joined their brethren until the counterattack was enough to finally drive off the combiner teams. The Autobots ceased fire and Skyfire and Silverbolt assumed robot form, landing beside Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.
"We did it, we beat them." Sideswipe declared triumphantly.
"It's not over yet, Sideswipe," Skyfire said. "They might still need help in the city."
"Agreed," Silverbolt added. "I'll take my team and see if we can provide air support. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, you stay here with Omega Supreme and the Protectobots."
"I'm coming with you, Silverbolt," Skyfire said. "I might be able to help."
"The more, the merrier," Silverbolt said and then assumed alt form. "Kick up those afterburners, Aerialbots. We've gotta get to the city fast."
Skyfire transformed as did the other Aerialbots. "It going to be a long flight, Silverbolt. Think you can handle it?"
"We've got bigger concerns than my acrophobia, Skyfire," Silverbolt said. "Let's just get to the city. Double time, Aerialbots!"
The Decepticons were beating a hasty retreat thanks to Optimus Prime's timely intervention. The remaining Autobots fired their foes as they attempted to recover their wounded soldiers. Indeed, most of the Decepticons were wounded while others had gone totally offline altogether. Starscream coordinated the evacuation of the Decepticon forces, directing the invaders into the waiting locomotive form of Astrotrain. On the Autobot's side, Kup and Springer led the counterattack. Arcee, Breakaway, Pipes and Tracks accompanied them in the attack. Some Decepticons returned fire to cover the escapees as they entered the train. It was mainly the Constructicons carrying the wounded. Soon, most of the survivors were inside as Slipstream entered, followed by Soundwave carrying the severely injured Megatron and finally by Starscream. The equally damaged Wreckage and Barricade were the last to reach Astrotrain before the hatch closed behind them. Slipstream noticed something in Barricade's arm, which turned out to be Blackout's severed head.
"What are you doing with Blackout's head, Barricade?" she asked.
"Um…it's a… um? A souvenir?" Barricade said in a feeble excuse.
Slipstream was clearly appalled. "You're an idiot."
"Enough, both of you," Starscream bellowed. "Astrotrain, take off now."
Outside, the Autobots continued firing as Astrotrain started charging away toward the edge of the city. Halfway, Astrotrain ignited his rear thrusters and picked up speed until he reached the edge and then assumed shuttle mode. This didn't the Autobots from firing on the escaping shuttle as it ascended into the sky. A heavy boom was heard from the distance. The Aerialbots arrived on the scene quickly, in which Skyfire led Air Raid and Skydive in following Astrotrain toward the atmosphere. But while Skyfire was capable of interstellar flight, the two Aerialbots were not.
"Skydive, Air Raid, pull back. You can't make the trip." he said.
"But we can catch 'em, Skyfire!" Air Raid insisted.
"They need you in the city," Skyfire said. "I'll follow and make certain that Astrotrain has left the planet."
"You have all the fun." Skydive said before he and Air Raid pulled away.
Skyfire kicked up his afterburners and followed the escaping shuttle into the atmosphere. But Astrotrain had detected his Autobot pursuer and increased his ascent. Skyfire was persistent in every sense of the word. Starscream knew that well; well enough to insure the Decepticon's escape. A side hatch opened and Starscream and Slipstream appeared. They fired on Skyfire, who dodged back and forth while maintaining pursuit. Skyfire fired back and missed Astrotrain's left wing. Starscream and Slipstream fired back, and this time Slipstream struck Skyfire's right wing. Skyfire kept going until Starscream struck his underside. Still, Skyfire tried to follow but he was forced to pull back.
"Skyfire, do you read me!" Ultra Magnus called in from the city.
"I've been hit, Ultra Magnus." Skyfire said.
"Get back to the city, Skyfire. You can't do anymore up there," Ultra Magnus said. "Let them go!"
"Understood," Skyfire sighed. "How is it down below? Is everyone alright?"
Back down in the ruined city, Ultra Magnus fell silent and looked over to the mangled husk of Optimus Prime. Hotrod and Arcee knelt beside the fallen hero. Ultra Magnus finally and solemnly said, "Almost everyone!"
It continued to watch and study the events on Earth. It watched as the Decepticons made their escape, and as Optimus Prime struggled to cling to life. It would wait for the time to act. That time was fast approaching, and every living thing in the universe would tremble before the Chaos Bringer. All would tremble before Unicron. But first, a herald was required...
"Come to me, Megatron."
Author's note: Like we all didn't see that coming! Thanks for nothing, Hotrod. At least the combiner teams, Skyfire and Omega Supreme appeared throughout the past several chapters. Plus, the Optimus/Megatron battle was extra brutal.
Anyway, let me know what you think.