Disclaimer: We're almost at the end of the road with this. It's been a blast up to this point and I say Thank You to all that have supported me.
Chapter XXVII
The battle for Cybertron raged on as the combined efforts of the Autobots and Decepticons combated the might of Unicron. Despite the sheer size of Unicron versus the numbers advantage of the Transformers, neither side could seem to hold an edge. That didn't stop Unicron from successfully swatting Devastator and Menasor out of the sky. Both gestalts fell toward the planet's surface and disengaged into their individual component. In turn, the gestalts Bruticus, Superion and Defensor fought on with increased fury, while the rocket form of Omega Supreme and the dragon-like Sky Lynx provided even more firepower. The Junkion cruiser added to the assault, firing its laser at the titan's face while avoiding his lethal optic bursts and acid breath. As this was happening, Omega Supreme released the Dinobots back into the battle behind Unicron.
With a mighty roar, Grimlock assumed his T-Rex form and bellowed, "Dinobots, whoop ass!"
In a single move, Grimlock slammed his massive feet right into the hull of Unicron's backside. The result left quite the noticeable breach. The rest of the Dinobots assumed their individual alt form and followed Grimlock's example. Sludge whipped his tail into the hull, causing massive cracks to form. Swoop unleashed stream of guided missiles, Snarl and Slag spewed fire breath and Quickstrike proceeded to skewer the hull. The combined efforts of the six Dinobots did considerable damage that caught Unicron's attention. The titanic robot made a heavy grab for the Dinobots but they all literally slipped through his fingers, assumed proto form and flew clear, then made a quick turn back into the fray. Sky Lynx flew by and caught the group.
"Hang on, Dinobots," he said. "Let's see how handles all of us."
"Grimlock, like new Dinobot!"
Sky Lynx appeared to shudder. "What? I am not a Dinobot."
With the Dinobots clinging to his hull, Sky Lynx made a beeline for Unicron. Before the engagement, the blue module suddenly separated from the Sky Lynx's underside. It then assumed its own proto form, which resemble a giant lion-like robot. The lion landed on Unicron's chest and proceeded to maul chunks of steel away. The dragon half of Sky Lynx literally flew circles around Unicron's head, firing a heavy blast from his mouth. The Dinobots also provided a hale storm of fire. The remaining gestalts also entered the fray. Unicron made a grab the lion half of Sky Lynx and missed, and the lion rejoined the dragon before Sky Lynx pulled. The distraction allowed Bruticus, Defensor and Superion to continue the attack with a series of heavy blasts. But Unicron eventually caught Defensor and proceeded to squeeze him. Superion and Bruticus fired away to save their fellow gestalt, and Unicron simply tossed Defensor into Superion. The impact caused them to disengage into their individual components. Only Bruticus remained and he was quickly swatted away, also disengaging.
The Autobots on the Junkion cruiser saw everything. "Dammit," Outback cursed. "Unicron's too strong, Magnus. We've gotta pull back."
"No. We've gotta give Hotrod and the others more time," Magnus said and hit a switch on the ship's console. "To any Transformers stills active, concentrate all fire on Unicron's head."
Cyclonus and Scourge flanked the Junkion cruiser in proto form. "This is the Decepticon Cyclonus; we will follow your lead."
"I refuse to listen to a lowly Autobot." Scourge snapped and was quickly snagged by Cyclonus.
"You will do as you are told, Scourge, or you will die."
Back on the cruiser, Ultra Magnus mused, "C'mon Optimus. You said the Matrix would light our darkest hour; doesn't get any darker that this."
The Autobots trapped within Unicron had their own trouble avoiding the wall claws that were still persuing them. Periodically, Springer and Kup stopped and fired at the claws while Breakaway, Arcee and Tempest circled around Daniel. Daniel himself backed up against far wall while his protecting bots held off their attackers. Arcee joined Springer and Kup in providing cover, and they failed to notice a shaft open behind Daniel. He fell backward into the shaft, although Breakaway and Tempest were the only ones to see it.
"Daniel, no," Breakaway shouted and turned to Arcee. "Daniel just fell down this opening."
Acree turned and said, "What?"
"Go after him, Breakaway," Springer said. "And see if you can find Hotrod. Go, now."
Breakaway looked down the shaft and saw it just wide enough for him to fit and he went through. Tempest began to follow, turned to the other Autobots and said. "I'm going with him."
"You'd better bring Daniel back, Decepticon." Arcee snapped.
Tempest took the comment in stride and entered shaft. The ride down was arduous as Tempest felt her wings scrape against the circular walls. Up ahead she just caught a glimpse of Breakaway, evident by the sparks his own descent was leaving behind. With any luck, the human Daniel was well ahead of them. Tempest kept Breakaway in sight before Breakaway suddenly disappeared. That was when Tempest spotted a hole, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Tempest eventually reached the tunnel end and ended up colliding directly into Breakaway. They tumbled across the floor before coming to a stop, and as it was, Tempest happened to be on top of Breakaway and their optics met.
"You have beautiful optics, you know that?" Breakaway quipped.
"Now's not the time, Breakaway."
"Help, I need help here…" called out Daniel's voice.
Breakaway and Tempest quickly stood and searched and found Daniel standing at the base of a giant cylinder. "Daniel, you okay?" asked Breakaway.
"Yeah, but look up there." Daniel said and pointed up.
High above the cylinder, which Breakaway noticed was emitting strange gassy fumes, was some sort on conveyor belt. Hooking mechanism lined the belt, and numerous bodies hung from the hooks. Flailing, living and robotic bodies. Before the trio could act, they watched as two robots were suddenly dropped from the hooks into the cylinder. As one dropped, a single violet substance flung from the cylinder, missing Tempest by inches. The substance melted right through floor with little resistance.
"It's corrosive; they're being melted alive." she concluded.
"Oh no," Daniel shouted and pointed further. "Mom, Dad."
Several bots behind hung Carly and Spike, behind them hung Bumblebee, Jazz and Cliffjumper. "Daniel?" Carly shouted.
"Daniel!" Spike repeated.
Breakaway steeped up and shouted, "You guys stay put. I'm coming." And he launched into the air.
"No, Breakaway, don't…" Jazz shouted.
Too late. The very moment Breakaway reached for first for Carly, he was suddenly jolted. The hooks apparently possess an anti-tampering mechanism and it threw Breakaway down. Tempest quickly launched and caught Breakaway before he hit the floor. Once they landed, Tempest noticed Breakaway's optics flickering briefly before they retained their blue hue.
"Breakaway, are you alright," Tempest asked. "Talk to me."
"Don't touch; those hooks are electric." Breakaway pointed out.
"Really, you think?" Cliffjumper shouted.
"What do we do?" Daniel asked.
Spike could just see the vat full of corrosive liquid along with two heavy panels. "The corrosive panels. Knock them down. Blast them."
"But I don't have a gun."
"Use your exosuit." Carly explained.
"Yeah, and please put a rush on that." Cliffjumper shouted.
Daniel searched around his suit for some kind of weapon, but all he could see were glowing switches. Nothing to indicate a gun. So he got creative and pushed random switches. Meanwhile, Tempest and Breakaway were coming up with their own plan. Daniel must have pushed the right button, since a brief flair shot out of one of his elbow joints. Breakaway and Tempest readied themselves just in case Daniel couldn't figure it out. They half to time it just right. Daniel however figured out what to do; he literally slammed a switch and his arms morphed into a set of thruster blasters that fired. The shots were dead on, striking the hinge of one of the panels which began to collapse just as Carly was released first followed by Spike. Bumblebee came next, then Jazz and then Cliffjumper. Daniel lost sight of them after that and regretfully assumed that he'd failed.
"Daniel," a voice called, and Daniel saw his father alive and well. His mother too. "You did it, son."
Daniel became hysterical and even fell back, relieved. "Yeah, I did it."
Spike and Carly hopped to floor and embraced their son, while Jazz and Cliffjumper followed, assisting Bumblebee. Only then did Breakaway see the damage done. "What happened to Bumblebee?"
"One of those pincer things sliced his vocoder. He can still transform but don't look for him to say much." Jazz said.
"Yeah," Cliffjumper added and then tense when he noticed Tempest. "What're you doing with a Decepticon here?"
Breakaway stepped between Cliffjumper and Tempest. "Easy, Cliffjumper. She's on our side."
"Say what?"
"It doesn't matter," Jazz declared. "We gotta bail. C'mon, let go."
Galvatron stalked around almost aimlessly in search of the one and only Autobot that had taken to hiding in the shadows. Aimlessly, because he could feel Unicron in his mind. It infuriated Galvatron well passed the point of madness. Just referring to Unicron as his master sent Galvatron into a blind rage. It was bad enough that when Galvatron heard even slight sound, he turned and fired his cannon in that direction. The violet beam raced and then dissipated into nothing. Galvatron was growing ever more enraged with each passing nanosecond, even grasping his own head and screaming. His scream echoed in the darkness.
"Come out, Autobot," he bellowed. "We all must die sometime."
As Galvatron ranted, Hotrod stealthily snuck through the shadows until was he hidden behind a wall right by Galvatron. Galvatron had his back to Hotrod, who peaked around the side to see him. Hotrod pulled back quickly as Galvatron turned in his direction, although Galvatron just missed him. Galvatron sensed the young Autobot's presence and stalked toward that very same wall. Oh, he was there, Galvatron thought. All he had to do then was round the corner and he'd have the chance to tear that worthless pile of scrap apart. Galvatron stopped and readied himself and then in one motion rounded the corner. Nothing. Galvatron was ready to snap when he suddenly bathed in a bright light. He turned around right on time to see a brightly colored sports car racing toward him, but didn't have nearly enough time to avoid it. The car rammed Galvatron, tossing him up and over and to the floor in a roll, and then sped off. Galvatron stopped his uncontrolled roll and started to rise, only to get run down again by Hotrod, who sped off once more. This time Galvatron was down to a knee and fired his cannon at the once more oncoming vehicle. Hotrod swerved back and forth to avoid the shots as he closed in, only this time Galvatron rolled out of the way and let him pass.
"Driving circles around me won't help." Galvatron shouted and assumed space craft form.
Wonderful! Hotrod thought as he drove on.
Galvatron jetted after Hotrod from the air, firing a stream of missiles. Hotrod continued to swerve back and forth as the missile impacted the floor, leaving noticeable scorch marks. This was where Galvatron had an advantage; he could shoot freely while Hotrod was forced to run. The only way Hotrod could fight back was if he assumed proto form. That was at the moment, his only chance. At the same time, it was a death wish. But then Hotrod had another idea, which in itself was a risk. As Galvatron continued to fire at him, Hotrod saw it as the only viable alternative. He waited for Galvatron to close and just as Galvatron was almost right top of him, Hotrod hit the brakes. Galvatron flew right over Hotrod as Hotrod quickly assumed proto form and fired from below. He struck Galvatron on his underside, forcing Galvatron to briefly fly awkward before he banked around for a pass. Galvatron rocketed straight at Hotrod, who had very little time to move. So as Galvatron was just within reach, Hotrod jumped and grabbed his wings. Galvatron went into a heavy barrel roll to shake off the annoying bot, but Hotrod held fast. Hotrod knew the next move was his, and he pulled down as hard and as far as he could. It worked, and both bots careened back to the steel flooring below. Galvatron transformed just before he hit the floor and he Hotrod rolled across. In the confusion, the Matrix was thrown from Galvatron, landing several meters away. Hotrod saw the Matrix and attempted to get to it, but Galvatron caught him and pinned him down.
"I'm going to enjoy crushing you with my bare hands, just like I did Prime." Galvatron snarled, and then took an elbow to his chin.
"Not today, Galvatron."
Hotrod was up and caught Galvatron with a hard right hook to the face, a left jab to the chassis and a swift uppercut to the chin. Galvatron answered was a single head butt, staggering Hotrod. Hotrod righted himself but Galvatron was already on him, swinging his sword wildly. Galvatron swiped relentlessly but seemed to miss every time, almost deliberately. Hotrod found out why as Galvatron missed a wild swing and then caught him with a stiff backhand. Again, Hotrod staggered and tried to fight back, but Galvatron countered and outmatched him at every turn. Galvatron continued to deliberately miss his mark, clearly taunting and humiliating the young Autobot. But Hotrod finally found an opening and surprised Galvatron with a heavy uppercut. It came so hard and fast that Galvatron was thrown to the floor. Hotrod returned to vehicle mode and raced off, passing right by the Matrix and missing a chance to grab it. Galvatron was back up and assumed his cannon mode and fired. Initially, the shots missed the vehicle but struck the floor directly in front of it, forcing Hotrod to transform right there and then. Hotrod fired back and struck the cannon dead on, forcing Galvatron back into his proto form. Galvatron screamed with intense rage, but that didn't stop Hotrod from charging. He transformed back as vehicle form and raced directly for Galvatron, who with a heavy roar, charged as well. A heavy collision followed, with Hotrod landing directly on top of Galvatron. Hotrod revved his engine and tried right then to run him over, but Galvatron shifted his own weight, forcing Hotrod back into proto form. From under Galvatron, Hotrod saw the Matrix mere inches away. So did Galvatron. Hotrod struck Galvatron in the face and made a grab for the Matrix but Galvatron struck Hotrod in the side. Then he drove his face into the floor. Hotrod continued to fight from underneath and reached for the Matrix, but Galvatron soon grasped his neck from behind. Hotrod backhanded Galvatron off of him but Galvatron pinned him down, gripped his neck again and proceeded to squeeze the life out of him.
"Junkyard crap," Galvatron sneered with his cringing and his red optics pulsating madly. "Join Optimus Prime in extinction."
It was quickly becoming a losing battle. Unicron had just about decimated every Cybertronian that challenged him. To make matters worse, the Decepticons, except for Scourge and Cyclonus, had abandoned their assault, leaving the Autobots to fend for themselves. Ultra Magnus himself began to consider a retreat. He looked out the window of the Junkion cruiser; Cybertron was greater ruin than it had been so long ago. The cruiser itself, along with Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme, were all that stood between Unicron and Cybertron's ultimate destruction.
"We're not going to make it, are we?" said Perceptor.
"If we die, then we die fighting." Ultra Magnus said.
The Junkion cruiser swooped in for the next attack, striking with a stream of laser blast. The blasts caught Unicron across the face. Unicron tensed slightly, and then made a grab for the passing ship. He caught it and proceeded to crush it. The interior was crumbling, and Ultra Magnus, Wreck-Gar and everyone aboard were on the verge of being crushed. But then the rocket form of Omega Supreme swooped in attacked the titan. The five Autobot crew of Hound, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Tracks fired every available weapon Omega Supreme possessed in his arsenal. Unicron released his grip on the Junkion cruiser, which disintegrated into pieces, and focused his rage on Omega Supreme. Sky Lynx soared in to catch Ultra Magnus and the other survivors. Omega Supreme continued his attack, dodging the acid breath that felled so many Transformers. But he couldn't avoid the more precise optic burst, which struck his hull. The burst sheared right through, causing heavy interior damage and rocking the crew. Tracks was killed instantly and Sunstreaker was heavily damaged.
"Omega, damage report." Hound said.
"Power reserves: ninety-five percent depleted. Primary and secondary weapons: disabled. Detonation: eminent. Recommendation: evacuation." Omega Supreme said.
"You heard him, everybody out, now." Hound.
"Collision course; set and locked. Evacuate immediately." Omega Supreme said.
Wheeljack and Sideswipe helped Sunstreaker up and to an opened hatch. Hound was about to follow when a massive explosion engulfed him. He fell to the deck, his lower body scorched and in the process of melting. Sideswipe was about to rush to Hound, but Hound pointed to the hatch. Wheeljack pulled Sideswipe and pushed him out the hatch before throwing Sunstreaker out. He looked back at Hound, who nodded to him, and then jumped out. Hound, wounded as he was, crawled to the console and looked out the view port; Unicron was right in front and seemingly growing, even though it was Omega moving closer. Hound himself was ready to share Omega's fate.
"It's been an honor, Omega."
"The honor was mine, Hound," Omega said back. "Til all are one."
"Til all are one." Hound said.
Damaged and on the brink of destruction, Omega Supreme rocketed straight toward Unicron. The Aerialbots swooped in to catch Wheeljack, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker and take down to the Cybertron's surface. Unicron only now caught sight of Omega Supreme and fired another optic burst, striking the rocket's fuselage. Fire spewed forth but Omega Supreme kept coming even as he was losing control of his path and was spiraling out of control. Unicron prepare another attack, but was too late to stop Omega Supreme from colliding with his chassis. Those still online on Cybertron watched as a massive ball of fire formed in front of the titan, and then flaming pieces of steel rained to the surface. From the surface, Ultra Magnus could see to his horror than Unicron was still moving, although his chassis was badly burned with several hull breaches. Plus, Omega Supreme's heroic sacrifice forced the titan off the planet's surface. But still in spite of all that, Unicron was still moving.
"Primus, help us all."
"First Optimus Prime, then Ultra Magnus and now you," Galvatron snarled as he continued to squeeze the life out of Hotrod, who was simultaneously trying to elevate the choke and reach for the Matrix arms length away. "It's a crying shame that you Autobots die so easily, otherwise, I might've had a sense of satisfaction by now," Galvatron then leered at Hotrod, face to face. "Any last words?"
With his last once of strength, Hotrod choked, "How about this?"
Hotrod then head butted Galvatron straight in the face, forcing him to release his grip. With Galvatron momentarily distracted, Hotrod made one final grab for the Matrix. The very moment he touched it, everything vanished. The darkened chamber and even Galvatron, all faded away in a flash of blue light. The next thing Hotrod knew, he was surrounded by light, as if he'd just died. Maybe Galvatron succeeded in killing him. Then Hotrod saw movement; several figures appeared around him. It occurred to Hotrod that he was inside the Matrix itself, and the figured that now surrounded him were in fact the former keepers of the Matrix.
"We have been waiting for you." said one of the figures.
Another figure said with female voice, "You have fought for you allies with courage and honor."
"These are the hallmarks of a leader." a third voice said.
"It is time to open the Matrix, to light our darkest hour and take your rightful place as the leader of all Cybertronians." a forth voice said, only this one was very familiar. "Now, arise, Rodimus Prime."
"Optimus!" And it was then and there, Hotrod felt himself change. Evolve. Transform.
Galvatron was thrown back into a wall. As he tried to pull himself up, he heard the sound of very high powered engine. Galvatron looked for the source; the light was so blinding that his optics flickered. Then a massive, unfamiliar vehicle emerged from the light. It appeared to resemble one of those Earth-styled, long nosed trucks, colored bright red with orange flames. Galvatron soon realized it was the Autobot he'd been fighting; only the Matrix had changed him. The Autobot assumed proto form; his proto form was also radically reformatted as he stared down Galvatron.
"No. What is this?" Galvatron shouted.
The Autobot clenched his fists and he said in a deep tone, "This is the end of the road, Galvatron." And the giant Autobot began stalking toward Galvatron.
Galvatron instantly began firing, but his shot simply bounced harmlessly off his new opponent. "This is absurd. I will not be beaten by a lowly Autobot." Galvatron quickly threw a fist, which the Autobot caught effortlessly.
As he squeezed, the Autobot met Galvatron's optics and declared, "My name is Rodimus Prime."
Author's note: Well, this chapter was a bit longer, but I had a lot of ground to cover and a lot happened here.
For one thing, poor Bumblebee lost his voice and Omega Supreme sacrificed himself to stop Unicron, or at least slow him down.
Also, I amped up the Hotrod/Galvatron fight a little along with a sweet vision of the passed keeper of the Matrix, including Optimus Prime on route to Hotrod ascension to Rodimus Prime.
Speaking of, in this story, Rodimus Prime assumes both his proto and alt forms from Transformers: Energon.
Almost there, so let me know who you think.