Chapter 25-The Original Sin part 3
Piloting a talos for the first time was an odd experience, especially if you were a thirteen year old kid who hasn't even been near a talos before. Learning how to pilot a talos took time and training to perfect, and soldiers were required at least two months of training to be certified to pilot a talos. For Darren, Annie, and Gina, they had to learn how to properly hold objects, walk, run and even fly in the span of a single day in a single hour in the midst of a battle between titans where death was a real danger. They had to learn what would normally take months in the span of a few minutes and under intense combat conditions too.
Annie was the one who was most floored by this new experience, having actually been to military expos and actually been inside the cockpit of a few older talos models of the Osean military. She knew what a talos cockpit looked like, and this wasn't the usual cockpit.
The cockpit of the Omega Talos wasn't the usual cockpit with three video monitors to the left, center and right of the pilot. They had a spherical cockpit block with a 360 panorama that was composed of multiple smaller monitors that together made up a 360 display that covered the entire inner surface of the cockpit. The pilot seat lacked seatbelts, but Sara assured them that it was designed to electromagnetically counter G-forces and impact shocks to protect the pilot. Combined with the 36-degree panoramic screen, it gave the pilot a larger field of view and eliminated blind spots.
The OS of the talos was very responsive and made controlling the talos easier for the kids, with faster reaction times, fluid pilot control interface and guidance of the mecha's weapons systems, it was more advanced by pilot-friendly than normal talos OS. The controls were designed to be simple enough that an elementary school student could use them, but they needed a lot of practice to utilize these mecha effectively. They were less than novices, certified noobs in Gina's vernacular, but these talos were way too advanced to have been made by human hands.
Currently, the children were heading towards the obelisk with Centurion following behind them; in the gestalt's hands was the Omni-saber, the combined form of the Air Defense Team. The sword was almost as large as Centurion himself, but he carried it with ease as if it weighed no heavier than a feather. Sara was leading the way making sure that Gina was always within her line of sight, trying to be as close as possible to Gina for some reason that she refuses to disclose. The band of misfits stopped on top of a hill overlooking the clearing where the obelisk was situated.
The obelisk was tall, reaching high above them and ending in a magnificent looking pyramid with a single eye on all four of its sides. It looked much bigger up close, and its shiny black onyx composition made it look imposing. But not as imposing as the group of brutish looking brute creatures that formed a circle around the perimeter of the structure.
"So what's the plan, fearless leader?" Annie asked. She leaned back in her seat and studied the large, hunchback creatures through her cockpit's crystal clear monitor. It reminded her of her little stint with Michael, Uriel and Raphael, and how they almost killed her and her friends. It made her insides clench at the thought of how close they all were to getting killed. She was not going to be helpless like that ever again.
"Should we try to create a diversion?" Gina suggested. "Draw them away from the obelisk then double back before they can regroup?"
The pyramid fired another beam from its eye, this time at a trio of small dots in the distance. Centurion recognized them as the Seekers. He noted that Starscream was nicked by the heat beam and was sent falling to earth.
"No time. We're going to have to go in." Centurion said, raising his sword. A white energy field covered the saber's component parts, enhancing the blade's sharpness while also keeping the combiners themselves safe. "We must strike now."
"On it." Annie grinned. Pressing a button, she readied the Enyo's targeting systems and took out a large bazooka-like cannon from the hardpoint on her back. Hefting it with two hands, Enyo targeted one of the brutes and Annie pulled the trigger, firing a massive energy beam from the cannon.
Reaching to the large weapon mounted on a hard point behind her waist, Annie drew a large bazooka-like cannon that had a cord attached to her Apollo drive. Lifting it with ease despite being as large as her torso, Annie took aim at one of the brutes and pulled the trigger, firing a massive beam from the cannon.
The brute noticed the beam too late, and the creature got hit right in the chest and head. Its body was blown apart and crumbled to pieces next to its still walking comrades. Annie fired again and took out two more with well placed headshots that killed them immediately. The other brutes looked at the pile of rocks that used to be their brethren and looked up at the three children and Minicon gestalt with the oversized sword.
This stare down only lasted a second before the brutes gave bestial roars of pure rage, their necks splitting open to reveal grotesque mouths to show their anger. Following their temper tantrum, the brutes charged the hill with their axes raised, looking far more terrifying now that their rage was directed at the kids.
"W-We have their attention." Gina said nervously. "So what do we do now?"
Sara jumped in front of the children as her body underwent a drastic transformation of her own. Her right forearm shifted, splitting apart to form a laser blade and her hand split apart to form a palm blaster. Her bare feet reconfigured to expose small boosters and her back sprouted two wing-like appendages that vented green particles that allowed her to hover in the air.
"We fight." Sara said. "As you once said, Ms. Gina, into the fire we go."
The kids, Centurion and Sara all charged forward, beginning the battle that will either make or break their debut into the battlefield. At that moment, all their reservations about piloting talos faded away. This was their chance to make a difference, not just on the sidelines, but on the field. They knew it was dangerous, they knew they could die, but more than just their lives were at stake. The Autobots risked a lot for them numerous times, and now it was time for the children to return the favor.
XXXXXX
The Decepticon invasion of Brigadoon had begun smoothly, at first. They positioned the Nemesis above the island as planned and the strike team disembarked, falling through its thick, atmospheric cloud and landed on the accursed island. But as soon as they touched down, they were assaulted by these strange angelic beings who attacked them en masse. They weren't hard to shoot down, but their numbers took them off guard. Lugnut and Blackout were already shooting down the ones that landed, while the Seekers were busy engaging in dogfights above their heads. Megatron was firing blasts from his fusion cannon, destroying large numbers of Affinities, only for more to come from whatever hive they crawled out of. It was getting annoying, and Megatron didn't like to be annoyed in the middle of a battle.
Megatron eyed the obelisk a few miles from him, but his attention was divided between his objective and finding Nightshade. He didn't like having himself distracted like this, but she was a valuable player in this Terran war game, and losing her was something he could not afford.
"Search," He looked at the Minicon at his feet. "Have you located Nightshade yet?"
Search was in his alt mode doing what he did best, recon. Leader-1 stood next to him for protection as he tried to scan the local area for any other Decepticon signals. He wasn't usually this dedicated to doing his job, but seeing as how high strung Megatron got when Nightshade was in danger, he figured that it would be better for his health that he made an effort not to piss him off.
"I'm still trying to find her, lord Megatron," Search said, his mind still focused on sensing something nearby. "But it might take some time."
"We don't have time, you fool!" Leader-1 growled. "Work faster. Boost the power to your sensors."
"They're already bordering in the red zone you piece of slag!" Search replied. He did not like being rushed, especially by a yes man like Leader-1. "If you think you can do a better job, then be my guest. At least I'm better at fighting than you."
"Does this look like the time to be fighting, you fools?" Megatron shouted. "Focus on the task at hand, Search, or I will have Scalpel dismantle you alive!"
Search did as his master commanded. Leader-1 was about to gloat when Megatron called out his name. "Y-yes, lord Megatron?"
"If you are done cementing you position as alpha, then would you mind powerlinking with me?" Megatron asked menacingly. "If that isn't too much to ask?"
"At once, my lord!" Leader-1 transformed and attached himself to Megatron's left arm. The process sent a surge of energy coursing through Megatron, and the warlord grinned as he brought out a long cobalt blade from his left arm, one that was coated in electricity.
"Lord Megatron!" Blackout shouted from above. "Something is happening on top of the obelisk!"
Megatron turned towards the obelisk and saw a bright light shining from the face of the pyramid on top. As the light grew brighter, Megatron's instincts told him to move, and he did. "Get away from the area!"
The other Decepticons didn't waste time in following his command, all save Starscream, who was shooting down one last boogey before falling back. He didn't expect a huge heat beam to come shooting past him, dangerously close, and hitting the ground near them. The Seeker yelped as he felt his armor warp slightly from the intense heat, and he and the other flyers were blown away by the huge explosion that erupted afterwards. Megatron, Barricade, and Lugnut were also blasted away by the force of the explosion, sent flying in separate directions.
Megatron grunted as he skidded along the ground before stopping himself. He looked at the pyramid and saw that it was gearing up for another shot. "Damn!"
Megatron transformed and drove as fast as he could to avoid the second blast that was fired at him. Once again, he was sent flying from the explosion, which didn't seem any less powerful than the one before it. So not only did this thing have a fast recharge cycle, it was able to fire beams of energy repeatedly without losing energy or overheating. It was just his luck that he would be within its sights.
"Someone get over there and destroy that weapon!" Megatron roared.
"My lord, the Seekers and Blackout are already hard pressed to defend us against the airborne enemies. We can't move unless we wipe out these creatures." Leader-1 said.
"Then wipe them out!" Megatron hissed and fired his fusion cannon at the brute that dared to charge him.
"Megatron!"
Megatron changed forms and saw Nightshade and Flamewar running in his direction. They both looked like they had been through hell and back, but were mostly in one piece and fighting shape. But behind them was a large red and gold serpent chasing them at high speeds. It was an Inspired, a beast just like the one Bulkhead and Ironhide fought in Belka. Nightshade was firing Gandiva at it, but the serpent easily weaved through the air and dodged her attacks.
"Lugnut," Megatron called out to the bruiser. He pointed in Nightshade's direction. "Destroy that beast and lay down some cover for her."
"Yes, Lord Megatron!" Lugnut had Search link up with him and changed his arm into his pressure pad bomb.
The Inspired snapped its jaws at Nightshade and Flamewar, trying to get at least one of them in its teeth to crunch in half. Nightshade fired an arrow from Gandiva, but the serpent dodged the projectile and whipped its tail at her. She and Flamewar were smacked aside by the thick tail, tossing them to the ground. The Inspired coiled back and shot forward like a bullet at Nightshade…only to get a rain of missiles peppering its body.
"Face me beast!" Lugnut bellowed, running at the serpent with his mace held high. "Fight a warrior who is not injured, or are you afraid?"
"What the hell is he doing?" Flamewar asked.
"Doing what he does best." Nightshade replied.
The Inspired immediately accepted the Con's challenge by raised itself to its full height and roaring. Lugnut swung his mace at its long body, but it thrashed its tail and slammed it into him. But Lugnut was a hardier opponent, and he grabbed the tail with a firm grip.
"Lady Nightshade!" Lugnut grunted.
Nightshade boosted into the air and pointed Gandiva at the creature. Letting an arrow loose, she watched satisfied as the serpent's head exploded in a burst of light and sent a fine red powder spewing everywhere. Its headless body fell to the ground and Lugnut dropped its limp tail.
"Lady Nightshade," Lugnut ran over to his superior and got down on one knee. "It's good to see that you're safe."
"Nice to know you care so much for me." Flamewar drawled.
"Silence, heathen! I am speaking to our commander!" Lugnut shouted.
"Lugnut, what's the situation?" Nightshade demanded.
We are heading to take the island into our control, but we're under attack by these strange creatures that are holding us back." He reported.
Nightshade narrowed her eyes at the Affinities swarming the other Decepticons. "I can see that."
"Then I shouldn't need to explain to your little predicament involving the obelisk's power." Megatron walked up to them. "It is good to see that you are in one piece, Nightshade."
"We're not safe until we can get that tower offline."
"Any suggestions?" He asked.
Nightshade bit her lip and shook her head. "I've ran the possible scenarios in my mind already. If the tower doesn't shoot us down, then we're going to get overpowered in a Spark pulse. There's very little options that we can take."
Don't forget the Autobots are here as well." Flamewar chimed in.
"What?!" Megatron looked at the huntress with blazing eyes. "How do you know that?"
"A girl knows when her soul mate is nearby." Flamewar smirked and tapped her chest plate. "I can feel Arcee's presence. If she's in this hellhole, then she' probably not alone."
Megatron forced himself to remain calm. It's typical that the Autobots are here. Knowing Optimus, he probably brought his entire team to the island. Fighting both them and the stone creatures would put too much strain on his forces, but he was in no way backing down from this battle. This floating island would be his!
"Megatron, we have two choices here." Nightshade said. "Storm the obelisk in an all-out assault, or try to lower the enemies numbers enough to approach the tower without wasting too much power. Either way we'll be hit from both sides pretty hard."
Megatron looked at her, then to the obelisk. That monolith was too powerful to be allowed to remain standing, and he needed it gone if he wanted to properly secure this island. The enforcers attacking them were merely cannon fodder once their greatest weapon was long gone.
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The Autobots were having about the same amount of luck the Decepticons were with their enemies, only they weren't fighting any more. Optimus was leading the charge through the vast fields with the rest of his Autobots as they drove through the plain towards the location beacon sent by the kids. Behind them, a small army of the monstrous was in hot pursuit, their weapons raised high and roaring like animals as they chased after their escaped quarry. Optimus wouldn't have even considered the idea, seeing as they were leading these strange beings straight to the kids and Minicons, but Skyfire picked up their slack by shooting the brutes down with her missiles and Gatling gun rounds.
"Skyfire, how are things going up there?" Optimus asked.
"About as good as it can be Prime." Skyfire answered, shooting down another brute with her dual laser cannons. "But these guys are hard to take down. If I keep this up, I'll run out of juice before the party starts to kick off."
"Just hold on as long as you can until we can find a way to take them all out at once." Optimus replied.
That was easier said than done. The brutes were not only strong but durable, with their stony hides so strong that it even took a few direct hits from Prime's ion cannon to take just one down. Their strength was enough to make even Ironhide back off and their weapons-something about those axes they wielded made it so that they were scalding hot to the touch, like they were made of white fire. It was getting to the point that Optimus ordered everyone to break off their engagement and regroup until they could think of a more effective strategy that didn't involve getting beaten into the ground.
"Optimus Prime," A soft voice whispered in Optimus' comm channel-a private one that he rarely used except for certain situations. "Can you hear me?"
Optimus kept the surprise out of his voice and was immediately cautious. "I can," He replied. "Who is this?"
"I am Sara, a fifth generation bioroid at the service of Ms. Gina Harkins. Your friends, both human and Minicon are safe in my care, but time is of the essence."
"That obelisk before you is the focal point of this island that also acts as a control center. It manages the biomes and ecosystems on this island, and also provides the anti-gravity lift that keeps it afloat." Sara explained quickly. "It is also its primary defense systems, as I'm sure you've already learned. I am currently with the children and the Minicons attacking the obelisk right now in order to take it over and gain control of this island, but we need more time."
"So you're asking me to provide a distraction." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He didn't ask why the kids were aiding in this little assault and he figured that she wouldn't tell him even if he asked.
"Yes, that is correct." There was a slight pause before Sara spoke again. "I must go. There will be reinforcements soon, and I must aid Ms. Gina in making an entry point."
"Wait!" Optimus said but Sara had already signed off. "Damn."
Skyfire slowed her speed and flew low to provide more air support, but one of the brutes threw its axe at her. The axe cut through her left wing and she went spiraling out of control. Seeing that the aerial nuisance was hit, the other brutes also threw their axes at her as the Autobot tried to control her descent.
"It's just not worth getting up in the morning!" Skyfire yelled as she crashed into the ground. she switched to robot mode as rolled across the ground, throwing up dirt and grass in her wake, with Comettor detaching from his partner and hitting the ground as well.
"Optimus, Skyfire just went down!" Ironhide announced.
'It appears that the choice was just made for me.' Optimus thought. 'I'm sorry, children, but you must wait for us just a little longer.'
Optimus made a hard left, his wheels digging trenches in the ground as he spun around and drove back the way he came. He saw Skyfire on the ground, cradling an unconscious Comettor with the brutes almost on top of her. Increasing his speed, he drove as fast as he could until he was within breathing distance of Skyfire and changed to robot mode, using his built up momentum to push himself off the ground and flip over Skyfire, powerlinking with Sparkplug to draw his battle blade. He sliced the head off the first brute to reach him and fired an ion blast into the chest of another. He ducked under an axe swipe and stabbed another brute in the head, his red hot blade cutting through their stone skin like butter.
The other brutes advanced upon them, but they were held back by a barrage of energy and incendiary fire from the other Autobots that arrived on the scene. With his teammates keeping the monsters at bay, Optimus saw to Skyfire.
"Are you hurt, Skyfire?" He asked her as he helped her to her feet.
"Comettor's knocked out, but I'm fine." Skyfire groaned at her damaged wing. She was a durable flyer, just like the terran alt mode she chose, but the axe had cut straight through her wing with disturbing ease. That was going to hurt in the morning.
"If you can still fight, get ready to jump back in." Optimus quickly raised his ion cannon and blasted off the face of a charging brute. Its body fell and skidded through the dirt before stopping at Prime's feet. "We need to hold these creatures off for as long as we can."
"What?! I thought we were gonna get the kids and Minicons!" Skyfire exclaimed.
"The plan has changed a bit. The children are in the middle of something and we need to stall these creatures for as long as possible." Optimus explained. "Are you with me, Skyfire?"
Skyfire looked at Optimus before taking out her twin barreled laser cannon. "Do you really need to ask?"
Optimus nodded and the two Autobots ran back into the battle, firing weapons at everything that was an enemy. Prime wasn't sure if this was the best course of action, but he had to trust the kids on this one, and for High Wire's team to keep them safe. However, as he stabbed his sword into a brute's hunched back, he felt that this was not the worst this island had to offer.
And still, the Matrix burned.
XXXXXX
Against all odds, the children were actually holding their own at the battle at the foot of the obelisk. Aided by a Minicon gestalt armed with a powerful oversized sword and a battle ready android, the talos' operating systems and powerful weapons were more than enough to compensate for the lack of skill the children had.
The Prometheus, Darren's designated talos, was a mid to long range fighter equipped with what Sara called a beam rifle. It was basically a large gun that drew power from the unit's power source, the Apollo drive-which Sara never really gone into detail on explaining what it was aside from an advanced solar reactor-via a small connector in the Prometheus' hand that connected to the rifle and fired condensed beams of ionized particles. This weapon was powerful enough to blast holes straight through the brutes' bodies in a single well placed shot. In addition to that, any brutes that got in his personal space were ruthlessly cut down with his beam saber, another weapon that drew power from the Apollo drive to create a long point of ionized particles encased in a magnetic field that could slice through stone and metal with great ease.
Gina's Athena talos was only armed with two arm mounted pulse cannons, though they fired powerful pulse blasts that grew stronger the longer the distance they traveled, drawing on ambient electromagnetic energy to increase their power. Still, her lack of armaments because of her unit's non-combat oriented role had her hanging back near Darren to support him while they both tore apart their enemies. Gina wanted to use the beam cannon on her talos' back, but Sara cautioned her from using it unless absolutely necessary.
Annie was in the thick of it, firing her beam bazooka with a mad grin. Armed with arm mounted Gatling guns, shoulder mounted beam cannons, she was a literal war machine, tearing apart any brute that came her way. Her armor was the physically strongest of the three, but not the fastest, and Sara stood near her to watch her back as she slew her enemies.
"This is awesome!" Annie laughed. A brute came up behind her and she swerved around, riddling its face with AP (armor piercing) rounds from her Gatling guns. Its face was torn apart and it fell over with a thump.
"Annie, please take this seriously." Darren said, but he too felt the rush of battle flowing through his veins. It felt exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
"I am taking this seriously." Annie replied haughtily. "Did you see how many I killed already? 7 brutes in the past ten minutes, and that was with just the bazooka. Try to beat that record!"
"Speak for yourself, I've already took down 8." Darren said.
"Guys, could you please focus?" Gina grunted.
While the kids were taking out the heavy hitters, Centurion and Sara were making quick work of the airborne angels. He cut a few down with his omni-saber, but he barely had time to shine as Sara flew across the battlefield, jumping and leaping through the air firing her arm cannon and avoiding the spears thrown her way. She was like lightning, too fast to track down properly before she cut you down.
Sara did a backflip off the back of a brute and landed at the foot of the obelisk, with the black wall behind her. A brute chased after her, large unwieldy hands trying to grab at the tiny android, but she jumped up onto its arms and kicked it in the face. As it staggered back in pain, Gina turned and fired her pulse cannons at its back, blasting a hole straight through it and into the obelisk. There was a large explosion and as the smoke cleared, there was a large hole blasted into the wall.
"There's our way in." Darren noted. He looked around at the thousands of crumbling bodies that were their enemies and felt a wave of satisfaction flow over himself. "That felt…fun. Even when I fought against the Mini-Cons I never felt a rush like that."
"Welcome to my world, bro. It feels good being a badass for once, doesn't it?" Annie smiled.
"I think I need to take five. That was intense." Gina said, tired but smiling.
"There is no time to rest. Reinforcements will be here soon, as are the Decepticons and the Autobots. Be prepared to fight again." Sara said. She looked at Centurion. "Come, we will go inside and deactivate the pyramid."
Sara didn't wait for a reply as she ran into the obelisk with Centurion in tow. The kids were left standing outside with their Talos.
"So," Annie said. "What do we do now?"
"We wait. Sara said she's got this, and we should trust her." Gina said.
"Yeah, because the mysterious android who calls you "Ms. Gina" is totally swell." Annie replied sarcastically.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A menacing voice cackled. "Three new players in our little war game. How quaint."
The kids spun around and saw Megatron standing just a few feet from them with his entire Decepticon team behind them, their weapons trained on the trio. The kids quickly got their units into combat mode and also raised their weapons, though they were at a severe disadvantage. They didn't stand a chance against Megatron alone, lest of all the entire Nemesis team. This was not good.
"Shit." Annie muttered.
"Looks like the three humans got an upgrade of their own." Starscream grinned. "Not that it will do them any good." Starscream raised his null ray. "Stand down humans. We're not here for you, only the obelisk. If you surrender now, we can assure you remain unhurt."
"Hell no!" Darren growled. Megatron's expression darkened.
"I don't think you understand the situation you're in right now." Megatron said. He raised his arms towards his group. "We outnumber you ten to one. You fancy little toys are no match for us. Not even an army of Talos can stand against one of our kind, and yet here you are trying to make one last futile stand." He pointed his fusion cannon at the Prometheus. "I won't tell you again. Stand down, or die."
"Don't you dare!" Gina stepped in front of Prometheus, her unit's beam cannon unfolding from its back to reach its full length and pointed it at Megatron's head. Megatron grinned and barked a raspy laugh that Darren wished he never heard again.
"Are you really going to shoot me, girl? Right here, in front of my own troops?" Megatron snorted and lowered his cannon, beating a fist against his chest. "Go ahead, be my guest. But you better make sure that you hit me, girl, because you won't get a second chance."
Silence filled the area. Darren and Annie could not see Gina's expression, not knowing how to operate their talos' comm function to see each other. Gina said nothing and the Athena was frozen in its firing position, charging up its beam cannon. Just when the twins made to call out to her, Gina spoke up.
"Who said I was aiming for you?"
She moved the cannon's aim a few inches to the right and fired. The cannon shot a powerful particle beam that sounded like thunder as it shot over Megatron's shoulder, the intense particles searing his armor just from being near it, and hit Lugnut in the middle of his chest. . Megatron slowly turned around to look at one of his most loyal soldiers, Nightshade stared at the hole burned into Lugnut's chest, the spot where the beam had entered, burning through layers of thick armor and piercing his spark chamber directly.
"L-lord Megatron…?" Lugnut rasped before his chest exploded in a shower of sparks and metal. He fell to his knees, with Search popping off his arm and looked at the sight in shock. Lugnut's head fell forward and his red mono-eye went dark and his body fell limp.
Lugnut was dead on the spot, with a large, gaping hole in his torso.
Darren and Annie stared at Gina in shock, but they couldn't see how steely Gina's expression was. If she died today, without doing all the things she dreamed of-becoming a world famous explorer, finding her father, being with Darren-all because of this damn island, or by the Decepticons, she was not going down without taking at least one of them with her. Despite her steeled demeanor, she jumped in her seat when Megatron gave a truly bestial cry of pure rage.
KKRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Megatron's eyes bored holes into Gina's soul as he raised his fusion cannon to shoot the talos, and its young pilot into oblivion. Darren, Gina and Annie all prepared to move, but they would still be too slow to avoid the attacks of the other Cons. Then, just as the barrel of Megatron's fusion cannon began to glow, he was hit in the head and chest by two energy bolts that knocked him off his feet. The other Cons were also driven off by the sudden assault.
Don't even think about it Megatron!"
It was like déjà vu. The kids turned to see Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots standing between them and the Decepticons. Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee took their positions beside their friends, keeping an eye on the Cons, but also sneaking glances at the new Talos they were piloting.
"So," Bulkhead said. "You gonna tell us where you got the new digs?"
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Darren said, his voice shaky. Arcee noted this, even behind the Talos' speakers, but she stayed focus on the scene going on before them.
Optimus, Jazz, Ironhide and Prowl stood side by side as they faced the Cons. Prowl noticed Lugnut's still upright corpse sitting beside the fallen Megatron. He looked at Optimus, but all Prime did was give him a shake of the head. This wasn't the time to talk about it.
"Don't you dare, Prime!" Megatron snarled. Starscream and Barricade tried to help him up but he pushed them away. "Don't you dare get in my way! I was lenient on those humans before but no more! THEY DIE TODAY!"
"Then you will have to get past all of us Megatron." Optimus said as he pointed his cannon at Megatron's head.
"That won't be an issue." Nightshade growled, pulling back Gandiva's string.
The death of Lugnut seemed to have spurred the Decepticons to keep fighting despite their previous exhaustion. A human just killed one of their own. This wasn't just business anymore, it was personal. They were out for blood. Similarly, the Autobots were not going to let the Cons have their friends, and were willing to fight to death if it meant keeping them safe. No Autobot, human or Minicon was going to die today. Both sides readied their weapons and prepared to unleash everything they got. The kids also prepared for the storm that was about to erupt and got ready for the fireworks to go off.
Then, just as the rage building between the two sides reached a critical point, and fingers began to pull triggers, there was a loud roar, and the ground began to tremble. Then the obelisk exploded in a manner that was almost biblical in proportion.
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Five minutes earlier
The interior of the obelisk was different than what Centurion originally thought. It wasn't completely solid, and had a long spiral staircase that went all the way to the top. Sara shifted her weapons back into her hands and looked up at the taller gestalt.
"How high can you jump?"
"Pretty high," Centurion answered, confused. "Why?"
"I will need to get us up there quickly. I do not want Ms. Gina and her friends to be left alone for too long."
Centurion nodded and held his arms out. Sara jumped onto his back and he activated the boosters in his feet to gain more height as he jumped at least two feet into the air. Grabbing onto the stair case, he pulled himself up into another vertical leap. Despite the added weight of Sara and the sword, he had no problem reaching the top of the obelisk, where they were met with a large golden door with a human face on the front. Sara turned to Centurion and nodded.
Centurion lifted the omni-saber above him in a reverse-grip and stabbed it into the door. The sword vibrated with energy that was channeled into the door before it exploded. That was one of the onmi-saber's tricks, it could send out high frequency vibrations that could shatter almost anything it came into contact with-provided it had the time to charge up. This feature was cooked up with the knowledge that the Air Defense team would be forced to fight Bulks at some point in time, so methods were created to find ways to defeat the Minicons' larger counterparts without needing heavy artillery or ordnance. Why use bigger weapons when you could dish out equally devastating firepower with smaller tools if used properly? This key factor was taken into account when the gestalt program was innovated.
Centurion and Sara entered the doorway and were met with what could only be described as the pyramid's control room. It looked like the main engine of the Ark, with highly advanced components and machinery that layered the interior of the golden pyramid that caused the bots down below so much trouble. At the center of the chamber was a large crystal, a prism that sat in the middle of four other red crystals that emitted enough heat to make the room feel like the inside of a volcano.
Sara did a quick optical scan of the crystals and saw that they held massive amounts of energy, probably to power the pyramid's beam. She deduced that the red crystals provided the heat for the beam, while the prism converted that heat into plasma and channeled it through the ruby-quartz lens that filled the iris of the eye on the outside, focusing the beam on a specific target. Seeing that there was no one here, she figured that the whole process was entirely autonomous, which made their jobs much easier.
"Destroy the instruments and shatter the lenses," Sara ordered. Her hands shifted back into weapon mode. "I will destroy the crystal."
Centurion didn't waste a second. He leapt forward and began hacking and slashing at anything that looked important, leaving sparkling and exploding consoles in his wake. He stabbed the omni-saber into one of the generators and jumped back as the machine exploded, causing a chain reaction that spread to the other machinery as well. Finally, he looked at the contraption that was holding one of the red crystals aloft. Pointing the sword at it, he let go of the hilt and the omni-saber flew from his grip, shooting at the device and stabbing into it with ease. The machine exploded and the red crystal wobbled in the air before falling to the floor, shattering and exploding in a burst of flames that nearly engulfed Centurion had he not jumped away in time. The omni-saber returned to his hand, though it was a little blackened from the flames.
Sara stood in front of the crystal array and waited for the flames to die down before she began shooting at the main crystal in the center. Her laser blasts hit the crystal with enough force to start chipping off fragments with each hit, but the energy was still being collected into the prism. Seeing that she wasn't doing much damage, Sara adjusted the energy output on her blaster, and fired again, this time releasing a steady beam of photon energy. Her assault on the crystal soon began to charge it up, far past the capacity that it could manage, and bolts of energy began lancing from its reflective surface.
She didn't stop her assault until one of the bolts hit the spot right next to her, sending shards of metal over her body. Centurion had to grab her around the waist to pull her away as the crystals began to go critical and were set to explode. Centurion hefted both android and sword onto his shoulders and sprinted for the nearest opening he could find-not the door, but the glass lens behind the eye. He lunged forward and smashed headfirst through the lens and fell to the ground 3 feet below him. Back inside, the crystals reach critical mass and one after the other, they exploded in a brilliant flash of light
XXXXXX
The obelisk exploded in a massive pillar of flames that outshone any light in the area. The structure broke apart, shattering into a million pieces and forced the two factions to break apart and retreat as the explosion grew in size. The obelisk was completely obliterated and the tower of flames roared furiously as it reached a few miles into the sky.
"Wow," Jazz whistled. "That's one for the scrapbook."
"Bulkhead, I hope you took some snapshots of this, or I'm going to be very cross with you!" Annie yelled over the roaring flames.
It wasn't long before the shock of the exploding obelisk tapered off and everyone was reminded of the ongoing war currently going on. Megatron was the first to snap back into action, charging straight into Optimus and sending them both rolling down the hill, punching and kicking. Optimus kicked him off and raised his battle blade.
"Don't get mad at me because the universe saw fit to give you your due punishment, Megatron." Optimus said. "You had this coming."
"Don't act all high and mighty, Prime." Megatron sneered. "Sooner or later, those humans will turn their backs on you and shoot you down just like they tried to do me. You call me a fool, but at least I know who my enemies are!"
"That's a funny thing to say, considering the number of times Starscream has blatantly insulted and schemed against you." Optimus replied. "How long will it be before you soldiers realize that you've practically given Starscream more chances than anyone in Decepticon history?"
"Silence!" Megatron raised his fusion cannon at Prime. "This island will be your grave, Prime. I'll make sure of that!"
Before any shots could be fired, the entire area was suddenly encased in a powerful pressure that came down on everyone. Optimus and Megatron staggered as they were sent reeling by the intense atmosphere that just came down on them. Someone was exerting their power on them, and whoever it was, it was something very powerful. Then they heard the voice.
"Yes," A booming voice bellowed."This island will be your grave! For all of you!"
"Who said that?" Megatron asked, looking around. "Answer me! I demand to know who dares to interrupt my fight!"
"You are in no position to be making demands of me, mortal." The entity growled. Everyone could literally feel the malice leaking from its voice. "I am a god. I provided a paradise for the wayward souls who strayed into my land-my Eden. And yet your first inclination is to wage war on my sacred grounds. I expected nothing less from the savage beings who killed my kin!"
"Who killed…" Optimus' eyes went wide. "You mean Michael's group?"
"Them and Gabriel and her sisters, all slaughtered by you and your slaves!"
"Who the hell is he calling slaves?" Ironhide grumbled.
"If you want to argue with the disembodied voice, be my guest. I'm not getting into this." Bulkhead said.
"So you are the one who commands those witches." Megatron said and smirked. He knew there were more of those monsters lurking about on this rock. "I've been waiting to meet you face to face. I wanted to thank you for all the trouble your little songbirds gave my lieutenants and I."
"Oh I'm sure you will. But that will never happen, for you all need to repent for the sins you have caused on my world."
"Whatever we did to offend you, it wasn't by choice. And neither was our arrival on this world." Optimus said, making sure that Megatron didn't say anything to enrage the owner of the mysterious voice. "We meant no harm to this world or its populace. But the question still stands-who are you?"
There was no reply. The voice did not answer, and silence filled the area, which was a great reprieve for the Autobots and Decepticons. Then Optimus doubled over as the Matrix in his chest began to fill his body with a searing pain that felt as if he was being incinerated from the inside out. Before Megatron could ask what was going on, the ground began to tremble, and a pillar of fire erupted from the spot the obelisk was just in.
The flames burned with such intensity that the Autobots and Decepticons were forced to back away from the towering inferno. Centurion himself was barely able to get away in time with the omni-saber and Sara in tow. Optimus and Megatron stared up at the flames in shock and awe as they began to twist in on itself like a tornado. Then they saw a massive form appear within the flames itself. There was a mighty roar and the flames were blasted from existence like they were nothing more than smoke-and that was when the bots saw their "host".
It was a large, two headed dragon, but not one that was ever seen by human eyes. This beast was almost as large as an Omega Sentinel back on Cybertron, with skin as smooth as stone and a large round body that had two muscular legs and two long necks that extended into a pair of gold dragon heads. The heads had no eyes, just small jewels where the eyes would be-the left head had eyes of sapphire and the right head had eyes of rubies. On its rotund torso was a human face made of stone, a face that sat upside-down on its chest. Large wings kept it up in the air and had no trouble keeping the dragon aloft as its face glared down at the bots and humans.
"I am Fortitudo," The entity spoke, its face speaking in an ancient language that was automatically translated for the bots and humans. "Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude and lord sovereign of the western lands." It landed on the ground, making it shake, and stalked towards its prey with growing rage mounting in its voice. "Humanity feared the darkness, so we gave you light. You begged us for blood, and we gave you war. I gave you a paradise, and you squandered it worshipping false gods. Now you spurn my council? You will learn your place!"
Fortitude opened his two dragon heads and they both released twin streams of fire and ice. The Autobots and Decepticons scattered as the land was turned into a blazing inferno and a frozen wasteland in equal measure. The once beautiful plains and fields were destroyed, razed and uprooted for miles in a single strike. Optimus and Megatron both drew their weapons and ordered their teams to fire upon the Cardinal.
"Autobots attack!"
"Decepticons, destroy that beast!"
Both sides opened fire on Fortitudo, unleashing a crippling barrage of lasers, missiles, and photon charges on their shared enemy. Past grudges could wait, this was a matter of survival. But as expected, their attacks did little to damage the creature, only make him angrier. Fortitude roared and its sapphire head fired another shot stream of ice that hit the ground and caused an avalanche of towering spikes to erupt from the ground. Both Autobots and Decepticons were quick to avoid getting impaled, with the flyers taking to the air and flying towards the beast.
"We need to hit it with everything we've got!" Skyfire said. "But don't get to close or it'll pick you out of the sky before you can blink!"
"I don't take orders from you!" Starscream hissed, but he followed the warning nonetheless.
The jets flew in and fired their missiles at once, hitting the Cardinal in the face, and while he gave a grunt of pain, these missiles didn't even stagger him. His ruby dragon head shot up and fired a fireball that almost roasted the Seekers. Skyfire continued to fly circles around Fortitudo, firing her laser Gatling gun, but on her own, she barely dealt any damage.
"Pathetic!" Fortitudo sneered. With surprising quickness, he swung his body around and smacked Skyfire out of the air with his tail.
Skyfire went falling towards the ground and crashed into a hill, knocked offline immediately. Nightshade flew around the two dragon heads, avoiding their snapping jaws and firing arrows from Gandiva. She was satisfied to see that they were actually doing damage to him, but it seemed that Fortitudo was smart enough not to be a sitting target for her. He kept snapping his jaws at her, shooting jets of fire and ice, not giving her even a second to breath lest she get incinerated and frozen solid in equal measure. Optimus noticed this and formulated a plan.
"Megatron," He said. "I know you don't entertain the idea of working together but we must-"
"Spare me the monologue Prime, I know what to do." Megatron said, looking up at the creature. "You stay out of my way and let a real warrior do his job. There is no beast on this planet that can stand up to my might."
"Except for that dragon that beat you into the ground." Optimus noted, gaining a glare from Megatron. Optimus drew his ion cannon while Megatron increased the power output in his fusion cannon. "Would you like to do the honors?"
The plasma beam that he fired was much strong than what his usual blasts. This was because he changed the rate of fire from its average blasts into a continuous beam that was enhanced by Megatron's Powerlink with Leader-1. Fortitudo was facing forward when the beam hit him right in the spot where his two heads met the torso. The Cardinal grunted as he felt the pain and spun around to face Optimus and Megatron.
"So the warlords finally decide to join the slaughter." Fortitudo said, ignoring the lasers and missiles pelting his form as he stomped towards them. "I've been waiting to see what makes you so special Optimus Prime. Why you carry such a great power within you-the power of our beloved Oracle."
"Oracle?" Optimus muttered.
"But that curiosity can wait. After I kill you and the others, I shall bring your corpse to my brothers and we shall answer that question together."
"Don't bother, Prime is mine to kill!" Megatron shouted and fired another shot at Fortitudo.
The beam hit Fotitudo, but he dodged it at the last second, letting it graze his side before replying, "You make it seem like I am giving you a choice. Now be a good toy soldier and die for me!"
Optimus and Megatron transformed and drove away as Fortitudo fired its dual fire/ice streams at them, ravaging the landscape once more in its pursuit of the two leaders. All the while the Autobots and Decepticons continued to fire everything they got at him.
XXXXXX
"Bulkhead, put us down!" Annie yelled.
"Not this time, Annie." Bulkhead said.
The green Autobot dumped Darren and Annie's Talos at the foot of a hill far from the battle, while Arcee did the same with the Athena. A slightly burnt Centurion also followed them with the Omni-saber and Sara with him.
"Why can't we fight? We can help." Gina said.
"It's too dangerous." Arcee said. "You three just got into those machines and you aren't ready to heavy combat like this yet. Just hang back and don't get fried."
"Or frozen into a popsicle" Bulkhead said.
Annie glared at her friend through her monitor, and somehow, Bulkhead was able to sense the hostility that she was sending towards him and quickly made his way back to the battle. Arcee looked at the kids one last time before following after Bulkhead. Annie kicked her foot pedals and screamed.
"Even after we've got kick ass mechs, they still treat us like kids!" She yelled.
"Annie, we are kids." Darren said.
"Shut up, you know what I mean." Annie jumped as she saw another explosion in the distance. "They can't beat that thing. It's too strong."
"You're right, they can't beat it," Gina said. "But that doesn't mean that it's unbeatable, just extremely strong and durable."
"Do you have any ideas?" Centurion asked.
"Maybe we need to fight this thing the smart way. Like how OZ can handle fighting the Bots and Cons. Not through brute strength but by using their brains in conjunction with what they know about their enemy," Gina explained. "Namely where to hit."
"A weak point," Darren said. He thought of how OZ fought Cybertronians in the past, how they treated fighting the Autobots like fighting tanks-using heavy artillery and attacking weak points along their metal forms. "Okay I see what you mean, but how do you fight a two headed dragon thing that shoots fire and ice at anything that moves?"
"By hitting a single point with enough firepower to do damage." Sara said. "I may have found a target that can cripple Fortitudo, Ms. Gina."
Gina saw Sara upload a picture to the Athena's monitor. It showed the spot where the sapphire head was hit by Megatron's fusion cannon. The stone around the spot where its neck met its torso was burned and sizzling, with a large, deep gash that looked painful.
"Whoa, hold up," Annie said. "You want us to shoot at that one spot, which doesn't even look bigger than a foot? That's impossible!"
"Not with your talos' targeting systems. Let the computer do the rest, all you have to do is fire." Sara replied. "Our only concern is getting close enough to fire the shot, but that shouldn't be a worry for you three."
"What do you mean?" Darren asked.
"The sol particles released by the Apollo drive are capable of repelling matter in large quantities. Switch you talos to flight mode and the computer will handle the rest with my guidance." Sara instructed. "But the only one with the necessary firepower is Ms. Gina."
"Me?! What could I do?" Gina squeaked. She didn't sign up for this! Fighting Decepticons and fighting giant kaiju monsters were two totally different things!
"Your Athena is equipped with a beam cannon that takes it power directly from the Athena's solar reactor. It is the only thing powerful enough to blast into the creature's hard skin aside from Megatron's fusion cannon and Nightshade's bow. With both occupied, it is up to you do the deed." Sara said. As Gina pondered the implications of what that meant for her, the android looked at the Prometheus. "In order to give Ms. Gina a chance to fire the shot, we will require a distraction. That is where you two come in, Darren and Annie."
XXXXXX
Fortitutdo relentlessly chased Optimus and Megatron, shooting massive fireballs and that left smoking craters in the ground and ice balls that would crush them underneath if they were hit. Megatron continued to fire his fusion cannon back at the beast, but his constant dodging made it hard to do. Nightshade and the Seekers chased Fortitudo attacking its heads without much success.
"Starscream, I can't keep this up much longer!" Skywarp said. "I'm about to run out of ammo!"
"Then use your proton cannons, you fool! Our survival is at stake here!" Starscream yelled back.
"Would you both just shut up and shoot!" Nightshade yelled at them.
Fortitude, finally having enough of the pests that were swarming over him, spun his ruby head around and shot a burst of flames at them. The Cons dodged the blast and Nightshade shot an arrow at the dragon head, hitting it in the jaw dead center. Fortitude groaned in pain as he felt the ethereal weapon actually hurt his supposedly invulnerable stone hide, and his statuesque face glared at Nightshade.
Down below, Optimus and Megatron took the chance to shoot at Fortitudo, not at his body, but at his feet. Though just as diamond hard as the rest of his body, his legs weren't that durable enough to withstand a combined onslaught of ion blasts and plasma beams weathering away at his short legs. Fortitudo growled and swerved his sapphire head around to shoot more ice at the two leaders, but Nightshade circled around to his head to fire Gandiva at his face. The arrow she released gave a deafening boom as she let it loose and watched with grim satisfaction as Fortitudo stumbled back in pain.
"Enough of this!" Fortitudo bellowed and opened his mouth wide. Spinning his body around, he fired a large ball of energy from his body at Optimus and Megatron, who made to run from the attack.
"Jump!" Optimus yelled.
Both he and Megatron jumped into the crevice just as the energy ball hit the ground and detonated in a large explosion that made the entire island tremble. Autobots and Decepticons alike watched in awe and some in fear as Fortitudo weathered through everything they had thrown at him. They were tired, exhausted and the reality of the situation was catching up to them. They were not winning this battle.
"That thing takes our attacks like they were nothing." Bumblebee said. "How can we beat something like that?"
"We hit them harder kid, that's all." Ironhide said. Barricade scoffed.
"Like that's done us any good you old scrapheap." Barricade sneered. Ironhide grabbed him and pulled him in close.
"You wanna say that to my face?" He growled.
"Stop it!" Arcee pushed them apart. "This isn't the time to be doing this! We need another plan that doesn't involve wasting ammo on that thing's skin."
"If you have any ideas, we're open for suggestions, honey." Flamewar growled. Arcee was about to tell her ex-lover to shut up when Wheeljack pointed something out.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the sky.
Arcee looked up to where Wheeljack was pointing. She saw three trails of green light shooting through the air at speeds that almost matched Skyfire's. Arcee magnified her optical vision and saw that the three points of light were in fact three talos-the Omega Talos.
"What are they doing?" Prowl asked. Since when were Talos able to fly? Those machines did not look aerodynamic at all. "Don't tell me that they actually plan on fighting that thing by themselves."
"Knowing those brats, they probably have a plan in mind." Ironhide said mildly. He looked at his fellow Autobots. "Let's give them a hand and see what they're up to."
Prowl and Arcee glanced at each other, but nodded all the same. For once, they'll have to put their faith in the kids once more.
XXXXXX
Darren had his control sticks in a death grip as he felt the cockpit shake from the intense winds pushing against Prometheus. He was still struggling to believe that he was piloting a flying talos. By rights, such a thing shouldn't be possible given that talos were not made to fly at all, let alone at high speeds or altitudes. Technically, Sara defined it as hovering and using the talos' backpack thrusters to maneuver through the air. According to her, high quantities of sol particles were capable of not only repelling gravity, but also lifting the talos into the air. He was still skeptical of how long this thing could last in the air, but as long as he didn't do any fancy moves, he was fine.
He steeled himself as he and Annie came up on Fortitudo. The giant beast was still unleashing his power on the cybertronians below him, and paid no attention to the flyers zipping around his heads like flies. Darren could see the area where Megatron's fusion cannon had left a deep scar right under the ice dragon's neck, but with how much the creature was moving, he wondered how Gina was going to get a shot in.
"Don't worry about it, Darren." Annie said on their radio channel. She sounded confident, but Darren could hear the nervousness in her voice. "Just stick to the plan and everything's gonna be all right."
"Easy for you to say," Darren grumbled. "You're not playing decoy."
"We're all going to get bragging rights for saving the Autobots, bro. That's what really matters, right?"
"Yeah," Darren rolled his eyes. "That's what matters."
"Good, now eyes up front. Puff the Magic Dragon is giving us the stink eye."
Darren faced forward and felt his anxiety raise as the two headed dragon faced them. The twins split up, with Annie flying at Optimus while Darren kept Fortitudo's attention on him. Seeing how intently the dragon kept his eyes on him, he figured he was doing something right as decoy. Raising his talos' arms, he channeled his telekinesis through his machine into the outside world.
Sara didn't go into specifics, but she said that Prometheus was made specifically with Darren's powers in mind. The cockpit was designed to channel and enhance his telekinesis through receptors layering the interior of the cockpit and the talos' frame and could be channeled externally, allowing Darren to manipulate things from his cockpit. An added benefit was that his powers were stronger.
Fortitudo was so focused on tracking the amalgam inside the talos, he didn't notice the large stones pulled from the ground by a strong telekinetic force until they were thrown at him. This only caused mild discomfort, if anything, Fortitudo looked confused.
"Why do you fight me, child of man?" Fortitudo asked. "Why fight a being who has nurtured you kind since antiquity?"
"Because you're trying to kill my friends," Darren replied. "Why do you think I'm doing this?"
"So they have corrupted your mind as well. Pity, you are indeed strong, young one. But," Fortitudo turned his body around to fully face Prometheus. "I am stronger!"
Fortitude began to release a deafening scream that sounded like drums pounding in Darren's head. His arms froze in place, forcing Prometheus to stop its onslaught. It felt like every cell in his body was frozen over, and he began to panic as he felt his body stiffen in place. Fortitudo flapped his wings and went up towards the Prometheus, still unleashing his heavenly bellow. As he got closer, he opened his mouth wide and was about to swallow the Talos, pilot and all, entirely.
"I will cleanse you of the taint they have place upon you, boy. And within me, you shall know who you have to thank for your gifts."
"I'm not thanking some monster who thinks that he's still relevant in the world." Darren said, gritting his teeth. He forced his body to move, jerking his right joystick forward to move Prometheus' right arm. "We've done fine without you lording over us, and we'll still go one without you!"
The Prometheus raised its arm and fired its beam rifle, shooting the beam into Fortitudo's gaping maw. The blast exploded against the beast's insides, causing Fortitudo to recoil in pain. He fell back to the ground, smoke rising from his mouth. The twin dragon heads shot towards Darren, but he pulled his joysticks back and made his suit circle around the golden dragon heads that snapped at him. He fired his rifle again and this time he shot off a piece of the ruby dragon's horns.
"Gina shoot!" Darren shouted.
From some unseen location, a large green beam came shooting through the air, and hit Fortitudo's sapphire head-the dragon roared, but it's cry was cut off as the entire length of its neck was blasted off the main body. The beam cannon's attack had tore into the wound Megatron had left earlier, burning through the thick diamond hard skin and blasting the head and neck off in one shot. The severed head spun in the air before crashing to the ground with a loud boom, leaving a deep crevice in the earth where it fell. Gina saw the explosion and cheered.
"Yes! Right on the first try!" Gina smiled. She couldn't help but feel pumped. This was like being in a real life anime! If only the Omega Talos could combine, then her anime dreams of being in a super robot would come true!
"Ngh!" Fortitudo grunted and let out an enraged growl and had his ruby dragon head charge up another flame attack. "Blasphemers! I give you a paradise, a life to live under the rule of the true gods. And this is how you repay me? Burn forever in eternal hellfire!"
"That's not going to happen!"
Enyo appeared above the dragon's head, with Optimus hanging onto its arm. Annie let go of Prime and he fell towards the dragon's head. He cocked his fist back and punched the golden crest on the dragon with enough force to push its head down and deflect the flames to the ground away from Darren and Gina. Optimus slid down its neck and jumped onto the main body, shooting his ion cannon at the base of the neck. Fortitudo thrashed his body around, trying to shake Optimus off him, but then he got shot in the face from Annie's beam bazooka.
"How do you like us now?" She taunted. "Not so strong now that we're-oh shit!"
The dragon head slammed into Enyo and sent the Talos shooting through the air towards the ground in an out of control death spiral. Annie was cursing as she tried to get her machine upright, but the speed at which she was falling was too strong for her to even move. As she saw the ground fast approaching, Annie leaned far back in her seat and braced herself.
To her surprise, her descent was stopped inches from the ground by an unseen force. Darren's voice came through on the radio.
"I got your back, sis."
Annie let out a shaky laugh. "Thanks, bro." She looked up to see Optimus hacking away at the ice dragon's neck. "Should we help him?"
"I think Optimus has this one covered." Darren said. "He's got backup."
Megatron scowled as he stood on the back of Nightshade's beast mode, using her as a platform to fly up to Fortitudo's face. The Cardinal was thrashing his body around, yelling and growling savagely as he tried to dislodge the Prime hacking away at his last remaining dragon head without the least bit of restraint for his own safety. Seeing Optimus use every ounce of his immense strength to do the job, Megatron had to commend the Prime for the battle lust he was showing.
"No! I will not be beaten by invaders!" Fortitudo shouted. His deep voice could be heard for miles and at this point in the battle, all those present were getting a headache every time he spoke. "I am a god! This is my world!"
"This world belongs to no being, man or god!" Optimus grunted as he stabbed his battle blade into the beast's crystalline flesh. Then he pulled his blade through the stone as hard as he could, trying to sever the vital connections that kept the neck tethered to the body. "It belongs to all creatures born here! You're just as much of an invader as me and Megatron!"
"Silence! I will not be culled by a machine who thinks he has a soul!" Fortitudo fired more destructive energy blasts from his mouth without even looking at where he was shooting. "Everything I did, it was for the will of my creator!"
"Oh please," Megatron snorted as Nightshade positioned him in front of Fortitudo's face. He raised is fusion cannon. "At least die with some dignity."
Optimus let out a loud roar as he pulled his sword free in a mighty slash that also severed the granite hard tendons that kept the dragon head in place, sending the head falling to the earth. At the same time, Megatron fired his super-powered fusion cannon at the center of Fortitudo's face-or rather his chin-and the beam gored a hole deep into the Cardinal's flesh. The resulting explosion did even more damage to the entity's internal structure and Fortitudo felt his body begin to fail him.
"No…this cannot be…" He lamented as his body descended to the ground. "My paradise…ruined…this is a disgrace that I will not accept!"
"It doesn't matter if you accept it or not," Megatron said as he aimed for another shot. "Just shut up and die already."
He fired another blast and this one blew a hole into the center of Fortitudo's forehead. The Cardinal, beaten and broken, crashed to the ground as flames and powered dust flew from the stumps where his dragon heads used to be. Optimus jumped off and Darren caught him as he flew by, lowering Prime to the ground. Megatron and Nightshade joined him as the other cybertronians gathered around their leaders and watched the ancient being that nearly destroyed them succumb to his injuries.
"Hehe," The dying Cardinal laughed softly, though it still made the ground rumble. "So in the, it is I who meets death today. No matter, my sacrifice will be a boon to the great creator, and enrich this sinful world with her radiance. Even in death, I win."
"Who is this creator?" Optimus asked. There were still so many questions that he needed answered. "What are you?"
"You have no idea of the events you have triggered today, aliens. You may have killed me, but more will come, and the entire Host will wipe your kind off the face of this world!" Fortitudo said. "You, who hold the power of the Oracle, our beloved Oracle…you will die. Maybe not today, but eventually death will come for all of you. This world is ours, its people are ours, and its heart…is hours…"
As Fortitudo's body began to crumble, he still had enough strength to give them one last laugh. "May the creator, Jubileus, grace you…"
His voice died out like a whisper in the wind as his body crumbled to dust and was blown away by the wind. Soon, all that was left of the Cardinal was a ravaged land of fire and ice it left in its wake.
The Autobots and Decepticons stood around silently, trying to process what just happened, while the kids took the moment to recover from the most intense battle they were apart of-were actually a apart of-that nearly wiped them all out. Optimus looked at Megatron, both leaders covered in dirt, blackened armor and various dents and cuts from the near misses they had just minutes before. Then Optimus heard Ratchet's voice ring into his comm-link.
heard Ratchet's voice ring into his comm-link.
"Ratchet?"
"Optimus? Thank the Allspark I was able to reach you." Ratchet sounded stressed, and with good reason to. "What's going on over there? I just picked up a large energy signature over the computer. Are you alright?"
"We're all fine, Ratchet. Just exhausted," Optimus looked at Megatron. "Unless someone would like to continue this pointless battle."
Megatron glared at Prime. "No, Prime, we'll continue this next time." He turned his gaze onto Gina. "And you, girl. The next time I see you, I will make sure you have a most painful death at my hands. Make no mistake of that!"
Anything else that could be said was cut short when the entire island began to shake.
"For god's sake, what now?" Bulkhead groaned.
Optimus immediately knew what was going on. "The island is falling! Without Fortitudo's influence, the island cannot keep itself in the air."
"We're going to crash?!" Starscream yelled.
"There's no need to be frightened you coward!" Megatron sneered. "We each have our own methods of escape." Megatron sent a signal back to the Nemesis and his team were caught in an orbital jump. "Until next time, Prime."
"Autobots," Optimus said, feeling the exhaustion catch up to him. "Let's go home!"
The Autobots wasted no time in leaving through the portal though Optimus was the last to leave. But before he stepped through the bridge, he ran over and picked up the red orb left behind by Fortitudo before running back to the ground bridge. It was probably the only thing that could answer what the Cardinal was, and he wasn't going to let it get destroyed.
The island, known as Brigadoon, fell from the sky as if struck down by Gaia herself. Its descent was slow, as the ethereal forces the held it aloft for so long took its time to fade, unaided by the immense powers of Fortitudo. It crashed against a mountain hard enough to send cracks rippling through the island. The impact of such a large structure hitting the ground at the speeds it was falling at was tremendous, and the very earth trembled as the island finally crashed into the foot of a mountain, breaking apart like a colossal puzzle set and raining dirt, stone and-unbeknownst to the Autobots and Decepticons-crystal shards that were hidden within the depths of the island, fueled by Fortitudo's power and used to provide lift and propulsion for the island as it flew across the frozen tundra.
When the chaos had ended, there was nothing left of the island-or its master. But though Brigadoon was destroyed, the crystals that fueled its power still survived, and they sank into the earth, beneath the ice, where they were absorbed by another force that was buried deep within the planet itself.
The Autobots and Decepticons won this battle by the mesh of their teeth. But it wasn't over. This was the beginning of something bigger.
XXXXXX
Megatron, Nightshade, Soundwave and the rest of the Decepticons stood around Lugnut's body. It was still warm, even though the Spark had long since extinguished, but the body was starting to cool. The hole where the beam hit him had also cooled down, leaving a warped and twisted hole that stayed melted through his torso and Spark chamber. After they had returned to the Nemesis, Megatron had Lugnut's body placed on a platform that sat over an ion fountain that emitted energies so intense that direct contact could vaporize a mechanoid's body after long periods of contact. It was lethal for anyone else, but it was perfect for cremating a body.
"Lugnut was a dedicated warrior and a true Decepticon who was loyal not only to me, but to the cause we all share. Even after suffering the shame of being experimented on by humans, he still held true to his goals and didn't stray from the path that he had taken, unlike some among us," Megatron glared at Starscream. "But what happened today, was insulting. A human, an organic creature weaker and smaller than The Decepticons all muttered and grunted in agreement, but Nightshade stayed silent.
"But let me be clear on one thing," Megatron continued. "Until I say so, there will be no retaliation against the humans for the time being." That didn't sit well with the Cons, but their protests were silence by Megatron's glare. "This is not the time to be going on a revenge quest for one child. We are fighting a war here, in case you idiots forgot."
"But we aren't going to let that girl get away with it, are we?" Nightshade hissed. She showed a rare form of anger-a calm anger that surpassed the savage rage that most would show. "This is a matter of Decepticon pride."
Decepticon pride."
"Rest assured, Nightshade, the girl will not live to enjoy her victory. She will die, but on our terms and by our hand." Megatron nodded to Soundwave, who got to work on activating the platform. "You can be sure about that."
Nightshade said nothing as she watched the ion charges engulf Lugnut's body and begin to eat away at his corpse. It was a warrior's funeral, cremating the body so that he would have an easier travel to the afterlife. Megatron stood beside her, and relished in her rage. Lugnut was a rare breed of Decepticon, one that was absolutely loyal to him without question or hidden agendas. He meant what he said about making sure the girl paid for this insult.
No one killed a Decepticon and expected to escape retribution. Be they Autobot or human.
XXXXXX
Ratchet was hard at work repairing the damages the Autobots had suffered at Brigadoon. Thankfully, there were not severe injuries, but he wanted to be sure that everyone was at 100 percent within the hour. The Minicons were greeting the new addition to their number, the Air Defense Team, who were already in the process of giving Sparkplug a headache with their incessant chatter. Meanwhile Jazz and Wheeljack were checking out the Omega Talos that the kids brought back along with them.
"This is certainly a work of art." Wheeljack said as he studied the Prometheus. "Whoever made these talos was sure to make them as easy as possible for the kids to pilot them, yet they move ore fluidly than even OZ's mecha. Truly outstanding."
"Careful, Jackie. You're drooling." Jazz grinned.
"Shut up, Jazz." Wheeljack looked down at Sara, who watched over the Talos like a guardian robot. "Are you sure that you don't want to tell us who made them? I promise I won't say a word."
"I am not obligated to feed your curiosity.
At the side, the kids were being scolded by their Autobot friends.
"I thought we told you three to stay put." Bulkhead said.
"Like we were going to sit on the sidelines and watch you guys get your asses beat by a giant two headed dragon." Annie rolled her eyes. "How have you not seen that coming already? We've known you guys for three months!"
"Seriously, Annie, what you did was dangerous. You could've been killed." Arcee said.
"But they did kind of save Optimus' life. That shot you took was perfect, Gina." Bumblebee praised.
"Thanks." Gina smiled.
"Praise is the last thing these children deserve, Bumblebee." Prowl walked up to them with a less than pleased expression. "You can't keep letting them off the hook whenever they do something on their own. You three running off started all this."
"Fuck off, Prowl. We just saved your life!" Annie scowled. Prowl scowled right back.
"After you put the lives of your friends and the Minicons in jeopardy." He replied. "I don't know if you've forgotten this, but we're in the middle of a war. This isn't some scavenger hunt, or a videogame. The threat of dying is real, but you seem keen on putting Autobot, Minicon and human lives at risk to satiate your craving to violence and excitement. And what's more, now that Gina has killed a Decepticon, Megatron will be even more determined to come after you for retribution. Have any of you thought of that?"
Prowl's triad had made everyone go silent. Annie, who normally didn't take any crap from Prowl, couldn't deny that he was right. It was her fault that they were sent to the island in the first place. Not to mention nearly getting herself and her friends killed before the Autobots even arrived on Brigadoon.
"We're fighting a war here that could decide the fate of not just your world, but thousands of others," Prowl continued. "We don't have time to keep babysitting you every time something major happens. I said it once, and I'll say it again, you three are liabilities."
"That's enough Prowl." Optimus entered the room, fully healed from his time in the CR chamber. "That is no way to talk to members of our team."
"Members?" Darren echoed.
"These children may get into trouble too often than I would like, but they do not take these risks lightly. They know what they're getting into, and the dangers involved. The incident with D-Va was evidence enough of that." Optimus said. "And you three were a great help in the battle against Fortitudo. For that, and saving my life, I thank you."
The kids smiled, but Optimus held up a hand to stop them before they thought they were not in trouble.
"That being said, it would be nice for you three not to willingly run into danger anymore. You are my responsibility now, and I promised Debbie to take care of you whenever you are in my care. You have made enemies of the Decepticons now, and they will be out for blood." He said. "Understood?"
"Yes Optimus." They said.
"Prime," Prowl glared at Optimus. "You can't just let this go again. Their recklessness almost got us all killed. Not to mention they brought in an unknown element into the Ark."
"Look, it's my fault, not there's." Annie said, gaining their attention. "Darren and Gina were just trying to drag me back before everything went to hell. If you want to punish anyone, it should be me."
Optimus looked down at the girl and got on one knee. "Annie, what you've been through is punishment enough. We're just glad that you're safe."
"I second that." Bulkhead smiled.
Annie smiled at them both and nodded. "Thanks a lot."
Gina looked at the three Talos standing in the corner. "Um, what about our Talos? Can we still keep them?"
Optimus shared a look with Prowl, who huffed and turned to walk down the corridor. Prime sighed and looked back at Gina. "Since Sara looks like she is about to attack anyone who gets too close to those machines, I will allow you three to keep them-on the condition that they are only used on missions of my choosing. Use them in self defense, not as weapons of war."
"You got it, Prime!" Gina smiled. She ran over to Darren and pulled him over to their newly acquired machines.
Optimus watched the kids gather around the Talos and felt relief wash over him. Everyone was safe and sound with no serious injuries. And they even scored a minor, but significant, victory over the Decepticons-though Optimus would've preferred that Gina was not the one to kill Lugnut. Killing was something that stayed with a person for a lifetime, and it eventually comes back to haunt you in some shape or form.
Still, he learned a great deal about their new enemy today. Terra was home to more than one sentient race, a species from the stars who were extremely powerful. What were these creatures, why did they label themselves as gods? Did they have a hand in mankind's evolution? What about the Matrix interested them so? Optimus had a feeling he was going to be at the heart of this, and he knew that it was going to cause some trouble for the cybertronian race in the long run.
These were pressing concerns, but at the moment, Optimus was content with just worrying about the present. There was still a war going on, and the Decepticons will not take the death of their own lying down. They may have won the battle, but the War for Terra still goes on-and the Autobots were ready for anything that had the unfortunate fate of trying to pick a fight with them.
Be sure to check out the official website for Transformers Titan; because this site has an aversion to links, the directions to reach the website are in my profile. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.