A/N: Wow, over 600 reviews! And we are so very close to the end, sadly. It amazes me how this little idea I had the night of AOE's premiere has grown into my most reviewed and praised story. :3 I can only hope that the final chapters of this journey prove worth every bit of response you guys have given me!

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CHAPTER 58
The Battle of Dallas: Part 4

Mark, Hound, and Sideswipe arrived just in time to see the awkward situation that Alexis and Mirage were in. Several of the vehicons were down, but there were still many more coming as Mark stumbled forward, firing at the vehicons. It hit several of them, and Alexis turned, puling her arm around him. Mark took a deep breath, and Alexis noticed the guilt in his eyes. "Are you okay?" She questioned, pulling him behind some rubble. "You look really upset."

"I killed Coulton," Mark muttered. "He was going to kill me and I just... I acted on instinct," He added, his voice lowering. "I just... I took a..."

"Mark," Alexis told him, cupping her hand against his cheek. "It's okay... It's okay... We're in a war, and we have to make the tough decisions," Mark nodded his head slowly. "You can't start questioning yourself now because the way things are looking? This is going to get worse before it gets better," She leaned forward, kissing him. "God knows we're going to do a lot of things we may not be totally proud of."

Mark stared at her, and nodded his head slowly, turning as Hound rushed forward, firing off at the two remaining vehicons. Mark looked up at him, as Sideswipe and Mirage flanked either side of him. "Alright, the coast back towards Optimus and the others appears to be clearer now," Hound looked between the two of them. "Kids, come on, let's move!"

Mark took hold of Alexis's hand just as the roof of the building above them collapsed. Mark shoved her back as the building quickly followed, and he could barely see Hound over the rubble as he screamed out his name. "MARK! ALEXIS!"

Mark watched as the much faster Sideswipe moved like a speed skater for them. As the rubble crashed down, he shielded the two with his body, rolling out of the way as quickly as he could while taking the brunt of the damage. His optics turned skyward, as several vehicons began to leap from a nearby building. Sideswipe set his charge and his girlfriend on the ground, bringing his blades out quickly, he turned, and leapt violently into the air. He carved through one vehicon like butter. The next he fired at repeatedly, reducing its spark to nothing.

Mark and Alexis backed up quickly, firing off as best they could at the vehicons. But Sideswipe clearly had things handled, he next thrust several of them into each other. Finally, he impaled two, and used their bodies to beat one into submission before taking out his guns and aiming at two vehicons who had attempted to rush at him from either side. "What do you think boys? Want to end up like the rest of your little buddies?" He questioned, and as they charged, he rolled his optics. "Ah, the stupidity of drones." Before, without even batting an optic ridge, he blew holes through both of their heads, quickly holstering his guns as he did.

"Sides, you... You just," Mark finally breathed out as he stared up, his eyes widening. "I... I can't believe that, that rubble it had to slagging hurt." He breathed.

It was only then that Sideswipe finally assessed his damage from rescuing the two human teenagers. Though his paint was almost ruined, and he was in pain, it was worth it. He'd found in these two what Bumblebee had once found in Sam and Mikaela, and later, Carly. He could, and would die for them at the drop of a hat. "Frag my paint job and safety," Sideswipe commented, looking at them. "You two are FAR more important," He peered over his shoulder at the rubble, which now separated them from their comrades. "They're definitely trying to separate us, or at least you." He noted as he brought his blades out.

"Well if you could pull off that awesome Rambo-type slag you did back there," Mark shook his head. "I think we'll be fine."

Mark nodded his head slightly, gripping harder onto his gun now and prepared for anything. Alexis groaned quietly, shaking her head. "You know, I'm starting to see why being an Autobot ally might not always be the best idea," She muttered under her breath, gaining a glare from them both. "Sorry, but that's like the fifth life-or-death experience we had. I can't be the only one thinking that."

"Femme's got a point," Sideswipe grunted, then turned. "Let's not let there be a sixth, come on, we can still rejoin the others if we move," He noticed that Mark wasn't budging from his spot. "Mark?"

"You think dad and Mirage will be okay?" Mark asked, worried.

Sideswipe nodded, his optics connecting with Mark, and not giving a hint of any doubt. "He's going to be fine, he's a tough old fragger," Sideswipe noted. "But if I don't protect you and get you two to safety? He'll be an angry one too, so let's MOVE!" He added, as Mark finally found his feet again, and ran towards his guardian and girlfriend. "I'm gonna need you two to watch the left and right, I need to focus on what's straight ahead."

Mark threw a thumbs up, as did Alexis, as they quickly began to make their way down the street. Mark tried his best to ignore the chaos, seeing that many of the other humans in the city were running past them shrieking. "Daddy!" Mark turned his head as he saw a young boy, who was rushing to catch up with a waiting father.

The problem? He could also see the vehicon that rounded a corner. He could hear the dark chuckle, and for a moment, he imagined that in a different world, the little boy may have been him. Shaking his head, he ran quickly for the boy, and his mother. "Sides! Alexis! COVER FIRE!" Sideswipe was turning around immediately, taking notice as Alexis fired off repeatedly.

Mark rushed forward, picking the boy up, and pushing the father back as best he could. Though the man resisted, he soon turned to see what Mark was doing. Or more specifically, in time to see Sideswipe take a blade to the vehicon's throat. Moving his shooting arm away from the human family, he quickly dispatched, and decapitated him just as the one shot he HAD managed to get off hit the feet where they stood. "Oh God, that could have been-," The man breathed, then looked between the two of them. "You saved our lives."

Mark nodded his head, setting the boy down and allowing him to run into his father's arms. He smiled slightly as he watched their reunion, for a moment, flashing back to when he and his father were so close, and he was just as little. "It's not safe out here," Mark told him. "Your best bet is to find a way underground. I know it sounds weird but there are sewers, they really are the safest place," He then said. "Protect him, and protect yourself. Make sure... Make sure he doesn't lose you to this." He then added. "Round up as many others as you can too, safety in numbers."

The man looked confused at Mark, but after a moment, slowly nodded. "You should get to safety too," He noted.

Mark shook his head, then smiled. "You have your family protect," Mark told him. "And I have mine."

And quickly he jogged off, silently hoping he had made a difference, and prevented another kid from losing a father to this war. He quickly linked his eyes with Sideswipe's optics, as he smirked. "You're becoming more and more of an Autobot every day," Sideswipe told him calmly. "Come on kid, it's like you said, we have a family to protect."

Mark quickly took hold of Alexis's hand, as they once again broke into a sprint. Because he had meant his words, no matter how hard survival was, he would protect his family, and he would help end this. "Are you okay?" Mark whispered quietly. "You can go with them. I wouldn't blame you with all the danger, and..."

"No," Alexis shook her head. "I'm not leaving you. And hell, a little life-threatening danger never hurt anybody."

"Look if we don't get through this," Mark breathed. "If one of these times-."

"We're making it through," Alexis told him. "Now come on, no more mushy stuff. We can talk after we've finished this."

Mark nodded his head, there would, after all, be a lot of time to talk after this. Or at least, he hoped so.

...

Optimus felt as energon drizzled down his lip, groaning in pain. Galvatron continued to prove a worthy adversary, if only because the mech's lack of spark continued to cause the Autobot leader to question, and search for a weak point. Even so, his thoughts also went to his allies, and fellow Autobots. How were they fairing? Had Mark stayed safe? Had NEST finally reached each other yet again and managed to push more forces back? He groaned in pain, realizing these were all questions that should not be asked at that moment as Galvatron charged toward him once again.

Pulling himself back to his feet, he quickly parried the blow the mech threw at him, their blade's striking. "How does it feel, Prime?" Galvatron boasted rather coldly. "Knowing that you face an enemy without weakness? Without a spark dragging him down?" Optimus felt his body being pushed back, grinding his denta together. "And to think, back in the old days, you might have been wiser to join me. We could be ruling Earth together by now-."

"You are a foolish mech if you think there was ever a time I would have condoned this," Optimus told him harshly. "Let alone joined in it," His optics narrowed at the mech coldly. "You were my friend, Galvatron, this is true. But you were always a cruel, and selfish being," He then added. "I simply believed that deep down in there, there was still my young friend "Megatronus" who I once called my brother." He then shook his head. "I was very wrong."

"Megatronus is indeed dead," Galvatron sneered. "He was a weakling. He let himself be picked on as a child, it was not until I became Megatron..." He swung his blade again as Optimus parried it with his own sword. "That I truly grew powerful. Even more powerful than YOU, a Prime. Supposedly the strongest and most powerful of them all," He spat. "I never saw it."

Optimus looked at Galvatron, his face full of determination. He shook his head slightly, Galvatron had to have a weakness, one that he could expose and use to destroy him. As he swung once again for the man-made monstrosity, he put all of his might into his blade. The result surprised them both, as it finally managed to break through the blade Galvatron had fitted himself with. "What is this!?" Galvatron gawked. "HOW!?"

And then it hit Optimus, Galvatron was, of course, made of Cybertronium (or as the humans called it "Transformium") but he was also man-made. A rip-off, a cheap imitation that only carried Megatron's conscious. The humans had to have put at least some human metals in him, something that gave him the advantage. "You forget, Galvatron," Optimus began. "That you are still man-made. Cybertronium, or no Cybertronium, you have human metals that make you up as well."

Galvatron snarled, retracting what was left of his blade in anger. "I need no weapons or pure Cybertronium to defeat you," He stated, half assuring himself, and half warning the leader. "I need only the brute force of this form. One which was built to match and defeat you," He grinned wickedly, enjoying himself. "I shall defeat you with, or without weapons. Either way, this is your funeral Prime," He then added. "As well as the humans."

And so, he yet again lunged, but this time Optimus tried a new tactic, one which would catch him off guard. He stabbed the blade forward, and stabbed deep into his chest, into the circuitry and wires, and dug deep enough that he knew at least a few would be severed. Galvatron screeched, stumbling back as a synthetic version of Energon poured out of his chest. "I wonder if you can recover from wounds such as this the way we do?" He questioned with a smirk. "As a manmade Transformer, not all your internal circuitry would be Cybertronian."

"A cheap shot," Galvatron snarled. "You cannot do that!"

"You wanted to fight me, Galvatron," Optimus retorted. "If you're so much "better" than me, than I say prove it, brother."

Another growl escaped Galvatron's lips, and again he charged. Silently, Optimus knew that this, right here, would be the last round of their battle. After this, only one would walk away, of that much, he was sure. And if he had anything to say about it, it would be him.