The low hum of an engine echoed through Sumdac's compound, passing all the park guards and robotic security machines. The truck stopped as the rain slowly fell; Lio looked around, scanning the area and finding no other cybertronian. Lio would slowly begin to transform, looking for Laserbeak. He hoped they wouldn't be bold enough to attack Sari nor know what that key was. Since the bird wasn't there, Lio would begin to think that the bird wasn't here and the building wasn't on some lock down.
"No sight of the bird," Lio would say as he walked around the building, "No alarms…so Laserbeak didn't attack,"
While Lio was correct in his assumptions, Laserbeak was in another building taking pictures of Sari's key, scanning it, and finding nothing interesting. While the energon readings were great, it was nothing to risk their operation over. Soundwave initially wanted that to fix Megatron, but only if the current process didn't work. The new energon they found, while promising, may not fix Megatron like the sources the humans could use.
Laserbeak tilts her head, scanning the rest of the building and finding more cybertronian-like energy signatures. Mid-scan Laserbeak takes notice of Lio's presence. She wound begin the fed and show Soundwave.
The Decepticons wouldn't use an unknown energon on their leader without testing it. They did it to a few vehicon with varying results. The most common was a freak mutation diving the vehicon into a beast form, not making them techo organic or just organic; they were like the Razorclaw or the Dinobots, just not as stable. While a few survived and were turned into monsters, Starscream had the bulk of the forces while Soundwave took the last one and sent her to Sumdac's towers ahead of Laserbeak to test its strength on whoever showed up if Laserbeak was spotted. If none knew, they would have an exciting surprise when they returned.
The rain poured a little faster as Lio walked through the parking lot. Lio looked at his hands and held them out, connecting droplets of rain. Lio tilts his hands, allowing them to drop to the floor as he rubs his hand, the feeling was something many Cybertronian couldn't do, or at least it's not like humans or other organic life. Now in this body, in this world, it felt much more different.
"While this does….seem calming, I can tell there is something else in the air…a more eerie feeling," Lio would say as he continued to walk. His chest begins to glow, and he halts.
Laserbeak took a particular interest in that and zoomed in so Soundwave would get a better look. Lio looked confused before a sharp pain shoot through his head. Scattered memories flooded in. Some energon varied in color from orange to green. On a planet and used to mutate his foes. Lio couldn't pinpoint what it was precisely or even remember it entirely, but what he did know was that whatever that energon hit turned into something worse and more robust.
Lio would activate his claws as he stalked around the parking lot. Lio started his battle mask as he looked around for the Decepticon. One of the vehicles turns on, a black and purple buffalo, a large armored truck with a large fork on the back. Lio prepared to stop the vehicle as it was about to ram into him, but it quickly drifted aside, extending the claw to trip Lio. He falls, cracking the ground slightly while the truck stops and promptly transforms. He was turning into a giant scorpion-like cybertronian with two pincer-like claws, a large scorpion tail on its back, and the legs of a scorpion on its back, functioning as appendages and blasters.
Both stared at one another. Lio is silent as he turns around, getting into a crouched position, ready to pounce, while the Decepticon growls. Laserbeak tilted her head as she looked at the two.
And the fight began. The beast dashed towards Lio, who sprung off the ground going straight for the beast, aiming for her spark to end the battle fast. The beast jumped out of the way and slammed her elbow into Lio's back, sending him to the ground; she kicked his side, rolling onto his back.
As Lio tried to get to his feet, the pincers of the beast grabbed his neck; she raised him into the air and slammed him down on one of the cars, raising him and slamming him down on another. Lio growls, swinging his left leg forward would then swing it full force into the beast's face breaking her face plating, her grip slacken and Lio went for the pincers to free himself, but she slammed him into the ground yet again; Lio elbowed her stomach, forcing her to let go and he turns around attempting to get up. The beast would smack the back of his head with her tail and kick his face down through a car. Lio growled, looking at the car's interior for the short time he was inside. The beast would grab the back of his neck and pull him out.
Lio turns, cutting the top of the pincher off, causing the beast to roar in pain; Lio blasts back with his jet boosters, elbowing the beast in her chest before he slides to a stop and runs at her. All her guns opened fire at Lio, who held his hands up to shield his face while he closed the distance, The beast swung at Lio, but he ducked under the swing and used his blade to cut the other pincer off, practically disarming one hand.
Roaring in anguish, the beast zeroes in on Lio; with newfound predatory rage, she quickly shoulders check him in the face; grabbing his face with her remaining pinchers, she raises him in the air and slams her into the ground behind her. Lio scrambles to his feet, turning to face her but quickly ducks as her tail attempts to strike him; Lio turns to the tail seeing a green liquid coming from the stinger tip. The green mist came from it as the liquid dripped onto the car, quickly corroding it; she pulled it back and went for another strike, Lio rolled to the right getting to his feet quickly, and she sent it right back at him; Lio leaps over the tail using his boosters to get higher as he flips mid-air and cut the bottom off. The beast roars while Lio quickly rushes forward, plunging the blades through her back,
Roaring in pain, she would turn, swinging at Lio, who ducks; his other hand shot up to cut the arm clean off as she spun to hit him. Lio spins after the cut, pulling his blade out of her back, running it along her side, and uppercutting it through her chin. The blade cut clean through the beast's head. It slowly stopped moving while Lio pulled the blades forward, cutting through the body. Looking at the body, Lio would sigh, looking into the air as he retracted his claws.
-" Lio, This is Prowl,"- She would say over comms;-" What's your status?"-
-" Made it to the tower, Sari is safe, Laserbeak was not spotted, but I found a Decepticon, killed it in the parking lot…looked beast-like,"- Lio answered.
It took awhile for Prowl to answer, -"Find a place to store the body until we can return for it. Head to our current location; we may need the extra firepower"-
Lio nods -" Rodger, that ma'am'"- He grabs the Decepticon's body and walks toward the water.
XXXXXX
"And you're sure this would work?" Barricade questioned.
"It should," Knockout held up a large canister, "It's not the dark stuff, but it's seemingly as potent,"
"And it won't have any adverb effect on our master?" Razorclaw placed a hand on her hip.
"If she could tame the dark stuff, then this shouldn't be any different," Knockout held up the canister."All it did to our troops was give them a more beastly appearance," She moved her fingers like she was either crawling or typing as she said beastly. "Soundwave also said they are pretty strong. It fought their recruit."
"I don't think we should subject our dear leader to something like that," Starscream said, "Even with the data we got from Soundwave, could we even trust it? We know nothing of that energon, while some are green and others are some…orange."
"Is that why you don't want to use it?" Barricade glanced at Starscream, "Or do you have another reason,"
"Why are you implying Barricade," Starscream growled as she walked over to her.
"Seems like you don't want to give up your position," Barricade replied, "You want more time to be in charge to attempt to accomplish something that would want us to keep you as our leader."
Starscream glares down at Barricade, growling as she does all she cannot to strike her. Barricade wouldn't do anything in retaliation, or with their goal so close, she would, and the other Decepticons may step in. She could take them all out, Razorclaw may be the hardest, and Novastorm would side with her, but with them dead, she won't have any capable soldiers on the planet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Starscream placed a hand on her chest, "Most of the troops who tried the energon died, and the others are now beastly in nature." She was going to continue, but she looked around the room, "Where's Soundwave? I expected her to be here."
"Lady Starscream!" A vehicon shouted over the comms. "Autobots are incoming!"
Starscream growled while Razorclaw placed a hand on her sword.
"Allow me to hunt them down. They may put up a good fight, especially if that other one will be among them," Razorclaw said.
"It may be a good time to test how strong those vehicons were before for ourselves." Knockout suggested, "There are still three; maybe Soundwave took the weakest of them."
Starscream folded her arms, "Send them out."
"Glady," Knockout nods.
XXXXXX
"The rest of you, hold a perimeter outside of this chamber if they get past our beast," Starscream ordered.
"Rain is pouring." Cliffjumper would look at the sky and then back to the Autobots as they made their way to the entrance.
"I can only guess that the weather knows what we may be messing with." Hot Rod faces Cliffjumper. "Probably setting the mood."
Arcee shoved past the two of them and leaned against the wall. "It's just rain, focus." Arcee would say as she activated both blasters.
One by one, the Autobots would hug the side of the wall near the entrance. Optimus turned to face them on both sides before raising her blaster, and she moved inside first.
"Let's move. Expect heavy resistance." Optimus would say as she walked inside.
Prowl would follow her, followed by Ironhide—the bots filled in one by one, slowly moving inside.
The atmosphere in the cave was tense, with an eerie feeling in the air as they moved into the dark cave. Footsteps would be heard as they stepped deeper into the cave. The Decepticons are now aware of their presence and would be forced to defend themselves.
"Do you think they will repair her?" Hot Rod asked as she sped and walked to Optimusside, keeping a fast pace to keep up with Optimus.
"Knowing the Decepticons, she may be close to being fully restored." Optimus would say.
"But after what you did to her? You cleaved her head in two and shot it point-blank with your blaster. There's no way she survived that," Hot Rod said.
"She survived worse. I was hoping that what I did would be enough." Optimus glanced at her blaster, "Though I regretted it…I had to do what was needed…but she would always come back."
Optimus took a moment to reflect on her actions and all that led to it. Sometimes, she believes she needs to be a noble leader who doesn't attempt to take the heads off her enemies, but it's hard. Especially for Megatron, she doesn't want to take her life, the history they had, Optimus knew that she was good, but she was pushed to this and took it too far. The war won't stop with her gone, but it will slow them down. They are at war, and she shouldn't questions killing her enemies; she still had to question it, knowing that if they did things differently, none of them would be killing their sisters. While deep in thought, she heard fast footsteps approaching her.
Hot Rod inhales to speak again but is cut off when Optimus suddenly raises her hand. The Autobots stopped in their tracks, Ratchet preparing to ask what was happening when she heard them two. Fast footsteps approached them—multiple footsteps.
The Autobots aimed ahead, ready to take out their foe. What came out was not what the Autobots expected, a cybertronian creature resembling Earth's Raptor, primarily those from Jurassic Park, dashed towards them. Black and purple.
"Ayo!?" Hot Rod shouted as she opened fire.
The Autobots would all follow suit, cave bathed in the blue hue of their combined blaster fire, which only bounced off the armor of the raptor. The vehicle beast pounces on Optimus, forcing her onto the ground. The raptor tries clawing at Optimus, who grabs both her arms.
The Autobots turn to Optimus, Bumblebee rushing forward to help, but she has bounced on by a hyena, black and purple. It claws and bites at her while she spins around to grab hold of it. Finally, another beast would come charging out, a giant rhino that went straight for Optimus while she was down.
Ironhide noticed and dashed towards the rhino; quickly cocking her blasters, she pointed her arms behind her and fired them, propelling herself towards it much faster. She twists her body, aiming her elbow towards its side. The rhino roars in pain as it is set to the wall, rolling across the ground while Ironhide stops, facing the sprawling Rhino as she opens fire on it.
Vehicle troopers rushed in, took cover behind water rocks that were there or stood in the open, and opened fire on the Autobots.
"Damnit!" Hot Rod shouted as she ducked behind a rock. Arcee does the same, quickly turning around and opening fire on the vehicons taking the two of them out.
Bumblebee would grab the paws of the hyenacon twirling around as she avoided its bites. Bumblebee ducks under a stray blast; this was all needed for the heynacon to bite down on her shoulder. Yelling in pain, Bumblebee slammed her back against the wall with the con on her back, it growled and went for another bite, but she hit it back against the wall, rubbing it against it to force it to submit.
Cliffjumper rolled into, turning towards Bumblebee, and she rapidly opened fire, destroying its head quickly. Bumblebee throws the body down and joins in on the firefight.
Optimus trunks her head to the right avoiding a bite, and she punches the raptor's teeth out, energon coming from its mouth as it falls onto the ground. Optimus kips up and turns to the raptor who transformed, standing taller than Optimus, the raptor's head turning into shoulder guards, black armor plating with purple strikes around her body. Long claws extend as she looks at Optimus.
She rolled her shoulders while cracking her neck, raising her fist as she awaited the attack. The raptor roars and quickly sprints towards Optimus before lunging at her, arms outstretched for a hug. Optimus leaps back as she avoids the claw swipes and brings her hands back in. Optimus dashed forward, slamming her fist into her face, forcing bits of metal off her face; Optimus would swiftly move in again, slamming her elbow into her stomach and palm into her chin, forcing her to look up at the ceiling.
Optimus wraps her arms around her waist, spinning as she raises the raptor into the air and slams it into the ground. Optimus raised her foot and went to stomp on her forearm; the raptor moved her arm back and brought the other one around, plating her claws into her back.
Optimus yelps in pain, energon trickling down from the wound; Optimus turns around, gripping the fist quickly and tightly; she pulls the claws out and snaps the wrist, following up with a stomp to her forearm, breaking it. The raptor brought her other arm up and shot her in the back.
Optimus stumbled forwards, turning to face her when Ironhide hit Optimus, sending her to the wall.
Optimus grumbled and watched the Rhino con walking towards her, horns atop her head. Looking at them, she growls, pointing the horn to them, dragging her feet across the ground, green steam coming from her nose, and dashed to them.
Optimus quickly pushed Ironhide aside while she sprung to her feet, rushing to the rhino before planting her foot into the ground, and she grabbed the horns, sliding back while she attempted to stop the charge. The rhino kept moving forward, albeit slower. Optimus would begin to walk back. Vehicons noticed this, and so did the raptor. The raptor roars and leaps toward her, but she loses her footing as she runs. Thinking she'll hit the floor, she looked down but noticed she was covered in a pink hue, and off the ground, she turned to face the perpetrator.
"Oh no, you don't!" Ratchet shouted before throwing the raptor into the remaining vehicons.
Optimus activates both her energon blades, popping out of her forearm armor. While holding onto the horn with her right hand, her left forearm rested against her hand. She moves her left arm off her hand and quickly brings it down; once the tip is close to her face, she pushes it against her face, dragging it against her left cheek and then her shoulder. The rhino stops charging and reeling back while Optimus lets go of her horn; she reels her fist back and then uppercuts her, sending the blade straight through her chin.
The firefight died when Optimus plunged the blade through her head. Optimus retracts her blade, orange energon falling from its chin. Optimus watched it fall as she walked over to the raptor, who pulled herself off the ground; Ironhide stomped on her back, aiming both blasters at her back, and she opened fire, blowing it open.
"This…was a distraction," Hot Rod would say.
"Which means they're closer than we thought," Prowl would say. "Optimus, we have to keep moving before they're finished."
"Agreed," Optimus would say
"Well, we don't even know if they are truly rebuilding Megatron," Hot Rod said nervously.
Optimus looks down at Hot Rod, hoping she is right, but she knows she isn't. Everyone knew they were bringing her back, even Hot Rod. Optimus took point yet again, walking deeper into the cave, which went on longer than anyone thought.
"My question is, how would they be able to rebuild her without Shockwave here to help," Prowl would say, "No matter the model of CRP chambers they have, it won't fix what you did to her, and not this fast,"
"The Decepticons has always been crafty; they came to other for a greater purpose than to hide or destroy us. Something must be here to help them" Optimus looks forward to Prowl.
"What could they even be?" Ironhide questioned, "We didn't find any odd source of energy. The only odd thing we found was Lio,"
"I do not know," Optimus would answer.
Stopping near a metal door, Optimus held her hand up; voices were coming from inside. Looking up, Optimus noticed that they had built their base inside the cave to hide it better than making one on the side of the mountain. Optimus gestures to Ironhide; she grabs one edge of the door and pulls while Ironhide grabbed the other. The pair pulled the door open, and inside, there was nothing. The voices were coming from deeper within.
Prowl and Arcee took point, sweeping the area as they walked in slowly, aiming high and low with no one con inside. Bumblebee and Hot Rod followed in doing the same, and it was the same outcome as before. Prowl glances at Arcee and nods for her to move forward; Arcee nods and quickly walks forward, aiming both blasters forward while looking right and left; hearing voices, she turns to Optimus.
"They're in that room," Arcee whispers.
Optimus nods and slowly walks forward, listening to the conversation in the other room.
"Is it working?" Starscream would say.
"Yes, just give it time to charge," Knockout explained. "Shouldn't take long for it to finish."
Starscream glanced at the other Decepticons hugging the wall near the doors, waiting for the Autobots to rush inside.
"Sounds like that beast didn't last long," Starscream grumbled as she looked back to knockout, "We really should've had more troops to stop the Autobots…all I got to defend Megatron is myself, troops that die in one hit, and you,"
"Hey," An offended Knockout would say; the remaining vehicons slowly glanced towards her.
The lights in the base flickered as the room ahead of the Autobots shook. Starscream and Knockout turned towards the chamber as the tubes funneling in the energon melted. The unstable energon hits the floor, burning it away. Knockout and Starscream both back-peddled, not wanting the energon to touch them. The chamber would glow as steam poured out of all the openings, the metal groaned and creaked as it began to contort and bend,a low groan would come from inside the chamber.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Starscream asked.
"No, it's not supposed to happen!" Knockout hissed, "The energon may be causing a bigger reaction than I thought,"
The hidden Decepticons would slowly move forward, watching the chamber destroy itself. The door behind them blew open, and the Autobots rushed inside; they were forced to find cover as vehicons ran forward and opened fire, keeping them at bay.
"Take them out!" Starscream growled.
"She's going to wake up!" Cliffjumper shouted.
"Not if I have something to say about it," Hot Rod takes out her bow, leaps into the air, and fires an arrow to where she believes Megatron's chest would be; Arcee and Prowl turn and take a shot at the same time before returning to cover.
A hand broke through the chamber, grabbing the arrow inches away from her chest, the bolts would hit her, and only a surprised grunt came from her.
It was too late.
XXXXXX
Lio steps into view of the cave, the rain beginning to pour as lighting flashes behind him.
"This seems to be the place," Lio would say as he walked into the cave, passing the corpse of the vehicons and beast.
Silence, nothing but silence as he walked through. The air felt thick with tension, and he was unaware of why.
It didn't take long for him to find the other Autobots, walking up beside them, wondering why they were frozen in their tracks; taking a look at all of their faces, he looked down to what caused them to freeze,
Lio locked eyes with Megatron, who in turn looked at him.
Megatron's armor was a dark purple with dark red secondary colors and large jagged shoulder pieces; her armor looked sharp, beastly, and twisted. A large fusion canon on her right arm, with long sharp claws, almost like that of a dragon's.
But staring into her eyes was something else. Rage and hatred were hidden behind her now red-orange eyes, barely containing beastly rage as she stared Lio down, then the other Autobots. Like the vehicons, Megatron was given a more beastly look; whatever she could turn into was unknown, but she still kept her original armor and potentially the same alt mode.
"Lady Megatron," Barricade would say as she kneels.
The other Decepticons would quickly follow with a "Hail lady, Megatron!"
Starscream stood there, a growl leaving her mouth as she slowly kneeled; Megatron paid them no mind as she looked at herself.
"What….what did you do?" Megatron would ask.
"What was necessary to bring you back and stronger than ever, my lady," Knockout says.
Arcee growls and immediately opens fire on Megatron; Ironhide moving in grabs her, steps back, and points her weapons to the ceiling. The bolts hit Megatron's chest, doing nothing to her as she stares up at the Autobots yet again,
Megatron grins slightly as she locks gazes with Optimus, "You thought you ended me last time, didn't you, Optimus? As I said, this ends with me standing over your corpse after the universe is in my hands. Do the Autobots have any way to return to Cybertron?"
"No, my lady," Barricade answered.
Megatron's grin grew bigger, "Then we have work to do. We must return to Cybertron while the Autobots fight without their head." Megatron turns around as a green portal opens behind her. "My loyal Decepticons, purge this base and return to the warship. Let the Autobots go; there's nothing they can do now."
Megatron walked towards the portal as Optimus watched, growling to herself; she activated her blasters and opened fire on Megatron, the bolts did nothing to her armor, and she continued walking to the portal.
Starscream followed after her while the Autobots only watched; it didn't take long to purge the base; with a few clicks into a terminal, the base would begin to shake as parts of it blew up, and rocks began to fall. The Decepticons quickly ran towards the groundbridge before it closed, leaving the Autobots in the collapsing cave.
"Autobots! Fall back!" Optimus shouted as she transformed and drove back the way they came, following her as rocks began falling in larger quantities. "Teletraan 1, we need a groundbridge now!"
"I'll set one up further ahead," She would reply as they drove through the cave.
"You know we should've already left the cave or tried to stop them!" Hot Rod would shout.
"Hindsight is twenty/twenty. Especially when Queen Con herself is back and with a new look!" Cliffjumper shouted.
The portal came into view; the Autobots didn't take long to drive through. Making it back into the base, the Autobots would transform, pacing around, finding a place to sit, or leaning on the walls going over what just occurred.
Hot Rod would slowly nod to herself and finally say. "Well….I guess we'll call that a tie."
Arcee slowly glares at Hot Rod.