Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Author's Notes: This chapter is tentatively rated M, for one violent fight sequence. Read at your own discretion.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When he was convinced that the quakes had stopped, Sideways had risen to his feet in the corridor in which he had landed, trying to make sense of the red light that was penetrating both ends of the broken hallway. This didn't last long before he heard Megatron's voice sounding over his comlink, demanding that he locate Shockblast and eliminate the traitor right away.

Though his optics narrowed at the fact that he was being ordered around like some wretched lackey, Sideways nevertheless gave an acknowledgment. Odds were that Megatron had slipped in the heat of the moment, but he could always be reminded later what the terms of their agreement had been.

With a light sigh, Sideways glanced upwards to gain some bearing of which direction he'd seen Shockblast fall before turning to the north wall. Instinctively, he strode swiftly towards it, focusing on shifting to his intangible state.

Thus, it came as an incredible shock when Sideways found himself unable to pass through the half metal, half organic barrier and subsequently wound up with the mother of all processor aches. Backing up a step, he rubbed at his now-sore forehead, angrily muttering, "What the slag!"

After a few seconds, Sideways had recovered enough to drop his hand to his side and went to staring at the wall like it had become an enemy to be destroyed. Once more, he focused on becoming intangible, though he approached the barrier much more cautiously. This time, when he found himself incapable of phasing through it, Sideways stared, uncomprehending, until he became aware of the influx of energy surging through his systems.

Cocking his head to the left, Sideways eyed the red light streaming into the corridor with blazing optics. Oh, slag! he thought furiously. What a great time to become fully solid again!

Past his assault on the femme jet, Snowcat had retreated to an empty corridor for a short time to fume that the attack hadn't been to his satisfaction. He would have loved to keep at her, perhaps even damage her to the extent that she would need to be entirely restructured as well, but he had been chased off by Scorpinok of all bots.

Snowcat wasn't given long to brood over the issue, as a soft moan from further down the tunnel caught his attention. He instantly grew tense and started to draw his weapon, but stopped when he saw the rookie, Thundercracker, sitting up, rubbing at his head with another groan. After a second or two of incomprehension, Snowcat figured that the blue and gray jet must have fallen into this corridor, perhaps even been knocked out temporarily, as a result of the quakes.

Thundercracker's one statement substantiated this belief. "Oh, what hit me?"

After a short hesitation, Snowcat moved towards the other mech, stopping when he was only inches away and extending one hand to help Thundercracker up. "Probably the same thing that hit all of us," he answered, forcing his companion to focus on him.

Once on his feet, Thundercracker almost instantly grew tense, looking up and down the corridor with an air of nervousness. "How did I get in here? The last thing I remember was taking on a couple of shuttles outside."

Snowcat, for a second, was unsure how to answer that. He looked upwards, but couldn't see any clear route in Unicron's devastated interior that would have deposited Thundercracker here. In the next instant, he shrugged it off as a fluke; weirder things had happened, in particular to him.

When Thundercracker saw that he wouldn't be getting any clear-cut answer, he shifted his weight and asked, "So what are you doing here? Are there any Autobots nearby that need to be slagged?"

Snowcat remained silent for a beat, taken off guard by the rookie's enthusiasm. In the next second, Snowcat brightened slightly, struck by the memory of himself at that age and how the anticipation of battle had always gotten his juices flowing. Recent events had dulled some of the pleasure he took at engaging in a fight, and there was something liberating in seeing someone with the same outlook.

Shifting his weight and placing one hand on Thundercracker's shoulder in a jovial manner, Snowcat resisted the urge to laugh at the rookie's confused glance at said hand and stated, "Stick with me, kid. I think we're going to get along perfectly..."

Once it became apparent to Kicker, Misha, and Red Alert that Unicron's deterioration had ceased, they set about establishing communication with the even-more-splintered groups within the dark god. Once verifying the positions of each and every Autobot, Misha had turned to the rough schematic of Unicron, setting the dots indicating them to red to gain a better visual. It relieved her to know that those who remained (the Decepticons) were likewise fractured; there were no more than five gathered together in any one spot for the time being.

Misha returned her gaze to the main screen, wondering (not for the first time) just why no planet was visible if their scheme had indeed worked. With this in mind, she opened a channel to Alpha Q, throwing a glance at Kicker to see that he looked just as puzzled.

Under her inquiries, the spindly bot answered, "It has worked much better than I could have hoped. I am able to bring back not only my own world but fifteen others as well."

Misha brightened slightly. "That's great!"

Kicker laced his fingers together behind his head, looking skeptical. "Yeah, so where are they?"

"Do not be so impatient, human," Alpha Q answered. "These planets had been converted into energy when Unicron had consumed them, and they are being reengineered as such for now. In time, I will be able to use the Energon you've given me to restore them to a more solid state, but for now, they have the appearance of what you would call orbs of light."

Misha lowered her head a notch, her gaze going to Starxis as she resumed petting the youngling's head. She'd had a suspicion that this might be the case, but she hadn't known for certain until now. She was quick to share this with Kicker, her brown eyes swimming with joy as she gazed at the boy next to her. In a quiet, deeply elated tone that conveyed everything she was feeling, she said, "We did it! Once Megatron is removed from the equation, it will be all over."

At this same time, Red Alert was relaying to the fleet and to the invading team just what had happened, throwing a quick glance at Misha's schematic to get a better sense of where everyone in the latter group was. Clearing his throat, he addressed everyone on Optimus' team with, "You should all make your way back out as soon as possible. As soon as you're all clear, we can begin with an all-out assault against Unicron."

Surprisingly, the first one to respond was Scorpinok, supposedly making it so all concerned parties could hear him. "And give Megatron an opportunity to come up with a clever way to turn it around?" Scorpinok stated ironically. "Better to take him down first." A pause, and then, "Starscream, you and Jetfire should be closest at this point."

Rodimus was providing an answer before anyone else could get a word in edgewise. "That may be so, but it appears that Unicron's restructuring has opened up a more direct path from where Demolisher, Bluestreak, and I are standing. I believe we'd be able to get there quicker."

Red Alert threw another glance at Misha's schematic to get a better idea on everyone's locales. "Acknowledged. Good luck at taking down Megatron, whoever makes it there first."

At that, Red Alert switched the frequency to transmit to Ironhide. He had already established that Optimus (bringing the Autobot commander to the forefront of his processor caused Red Alert to wonder what the former was thinking about these plans being made and/or implemented around him) was well on the way to recovering and so opted to check in on how Alexis was faring.

She came to gradually, just catching bits and pieces of conversation during her fleeting bouts of consciousness. Ironically, the first cohesive sentence she caught was of Ironhide expressing concern over the fact that she hadn't woken up yet. With a smile pulling at her lips, Alexis lit her optics, noting that she'd been propped up against the wall and stretching slightly to dispel the lethargy flooding her processor. Unfortunately, moving lent strength to the ache still lingering in her head, causing a groan to pass through her lips.

Ironhide was at her side in an instant, lightly touching her arm. "Hey, easy," he said, his tone and hand designed to keep her from moving. A pause, and then, "How are you feeling, Sky Dancer?"

She blinked, turning her head ever so slightly. The motion allowed her to get Scorpinok, who was watching her just as intently, in her sights. When she spoke, her voice was so soft it was near inaudible. "You saved us…?"

Scorpinok nodded. "I was already on my way when Snowcat got to you… Seems he had gotten hold of a metal pipe from somewhere and was out for blood. Said something about it being payback time after the second hit." Scorpinok paused, shifting his weight before adding, "He probably would have kept going if I hadn't fought him off… He ran just before I turned to fly after you and Ironhide. Caught you just in time, too."

Alexis shuttered her optics when a fresh wave of pain flooded through her skull. When it passed, she quietly said, "No one holds a grudge like a Decepticon…" In the next instant, she ran a check of her systems, attempting to assess just how bad the damage was. Which was how she became aware of a slight anomaly. Turning to look fully at Scorpinok, she questioned, "I would have thought that those hits would have caused more damage than is being reported…?"

Scorpinok quickly filled her in, causing Alexis to tilt her head back and stare at the red glow flooding the chamber with a sense of wonder. As she did so, she heard Scorpinok clear his throat and say, "We heard from Optimus that this phenomenon had been healing him. I imagine it's doing the same for you."

Alexis gave a soft sigh, listening as Scorpinok went on to say that everyone, notably Starscream, had been notified that she was going to be okay. She shifted once more to gaze back at him, which caused her head to start throbbing anew. Briefly, she wondered why the ache was still there if she was being healed, but then figured that her recovery was still in progress. Nevertheless, she activated her comlink to transmit a message to her fellow jet, knowing him well enough to recognize that he might just need to hear it directly from her. And, going by part of an argument she overheard between him and Jetfire, such assumptions were valid.

"I'm okay, Starscream," she said aloud, breaking up the argument. "There's no need for you to come after me."

There was a small exasperated sigh that came from his end, but he sounded relatively calm when he responded. "Let Ironhide and Scorpinok know that if something happens to you, I'll have their heads."

Alexis rolled her optics, shooting a timid, apologetic look at her companions. "They can hear you, Starscream," she answered, giving a mental laugh as she imagined how he must be reacting to this little tidbit. Perhaps, she and her fellow jet had gotten so used to communicating telepathically that it was hard to otherwise hold their tongues. After a short pause, she continued with, "Have a little faith. I'll be okay… And, before you say anything, I promise that we'll get moving as soon as I feel well enough."

Alexis shifted slightly, electing to get down to the main reason she'd contacted him. "And I'm holding you to what you promised me, in regards to Megatron… Do you remember what that was?"

A slight chuckle sounded over her comlink, followed by, "One good aft-kicking coming right up." A short pause, and then, "I'd better hurry, or Demolisher and Rodimus just might beat me there… Take care, Alexis."

Feeling a surge of warmth, she answered, "Stay safe, my love…"

Past issuing the order to Sideways, Megatron had returned to his throne, simply tapping into Unicron's abilities to try and get a sense of what his next move should be. He soon found that utilizing some of Unicron's defenses was no longer an option; the dark god's flesh had been depleted to the point that the organic tentacles had been nullified. And any Terrorcons that could be manufactured could very well be taken over by Scorpinok, if not outright destroyed by the Autobots.

Megatron was soon focused completely on Unicron's deterioration and pulling up a visual of the exterior of the dark god lent strength to what he suspected had happened. Odds were that Alpha Q had used Unicron to create something, more than likely huge. Try as he might, Megatron could not see what that something might be.

As a means of confirming the fact, Megatron pulled up streaming videos of the two Autobot groups he'd seen earlier; it didn't take long of listening to them (and the voices sounding through their comlinks) talk before he got a clearer picture of what was happening.

Megatron leaned back in his seat, briefly contemplating on summoning Sideways back to this chamber before deciding he wanted the latter to remain focused on eliminating Shockblast. And, he had no idea where Mirage, Snowcat, and Thundercracker were or even if they'd be able to reach him before any of the enemy soldiers arrived.

Megatron started fuming at the realization that all his plans to use Unicron as the ultimate weapon were likely slipping away from him. If there were any options to prevent this, he certainly couldn't see them. Much as he hated to admit it, the Autobots and Alpha Q had won.

A second later, a wry smile began playing at Megatron's lips as he recalled that all of the most important players (Optimus, Scorpinok, and Starscream) were positioned inside Unicron. And Alpha Q was certainly in the vicinity and would not be able to get away without help.

Perhaps, then, he could make sure their victory did not come free and without casualties. And that, if Unicron were to be destroyed, it would be on his terms and his alone...

In anticipation for Unicron's destruction, Misha's thoughts inevitably turned to Alpha Q and the fact that his half of the dark god was still embedded in Unicron's stomach. Briefly, she turned to look at the image on the viewscreen, only to avert her eyes within seconds. Unicron's head was still glowing with the Energon that had been poured into it and was so bright that it could damage her retinas if she stared too long.

After broadcasting a message to Alpha Q to ask if he'd be able to get clear and learning that he would need aid, she opened a channel to everyone in the fleet. Before she could speak, however, Misha saw Kicker tense up out of the corner of her eye and say, in a near whisper, "Wha... What is that?"

Throwing a glance at the boy beside her filled Misha with dread, even without turning to see what he was looking at. Her gaze darted to Red Alert next as he looked up from whatever he was doing; the way his face melted into pure shock, with a tiny bit of fear, did nothing to put her at ease.

When she did finally turn around and her brain fully registered what she was seeing, a sharp gasp escaped from her lips.

A green mist had formed above Unicron's neck area, and it took a few seconds for Misha to realize that it was seeping out of the dark god as she watched. Kicker gave voice to what they were seeing before she did; understandable that he would know, given his abilities, but he clearly didn't see the significance. "Why is Megatron purging the Energon he's stolen?"

That single question was all that Misha needed to spur herself into action. Urgently, she opened up a communications channel, totally uncaring of who might be listening, and told everyone in the fleet to focus on blasting away at Unicron's stomach to help free Alpha Q. No sooner had she finished saying this then she addressed the fractured groups positioned within Unicron that they needed to drop everything and make a hasty retreat.

Kicker sounded downright scared when he spoke her name, softly and questioningly. Totally frazzled, Misha turned to look at him, knowing that she couldn't calm down even if she tried. She scarcely registered that Red Alert was asking Rodimus if the shields could be raised if the ship was cloaked before taking a breath. Too agitated to explain it in full, she blurted out, "Because he's trying to kill us all!"

Kicker hesitated, then maneuvered so he was facing her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. Later on, Misha would be thankful that he knew her well enough and was level-headed enough to coax it out of her. "Misha, talk to me," Kicker said in a terse, but still calm tone. "Tell me what's happening."

Meeting his eyes reassured her a little, and she took a few deep, calming breaths. As peacefully as she could manage, she said, "I know this because of some tests that your Dad and some other scientists have run, before the raids even started. They were trying to discover the best, most potent form of Energon - in either a liquid, solid, or gas state - both positively and negatively charged." She paused, taking another deep breath, then continued with, "According to their reports, the gas was too unstable if not properly contained, especially the negatively-charged variety. They were never able to pinpoint why, but something would cause it to detonate before very long."

Kicker froze for an instant, then spoke a single word in a questioning tone that said volumes. "Detonate?"

Misha nodded numbly. "With Megatron being in possession of as much of it as he is, we're talking enough force to wipe out Unicron and everything else within a two-mile radius... In essence - the Transformers' own equivalent of an atom bomb."

After what seemed like forever, Kicker slowly turned to look at the viewscreen, and Misha turned her gaze upwards, relieved when she saw that Red Alert was at the ship's controls, working to pilot the ship to a safe distance.

Misha nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly felt something nudging at her hand, but she calmed when she looked down to see Starxis gazing up at her in worry. Letting out a breath, she thought with a hint of melancholy, Oh, my God... I forgot you were even here.

Starxis lifted his head, and the words he spoke were enough to inspire her to stay strong and brave. "All be okay?" he said in what seemed to be a questioning tone. "Mommy and Daddy?"

Misha pursed her lips, her hand moving to lightly stroke the youngling's head. While she wasn't sure, she dared not say or even think anything negative for his sake. Starxis had already been put through the wringer enough as far as his parents were concerned. "Everyone will be okay," she said simply, and held firmly onto that thought as her gaze returned to the screen...

It was fortunate that Misha left the channel open when she explained to Kicker what was happening; it spared the Autobots within Unicron to contact her for the reasons behind her request.

Still, it created a panic on most all levels.

Even as Demolisher, Rodimus, and Bluestreak were high-tailing it back the way they'd come, and Starscream and Jetfire were converting to their vehicle modes to make a hasty retreat, Elita was looking upwards with widened blue optics, her face showing that she was paralyzed with fear even without her saying anything.

Optimus leaned forward slightly, trying like mad to fight off the feeling of being overwhelmed. He knew Megatron and what the Decepticon commander was capable of, but this was taking things to a whole new level. Optimus couldn't say with any certainty how much time they had, but if all of his soldiers came out of this unscathed, it would be a miracle.

Turning his gaze downward, Optimus flexed his leg, trying to determine if he was healed enough to walk. Doing so allowed him to see, for the first time, that one of his thrusters had taken some damage in Shockblast's assault; until it was looked at, it would probably be best not to attempt flying. In the next instant, he was raising his good arm to grasp at the wall, preparing to haul himself up.

Noticing that he was moving, Elita looked his way and was soon prodded into moving herself. Rising to her feet, she quickly moved to his side to support him. The first question to escape her lips was, "Can you transform?"

Optimus shook his head. "Not until I'm fully healed. Attempting to do so could make the damage worse." He paused, letting out a groan once he put his full weight on his injured leg; it caused him to shift to release the pressure. "I can move, but not as fast as I'd like."

Elita lightly chewed at her lip, then sidled up next to him, positioning herself just under his left shoulder with her arm lightly draped across his back. "Put your weight on me then. It'll help." She must have anticipated that he might protest, for she continued with, "And don't even think about arguing with me! We don't have time for it!"

Optimus sighed, then did as she requested. And as they started walking, he was secretly grateful for the fact that she was so headstrong. He'd never have been able to manage this pace on his own.

Tilting his head downwards a notch, Optimus silently watched Elita (who was thankfully unaware of his scrutiny) for a moment or two, experiencing an indescribable emotion at the concept of having someone who may, time and again, challenge him without penalty...

Had she not been forced to move\get up, Alexis certainly would have been better off. She was no sooner on her feet than she was staggering, her vision getting so blurry that she had to completely dim her optics. When the accompanying feeling of dizziness died down, she straightened slightly, only to be startled when she felt and heard something rattling around inside her head. If she had to hazard a guess, one of her stabilizing circuits had been disconnected, which was something that could unfortunately only be repaired by Red Alert or some other medic.

Lighting her optics back up, Alexis was surprised to find herself in Scorpinok's arms. But then, she probably had needed someone to hold her steady. After a second or two, she voiced the one problem associated with this. "Guess that answers the question on whether or not I can fly straight... Snowcat picked an excellent time to mess me up."

A fleeting half-frown rose to Scorpinok's face, but it was gone before she could blink. He shifted his weight, his hands rising up to lightly touch her back. "It's fine," he said curtly, his words providing her with an odd sense of comfort despite the inflection. "I can fly all three of us out of here, but we have to hurry." He hoisted her against his chest, instructing her to fling her arms around his neck to support herself. Under any other circumstances, or if it had been anyone else, she might have felt awkward or self-conscious at the close proximity.

Ironhide was shortly positioned to her right, primarily supported in the crook of Scorpinok's arm, with instructions to keep a close watch on her in case another dizzy spell hit. Alexis let out a soft sigh, bowing her head slightly and feeling an unnecessary ache at the thought of being a hindrance.

In the next instant, Scorpinok took flight, moving at such a slow pace that she was poised to ask why. Then, about three hundred feet up, they entered a long narrow tunnel leading upwards (she briefly found it hard to imagine that this was where she and Ironhide had fallen from), which was so tight that Scorpinok had no choice but to stay as steady as possible, and Alexis began to simply and silently pray that they'd make it out in one piece.

For roughly twelve minutes past the time when he had fallen from Unicron's spark chamber, Shockblast had hidden himself within the nearest alcove he could find, even going so far as to dim his optic to the point where he could still see but not be as easily detected. As the moments ticked by, he grew increasingly nervous and irate at himself over what he'd done; it couldn't be long before Sideways, if not someone else, found him.

It wasn't long before Shockblast was pondering over how good his chances were to escape Unicron. But then, he recalled that the Autobots were out and about in force on the exterior. Even if he did manage to make it out without coming under siege from his own team, the opposing faction would certainly make every effort to take him out as well.

Shockblast turned his gaze downwards, wracking his processor for a solution on how to get out of this mess. Finally, he decided with a sigh that desperate times called for desperate measures; it wasn't as if he had anything to lose.

Giving another sigh, Shockblast activated his comlink. If anyone was nearby to hear him speak a single name, they surely would have called him insane. "Megatron."

For a long moment, there was no answer forthcoming, then the sound of the Decepticon leader's voice rang through, full of irony and scorn. "How nice of you to contact me, Shockblast. You just helped me pinpoint exactly where you're hiding... Though I somehow doubt you'll do me the kindness of staying put for the nearest executioner."

Shockblast gulped, his next words coming out in a rush. "I'll do you one better," he said hurriedly, a note of panic in his voice. "Allow me to throw myself at your mercy!"

Another silence, and then the sound of scathing laughter. "You truly are a piece of work," Megatron answered. "You can't honestly expect..."

Shockblast interrupted, uncaring of whether or not he was being disrespectful, "Please! I'll do anything!"

This third silence had to be the worst, as Shockblast waited with increasing nervousness for an answer. He was even looking all around, expecting someone to be coming for him at any moment, when Megatron finally responded. "I really should destroy you. But very well. I'll give you another chance, Shockblast." A pause, and then, "But if you cross me again, I promise you will not live to regret it."

Shockblast lowered his head a notch, his entire being flooded with relief. "What is it you would have me do?" he asked, and listened with mounting confusion as Megatron gave him the simplest of instructions to carry out. Though perplexed on what this would accomplish, Shockblast stepped out of the alcove and swiftly moved in the direction of the coordinates given to him. When he reached a nearby threshold leading to an adjacent vertical tunnel, he charged up his weapon and proceeded to blast away at the roof.

When enough debris had come crashing down and the entryway was completely sealed off, Shockblast contacted Megatron to say that it was done. When the Decepticon leader answered by saying he'd send out an alert to recant the execution orders, Shockblast began to feel a thousand times better...

"Have you lost your slagging mind?"

Those were the first words to cross Sideway's lips in reaction to Megatron's announcement that Shockblast's life was to be spared. The rogue bot had still been steaming over the fact that he could no longer walk through walls, and this development was enough to send his outrage skyrocketing.

There was an edge to Megatron's words when he responded, "I hardly think so, Sideways. Shockblast still holds some worth despite being a troublemaker. So long as he remains useful, I see no problem in keeping him around a while longer."

Sideways sneered, but before he could offer a response, Megatron was going on with, "Now, I'm about to order the troops to return to Unicron's spark chamber for the time being. I've placed a shield around that room that should safeguard all the soldiers against, shall we say, an explosion. I'd suggest you return there as well, Sideways; when it's over, I want you and the others to seek me out."

Sideways paused, blinking furiously before responding with, "When what's over?"

When Megatron failed to answer right away, Sideways angrily yelled out his name over the com channel; when this too failed to yield results, the rogue bot came to realize that the communication between them had been terminated.

Shaking with rage at the notion that he was being ignored on more than one level, Sideways threw a hard punch at the nearest wall, cursing the Decepticon commander with every fiber of his being...

When her next dizzy spell hit (which surprised her as all it took was a slight tilt of her head to trigger it), Alexis had no reason to be concerned. Ironhide saw her optics glazing over right away and had immediately reached across to help support her. And they'd been making decent progress on their upwards journey; Scorpinok had covered a good amount of distance despite his slow and steady speed.

The first thing that concerned her, once it passed, was to discover that they'd come to a halt. Alexis gingerly turned her head to look up at Scorpinok. "Why'd we stop?" she asked, half tired and half anxious.

Scorpinok hesitated for a brief moment, then answered, "Because I heard something. Sounded like cannon fire and sounded close." He remained silent for another minute, in which the three of them simply waited and listened. When there was no further indication of a disturbance, Scorpinok gave a sigh and elected to continue on his way, though he did tell his passengers (Ironhide specifically) to stay alert for any sign of trouble.

After a few moments, Scorpinok began to rotate on his axis, repositioning so he was facing off to his left. When he stopped a second time and a soft curse escaped his lips, Alexis slowly turned her head to see what he was looking at. As she took in the sight of an entryway filled with rubble, she heard Ironhide say, "That was our way out, I take it?"

Scorpinok bowed his head slightly and answered, "Not our only one, but the best route to take from this point." Resuming his upward journey, he added, "The next entryway isn't far away, but this is going to slow us up a little."

Alexis lightly chewed at her lip, her fear returning. "That cannon fire you heard... Could someone have deliberately sealed off our exit?"

Scorpinok hesitated for the briefest of moments, but didn't sound scared when he responded; she had to commend him for that. "It's possible. But it's going to take more than that to stop us."

Alexis would have argued the point, but stopped when another wave of dizziness threatened to overtake her. With a small moan, she leaned her head against Scorpinok's chest, relieved when that helped stave it off.

It wasn't much longer before the three of them were back on solid ground. At Scorpinok's prodding, Alexis released her hold on his neck, giving a slight smile as he gently lowered her to the floor. Ironhide, however, expressed concern over her well-being when he said, "Can you walk, or did you want me to carry you the rest of the way?"

Alexis offered her partner a look of appreciation, but quickly determined that she should be alright so long as she didn't make any sudden or unnecessary movements. Holding her head upright, she merely told her companions to keep monitoring her just in case. Scorpinok gave a slight nod, then turned and began moving again, with both trainees falling in behind him.

When no more spells threatened to kick in over the walking distance that followed, Alexis began to feel slightly better and more confident that they'd all be alright. She grew even more elated once Scorpinok announced that they were getting close to their exit point; as they moved to enter the next chamber, she said a silent prayer that the Energon would hold off on detonating for at least ten minutes more.

Her hopes died the instant she saw that Megatron was standing, looking surprisingly cavalier, in the center of the chamber, everything in his posture indicating that he'd been expecting them. In fact, she stopped so suddenly that Ironhide couldn't avoid colliding with her, though not hard enough to make her lose her balance.

In her fright, Alexis took half a step towards Scorpinok, laying her hand on his arm. Surprisingly, her companion didn't even react to her touch, keeping his gaze fully on Megatron. So fearful she was that it didn't register that she was (thankfully) remaining lucid, but it took her only a second to realize that they'd been driven straight here.

Wearing a wry smile and with his arms casually crossed, Megatron said, "How nice of you not to keep me waiting too long." He gave a short, cruel laugh, then added, "And I imagine it won't be much longer before this chamber becomes a tomb - for two of you, at least."

While Alexis exchanged a nervous look with Ironhide, Scorpinok spoke out, seemingly undaunted. Amazing it was, that the latter could remain unafraid in the face of this threat. "You can't honestly expect to detain all three of us."

Megatron adopted a cocky smile. "Well, let's see... Two novices and one experienced soldier who couldn't hold his own in an earlier fight... I'd say I still like my odds very much."

Alexis stood poised to remind Megatron that the environment around them was on the verge of detonation and that staying put would be a mistake, even for him. However, she was waylaid when he focused directly on her, the glint in his optics causing her to shiver involuntarily. "It is a shame though, that it's come to this," Megatron stated. "If I'd heeded Sideways' warnings a bit sooner, you'd still be at my side, dear girl."

Though a little unclear of just what these warnings consisted of, Alexis raised her head a notch as the words struck a nerve, her blue optics flashing with anger and defiance. How dare he think it a bad thing, that she was back to being herself! "And I can assure you, that is the last place in the world I'd want to be," she responded in a low, intense tone.

Megatron's optics shone with fury for an instant; in that same second, Alexis quietly opened up a one-way channel on her coms, making sure that the one on the receiving end could only listen and not respond to what was transpiring. The last thing she wanted was to alert the Decepticon commander that she was calling for help.

Shifting his weight, Megatron responded, his words coming out in a snarl, "And just what is it that makes him so much better?"

Alexis dropped her hand from Scorpinok's arm to her side, her courage fueled by anger. "Because he's always wanted me for who I am inside and not as some fictional, idealized puppet." She was poised to say more when the sound of a distant explosion reached her audio sensors, causing her to tilt her head back slightly to look upwards with fear in her optics. Later on, she would never be sure if this blast was connected to the Energon gas being purged or to some random altercation between soldiers.

Scorpinok must have heard it as well, for he was the next to speak. "Don't be a fool, Megatron. You must know that the longer we stay here, the greater the risk that we'll all be destroyed."

Megatron sneered as he focused fully on Scorpinok. Moving to draw his sword, he answered, "And I can guarantee that you won't last long enough to see that happen, traitor."

Megatron had barely taken a threatening step in their direction before Scorpinok, Alexis, and Ironhide broke formation, the latter two reaching for their weapons while the former adopted a half aggressive, half defensive stance. What happened next seemed to occur so quickly and yet seemed to unfold in slow motion.

Though all three rushed him at once, each of them no more than a second behind the other, Megatron deftly made short work of them. Alexis barely noted that Scorpinok had been slapped aside with a rough backhand before the Decepticon leader twisted slightly to sidestep her and her partner. In the next millisecond, Megatron had wrapped one hand around Ironhide's shoulder to shove him off balance, simultaneously clutching a fistful of her metallic hair and using her own momentum against her.

Alexis cried out as she landed in a heap on the floor, pain flaring at the spot where the metal filaments had been ripped loose of their moorings. At the same time, at the absolute worst moment, she was assaulted by another dizzy spell, this one overtaking her so suddenly that she could only incline her head towards the floor with a small whimper.

Though she willed it to pass her by quickly, the dizziness, accompanied by a low buzzing in her skull, took its time dissipating. Still, Alexis was aware of being rolled over onto her back; she began wildly flailing out with her arms as soon as she was able, but was surprised when none of her swings connected with anything or anyone.

When her vision cleared and the droning in her head died away, Alexis became aware of the sounds of fighting off to her left. Turning slowly over onto her side, she soon saw Ironhide sprawled across the floor on his back not far from her, looking somewhat dazed. Softly, she spoke his name, the tone just loud enough to draw his attention but not to be heard over the din of the battle.

Ironhide rolled over so he was on his hands and knees and was at her side in seconds to help her sit up. As soon as her optics alighted on Megatron, Alexis gasped and fidgeted slightly, causing her partner to turn and see that the Decepticon commander was menacingly stalking towards them, the sword held intently at his side dripping with some semi-viscous dark fluid.

Letting her gaze wander on allowed Alexis to see that the few moments in which she was out of it had left Scorpinok in bad shape. Her first glimpse of the majestic bot showed her that he was hunched over some yards behind Megatron, his face contorted in pain and one of his hands (apparently cut off at the wrist) missing. Seeing something glinting on the floor nearby, Alexis shifted her gaze to see that the very tip of Scorpinok's tail, stinger and all, had also been severed.

Feeling ill, Alexis was starting to rise to her feet, with Ironhide doing likewise beside her, when she saw Megatron's sneer deepen; the Decepticon commander began moving towards them at a slightly faster pace.

Alexis was never sure if the strangled cry that left her lips caught Scorpinok's attention or not, but in the next instant, she would forever regret that she'd not been able to convey to him and Ironhide that Starscream had been tuned in for the past couple minutes (at the thought, she shut down the broadcast; it had served its purpose) and was surely on his way.

In any event, Scorpinok started moving, the look on his face showing his determination to defend the two trainees by any means necessary. Though it was impossible that Megatron could have heard him approaching in time to react, the Decepticon leader was still surpassing all of their expectations.

Megatron had turned and his sword was planted within Scorpinok's chest at an upward angle (which stopped the latter dead in his tracks with a loud grunt) before Alexis and Ironhide knew it. Huddled together in fear, both rookies gasped in unison, a cold feeling washing over them.

Megatron was smug as ever when he said aloud, "Who's the fool now, Scorpinok?" A cruel chuckle, and then, "Maybe you didn't take me seriously when I promised you wouldn't live to see Unicron destroyed. Either way, that will cost you dearly."

At those words, Megatron reached out to grasp Scorpinok's shoulder, and both Alexis and Ironhide flinched as the sword was shoved in deeper and then savagely twisted to the right. In the next millisecond, Scorpinok tilted his head back and let loose with a horrendous scream that chilled Alexis to the core and which she was sure would haunt her darkest nightmares for eons to come...

It had taken mere minutes to successfully free Alpha Q; Unicron's body had deteriorated enough that it had taken little firepower to break up the areas where the horns had ploughed in. Once this task was completed, Unicron's head began inching backwards, building momentum as it went. In no time, the spindly bot was well on his way to the minimum safe distance.

Traveling slightly behind Alpha Q, those aboard Rodimus' shuttle were now absolutely certain that Unicron's head had been transformed into a small sun. It was still glowing brightly in a nice shade of red and wasn't showing signs of burning out anytime soon. Amazing it was, that Alpha Q could have successfully revitalized his planets and yet still have enough Energon left over for this purpose.

While Red Alert was silently speculating that Alpha Q must have collected more Energon on his independent endeavors than any of the Autobots had been aware of, Kicker started to notice that there were several multicolored spheres of light that seemed to be orbiting the newly born sun, each of them moving alongside the former. Hard to believe, Kicker mused, that these lights are in fact resurrected planets.

No sooner had Kicker thought this than Red Alert suddenly drew in a sharp breath, causing both teenagers to turn and look at him in curiosity. Though it was unclear if the medic heard Misha's inquiry into what was up, it was nevertheless answered when Red Alert opened up the channel to Alpha Q and questioned in an agitated tone why he had stopped.

Misha turned to look at the main screen, mildly aware that Starxis was starting to whine at her side. While she couldn't readily see any evidence of this, she knew that the senses of the Transformers were much keener.

The answer was slow at coming, but it served to rile up all four occupants on the ship. "It's Scorpinok," Alpha Q said, sounding slightly dazed. Off of some prodding from Kicker, he added, "Megatron has intercepted him... He's dying!"

There was a short silence, then Kicker stepped forward. At the same time, Starxis' whining increased in volume, prompting Misha to drop to her knees and cup his head in her hands while she gently and ineffectively attempted to shush him. "What about Alexis and Ironhide?" Kicker said in a raised tone, his concern undoubtedly mirroring, in part, what had Starxis so bothered.

"Megatron has them trapped," Alpha Q said absently. There was a short silence, then the spindly bot added, in a trembling voice, "I have to go back."

Kicker hesitated for a split second, then blurted out, "What? What are you talking about 'go back'?" No sooner had the words left him than the giant red orb started moving again, this time back the way it had come, at top speed. If anything, at least the shuttle's occupants could be thankful that Alpha Q was clear-headed enough to bypass them.

Red Alert was the next to speak, beating Kicker to the punch. "Alpha Q, what do you think you're doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

The answer was somewhat halted, as Alpha Q kept switching from one persona to the next with each sentence. "I won't leave Scorpinok to die! The Energon worked to heal a select few! It can do the same for him!"

Red Alert was speechless for a moment, barely noticing when Kicker jumped in to argue the point. He'd known that Alpha Q and Scorpinok were affiliated with each other, but he'd not understood the exact depth of their relationship. The fact that the spindly bot was willing to risk everything definitely spoke of a deep-seated devotion.

In the next moment, Red Alert shifted his attention back to the control panel before him, reminding himself that ensuring Kicker and Misha's safety should be his sole priority. Though he resumed with piloting the ship forward, he did switch the view on the screen to display what was happening at the rear of the shuttle at Kicker's behest.

When she turned to look at the monitor, though she remained kneeling beside Starxis, Misha let out a small gasp when she saw that the green Energon mist was now entirely coating Unicron's body, as though it was now seeping out of every vent along the dark god's frame. She was poised to transmit a message to Alpha Q that he needed to retreat when she saw evidence of a small explosion (punctuated by a large jet of flame extending upwards) in the vicinity of Unicron's left shoulder.

When similar explosions began dotting the length of Unicron's body (at least the parts she could see around the giant red orb controlled by Alpha Q), Misha knew that it was only a matter of seconds before the most massive detonation came. The anguished cry that left her, stemming from her fear over the fact that a number of the Transformers she knew and cared about were almost certainly not going to survive (even though she could see a number of crafts flying at full speed away from Unicron), drew Kicker to her side.

Misha looked up at the boy she loved, a sob escaping her lips when she saw in his eyes a look that reflected her own. A second later, Kicker wordlessly pulled her against him and held on tightly, as they both tried like mad to prepare themselves for the world around them to fall to pieces.

When the shuttle started violently rocking a few seconds later as though it had been hit by a massive shockwave, Kicker, Misha, and Starxis were caught off guard enough that they all lost their balance, winding up in a heap on the floor. When the rocking didn't cease right away, it caused the two teenagers worry; for a couple seconds, they began to doubt that they'd made it to safety and wondered if they just might be joining the casualty list of this day.

When the shuddering at last ceased, Kicker and Misha, and even the youngling, refrained from moving for a moment or two, nor did Red Alert say anything to break the silence. Perhaps all four of them had needed that time to register that they were still alive, that the explosion had in fact not directly touched them.

Without rising from her spot on the floor, Misha let her gaze wander until it landed on Kicker, then she wordlessly reached out to touch his hand with her own. After a split-second, she lightly bit her lip, trying to work up the nerve to look at the screen. Such an action was easier said than done; Misha didn't want to face the reality that all their efforts to help Alpha Q and Scorpinok had ended in tragedy.

Ironically, Starxis was the first to get up; upon the realization that the teenagers weren't moving, he turned, lowered his head, and started nudging Misha with his snout. When that caused her to roll over and look at the youngling questioningly, she was taken aback. Starxis didn't appear the least bit devastated as she'd imagined he would at losing Alexis; the youngling's single directive to her and Kicker to "look" caused the teenagers (and Red Alert behind them) to gaze at the screen.

In the heat of the moment, the two humans and the Autobot medic would swear that the sight that greeted them defied all imagination and explanation.

In short, and against all odds, Unicron (both halves of him) was still standing...

If Ironhide had considered attacking Megatron during those few tenuous seconds, the opportunity was lost when the Decepticon leader withdrew his sword and flung Scorpinok across the room so that he landed awkwardly against the nearest wall.

Even as Megatron turned to face the two trainees once more, Alexis' anguished gaze remained locked on Scorpinok. Surprisingly, he was still alive, but he only had minutes left at best. She prayed that Starscream would be arriving any second; otherwise, each passing moment was lessening Scorpinok's chances of survival.

Before a word could be said, the sounds of multiple explosions, from above and below began to reach her and her companions; in response to this, Ironhide barked out, in an obviously desperate bid, "We have to get out of here now, Megatron!"

Much to the shock of the two partners, Megatron merely smirked at this statement. Shifting his weight, he responded in an ironic tone, "Do you honestly think I wouldn't have implemented certain safeguards for myself?" A short pause, and then, "I shielded this entire chamber against the destruction to come the moment I arrived here."

Alexis tilted her head downwards a notch, fearing for an instant that Starscream would not be able to get past the shield before realizing that she, Scorpinok, and Ironhide had likely passed through it to get here. Odds were it wasn't designed to keep a living being from walking in or out.

Even that thought failed to comfort her when the room they were in began violently shaking, the tremors so powerful that it knocked Alexis, Ironhide, and even Megatron off their feet. As she landed face down on the floor with a sharp gasp, Alexis still took a small amount of pleasure at the look of pure shock on Megatron's face.

If not for the fact that the Decepticon commander was showing signs of not anticipating this, Alexis might have been more fearful than she actually was when the tremors didn't cease right away. When they finally did begin to die down, she was shocked when a loud booming sound echoed through the chamber. Alexis raised her head, just in time to see the wall and part of the floor that Scorpinok was propped against give way.

A cry escaped her lips when she saw Scorpinok drop out of sight; from her angle, she couldn't see how far he fell. After a second, she bowed her head, a wave of grief washing over her at the realization that he may indeed be lost.

When the room stopped shaking, Alexis gradually became aware that the world around her had surprisingly gotten quiet. She remained still, the silence grating on her nerves more than the sounds of explosions likely would have, as she wondered how they could all still be standing.

Hearing Megatron laughing a couple seconds later proved to be even more disturbing. Alexis and Ironhide tilted their heads to look at him, beyond surprised when they saw him standing in the center of the chamber and that he wasn't paying them any heed.

As she sat up once more, Alexis saw Ironhide silently mouth if she was okay. Just as quietly, she nodded, feeling a sense of relief when parroting the same question at him elicited the same response. She threw another glance at Megatron, unsure whether to be thankful or nervous over the fact that he hadn't budged and that he was still laughing.

Alexis barely had a chance to wonder what was so amusing when she became aware of a slight change in the atmosphere around them. When she heard a very faint whistling sound, indicative of a disturbance in the air, she reluctantly turned and followed Megatron's gaze.

A second later, her optics were as wide as could be, as it registered that there was now a gaping crater in Unicron's frame that allowed Megatron, Ironhide, and herself to see the outside world. Though she knew that she and her partner had an opportunity to escape via this route, there were two things that stopped her.

1) Megatron's attention could easily be caught if they moved and there was no telling how he might react. After his treatment of Scorpinok, she was even more fearful of what might happen to Ironhide.

2) There was a giant vertical white light now present near the battlefield, which she realized upon close examination resembled a portal of sorts. Not knowing just what it was nor where it had come from made her reluctant to move. When she saw one of the nearby shuttlecrafts start to inch towards it within seconds, she guessed that it had some sort of gravity well.

When Megatron spoke, it caused Alexis to nearly jump out of her skin, she was so on edge. But then, the Decepticon commander, amused though he may be, didn't give any clear indication that he was speaking to her and Ironhide. "So this is what happens when large amounts of positive and negative Energon interact... How funny that the forces generated are powerful enough to create a fissure in space."

Hearing this, Alexis lowered her head a notch, feeling an indescribable emotion at the implication. Briefly, she wondered if Alpha Q was still nearby and if he was still able to heal Scorpinok. An answer was provided within seconds, when a warm red light came streaming into the chamber (though she couldn't quite see where it was coming from) and she felt a rush of energy surge through her once more.

Either way, she prayed that it may be enough to save Scorpinok's life.

Just then, her comlink buzzed to life at the worst possible moment, and Optimus' worried voice rang through to inquire just where she was at. With all the confusion and chaos, it shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did that he'd probably not been informed of her and Ironhide's location or predicament.

When this caused Megatron to finally turn to regard her and her partner, it was all Alexis could do to maintain a brave facade. In the next second, Ironhide half stepped in front of her, his arm held out as though to shield her. "Don't even think about it!" Ironhide barked out, his own bravado a comfort to her.

One corner of Megatron's mouth curled up in a wry smile. "Or what?" he answered, moving fractionally in their direction. "In case you didn't notice, I took down Scorpinok without breaking a sweat, and he was the experienced one..."

Ironhide's answer would forevermore make Alexis proud; just about anyone else at his level might have faltered at the threat. "I'm not scared of you," Ironhide said, his tone so devoid of fear that neither Megatron nor Alexis was sure if he was putting on a show or not.

Unfortunately, Megatron was not someone who liked being challenged, in any shape or form. The way he shifted his weight and the sneer that rose to his lips worked to increase Alexis' dread slightly. "So be it," he said in a low dangerous tone, his hand flexing around his sword's hilt in a threatening manner. "I've cut down hundreds of Autobots in my time. If you want to be the latest on a very long list, then let's get down to it."

Alexis couldn't see Ironhide's face, but she had every suspicion that he might rise to Megatron's challenge, if only to keep her safe for a moment more. She started to raise her hand to grasp at her partner's shoulder, intent on stopping him and preparing to surrender herself to Megatron to safeguard Ironhide in turn.

Fortunately, she found a millisecond later that she didn't have to.

"Get away from them, Megatron!" came the very welcome, albeit angry, sound of Starscream's voice from the opposite side of the chamber.

Alexis' optics remained on Megatron long enough to see his scowl deepen before she turned her gaze towards her fellow jet. She was a little surprised to see that Demolisher and Rodimus were with him, but she was nevertheless still very relieved to see him. The way that Ironhide wrapped one arm around her, resulting in her half running/half being carried over to where the three new arrivals were standing hinted that he had been putting on an act and had been just as terrified as she was.

"Where's Scorpinok?" Rodimus cut in before Megatron (or anyone else) could say a word.

Megatron cocked his head to one side, his trademark smirk returning. "You're a little late to save that traitor," he said in a humored tone. "He's long gone by now."

Though Alexis wanted to say out loud that Scorpinok had fallen through an indeterminate number of levels, she couldn't deny that the possibility that he may even now be recovering from his injuries. If that was the case, he may soon be well enough to move on his own and would not need any aid from them. The best she could do at this point was pray for him.

Starscream was virtually seething when he took a step forward, his wing sword held purposefully at his side. "Whatever harm you've caused him will be the last you inflict on anyone! This ends now, Megatron!"

Megatron's scowl returned. "This ends when I say it does!"

Starscream took another step forward, but then stopped and tilted his head back to look upwards when he heard the sound of laser fire. With lightning quick reflexes, he leaped backwards, just avoiding getting hit.

Until that moment, Alexis hadn't seen that a large portion of the ceiling was gone, but it disheartened her when she saw a number of Decepticons descending through the crater (all of whom soon fell into formation behind their leader), including Sideways and three others who she didn't know. For a moment, she kept her gaze on Sideways, fearful that he might vanish before her optics at any second, but then noticed that he was looking towards Megatron with something like contempt.

Megatron briefly turned to regard the soldiers who had come to join him; the fact that he didn't look overly surprised to see them suggested that he must have summoned them at some point. "Where are Snowcat and Shockblast?"

The blue and gray mech to Megatron's right was the first to speak. Gesturing to the oversized white portal out in space, he stated in an excitable tone, "They got caught in the gravitational forces. Whatever that is, they're being drawn in as we speak."

Hearing that, Alexis turned her gaze towards the opening in Unicron's midsection, and it didn't take her long to assess that the portal had "changed size." She stilled her breath, and the few seconds in which she just listened informed her that the wind whistling through the chamber had fractionally increased in volume. If the gravity well was strong enough to catch hold of two normal-sized Transformers, then it had certainly seized hold of Unicron's body as well.

The body of the dark god was only minutes away from being pulled in, and Alexis was near certain that she didn't want to be on board when that happened.

When Megatron's comlink activated, transmitting a plea for help from Snowcat so awash with static that it was difficult to make out, it compounded the need to get away. Shifting her weight, Alexis put one hand to Starscream's shoulder to get him to look at her, telling him with a single expression what she wanted.

Starscream hesitated for an instant, a large part of him itching for the chance to take Megatron down once and for all, but that one glance at Alexis' face was all it took to undo him. Turning back to face Megatron, he sheathed his sword, taking half a step back while activating his laser cannons. Without looking at Alexis, he wrapped one arm around her protectively before issuing an order to his companions to open fire.

Pinned down by the barrage of laser beams, Megatron was unable to prevent Starscream's group from escaping. Once the firing had stopped, he surveyed the area where they had been with a seething expression, until Thundercracker nervously asked if they could retreat. "If we stay any longer, we're going to be swallowed up as well, sir."

Megatron bowed his head slightly, remaining silent for a very short but tense moment. It was never apparent what he was thinking, but he did eventually turn to regard the anomaly out in space. What he had to say suggested that he had seen such a phenomenon before, however. "Perhaps that may not be a bad thing, Thundercracker." With a slight chuckle, he added, "I believe we may have been granted the very thing to turn the battle back in our favor and give us another chance to restore Unicron..."

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this installment and found it well worth the wait. I promise it will not take another year to get through the next chapter. :D