Author's Note: getting close to the end of the story so I hope you all have enjoyed it.
In theory I could do a sequel, but I need to know if you want to see one first. So let me know and we'll go from there!
-Chapter 13: A Final Showdown-
The symbol had not been wrought by the hand of man. Its design was simultaneously infinitely complex, astoundingly beautiful, and clear-cut. Any human sculptors would have been proud to have acknowledged it as their work. Etched into the side of the metallic cube, its straight lines and sharp diagonals, its whorls and curves and stylish embellishments, shone beneath the light of an alien star.
The symbol was not an isolated example of its type. A second one decorated the metal surface to its right, another to its left. A different symbol gleamed above it and still another kind below. The slowly spinning cube was covered with such metal inscriptions.
Thousands of them.
There was nothing to indicate why the cube had been created. Nothing beyond surface aesthetics to indicate what its purpose might be.
But Starscream knew better.
He knew that it was no random cube, but the Allspark; the product of an immensely advanced intelligence would have been apparent to any sentient being who happened to set eyes upon it. He knew that it represented the supreme power, the ultimate heart of an immensely sophisticated world whose utterly nonhuman inhabitants had all but destroyed themselves in an interminable war between darkness and light, between truth and lies, was perceptible only to those for whom it represented and focused their very life force itself.
Studying the cube with a moments reverance, its power pulsing through every circuit and filling Starscream with newfound strength and dreams of godhood with each passing moment, the Decepticon stood calmly poised atop a building in a scrapyard in Tranquility. Beside him stood Thundercracker, now wholly loyal given there was no one else to be loyal to. It felt good to possess such a measure of control, both over his immediate and his destiny.
Leading the Decepticons during the absence of Megatron had given Starscream a taste for command. He experienced firsthand the brutality that allowed Megatron to maintain control over his Decepticon legions. It is a style of leadership that Starscream took to with gusto, punishing disobedience without mercy and rewarding successes only with a narrowed eye and threatening gesture. Craving ultimate control, Starscream was not going to let his new opportunities go to waste.
"…So Megatron has been revived." He mused aloud, optics still fixated on the cube in his hand. "That means you have either failed me or betrayed me. Neither option bodes well for you." Turning his helm to the grounds of the building, his optics were fixed on the lone Tailwhip standing before him.
The young Decepticon balled his hands into fists, his expression one of barely-controlled fury. To stand here in Starscream's presence while he lorded his success over him, flaunting his confiscated power in the face of killing two fellow Decepticons seemingly out of spite… Tailwhip had no admiration for Starscream any longer. "Barricade was right. You are a coward! Megatron conquers to obtain power. You just steal it." He growled. Starscream loosed a sigh.
"You are such a disappointment my protege." He declared. "Perhaps, in your final moments, you may yet provide me with some entertainment." Taking the Allspark in hand, Starscream dropped down and slammed the cube into the ground, generating a wave of energizing power that rolled through the scrapyard.
Every machine within range shuddered to life. Forklifts, wrecked cars and trucks, even cranes all began to rise up into bipedal shapes as they transformed into primitive skeletal Cybertronians. With little else to adhere to other than primal instincts, they converged on Tailwhip with the immediate desire to slake their thirst for energon. Starscream took flight again, hovering above the scene with a smug smirk as Tailwhip glared at him with contempt.
Fortunately he had plenty of new targets upon which he could vent his fury.
Automorphing his laser cannon, Tailwhip took shots at the bigger constructs further away from him before dumping several rockets from his shoulder launchers. The smaller ones crawling across the ground were swiftly dispatched of with kicks and stomps, crushing their thin spidery bodies underfoot as he fought off the horde of primitive Cybertronians.
"I, uh, think he's winning." Thundercracker noted aloud.
"I can see that, Thundercracker." Starscream retorted dismissively.
Several of the crane-creatures pounced on Tailwhip's back, sinking hooks into his chassis. Tailwhip reached and spun, trying to rip them free, his legs flying to kick smaller creatures to pieces. The ground around him was becoming littered with skeletal remains and the perimeter of the scrapyard was now filled with piles of shot-riddled cybertronic corpses. The Decepticon was fighting well, fueled by anger and hatred, his warrior's strength inflamed by Starscream's mere presence. One by one he battered and crushed the Allspark constructs, his chassis splattered with energon and mechfluid. One by one they fell before him until Tailwhip alone stood tall, surrounded by mechanized corpses.
Straightening his posture, he looked to Starscream as if inviting further challenge. His former master looked upon him scornfully. "Impressive. It seems I've taught you well." Starscream mused, never failing to make himself the centre of some triumphant matter. His thrusters propelled him to hover in the air and Thundercracker followed. "Now let's see if you can keep up with me." The two jets transformed, F-22 and MiG-29 rocketing out of the scrapyard as Tailwhip converted to alt mode and followed as close as he could. A simple Apache helicopter stood no chance against supersonic fighter jets but the young Decepticon was determined to stay as close as possible. He pondered firing after Starscream, but with the Allspark empowering him and Thundercracker serving his every whim, it was strategically ill-advised to stage such an attack.
Increasing to maximum speed, Tailwhip chased Starscream and Thundercracker across Tranquility, exchanging the municipal skyline for one of a rushing river flowing between townships. The two jets seemed almost sluggish in their flight as if they had purposefully slowed down to give Tailwhip a fleeting chance at keeping pace… if not a simple arrogant reminder that in his current form, he could never catch up to them.
Their metallic forms streaked across Mission City, racing around the perimeter as if Starscream was taking a victory lap to show off his martial prowess and the Allspark nestled securely within his cockpit. After a time, the Decepticon grew bored of Tailwhip's constant pursuit. The Apache wasn't making any gains, merely sticking as close as he could to his afterburners. "You disappoint me, Tailwhip. It seems you belong in Megatron's ranks after all." Starscream sneered across comms channels. With that, the two jets broke formation and throttled up, disappearing with a shriek of unleashed afterburners. There was no hope to keep up with them now as they disappeared across distant horizons.
"Lugnuts! I've lost him!" Tailwhip muttered angrily. He opened a new comms channel. Having kept him informed beforehand of his grisly discovery as well as Starscream's invitation, Tailwhip made to make a status update, "Lord Megatron, Starscream gave me the slip. I tried to keep up with him but he was too quick for me." He reported. His leader's response made him cringe, the chassis of his alt mode shuddering.
"What makes you think I'm interested in your excuses?! I will find that traitor myself!"
Soaring high above Mission City, like a metallic dragon, Megatron's fusion fighter left a violet contrail in its wake as the Decepticon leader pinged his internal sensors for any sign of the rogue Starscream. While his traitorous underling was nowhere near his current position, he did reveal himself by hailing Megatron across comms channels directly. Recognizing his energy signature, Megatron answered,
"Starscream." He growled in greeting.
"Long has it been, mighty Megatron." The jet sneered. "Interesting, isn't it, that I could manage the one thing you could not?"
"SILENCE!" Megatron roared. "I will not be talked-down to by the likes of you, Starscream." A soft chuckle from the other end.
"Then why waste words? This contest of ours has gone on long enough. It is time to decide who is the strongest."
"This contest is entirely a fabrication of your own malfunctioning processors." Megatron retorted. "With your death, no one will stop me! I will take the Allspark and conquer the universe!"
"I, for one, would like to test that theory. If you truly wish to rule the Decepticons, then follow me to battle." Starscream challenged. Megatron's response was to loose a genuine cackle.
"Laughable! You can never defeat me, Starscream!" He responded.
"You forget, mighty Megatron, I was able to claim the Allspark… something you have failed to do." Starscream whispered with a level of smugness so prominent, Megatron could practically see it. The transmission abruptly cut out. But Megatron was already acting.
"Soundwave! Report! Were you able to intercept that transmission signal?"
"Affirmative. I have acquired a lock on Starscream's energy signature. I will inform you when he makes confirmed landfall." The communications officer droned in reply.
"Excellent." Megatron hissed. Analyzing his situation and calculating his options, Megatron veered off course to pursue where he believed Starscream to be heading. As he did, he made contact with one of his remaining soldiers. "Tailwhip. You have chosen to defy Starscream and ally yourself with me. But I need further proof of your loyalty. Will you join me in reclaiming the Allspark? Will you follow me to victory?" He questioned. Tailwhip's simple response was both resolute and absolute.
"Yes, Lord Megatron."
Later…
Las Vegas, Nevada. The casino strip. Where it all began.
The sun flickered of towering building of glass and polished metal, making Sin City glimmer like a crown of diamonds amid the unforgiving desert.
Today, however, it was anything but buisness as usual.
Starscream made his presence known, having dispatched Thundercracker to wait from afar. Striding the streets of Las Vegas in robot mode, the empowered Decepticon tested the reaches of his Allspark-fuelled might on any law enforcement vehicle he could find. He cared not for human casualties or for collateral damage. Already the street he trod was lined with burnt-out wrecks and smoking shot-out remnants. By the time Tailwhip arrived, Starscream had made a sport out of shooting down helicopters, both police and military, as they responded to his wanton carnage.
As the last of a squadron came crashing down in a smoldering heap into empty streets, civilians having long-since scattered, Starscream turned to face his former protege with contemptuous fervor. Loyal to Megatron, and aware of the battle plan in place, Tailwhip was determined to fight on… even though Starscream's strength now bordered on divinity. "Prepare for your elimination!" Starscream thundered as they both automorphed their weapons to ready-states.
Starscream struck first, unleashing a volley missiles that Tailwhip just barely dodged. He retorted with his electron-laser, rapid-fire blasts rippling across Starscream's chassis as the Decepticon responded with glaring null-ray fire. Tailwhip just barely dodged the super-charged blast again, only to find out that his left shoulder assembly had been blown to pieces. It didn't matter now. He had one single objective in mind. 'I've got to try to knock the Allspark away from him. No power source, no power.'
Dumping the rockets from his rightmost launchers, the spread of incendiary detonations momentarily blinded Starscream as Tailwhip rushed in close. Seeing his charge at the last possible second, Starscream fired his null-Raju and the concentrated blast ripped through half of Tailwhip's abdominals. Shattered pieces of metal and circuits littered the ground followed by liberal splashes of liquid energon. Agony flared through every subsystem but Tailwhip extorted himself with a cry as he flung his arms towards Starscream's hand where the Allspark was clenched tightly.
He fought for the cube, struggling to wrench it free. "Off! Get off, you fool!" Starscream roared, another null-ray blast shattering the rotary actuators in Tailwhip's legs. Shouting in pain, Tailwhip dragged Starscream down and, at last, wrenched the Allspark from between his fingers.
Its power beckoned to him, invited Tailwhip to take part in the divine wellspring of energy. But Tailwhip ignored the callings of the cube. He had a different use for it in mind.
Forcing himself as upright as he could manage, Tailwhip clubbed Starscream across the face with the Allspark. A surge of pwoer blasted forth from the impact, tossing both Decepticons like toys through the air until they landed flat on their backs. The cube tumbled far from Tailwhip's reach as his overloaded internals caused system blackouts on every level, the young 'Con unable to rise.
Starscream, however, clambered to his feet with a startling realization. The sudden surge of Allspark energy had overloaded his own empowered chassis, resulting in a net gain of zero. Momentarily praising Tailwhip for his craftiness, Starscream realized he was running out of Allspark power and needed to reclaim the cube.
But a screech of otherworldly engines drew his attention skyward to where a silvery form was descending rapidly. Starscream's optics grew wide as the moment of impact drew ever closer. It was Megatron, here to finish what Tailwhip had started, and at his current speed there was no way Starscream could reclaim the Allspark in time to stand his ground. Starscream let out a shriek of dismay, whirled, and fled. Not to any point of the terrestrial compass, but upward into the clouds and beyond. "Starscream! You cannot escape my wrath!" Megatron thundered as he gave chase, streaking after the fleeing F-22.
White-red streaked across the Las Vegas skyline, followed doggedly by an alien vessel of sculpted raw metal. Powerful, skilled, capable, Megatron clung to Starscream's aft. No matter how times the Decepticon juked and dived, Megatron was always there. Hounding Starscream around every building, the boom sonic from their afterburners causing windows to shatter and rain glass shrapnel upon anyone unfortunate enough to be standing below. All the while, Megatron taunted Starscream across comms channels. Part of winning any battle was claiming victory over the mind. His presence alone was enough to destabilize Starscream's psyche. Enough goading would complete his conquest. "You could not defeat Optimus Prime and the Autobots once and for all?! Your leadership is PATHETIC!" He bellowed.
Twin energy nodules from the nose of his alt mode erupted with concentrated fusion blasts, sheering off Starscream's tail wings and punching holes through his aft. The F-22 began bleaching smoke as Megatron fired again, seeking to clip Starscream's wings. Refusing to lose his sole function that granted him even footing, Starscream dove towards the rooftop of a sprawling resort scape and converted to robot mode. He turned and fired his null-rays blasts scorching Megatron's chassis as he transformed into biped mode at the last possible second, powering through Starscream's fire as his fusion cannon emerged.
Megatron rounded on him and without a moment's thought blasted him away with a fusion cannon blast. The impact of Starscream's body against the side of the high-rise sent a booming echo through the air and across the skyline, felt by every sentient even remotely close to the scene of the unfolding brawl. "Where you cannot fly, you are at a disadvantage, Starscream," Megatron snarled. "You have never yet figured that out."
Another blast sent Starscream careening across the rooftop right to the edge before he could get to his feet. Starscream knew what he was doing. He was attempting to eat through the remaining Allspark power surging through his chassis, wearing him down with blows that would have killed any lesser mech. "And you are at a disadvantage against me because I am stronger than you," Megatron added, "my will is stronger! And I know you for the ambitious plotter that you are!" He transformed into tank mode, roaring across the rooftop and churning up all manner of concrete dust behind him as he unloaded another salvo aimed directly for Starscream.
In his vehicle mode for a split second, he fired his thrusters to dodge Megatron's assault. Then, suspended in midair, Starscream reassumed robot mode and rained down a volley of missiles, venting whatever Allspark power he could. Everything around Megatron disappeared in the intense flare of tactical photon warheads. He felt the surface shake with the impact of the detonations, felt ringing agony through every system. Even before the explosions had subsided, Megatron was reshaping himself again, rearing up on two legs to catch Starscream as he fell.
The two of them fell in a blur of savage blows and grappling moves. Again the ground shook as they landed, and Megatron delivered a series of pile-driver blows to Starscream, crushing him into the ground so hard that when he parried the last and rolled away to counterattack, he left behind a visible depression.
Again, Megatron and Starscream came together, Starscream punishing Megatron with lightning-fast spinning kicks and blows that seemed to come from nowhere. That was his nature, dodging and rolling and never quite where you thought he would be. Weathering the storm, Megatron awaited his opportunity. Starscream came after him again and again, flurries of blows, but Megatron knew he'd get his chance.
The moment came when Starscream grew just a bit overconfident. He opened himself up, let his balance go just the tiniest but to add a bit more force to a roundhouse punch, and before he even knew what was happening, Megatron was inside the arc of the swing. Starscream's arm flickered out of the way and Megatron's greater mass first lifted Starscream and then drove him down again.
Then it was over.
Megatron hit Starscream, and hit him again, and again and again and again until Starscream stopped resisting. Energon spattered his knuckles, metal fragments littered the broken concrete ground, and a depression formed in the shape of Starscream's head.
Rearing to his feet, Megatron looked down upon the broken Starscream. "You are guilty of the one unforgivable crime: FAILURE!" He roared.
Spewing energon from between broken denta, the jet clung to life. "I… won't be the last… Megatron…" Starscream rasped, his speech slurring from a dislodged vocoder, "Someone will always be there… to challenge your leadership!" He spat, bright blue coating Megatron's treads. The Decepticon leader pondered his words for a moment as his fusion cannon morphed out of his arm plates.
"...Maybe. But they will suffer the same fate as you." He growled, a purple glow lighting the barrel of his weapon.
Taking aim at the traitor between his legs, Megatron fired a single blast that vaporized Starscream's spark chamber, boring a hole clean through him. Starscream loosed a dying shriek before he slumped against the broken ground, his optics fading to blackness as his body fell still. Megatron cracked a smile, grinning manically as a grating chuckle swelled into full-throated bellowing laughter.
"Victory is mine! ALL SHALL FEAR THE MIGHT OF MEGATRON!"
The air fell quiet, faintly reverberating with his roar of triumph. This was not Cybertron, there were no fellow Decepticons to herald his rule. But the universe would come to know. The universe would tremble before his might. Megatron was back and he'd never felt better.
Taking flight, he converted to vehicle mode and returned to the initial scene of carnage. The Allspark was waiting for him.
Megatron spotted Tailwhip, conscious again, crawling across the scorched ground. He transformed and met his surviving faithful, Tailwhip turning his optics up towards his victorious leader. "We did it, Lord Megatron..." He sputtered, energon dripping from his mouth. "But... Barricade... and the others..."
"If they were truly Decepticons, they would have survived. Weakness is a rust that must be stripped away... just like you." Megatron stated, simply and calmly. A bewildered Tailwhip performed a double take, his chassis shuddering as a grating cough left his intakes.
"Wh-What? But… I helped save you…"
"Yes," Megatron affirmed, bending down over Tailwhip, "but you are heavily damaged."
"But… c-could be… repaired…" Tailwhip protested.
Megatron would hear no more of it. A clawed hand reached between cracked chestplates and tore out Tailwhip's spark, the young Decepticon lurching with a splutter as the light faded from his optics. He slumped over, falling offline as Megatron consumed his spark.
"A waste of resources." Megatron growled, glistening energy marking his denta. "The weak only serve to benefit the strong." It was a philosophy he had always lived by, ever since his ascension to founding the Decepticons.
Stepping over the mechanical corpse at his feet, Megatron looked for the telltale cube awaiting his grip. Starscream may have chosen to accept the Allspark's power, but he could not weild it properly. Megatron was more intelligent. More cunning. More brutal. Such divine right belonged firmly within his grasp…
Alas, there was no cube for him to grasp.
His crimson optics darted back and forth, his actions growing more feverish. The Allspark should have been there, not far from where Tailwhip had fallen. But the cube was missing. "Where is it…?" He demanded the empty air. "Where is it! My Allspark!" His roars went unanswered. "Who dares defy me my destiny?!"
The Allspark had been close. Very close. Now it was gone. He sensed its presence, its power. Both were receding steadily from his current location. But it was not far. After so many millennia, the delay in recovering the Allspark would be as nothing. No time would be involved, little effort would be required. Megatron broke off his visual search, leaving Tailwhip behind. In the distance something was calling to him again.
After all these eons. It was a calling that superseded all else: transformation, the coming gathering of allies, even the intended return to war-racked Cybertron. Before anything else could be done, it had to be dealt with. A last dealing, Megatron knew. A final reckoning. Everything else could wait, including the cleansing of this useful but currently diseased planet.
As he had already determined, it shouldn't take long.
Leaving Las Vegas far behind, Autobot Skyburst rocketed across the Nevada landscape with the Allspark nestled safely within his cockpit. He had trailed Megatron and Tailwhip to Starscream and had waited for fate to gift him a single moment to strike. Megatron pursued Starscream, Tailwhip was down for the count, and the Allspark was ripe for the taking. Its power beckoned to him and he was tempted to use it to survive Megatron's impending assault. But Skyburst knew better. Power. Divine, perfect power, could corrupt the brain module all too easily. The longer it festered, the less Skyburst would think of himself as an Autobot and more as an equal to, if not a successor of, Primus himself.
He dared not give in, no matter how tantalizing the fantasy might be. 'Just look at Megatron. He's given in and where's it gotten us?'
He opened a comms channel. "Skyburst to Optimus Prime! I've retrieved the Allspark and am returning to your location!" He announced, voice fraught with desperation. A blind appeared on his radar. It was far behind him but approaching steadily, on a direct and driven course like a hunter tracking down prey. "I sure hope we have a plan… I think Megatron is hot on my tail!"