Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
Outside Unit E at the military outpost, the Autobots, Hexside Squad and Dreadwing were all preparing to put their big rescue plan into motion as they had their flyer drone ready as well.
"Alright, everything's set to go." Swoop said with a confident smile.
"You sure we don't need to install a GPS on our little scout here?" Fowler questioned, gesturing to the drone.
"Too risky. Both sides are getting real good at rootin' out that kind of trick." Wheeljack replied.
"Besides, we don't need a tracker." Smokescreen assured.
"We've got Prime and our Ex-Con flyer." Ironhide added, gesturing to Optimus and Dreadwing.
"I still don't understand why me and Swoop need to stay behind." Jetfire muttered.
"It's better if we don't have so much of you following the drone, just to make it easy to avoid being detected." Elita said.
"Even so, won't Cons be able to see both of you coming?" Willow asked.
"Not until it's too late." Bulkhead replied.
"Tell me we're not just sitting at the base for the entire mission." Slug said, feeling bored at the thought.
"As soon as they both get onto the Nemesis and send their location, we'll be able to Ground Bridge ourselves onboard." Cliffjumper answered.
"That's good to me." Boscha said casually.
"We'll be prepared for immediate mobilisation upon your command, sir." Ultra Magnus informed.
"Good luck, Optimus." Smokescreen said.
"Same to you, Dreadwing." Snarl added.
"Make sure Ratch and the kid are okay." Jazz told them.
"Be safe." Arcee said.
"And take down any Cons that get in your way." Bumblebee instructed with a nod.
"Just save some for me." Grimlock said in a gruff tone.
"We've got faith in you." Amity said kindly.
"Yeah, we're going to save Ratchet and Vee, as well as give Megatron the beating he's deserved for a long time." Luz announced, smiling in determination.
"Whatever the outcome, know that Ratchet and Vee would be most proud of each one of us." Optimus said.
"And I am honoured to aid you all in doing what is truly the right thing for Cybertron." Dreadwing expressed, which made Hunter smile at him.
"Alright, pal, let's get this birdie in the air." Seaspray told the blonde Witch boy.
Hunter nodded and pressed a button on the remote control he was holding, making the transponder drone take off straight into the air. Optimus used his jetpack to fly after the drone and Dreadwing transformed before following the Autobot leader.
"Do you think we're close to the end?" Skara asked.
"Hopefully." Gus answered.
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Ratchet was currently pouring some Synth-En liquid into another container in the research room, working hard to get the formula correct.
"Fetch me the quantum cyber measure." Ratchet said to Knock Out, who was standing behind him.
"Hmph. Do I look like hired help to you, Autobot?" Knock Out questioned with a huff, until Shockwave approached him.
"Knock Out, attend to the needs of our esteemed guest." Shockwave ordered.
"As you command." Knock Out said in defeat, walking to fetch the requested material.
Shockwave then placed a piece of cyber-matter on the table for Ratchet to inspect.
"So we know this cyber-matter to be produced by an atypical molecular displacement reaction?" Ratchet asked.
"Extensive empirical evidence indicates the fundamental instability within the Synth-En formulation to be the cause." Shockwave explained.
"Double-blind analysis?" Ratchet questioned.
"Naturally. The results only confirmed my original hypothesis. Once the erroneous valuable has been corrected for, the stabilised synthetic material will bind properly with the cyber nucleic acid." Shockwave theorised.
"And produce a stable form of cyber-matter." Ratchet finished in a hopeful tone. "Remarkable."
"Yes. Quite an act of providence." Shockwave agreed.
"And to think that had not let you destroy the beasts, none of this would be possible." Knock Out admitted.
"What?" Ratchet asked as he grabbed a device from him, quite surprised by this new info that escaped the Decepticon doctor's mouth.
Knock Out realised what he accidentally spoke and tried coming up with a quick excuse.
"Eh, what I meant to say was those specimens you requested earlier aren't going to prepare themselves, are they?" Knock Out asked nervously, quickly leaving.
"There is much to do and little time, Doctor. Shall we get back to work?" Shockwave asked, referring to their current project.
"Certainly." Ratchet replied as he hid his suspicious expression. "Still, I only hope Vee is being treated without any hostility."
"Not to worry, doc. Wildrider's always good with taking care of prisoners." Knock Out reassured.
(Linebreak)
Speaking of Wildrider, he was currently standing alone by the cell that was containing Vee, wearing a slightly bored expression and crossing his arms.
"Wildrider, you fool! Release me at once!" A familiar voice shouted as Wildrider turned around to see 'Megatron' standing in the cell. "Have you forgotten who I am?! I am Megatron, your leader!"
"Oh, Lord Megatron. Shut up!" Wildrider retorted firmly as he turned away.
"Come on, old buddy! Don't do this!" 'Knock Out' called beggingly, now revealed to be standing in 'Megatron's' place. "We've been friends for a long time! You can't imprison me!"
Rolling his eyes, Wildrider turned back to the cell and brought out one of his blades.
"Keep it up. I'll cut all of your fleshy insides out, pest." Wildrider threatened.
'Knock Out' simply backed away and glared hardly at the blade-wielding Decepticon.
"When I get out of this cell, I'm gonna punch you right in your ugly face." 'Knock Out' declared.
"Heh. Yeah, right." Wildrider scoffed with a smirk, turning away.
Vee then shifted back into her usual Basilisk form and glared behind Wildrider.
"Please get here soon, guys." Vee whispered.
(Linebreak)
In the sky, Optimus and Dreadwing were flying side by side and still following the transponder drone.
"Prime, haven't heard from you and Dreadwing in a while." Fowler said on the com-link. "Everything alright up there?"
"So far, Agent Fowler." Optimus replied.
"We haven't reached the Nemesis yet, but we will soon." Dreadwing informed.
(Linebreak)
"So, what happens the Decepticons start receiving Laserbeak's signal on our drone?" Amity asked the Autobots.
"They'll probably get suspicious about it." Jazz answered.
"We're actually hoping Optimus and Dreadwing will arrive on the Nemesis before they can detect Chip." Hunter said.
"I still say that's a ridiculous name." Grimlock muttered to himself.
"And once they got onboard, we storm the Nemesis and save Ratchet and Vee." Cliffjumper proclaimed in confidence.
"I'm sure Prime and his ex-Con pal will be fine." Seaspray assured.
"It's not Optimus we're worried about." Arcee replied.
"Whatever the Decepticons are doing with Ratchet and Vee, it better not be torture." Luz said with a firm expression.
(Linebreak)
Back on the Nemesis, Ratchet and Shockwave continued working on stabilising the Synth-En formula with Knock Out being treated as their personal assistant.
"Knock Out, I require a fresh CNA sample." Shockwave instructed.
With an annoyed sigh, Knock Out began making his way to a storage shelf of liquid containers.
"Knock Out, bring this. Knock Out, get that. Apparently, fetching is all I'm good for lately." Knock Out complained, groaning frustratingly to himself. "It wasn't all that long ago I used to run this lab. Now I'm everyone's gofer, and Breakdown and Wildrider are too into their glory and missions to even stand up for me."
After he grabbed a container and went to deliver it to Shockwave, Ratchet noticed a container that had fallen down and the shelf's door ended up stopping when it landed on it. Ratchet silently made his way to the shelf, but Knock Out noticed him.
"Yes?" Knock Out asked, causing Ratchet to turn to him.
"The isoprobe. I…don't see one." Ratchet answered quickly.
"What a surprise." Knock Out said sarcastically, walking to where the Isoprobe would be.
Ratchet took his chance to grab the container behind his back and he tried pulling it out, but it wouldn't budge. After stopping for a moment to see that Shockwave and Knock Out were preoccupied, Ratchet started using both his hands to try pulling out the wedged container. Knock Out then found the device he was looking for and also grabbed the CNA container, just as Ratchet finally managed to pull out the container and the shelf door closed properly. Knock Out approached Ratchet, who hid the container he acquired, and held the Isoprobe to him.
"Anything else?" Knock Out questioned.
Ratchet simply took the Isoprobe from the Decepticon doctor.
"Thank you." Ratchet said with a nervous smile as Knock Out paused to process what he said.
"You're welcome." Knock Out replied sincerely before he left.
Ratchet took a moment to sigh in relief, glad he wasn't caught.
(Linebreak)
On the main deck, Megatron, Soundwave, Shatter and Dropkick were overseeing the Omega Lock'e rebuilding process on a terminal screen.
"We're ninety-three percent done, Lord Megatron." Dropkick informed. "It won't be long until the Omega Lock's ready for activation with that Synth-En formula the doc is making for us."
"Good. We stand at the very precipice of a new age." Megatron announced.
But then, Soundwave started displaying a radio wave signal on his screen and the other three Decepticons recognised it.
"Is that…?" Shatter began to ask.
"What do you mean our scanners have detected Laserbeak's signal?" Megatron questioned Soundwave before he turned towards Starscream, who was working at another terminal. "Starscream, you did destroy the Autobot base, did you not?"
"With great fervour, my lord." Starscream answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Because Laserbeak's signal has been detected on radar." Megatron said, gesturing to the radio on Soundwave's face.
"But that's not possible. He's right here, in Soundwave's torso." Starscream reminded as he pointed at the Mini-Con drone.
"And we know that Laserbeak is incapable of sending out his transponder signal while inactive." Shatter said, shooting a frown at Starscream.
"Which is why this would appear to be an Autobot and Witch trick, designed to uncover our position and rescue two certain prisoners. But then, one has to wonder, how would they possibly manage to execute such a complex task without the proper facilities?!" Megatron demanded in Starscream's face.
"They fooled Starscream. That's how." Dropkick replied, chuckling at Starscream's failure to destroy their enemies.
"I, uh…allow me to troubleshoot." Starscream said nervously before activating his com-link. "Thundercracker, Skywarp, meet me at the hanger at once!"
(Linebreak)
Optimus and Dreadwing continued to follow the transponder drone in the sky and it eventually led them to a large thundercloud ahead.
"Going into an Earth storm like that would be dangerous, Prime." Dreadwing warned.
"I know, but we must brave through it if we are to rescue Ratchet and Vee." Optimus replied in determination before both of them flew into the thundercloud.
(Linebreak)
At the same time, Ratchet was seen working on a terminal and found an important element required for the Synthetic Energon, making him gasp silently.
"The final piece of the puzzle." Ratchet whispered before he smiled. "Thank you, Decepticon engineering."
"Shockwave." Megatron called on the communicator. "Assembly of the Omega Lock is entering the final stage. Your guidance is required."
"Understood, my liege." Shockwave replied as he stopped his work and walked towards the exit. "Knock Out, supervise our guest in my absence."
"Wow. Thanks for the big vote of confidence." Knock Out muttered as Shockwave left.
Ratchet took another look at the terminal screen, knowing what he had to do to protect Earth and rescue Vee.
"I can't allow Megatron to possess the stabilised formula." Ratchet said quietly, deleting all info of the final element. "Now now or ever."
The Autobot medic then moved towards the table that had the quantum cryo-inducer on it and turned it on before quickly shoving the isoprobe inside it, causing an explosion that Knock Out immediately heard.
"For the love of-What is happening?!" Knock Out questioned in frustration.
"The formula instability. It must have triggered a chain reaction." Ratchet lied.
"Guards! Help me extinguish this inferno before it scorches the project!" Knock Out called on his com-link before smoke filled the lab. "And my finish!"
The two Vehicons outside opened the door and ran into the smoke-filled lab to help put out the fire, but this allowed Ratchet to transform and drive out of the room.
(Linebreak)
Optimus and Dreadwing were flying their way through the large thundercloud and made sure to avoid any nearby lightning bolts.
"Prime, I still have the drone's location on my radar." Dreadwing said. "As long as we're close enough to it, we should still be on the right track to the Nemesis."
"Understood, Dreadwing. Let us hope we do not encounter any complications on our way." Optimus said with a nod.
"That might come sooner than we think." Dreadwing replied in concern.
He was right as Starscream then showed up in his vehicle form alongside Thundercracker and Skywarp, which Optimus and Dreadwing quickly noticed.
"Optimus Prime. How dare you continue to live!" Starscream scowled.
"Wait, that fighter jet flying beside him." Thundercracker said, slowly realising who it was. "Is that…Dreadwing?!"
"Yeah! And he's siding with Prime of all Cybertronians!" Skywarp exclaimed.
"Then that makes him a traitor! And all traitors must be destroyed!" Starscream announced before he and his two Seeker minions fired missiles.
Optimus and Dreadwing quickly avoided the missiles and fired their mini gun and turrets respectively at the three Seekers, who flew out of the way.
"Blast that Autobot and traitor into oblivion!" Starscream ordered his armada, who flew out of a cloud from above and fired at Optimus and Dreadwing.
As Dreadwing flew away from three Vehicon Seekers that chased him, Optimus was being pursued by the rest of them as he was able to avoid all of their blaster shots. The Autobot leader then turned around and fired his mini gun as he managed to shoot down one of the Vehicons. Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp flew in to get a better view of the sky battle.
"How did Prime or Dreadwing even manage to copy Laserbeak's signal?" Skywarp questioned.
"The frequency isn't emanating from either of them, and it's still on the move." Starscream informed, noticing a far away signal on his radar. "Both of you, finish them! If I cannot find the source of the signal before it reaches the Nemesis, Megatron will have our heads!"
Starscream then flew away to chase the signal, leaving Thundercracker and Skywarp to deal with their enemies.
"Looks like we need to clean up another one of Scream's messes, again." Thundercracker sighed before the two of then flew in.
(Linebreak)
Megatron was seen standing on the Nemesis' main deck and then he got a call from the lab room.
"Lord Megatron! Uh, there has been a situation, more like an accident really." Knock Out said in nervousness. "I-"
"Spit. It. Out!" Megatron yelled.
"One of the prisoners has escaped!" Knock Out stated, causing Megatron to growl in anger.
(Linebreak)
Alarms started ringing out around the Nemesis as Vee and Wildrider heard them, too.
"Decepticons, the Autobot medic has escaped! Find him!" Shatter's voice called on the radio.
"Perfect. I knew Knock Out would screw up." Wildrider grumbled to himself.
While the blade-wielding Decepticon was not looking, Vee looked up and noticed a small piece of wiring that was hanging out a loose metal panel on her cell's wall. Grinning confidently, Vee shifted into a flyer Vehicon and reached her hand into the loose panel before tearing some of the wires out, causing the power of her energy door to fade away and let her free. Wildrider suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, only to get punched in the face by Vee and crash into the wall before falling unconscious.
"Told you so." Vee said in a Vehicon's voice before running her way down the corridors. "If Ratchet did escape, I've got to find him."
(Linebreak)
Back at the thundercloud, Optimus flew higher up into the clouds with the Vehicons still shooting him from behind and the Autobot leader then flew right down at them, shooting some with his mini gun. Dreadwing did a fly-over move and he got behind the three Vehicons that pursued him before transforming and landing ontop of one of them, pulling out his cannon and instantly shooting the other two down. Dreadwing then pulled out his sword and sliced the Vehicon he stood on in half, quickly transforming as the two halves exploded behind him. That was when Skywarp teleported behind Dreadwing and started shooting at him.
"I should've known you stabbed us in the back when Starscream came back, Dreadwing!" Skywarp shouted.
"Now you're going to get terminated! Just like you, Prime!" Thundercracker added as he fired five missiles at the Autobot leader, who quickly shot them down.
Further away, Starscream was following the drone's signal on his radar.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Starscream said.
Optimus avoided more laser shots from the Vehicons and blasted them all into pieces. When he saw Thundercracker flying at him, Optimus placed his mini gun away and avoided a few turret shots from the blue Seeker before he kicked him on the front and then tossed him away. Thundercracker yelled out as he was headed straight for Skywarp, who was still following Dreadwing and shooting him.
"Skywarp, move!" Thundercracker yelled out, only to crash into his partner and they both got sent flying away.
"You moron!" Skywarp shouted angrily as they fell downwards.
"Thank you for the assistance, Prime." Dreadwing said gratefully as he and Optimus flew beside each other.
"You're welcome." Optimus replied in kindness.
The two of them then flew straight ahead to catch up with Starscream.
(Linebreak)
Back in the Nemesis, Ratchet drove his way down the corridors and avoided some blaster shots from some Vehicons behind him. Shatter and Dropkick then stood in the Autobot medic's path.
"Trying to escape was a very bad move, doc." Dropkick said, aiming his blaster at Ratchet.
"With offered you cooperation, but you still end up betraying it." Shatter commented. "How disappointing."
Dropkick then started firing his blaster at Ratchet, who managed to swerve around the corridor and avoid the shots while driving straight ahead.
"Hold still, you stupid Autobot!" Dropkick scowled frustratingly.
With a very skilful turn, Ratchet was able to ram Dropkick and Shatter on their legs and they both fell to the floor before either of them could react, allowing Ratchet to drive away. After regaining focus, Dropkick then found himself laying ontop of Shatter and there was a long moment of awkward silence between them.
"Huh. I didn't know you looked so good when you're this close." Dropkick complimented.
"Just get off me!" Shatter ordered in annoyance, shoving her partner away.
Ratchet continued to drive his way throughout the Nemesis to find Vee and hopefully find a way off the ship.
"Just be safe, Vee. I'll find you." Ratchet said.
But as soon as he made a left turn, Megatron was standing right in front of him and he pressed his foot down on Ratchet to prevent him from moving. Ratchet shouted painfully as Megatron's foot ended up breaking his front window.
"If you terminate me…you'll never get your hands on the formula." Ratchet warned.
Megatron removed his foot from Ratchet and allowed the Autobot medic to transform, collapsing on one knee.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain, doctor. My experts are working diligently to disentangle your…false trail as we speak." Megatron replied before he got a call on his com-link.
"Lord Megatron, I've just found Wildrider laying on the floor and it looks like the shapeshifting fleshy's escaped." Breakdown informed.
But instead of being mad about it, Megatron remained calm and grew a sinister grin.
"It matters not. Once we have the complete formula and 'award' our guest, we shall hunt down the shifter and make sure she doesn't leave alive." Megatron proclaimed, making Ratchet gain a worried expression.
(Linebreak)
In the thundercloud, Starscream finally reached the signal and he saw the transponder drone ahead.
"There you are. And down you go." Starscream said, firing a missile at the drone and destroying the drone.
Optimus and Dreadwing arrived too late to see that their only hope of reaching the Nemesis was now gone.
"No!" Optimus said dreadfully.
"You will pay for this, Starscream!" Dreadwing called out, firing his turrets relentlessly at Starscream and Optimus did the same with his mini gun.
Starscream yelped fearfully as he was being chased around by Optimus and Dreadwing, avoiding their shots frantically.
"Thundercracker, Skywarp, where in Primus' name are you?!" Starscream questioned on his com-link.
"Coming up to you now!" Thundercracker replied as he and Skywarp then teleported behind their commander.
"Soundwave, we need a Ground Bridge!" Skywarp stated urgently.
A Ground Bridge then appeared ahead and the three Seekers flew right into it, closing up before Optimus and Dreadwing could catch up. The two of them then looked on in despair as they now had no means of reaching Ratchet and Vee.
(Linebreak)
In the Nemesis' lab, Knock Out was holding the CNA container Ratchet tried stealing.
"Nice try. I'll just put this back where it belongs." Knock Out said before taking the container back to the shelf.
"What's the status, Shockwave?" Shatter asked.
"Spectrum analysis confirms that the Synthetic Energon is stable." Shockwave answered, pulling out a container from the cryo-inducer. "The formula is now complete."
"And your time table for production?" Megatron questioned.
"With the aid of hyper-acceleration technology, not long." Shockwave said.
"We've already got our troops searching the whole ship for that shapeshifter. She won't be able to escape, master." Dropkick told his leader.
"Oh, a pity you won't live long enough to witness the fruits of your labour or say goodbye to your little friend." Megatron told Ratchet. "But as much as we appreciate your contributions, Doctor, I made a promise to someone that I intend to keep."
(Linebreak)
Later on, Ratchet was taken to an opened door that led to the main hanger and the two Vehicons holding him tossed him out before the door closed behind him. Ratchet began to stand, but someone stood over him.
"Do you feel defenceless, Autobot?" A familiar voice asked.
When Ratchet looked up, he gained a surprised expression when he saw Predaking glaring down hardly at him.
"Good. Now you know what my fellow Predacons endured." Predaking said before he grabbed Ratchet by his head. "Right before you massacred them!"
The Predacon then tossed Ratchet to the other side and transformed into his Predacon form, roaring loudly with the intent to make Ratchet die a painful death. Predaking struck Ratchet with his front claws several times and he was sent flying away, but Predaking wasn't finished.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Vee was seen walking her way down the corridors in her Vehicon disguise and soon bumped into two Vehicon soldiers, causing her to stumble back a bit.
"Watch where you're walking, soldier." One of the Vehicons said firmly.
"Right, sorry." Vee apologised nervously. "Say, where's that Autobot medic we captured again? I haven't been informed much, lately."
"We just handed him to the Predacon." The second Vehicon answered. "That beast will turn him into burnt scrap in minutes."
"And to think he helped us make what we needed to rebuild Cybertron." The other Vehicon chuckled before they both walked away.
"Oh Titan, this isn't good." Vee said to herself in worridness, running her way down the corridors to make it to the main hanger.
(Linebreak)
In the skies, Optimus and Dreadwing were flying aimlessly through the air.
"Optimus to base, come in." Optimus said on his com-link.
"We can hear you, Optimus." Luz replied. "Have you and Dreadwing reached the Nemesis, yet?"
"No, Luz. The transponder has been destroyed." Optimus answered. "We are no closer to finding Ratchet and Vee than when we began."
(Linebreak)
"What?!" Luz asked in horror as she and the others didn't like this new info. "But if we don't have any other way to reach them, does that mean…"
"Calm down, Luz. It doesn't mean we're going to lose them." Amity reassured, pulling her girlfriend in for a comforting hug as Stringbean nuzzled against her cheek.
"There's gotta be another way to find the Nemesis." Swoop proclaimed.
"Not unless their cloaking field is down, which barely even happens." Wheeljack said.
(Linebreak)
At the same time, Shockwave approached a holographic panel on the lower level of the Nemesis and pressed on it. Shatter and Dropkick stood beside him as they watched a massive amount of Synthetic Energon fill up a lot of Energon tanks.
"So far, so good." Dropkick said. "That medic really pulled through for us."
"I nearly feel sorry for letting our resident beast terminate him. Almost." Shatter added with a smirk.
"Lord Megatron, synthesis of the cyber-matter required to cyber form Earth has commented." Shockwave informed his leader on the terminal's communicator.
(Linebreak)
"Splendid, Shockwave. Move the Omega Lock into position." Megatron ordered as the other Decepticons stood behind him on the main deck. "I want to be ready."
"This is it, boys. We're finally going to win." Skywarp remarked.
"At last. Good riddance to a wretched species." Starscream said.
"They're all about to be turned into molten metal in our new secondary home." Thundercracker added. "Then, we'll be moving onto cyber forming the Boiling Isles."
"Wish I could see the Autobots' faces, now." Breakdown sneered while holding a very dizzy Wildrider up, who murmured dizzily.
"Although, I will say they manufacture some fine-looking automobiles." Knock Out admitted, causing the others to look at him in disbelief.
(Linebreak)
On the main hanger, Ratchet was tossed into a wall by Predaking and the Predacon then grabbed him with his jaws before throwing him like a chew toy. Predaking then pounced towards Ratchet and pinned him to the floor with his foot.
"Just get it over with. It's not like I could ever live with myself, knowing the role I played in humankind's extinction." Ratchet said weakly as some Energon leaked from his mouth.
Predaking snarled down at the Autobot medic, ready to finish him off.
"Stop!" A voice yelled.
Ratchet and Predaking looked back at the entrance to see a Vehicon rush into the open, until he shifted into Vee in her Basilisk form.
"V-Vee?" Ratchet questioned.
"If you wanna destroy somebody, you can start with me! I feel just as bad as you do about how your Predacon friends were destroyed!" Vee stated. "Ratchet didn't have any part in it!"
Predaking let out a low growl as he was convinced to destroy a weak little organic like Vee and he trekked right up to her, with Ratchet still laying in the ground in a weakened state.
"No, don't!" Ratchet begged, reaching out helplessly as Predaking stood over Vee in a menacing way.
"But know this, you shouldn't be taking your revenge out on me and my friends!" Vee proclaimed. "It should be on the psycho who mastermind the whole thing form the start! Megatron!"
Once he heard this, Predaking relented in surprise for a bit and transformed to his robot form.
"What?! What do you mean?" Predaking demanded.
"Megatron wanted to have all of your Predacons destroyed from the beginning and he manipulated us into doing his own dirty work!" Vee told him, only for Predaking to suddenly grab her.
"Nothing but a false claim to save your pitiful organic life!" Predaking replied angrily, holding Vee up in his grip.
"I'm not lying! I know what it's like to be brought back from extinction by a madman!" Vee said in sympathy, feeling a bit of pain from Predaking's crushing grip. "Megatron's no different! He's just using you for his own goals, not your own!"
Ratchet finally managed to recover as he stood up and rushed straight towards Predaking, getting in front and grabbing him by the arm in an attempt to make him let Vee go.
"You consider yourself an intelligent being, don't you?" Ratchet questioned, making Predaking calm down and think for a bit. "Then rise above your base instincts and analyse the situation."
Predaking then released Vee and she was caught by Ratchet, who settled her on the ground.
"Thank you." Vee said. "Now please, listen to everything we know."
"We followed the trail of that day with the desperate hope that it would lead to an Energon mine." Ratchet explained, wiping the Energon from his mouth. "We had no idea we would find Shockwave's laboratory."
"A coincidence barely seems plausible." Predaking said, unconvinced.
"That's because it wasn't a coincidence, at all. Megatron planted that Energon so we'd come to get it, search the cave for more, discover the Predacon lab inside and destroy it out of fear, just so you could be provoked into destroying us in response." Vee replied in a reasonable tone.
"Hmmm. Why would my liege wish to destroy us?" Predaking questioned.
"Having just been on the receiving end of your might, one theory springs to mind." Ratchet told him. "Megatron fears you. And any like you."
"Believe me, Predaking, you're nothing more than a pawn he likes to manipulate all the time. Some toy that he's always playing with in a cruel way." Vee proclaimed. "As soon as he's done conquering my home world, Earth and Cybertron, you'll outlive your usefulness to him and he'll get rid of you before you know it."
Now convinced of everything he has been told by Ratchet and Vee, Predaking let out a mad growl as he was now dead set on ripping Megatron's head from his body.
(Linebreak)
With an extremely furious yell, Predaking caused an explosion that sent a Vehicon flying away. The Predacon then started tearing his way through many Vehicons and Insecticons along the Nemesis' corridors as their attacks did nothing to stop him.
(Linebreak)
On the main deck, Megatron started receiving a call.
"Lord Megatron, we have a problem! Predaking is rampaging through the entire ship!" Sharpshot called out alarmingly.
"And from what we've seen and heard, he's really mad! Mad! Mad!" Kickback exclaimed, causing Megatron to grow concerned.
"Scrap." Breakdown muttered.
(Linebreak)
As Predaking continued to slaughter every Decepticon in his way, Ratchet was accessing a communication terminal with Vee on his left shoulder.
"Autobot base, do you read?" Ratchet asked. "This is Ratchet. Can anyone hear me?"
(Linebreak)
Optimus managed to hear the Autobot medic on his com-link and he smiled in relief.
"Loud and clear, old friend." Optimus said.
(Linebreak)
Team Prime, the Hexside Squad and Dinobots all cheered happily once they heard Ratchet's voice.
"Wait, is Vee with you as well?" Luz asked hopefully.
"I sure am, Luz." Vee replied on the communicator, making the Hispanic girl sigh relief.
"Gracias a Dios." Luz said with a smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Vee."
"None of that matters now, Luz. We have more important things to deal with." Vee informed.
"Listen to me, Megatron has managed to rebuild the Omega Lock onboard the Nemesis." Ratchet said.
"He did? Guess Ratchet was right from the start." Skara admitted.
(Linebreak)
"I've deactivated the Decepticon shielding system. You should be able to get a fix on mine and Vee's coordinates." Ratchet said before hearing some more blaster shots from the battle nearby. "Optimus, you must hurry. Megatron is preparing to cyber form Earth as we speak."
"Get here as fast as you can! We're gonna try slowing down the Omega Lock's activation!" Vee stated before they both left down the other side of the corridors.
(Linebreak)
"Ratchet?" Optimus asked, only to get no response.
"Prime, it is time for us to end this war." Dreadwing told the Autobot leader. "Everything that has happened has been leading to this moment."
Optimus nodded in agreement before switching to communicate with the base.
"Autobots, lock onto those coordinates and prepare to storm the Nemesis." Optimus ordered.
(Linebreak)
As soon as they heard these orders, Ultra Magnus and Elita turned to the other Bots.
"You heard our leader! We're going in and we're going in heavy!" Ultra Magnus declared.
"Grab all of your equipment and prepare to Ground Bridge onto the Nemesis! It's time we ended, once and for all!" Elita stated.
All of the Autobots grabbed their respective gear in preparation for the ultimate battle. Arcee got her laser weapon, Bumblebee got his Energon rifle and shield, Bulkhead got his cannon, Cliffjumper got his duel pistols, Wheeljack held up an Energon rifle, Jazz got his Cybertronian bow, Seaspray sharpened his sickles and loaded up his torpedo launcher, Smokescreen powered up the Phase Shifter, Ironhide bared his cannons out, Jetfire placed his wrist missiles away and shifted his left hand into his Photon Burst Rifle, Ultra Magnus held up his large blaster, Elita shifted both her hands into duel blasters, Grimlock brought out his sword and shield and his Dinobot team got into fighting stances.
"What about us?" Hunter asked.
"We'll need all of you to remain here and monitor our progress for now." Elita instructed.
"Just let us tear apart every Decepticon on that ship." Grimlock said, growling sternly.
"They can't just leave without saying goodbye, first." Gus said with a frown before Fowler placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No time for that, and no need. They'll be back." Fowler reassured.
"They always come back." Willow added.
"Hopefully." Boscha said.
"Opening the Ground Bridge, now." Luz said as she then used the computer to make the green vortex appear, allowing the Autobots to walk into it.
"Members of Team Prime, Autobot, human and Witch, it has been my honour to lead all of you. On this day, the fates of three worlds hang in the balance and the battle to come may very well be our last." Optimus said on the communicator. "But for Earth, for Cybertron, for the Boiling Isles, for our comrades, Ratchet and Vee…we must take the Nemesis."
(Linebreak)
Back on the Nemesis, Megatron was making his way towards Predaking's position with Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Knock Out by his side.
"Are you sure confronting the beast bot directly is the best option, Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked in concern.
"We shall see how his majesty fairs against the most powerful weapon in our vault. The Dark Star Saber." Megatron said, showing no signs of worridness.
"Let's hope it's enough to take down that fire-breathing behemoth." Skywarp muttered.
When they arrived at a left turn, an offline Vehicon suddenly landed in front of them and they turned to see Predaking slamming two more into the wall.
"MEGATRON!" Predaking yelled at the top of his metallic lungs.
"I'll just go fetch that little something we talked about." Knock Out said timidly before leaving.
"Is it true that you ordered the annihilation of my army?!" Predaking questioned in anger.
"Indeed." Megatron replied. "And my only mistake was not seeing the extermination through."
Megatron brought out his blade and Predaking bared his deadly claws as they both glared at each other, until the Predacon charged straight at the Decepticon leader and he got into a fighting stance. Avoiding an incoming strike, Megatron slashed Predaking with his blade and the Predacon was barely hurt by the slashes before he grabbed Megatron and threw him right into the wall, punching him in the gut as Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp looked on in shock. Predaking then threw Megatron into the wall on the other side.
"I will tear you apart!" Predaking shouted in rage, grabbing a Vehicon body and smacking Megatron a bunch of times with it.
The Decepticon leader was sent flying to the other side of the corridor and he quickly stood back up before locking hands with Predaking. Megatron shouted out as he tried pushing back, but Predaking's strength proved to be better as he held him where he stood.
"Megatron never said we should interfere." Thundercracker told his fellow Seekers, making them realise he had a good point.
The three Seekers then fired their missiles at Predaking and they exploded on his back, making the Predacon shout out in pain. The door behind Megatron opened up and the Decepticon leader punched Predaking before cirlce-tossing him into the room.
"Heh, that's the spirit." Megatron said breathlessly, wiping his face. "But I was a champion of the pits of Kaon not only due to my savage might…but also my cunning!"
As Predaking slowly got back up, Megatron pressed two buttons on a terminal behind him and an airlock door suddenly opened up behind the Predacon, who held on tightly in an attempt to not get sucked out.
"You should have heeded my advice and faced me as a beast!" Megatron taunted before aiming his cannon at Predaking and firing it.
Predaking ended up getting blown out of the Nemesis and he yelled out while falling away, bashing onto one of the wings in the process. Megatron slowly approached the open airlock door and looked out to see if Predaking was gone, until Starscream pressed on the terminal and closed the door.
"Bravo, my liege." Starscream complimented. "It isn't everyday one witnesses the extinction of a species all over again."
"Guess that's why you don't mess with the laws of life." Skywarp quipped.
"One ultimate weapon, coming right up!" Knock Out announced, walking into the room with the Star Saber and noticing Predaking was nowhere to be seen. "Now where's tall, dark and scaly?"
"You might wanna think about being faster next time, Knock Out." Thundercracker replied.
But then, the alarm started going off again.
"Report!" Megatron called out.
"Lord Megatron, the ship is under attack! By the Autobots!" A Vehicon exclaimed as there were sounds of blaster fire and explosions.
"What?! The Autobots are here?!" Thundercracker asked in disbelief.
"But the Nemesis is cloaked." Starscream said. "How is that possible?"
"…The medic and shapeshifter live!" Megatron realised. "Mobilise what remains of our forces! The Omega Lock must be defended at all costs!"
The Decepticon leader grabbed the Dark Star Saber and walked up to the exit, which opened in his presence.
"If Optimus Prime wishes to wage a battle for the fate of Earth, Cybertron and the Boiling Isles, then I shall oblige him. This will be our last stand." Megatron vowed as the Dark Saber glowed with evil purple energy, determined to win the war right here and now.
Next time, the final battle of Season 3 commences.
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