Hello all. Welcome back to Beast Wars Prime. This chapter took a while write since I had to rewatch the episode that inspired it several times. That said, if this chapter comes off seeming like a novelization of the episode I apologize. I wanted to make sure it followed cannon as much as possible with the addition of the Maximals. Enjoy.
The plan had been simple enough. Ratchet ground bridging across country and using spoofs of their phones with prerecorded messages of the kids to draw the Decepticons' attention in two, followed by Jack imitating a Vehicon (with some questionable acting) to dwindle their forces even further by drawing the Insecticons to a distant energon mine. Though how the Decepticons fell for it was unknown, apparently, they'd forgotten the phones had been destroyed.
The second step had been for the Autobots to split into two teams. Wheeljack and Bulkhead were to storm the front of the base. Arcee and Bumblebee, the back way via an exhaust vent into a corridor. Finally Ultra Magnus and the newly dubbed Maximals would use his ship to enter the top of the Fortress and take out the fusion cannons' power core.
The first hitch was hit when the Predacon had been released to attack Wheeljack and Bulkhead. Ultra Magnus however, had accounted for this, and was able to make it chase his ship. With some quick thinking from Ratchet, they were able to lead it through a ground bridge to the Arctic.
The plan was then to do some additional damage to the Vehicon forces. Unfortunately, that was derailed by Arcees' report that she and Bumblebee were pinned by security. Pioliting his ship towards the top of the fortress he addressed the Maximals.
"Alright." He began. "Once we go in, it'll be your job to take out any guards in the room. Afterwards I need you to keep any other Vehicons off me until I destroy the power core. Is that Understood?"
"Loud and clear mags." Miko grinned. Much as they were loath to be back there, the three were looking forward to getting some payback for what had been done too them. Once the cannons were gone the base was finished. If they saw Knockout on the way, even better.
Deciding to forego any comment on her lack of the word 'sir' Ultra Magnus got into position, and motioned the Maximals to do the same. Lowering the boarding ramp, the four disembarked, Magnus in the lead. Following him in beast mode to cover the distance they watched as Magnus leapt and fired his gun at the wall, smashing through it to create an entry point.
The Maximals transformed as they passed through the hole and began their attack. Miko pulled her katanas, slicing in an X shape she took off the first Vehicons' head and left arm. Raf powered up his chain guns and let loose a volley of fire at his nearest opponent. First blowing chunks out of their armor and then limbs and head off the torso. Jasck took the last one out of the fray by using his laser whip to slice his opponent shoulder to hip. Ultra Magnus nodded in approval, aiming his gun at the power core before it was shot out of his hands.
"Ultra Magnus, and the Autobots, formerly human pets." Megatron called as he dropped from the ceiling. He glared at the group. "Allow me to venture, that you intend to disarm my fusion cannons by disabling their power core?" He turned to the Maximals. "And I'd also hazard a guess that you three are here to assist as some petty form of revenge."
"Indeed, on both counts Megatron." Jack stated. Ultra Magnus deployed his guns. "And you're standing in our way." Magnus finished.
The four charged Megatron from both directions. Magnus and Rafs' guns blaring. Taking the first few shots to his armor, Megatron grabbed Magnus and flung him at the oncoming Maximals. Jack and Miko jumped over the oncoming Autobot, but Raf wasn't as quick and was bowled over.
Miko attempted to slash at Megatons' chest with her swords as Jack tried to wrap his whip around their opponents' right forearm, hoping to disarm his cannon. Sidestepping Miko, Megatron grabbed the whip and pulled Jack towards him like a yoyo. With a mighty punch he was flung backwards into his fallen comrades. When Miko leapt to take another slash, he sidestepped again and kicked her in the back, sending her in the same general direction.
This gave Ultra Magnus the moment he needed to roll back on his feet. He charged at Megatron who was waiting for him. He grabbed Magnus by the shoulder and slammed him into the wall. The blow was immediately followed by a punch to the head that sent him face first to the floor.
"Ultra Magnus." He growled, narrowing his optics. "You are no Optimus Prime." He finished.
"Maybe not, but that won't stop us from trying." Came a trio of synchronized voices. Megatron turned around and saw, instead of the three warriors he'd been expecting, he saw the combiner that he'd fought made from the humans after Knockouts' experiment.
They looked a bit different now though. Instead of protoform grey all over their arms and legs were metallic yellow, partially covered in brown rhino hide. Its' abdomen was Metallic blue with grey white fur going around the back, and the chest was a burgundy with falcon wings running down the sides from the shoulders like armor. Like before three sparks were glowing in its' chest hull but now, they were tinted yellow, burgundy, and blue. The androgynous face was now surrounded by black lions' mane and topped with a falcons' head, half of a bisected rhinoceros' horn curving out where each shoulder met the neck.
Megatron grinned. Finally, an opponent that might offer something of a challenge. Leaving the dazed Ultra Magnus on the ground he deployed his sword and charged the combiner. They leapt over Megatrons' charge and drew their sword, turning to stand between Magnus and Megatron.
Megatron laughed. "Do you really think you can make a difference?" He taunted striking at the combiner, who barely blocked his blow. "Like I told you before, I've bested combiners bigger and better than whatever you three are now." He forced them back a few paces. "All you are now is an annoyance, another nameless casualty, a mistake of Decepticon science." He then knocked their sword to the side and were sent flying backwards to the floor by a low powered blast from his cannon. Afterall, he still wanted them intact, mostly.
They glared up at Megatron. "You call us a freak, but we know better." They got back up, using their sword to brace themselves. "We became what we are for a reason." They charged Megatron, locking swords with him again. This time taking care not to get within his cannons' firing range. "We are here to stop you and your campaign of conquest. You say we will be nothing but a casualty, another nameless statistic in your grand designs." They both took a step forward, placing more strength into their respective blades.
Megatron kicked them in the abdomen, driving them back. "And we have a name for ourself now." They swung their broadsword forward, forcing him to parry and driving him onto the backfoot. "WE." They swung their sword left, slicing the top third of Megatrons fusion cannon off, disabling it. "AM." They delivered a kick to Megatrons' chest, sending him staggering. "MAGNABOSS!"
Ultra Magnus had cleared his head right as the newly dubbed Magnaboss began to speak. He stared wide opticed at the combiner before him. How was this possible? They never said anything about being able to combine. "If we survive this mission, we're going to have a long talk about this." He muttered, standing up.
"Oh, believe me." Megatron growled, glaring at Magnus, breathing heavily. Even without his fusion cannon, he would prevail over them. "You won't survive this battle, either of you." He snarled at the advancing Magnaboss. Their charge had surprised him, allowing them to land that kick. "Even if I didn't have the blood of Unicron flowing through me, I'd still be more than a match for the both of you."
Magnaboss grinned, feeling something surging in their collective sparks. "Let's see how true that statement is." Their sparks began to glow brightly. Throwing up their hands, a thin beam of colored energy lanced out from each of the three sparks, converging and twisting into a single greenish white beam just in front of Magnaboss' chest. The energy surged forward, closing the gap between Magnaboss and Megatron, hitting him squarely in the chest, right at his spark chamber.
It was pure agony for Megatron as he felt like acid was coursing through every fiber of his being. Letting loose an ear shattering scream he felt the small shard of Dark Energon in his body explode. His spark and eyes lost their light purple hue to them as he felt his strength weaken. When the beam stopped, he felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Breathing heavily he realized the Dark Energon that enhanced his power had severely diminished.
Magnaboss and Ultra Magnus moved in. "It's over Megatron." The former said, sounding as exhausted as he felt. "Surrender now." Said the latter, taking aim with his guns. Megatron glowered, he would not be defeated like this. Summoning up his rage and whatever dregs of Uncrons' power he had left, he delivered an uppercut to Magnaboss' jaw sending them crashing through the ceiling onto the roof. Taking advantage of Ultra Magnus' moment of shock, he delivered a blow to Magnus' head, knocking him unconscious.
Up on the Fortress' roof, Magnaboss had split back into their three components. Depleted of energon, the three also reverted back into their beast modes. Apparently, purging dark energon took a lot out of them. Miko weakly shook her head. "Did he just Mortal Kombat us?" Jack and Raf just groaned in response.
Megatron leapt up through the hole onto the roof, dragging Ultra Magnus by the back of the neck. He looked to his left seeing Starscream land and transform before walking up to him. "All intruders have been apprehended lord Megatron." He began. "There was no sign of Optimus Prime."
Megatron threw Ultra Magnus in the direction of the Maximals, jarring him back to consciousness. "So tell me, 'Commander'." He growled, slurring Magnus' rank. "Where Might your leader be? I will not ask again."
Magnus looked up and glared. "Even if I knew." He bit out. "I wouldn't tell you."
"Very well." Megatron turned to Starscream, deploying his sword. "Execute our prisoners, starting with the experiments. Knockout will just have to settle for their corpses. Then fire each cannon at the nearest metropolis within its' sights. It is time to show the known universe that this planet, belongs to Megatron."
"Master." Starscream interrupted, looking at the horizon. "Something's coming."
Megatron turned to look at the distant shape flying towards them. "The Predacon?" Starscream shook his head. "Not beastly enough." Megatron walked to the edge of the roof to get a better look.
"I know that color scheme." Starscream commented as the figure came into focus. His optics widened, and Megatrons' jaw dropped. Flying straight at the fortress, was an airborne, more powerfully built Optimus Prime. "Wait, he can't fly, can he?" He asked looking at Megatron.
Optimus flew to the top of the fortress, delivering a roundhouse blow to Megatrons' head, knocking him away from Magnus and the Maximals. This was followed up with and uppercut like the one Megatron dealt to Magnaboss earlier. He finished with a blow to the abdomen, sending Megatron flying across the roof into his throne, destroying it.
Several Vehicons that had converged on the roof opened fire on Prime. He responded by deploying a gatling gun and in one sweep took out the entire squadron. The entire firefight lasted seconds.
Starscream seeing this, backed away from Optimus, right into an uppercut delivered by Ultra Magnus. He went flying across the rooftop into the base of what was once Megatrons' throne, knocking him senseless.
Optimus turned to the group. "Commander?" He questioned Ultra Magnus.
"Sir, you're looking, robust." Ultra Magnus began. "It is paramount that we disable the fusion cannons below. Afterwards we need to get these children out of here." He finished motioning to the Maximals
"Children?" Optimus asked, looking at them. "Long story Prime, we'll explain later." Jack said as he stood up shakily, causing Optimus' optics to widen.
"Jackson?" Optimus said wide opticed looking at the nodding lion, quickly determining who the bird and rhinoceros must be "Miko, Rafael?" Further questioning was postponed when he heard the rubble of Megatrons' throne shifting. He looked back at Ultra Magnus. "Understood." He took two long strides before taking off. Ultra Magnus calling out his return over the comms before calling his ship.
Megatron and Starscream revived in time to see Magnus and the Maximals jump off the fortress' roof and onto Magnus' waiting ship. Megatron seeing Optimus, gave a cry of rage and jumped after him, converting into his Cybertronian jet mode.
He came upon Prime as he was about to fire on the first fusion cannon. Screaming his nemesis' name, he opened fire on him. Optimus quickly turned to flee with Megatron dogging his every move, firing wildly.
Optimus turned and fired back at Megatron before continuing evasive maneuvers. He'd overheard Starscream command the fusion cannons to fire on a squadron of oncoming human fighter jets and knew he had to end this. Flying away from the fortress he turned to face the oncoming Megatron.
Choosing his moment carefully, he punched downward on the nose of the Decepticon warlords' vehicle mode, Megatron flipped over in midair and Optimus, spinning around, grabbing him by the back of the wings. "Megatron, Begone!" He shouted and let go, sending Megatron spiraling into the side of Darkmount, right through the wall and into the fusion cannons' power core, disabling it. The light from the fusion cannons died, fading to black.
Turning around to see the human jets incoming he heard Ultra Magnus over the comms. "Autobots, clear the area." He looked down to see Arcee and Bumblebee bowl over what looked like Shockwave, giving Wheeljack and Bulkhead a chance to escape with them. He'd have to get a full situation report once they'd evacuated.
Turning back to see the first missiles strike the fortress he nodded before taking off, noticing the Nemesis taking off from Darkmount just before it collapsed completely. On his way out he saw Smokescreen joining with the rest of his team as they evacuated the area. Heading to the nearest human military base.
Optimus was happy that they had triumphed today. Though he wondered what the full cost of this victory was. His teams' human charges had been turned into something never seen before. It also looked like there were new players on the board between the children, Ultra Magnus, and Shockwave. On top of that, Smokescreen using the forge of Solus Prime to revive him may have cost them their chance at restoring Cybertron. Not that he wasn't grateful.
Eventually he saw the military base come into view. Looking to his right he saw Magnus' ship preparing to set down. A little further off he saw the other Autobots coming into view on the horizon. He gave a quiet sigh, whatever happened or will happen, they would preserve.
A/N: Hope you guys like the use of Magnaboss as the kids' combined form. I know the beast modes aren't quite the same but I tried to keep them close as possible. I just couldn't see having Miko as a bald eagle. Only one more chapter to go (Mostly and epilogue) before the end of this arc and I begin to branch off from the Transformers Prime storyline a bit. That will be the time more of the IDW comic begin to come into play and I hope everyone enjoys it. That said, please review (Constructively please).