Ch. 20

"Front gate repairs are comin' along nicely. Should have the security systems up and runnin' in a few joors."

Optimus nodded at the engineer supervising the repairs of Iacon's front gates. "After our last battle with the Decepticons, I'm hopeful they'll be too busy with repairs to attack Iacon again anytime soon. But when it comes to Megatron, anything is possible. Jazz, anything on your end?"

"No Decepticon activity in the southern sector," the lieutenant's voice answered through Optimus's radio. "But it's a bit too quiet for my liking."

"Be on your guard then. Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"Will do. Jazz out."

"Prime, over here!"

Optimus looked over at where Bumblebee was standing and overlooking the front gates. The yellow scout waved the Prime over and pointed out at the metallic expense leading up to Iacon. Directly below the gates, Autobots were hard at work on the front gate repairs, but farther outwards were the dim silhouettes of bots who did not seem interested in approaching the gates.

"Can't say for sure who they are, but if they're civilians, they don't seem to be in a hurry."

"I see what you mean." Optimus shielded his optics, trying his hardest to make out the movements of the shadowy figures. "I can't tell if they're in need of assistance or in some kind of distress; if they are, we'll have to help them. But if not-"

"Optimus, I think Rumble's nearby." Miara's voice called through the radio.

"What?"

"He's not close, but I can feel his vibrations. He's pounding the ground somewhere outside of Iacon, just like he did when the Decepticons were trying to get our attention."

"And he's probably trying to do so again," Optimus said grimly. "Where are you, Sandstorm?"

"In the sandpit. Bud, Lenny, and Chad are with me."

"Get inside the Dome and head for Med Bay. Stay with them, Miara. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Optimus. Miara out."

"Jazz, Ironhide, report to the front gates. Prowl, Cliffjumper, send out a message to Iacon to let the civilians know another Decepticon attack may be forthcoming."

"Prime, should we halt repairs?" one of the builders down below the wall called.

"Take your teams and get under cover. Wheeljack, can you and a few others meet us here to finish repairs?"

"On my way, Prime!"

"Autobots, be ready. I have a bad feeling that-"

"Optimus, I think the Decepticons are coming!" Miara reported. "I can feel heavy vibrations getting closer to Iacon."

"If Rumble's out there, he hasn't moved." Bumblebee glanced outwards again and while the figures in questions hadn't moved, Optimus himself was starting to feel a slight rumble under his peds even from above Iacon's gates.

"Autobots, get away from the gates! Get inside Iacon and-"

A massive blast cut off the Prime's words at the same instant a light filled his optics. Cracking metal filled Optimus's audio sensors, along with the startled screams of both soldiers and civilians. Optimus barely had time to register he was falling before he slammed into the torn ground. Fighting off the shock, Optimus struggled to his peds just in time to hear a familiar shout.

"Decepticons, ATTACK!"
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"We need to get inside. Now!"

"Is it the Decepticons? Are they-"

"Most likely, which is why we need to hurry!" Miara burrowed through the sand and leapt over the edge of the pit. The three humans staggered after her, their legs sinking into the sand and impeding their movement.

"Hold on!" Miara dove back into the sand and began digging as fast as she could to clear a walkway. While the sand continued to shift and fall around her, the little Teron managed to clear enough of the grains aside so that the three humans could make their way out of the pit more easily.

"Follow directly behind me; I'll keep our path-" Miara froze, her ears twitching as unfamiliar vibrations practically slammed into the side of her head.

"Miara?"

"Optimus, I think the Decepticons are coming!" Miara called into her radio. "I can feel heavy vibrations getting close to Iacon." The Teron listened in as Bumblebee reported on the lack of movement outside the gates, then,

"Autobots, get away from the gates!" Optimus shouted. "Get inside Iacon and-"

BOOM!

Miara cried out in shock as the massive blast rang out across the city. From her radio, the little Teron could hear the sound of breaking metal and the screams of Autobots, followed by the heavy thuds that told her many had been slammed to the ground.

"What the-"

"What was that?" Lenny asked, his face draining of color.

"Iacon's gates have been breached. We-"

"Decepticons ATTACK!" The harsh voice rang through Miara's radio like the knell of a doomsday bell.

"Was that..."

"Megatron," Miara confirmed. "Hurry, we need to get inside the Great Dome now!" As fast as she could, Miara tunneled through the sand. She could hear the pounding feet of the three astronauts behind her, but she could also hear the chaos from the front gates both in the air and through her radio.

"This way!" Miara reached the edge of the sandpit and stood back to let the humans clamber over the sides. A low drone sounded in the air, followed by the heat of plasma blasts.

"Decepticon scouts! Quickly, get inside."

"But shouldn't we-"

"Megatron cannot know about you!" Miara yanked on Bud's arm, hurrying him along. "If he learns we're sheltering you, he'll attack Earth for certain."

Almost on cue, the droning in the air grew louder. Unwelcome scents filled Miara's nose and the Teron knew she had only seconds to spare.

"Get inside the Dome!" Miara pointed at the door only a short distance away. "I'll distract the scouts and meet you in the Med Bay!"

"But-"

"Go!"

"Bud, c'mon!" Lenny pulled on his fellow astronaut's shoulder. Miara turned away from them and raced back toward the sandpit. The Teron looked up at the sky just in time to see Starscream and Skywarp in their aerial alt forms soaring into view. Starscream whirled about in midair as Miara crouched low over the sand. She waved her thick tail at the Decepticon in a taunting gesture before diving under the white gravel and speeding off to the side.

"Why you!" Starscream's furious shout coupled with the blast of missiles indicated that he had not just spotted the Teron, but had completely misjudged which direction she had taken.

"Come out and face me, you little dust devil!" Starscream descended and transformed back into his normal form to swipe furiously at the sand. "You think hiding in dirt will save you? I'll bring you to Megatron myself!"

"Why are you bothering?" Skywarp called, still hovering in midair. "You know Prime's little pet will just a make a fool of you again, Starscream. Do you really need Megatron to be even more angry with you?"

"If I capture the little beast, Megatron will have no choice but to sing my praises! Besides," Starscream paused in his furious search. "If you want to fly back into battle, that's your business, Skywarp. Considering we barely had any time for repairs since our last attack, staying out of the line of fire seems to be the wiser option, don't you think?"

From under the sand, Miara could almost hear Skywarp consider Starscream's words before she heard the sound of his descent and the sound of shifting metal indicating a transformation.

"I see your point. Besides, the dust devil can only hide in a sectioned off area for so long. I'm sure we'll be able to find her."

"Of course we will. And just to be certain... Oh, little beast!" Miara remained silent as Starscream's voice took on a taunting tone. "Laserbeak is right above us. If you think you can give us the slip, you're sorely mistaken. Why not surrender to us now? It'll be less painful for you."

Nice try, Starscream. Miara stayed as still as she could, sensing the slow steps of the Decepticons. Thankfully, they were busy searching the opposite end of the sand pit, but what was a good amount of space for a Teron or human was far less for a Cybertronian. Starscream and Skywarp might have been her only adversaries at the moment, but Miara knew that the chance of them locating her in the sand grew greater with every passing kilk. Burrowed underground, Miara couldn't pinpoint where Laserbeak was, but she wasn't willing to risk giving away her location to check.

"Aha!"

Starscream's servo slammed into the sand, sending waves of heavy vibrations toward where Miara lay hidden.

"You missed."

"I can see that! But what about... is that her?"

"I don't think so!" Skywarp's metallic digits dug through the sand a bit closer to Miara's hiding place, but still missed her by several feet. "Arrrgh, I knew it! We need to flush her out somehow."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Starscream began stomping about, deliberately picking his heavy peds and slamming them hard into the sand, one after the other. Miara squeaked as the vibrations surged through her sensitive ears. Gritting her teeth, the little Teron forced herself to focus on the source of the sounds. Skywarp appeared to be standing still, but Starscream was coming closer. Miara could feel the sand shifting around her as the Decepticon's movements caused massive depressions to form in the gravel.

Either he's going to step on me or enough of the sand will shift to give me away. I need to move while I still can.

Miara began tunneling toward the far end of the sand pit, her senses on high alert as she heard Skywarp take a step closer to her previous hiding place.

"She might be over here."

"Or she might be under your peds."

"Nah. I would've been able to feel the furry pest if I stepped on her." This statement was emphasized by Skywarp grounding his ped into the sand, gravel crunching hard under the metal. Miara managed to get to the far end of the pit without being detected and she paused for an astrosecond to gather her energy.

Ready and... now!

Miara swam upward until she was just under the surface of the sand, spiraling in a circle and wagging her tail furiously. A dust cloud rose up in the air, causing Laserbeak to screech in triumph and both Starscream and Skywarp to shout.

"There she is!"

"I see her!"

Miara dove further under the sand and swam forward as fast as she could. She felt Starscream and Skywarp's peds just above her and for an instant, she saw the gleam of metal above her head. But Starscream and Skywarp didn't stop until they had reached the spot Miara had previously occupied.

"I'm going to catch you, pest!"

"Laserbeak, keep your optics open. See if you can tell where the little beast is hiding."

Skidding to a halt on the opposite end of the sandpit, Miara burrowed into one of the piles of sand thrown up by Starscream's furious search and listened to the Decepticons' continued search.

"She was here. I know she was here!"

"Unless it was a trick. Laserbeak, can you see where the beast is hiding?"

A furious caw echoed from above the sandpit, a sound Miara recognized as one of frustration. The little Teron couldn't help the grin stealing across her face as Starscream let out an angered shriek of his own.

"You vile little dust devil! When I find you, I'm going to skin you alive and use your pelt to line my victory cape!"

A lack of victories cape would be more appropriate for you, Starscream.

"Enough of this charade! Skywarp, let's blast this entire area to pieces. Use your strongest missiles; with any luck Prime's pet will get caught in the blast!"

"Good idea. Laserbeak, monitor the area. Let us know the astrosecond the dust devil tries to run."

Uh-oh. Miara's mind raced as she tried to figure out a solution to her problem. If she could tell where the missiles were coming from, she might have a chance to dodge them, but if Laserbeak was watching...

I have to take the risk.

Cautiously swimming closer to the surface of the sand, Miara poked her long ears slightly out of the grains. She could feel the thrum of air under Laserbeak's wings as he circled the sandpit as well as the humming of Starscream and Skywarp's weapons. The little Teron tensed, ready to move at the first hint of an incoming missile, but when the attack came, it was Starscream, Skywarp, and Laserbeak who felt the brunt of the blows.
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"Did you think you had seen the last of us, Prime?" Megatron flailed his mace at Optimus, who dodged the strike before retaliating with his axe.

"Considering you can barely stand, Megatron, I thought you'd have the sense to stay away!"

Megatron's faceplate twisted in a scowl as the Prime's words cut into his pride as surely as the axe blade skimmed over his arm. Much as he hated to admit it, Megatron knew Optimus was correct. The wounds he had suffered during the previous day's battle were already taking their toll on the Decepticon Warlord and he wasn't the only one suffering. The Decepticons' hastily done repair jobs weren't enough to keep up with the more rested and repaired Autobots, even with some of them having also been wounded the day before. Indeed, Optimus had no trouble wielding his weapons while Megatron was struggling not to overexert himself in trying to land another blow with his mace on the Prime.

"You Autobots are soft; a true Decepticon can fight through his injuries and come out the victor!"

"Then come for me and see how victory suits you, Megatron!" Optimus charged his foe, his massive axe blade making the air thrum as he feinted left and quickly changed direction to slam the blade into Megatron's side. The Decepticon leader roared in both pain and fury, switching out his mace for a servo to batter Optimus in the face. The Prime took the blows stoically, digging his axe farther into Megatron's side. The still unhealed metal crumpled against the axe blade and Megatron could feel energon leaking from his wounds.

"Give up, Megatron! You may have caught us off-guard, but you are in no condition to battle us for the fate of Iacon today."

"Don't be so certain, Prime!"

Almost on cue, a series of powerful explosions ripped through the air. Both Autobots and Decepticons paused in their fighting to see smoke and dust rising into the air from the direction of the Great Dome.

"No!"

"Ahaha!" Megatron shoved his enemy aside and raced toward the direction of the commotion. "It seems Starscream has finally accomplished a simple task. Your downfall begins today, Prime!" Knowing his strength wouldn't last long, Megatron activated his flight ability and soared off in the direction of the commotion. The Decepticon Warlord's spark thrummed with anticipation of Starscream and Skywarp finding a supply of genuine energon and possibly disabling the Great Dome as well. Even if one of those goals had been accomplished, a Decepticon victory was certain.

"Defend the gates. I'll deal with Megatron!" Optimus transformed and sped after his foe, determined to ensure that Megatron would not, in fact, triumph over the Autobots.