CHAPTER TEN
The stage was set.
Throngs of Cybertronians, comprised of various castes and functions, gathered outside the Metroplex, the giant building complex which housed the High Council's Grand Imperium, anxiously awaiting Sentinel Prime's appearance. Several balconies had been established: one for the Prime himself, two for members of the High Council, and six for security personnel- Elite Guard and otherwise. Other security was stationed in the crowd itself and in the alleys of Iacon. The Autobots were clearly not taking any chances.
Thus, Lockdown found it almost pitiful that they had forgotten to protect the most obvious position for an assassin of all: the Metroplex's rooftop.
Of course, it helped that he wielded stealth technology that could hide him from the keenest optic, but that was besides the point.
Situating himself directly over the balcony on which Sentinel Prime would soon present himself, the mercenary loaded his sniper rifle and waited patiently for the Prime's arrival. In short time, said arrival was heralded by the appearance of the High Councilors. On the balcony to the left stood Sigil and the various guild leaders- Drivetrain, Shockwave, and others- while on the right stood Sentinel Prime's oldest and most trusted advisors, such as Halogen and Dai Atlas.
Finally, the esteemed leader of Cybertron himself appeared. His red armor gleamed in the sunlight; the long metal plates attached to his back flowed like a cape. Although his face looked ancient and weary, his body was built strong and proud like a true victor of the Great War. Coming to a stop before the throngs of Cybertronians, Sentinel Prime spread out his arms and spoke, his voice sounding nearly as old as the stars themselves.
"People of Cybertron," he said. "I come to you during a period of uncertainty. The stability of our Golden Age has been shaken by the murders of Councilors Momus and Decimus. Investigation is still underway for the former's demise, but I assure you that justice shall be delivered."
The crowd cheered at this statement. Once they had quieted, Sentinel Prime went on, addressing the concerns and disapproval of the caste system as he always did; by turning a blind eye to such complaints.
Lockdown only paid half an audio sensor to this, instead readying his rifle and waiting for the Prime to state something that, in retrospect, would seem bitterly ironic. Or he could just shoot him now and be done with it.
But what would be the fun in that?
* * *
"Look alive, Auto-brat!"
Orion barely had enough time to dodge Wildrider's attack as the Stunticon lunged at him with a built-in chainsaw. He then swung his axe and drove its sharp-end into the Decepticon's back. As Wildrider screamed, Orion swept his legs under him, knocking the Stunticon off his feet.
Before he could revel in his small victory, Orion was instantly sent flying off his feet as a large figure slammed into him. He was prevented from recovering when a zap of lightning suddenly pulsed through his body, electrocuting him.
"Please take your time, my friend," a cold voice said to the brute which had beaten Orion. "I might not have anyone left to play with."
"Ah, I'm just tryin' to have some fun, Knock Out," the larger Stunticon snapped.
"Have fun with this."
The Stunticon brute turned around in time for Roller to punch his lights out. Optronix then appeared behind him and fired his blaster at Knock Out, the red mech who had electrocuted Orion. The Stunticon let out a gasp as the hit scorched the paint job near his shoulder.
"My finish!" he cried. "You ruined my beautiful finish!"
Gripping his energon prod, he charged towards Optronix, screaming as loud as his voice box would allow. As soon as Knock Out reached him, Optronix nonchalantly snatched the prod from his hands and hit the Stunticon in the back of his head with it.
"You have the right to remain silent."
Dead End and Drag Strip were the next to attack, attempting to sneak up on the Elite Guardsman. Without looking at either of them, Optronix broke the prod in two with his knee and stabbed both of them in the eye.
"Anything you say will be recorded and replayed in a court of law."
Shaking uncontrollably, Breakdown fired the concussion rifle he was wielding. Optronix dropped to the ground and rolled towards the mech, slapping the gun out of his hand and forcing him to the ground while placing a pair of stasis cuffs onto him.
"You have the right to a Xaaron-approved defense attorney."
All that remained was Motormaster. The Stunticon leader, having recovered from Roller's initial attack, brought out his large sword and stormed towards the Autobot commander. He brought it down in a diving slash, which Optronix narrowly avoided by performing a back-flip.
Before Motormaster could bring his sword back up for another attack, Optronix stretched out his arm and fired a grappling hook which wrapped itself around the Stunticon's body. The Autobot then pulled the sword out of his hands and forced Motormaster to the ground, pressing the barrel of his blaster against his forehead.
"Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"
With eyes full of hatred, Motormaster merely grunted. After affixing all of the beaten Stutnicons with restraints, Optronix stepped back to survey the scene.
"Wow," Bumblebee murmured. "That was... wow."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, kid," Roller said.
"All right, enough with the 'ooh-ing' and the 'aww-ing,'" Optronix snapped. "Let's get these guys loaded up into the armored convoy and taken to Trypticon Prison."
While Roller and the others assisted him, Ratchet walked up to the still-stationary Orion. "You okay?" he asked. "That was a pretty nasty shock that 'bot gave you."
"Yeah. I can barely move," Orion muttered.
As Ratchet helped him up to his feet, the medic said, "You must be very proud of your brother."
If Orion could have shrugged, he would have. "Ever since he began moving up in the chain of command, I started to hear less and less from him."
Ratchet smiled slightly. "Well, maybe now's your chance to get back in touch with each other."
Orion sighed. "Depends if either of us is willing."
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