CHAPTER SIX
Bulkhead's armored truck form roared as he crossed the battlefield, evading the blaster fire of the Decepticons up ahead. Setting his sights on a brown and yellow 'Con- who had a body build similar to Scattorshot- he accelerated further before converting to his robot mode and charging towards the 'Con with his built-in wrecking ball.
Just as he was about to swing the wrecking ball, Dropshot raised his arms and unleashed a volley of missiles which stopped Bulkhead dead in his tracks. It failed to bring him down however, and he charged again, swinging the wrecking ball again. It struck Dropshot square in the chest and knocked the large Decepticon down to the ground.
Before Bulkhead could attack again, he was suddenly hit in the back by a blaster. Lurching forward from the sudden pain, he turned around to see a black, silver, and red Decepticon carrying a black and orange blaster.
"Never turn your back on Treadshot," he said before pulling the trigger again, hitting Bulkhead in the chest, and sending him into stasis lock.
* * *
"Bulkhead's down!"
Kup turned at the sound of Flareup's voice as he wrestled with Bombshock. The Combaticon took advantage of the distraction by lowering the dual cannons on his back and shooting them at the veteran Autobot. The force of the blast and their close proximity sent both of them back, but Kup recovered quickly enough to charge towards Bombshock and knock the Combaticon to the ground.
With at least one of their six Decepticon opponents down for the count, Kup's optics scanned the field and found Bulkhead's deactivated form. Flareup was crouched down beside it, protecting her fellow Wrecker from Treadshot and Dropshot.
Readying his rifle, Kup rushed to assist his teammates, firing at the two Decepticons as he ran. Upon noticing him, Treadshot turned and transformed into his tank mode. Rotating his turret, he affixed his aim on the veteran Autobot before firing.
Kup dodged the blast by jumping to the side. He then knelt down and fired his rifle, scoring a hit on the tank's side. While it did not inflict any damage, it did prompt Treadshot to fire a rocket attacked to the turret. Kup avoided that as well before charging towards the Decepticons.
Treadshot quickly reverted back to his robot mode and was about to summon his cyber-cat Targetmaster partner until Kup threw his fist into his face. The punch was powerful enough to crack the Decepticon's red-tinted visor and throw him into a daze. Before Treadshot could regather his senses, Kup threw another strong punch into his midsection and then forcefully shoved him to the ground.
Once he was sure Treadshot wouldn't be moving for a while, Kup set his sights on Dropshot, who was already raising his arm-mounted missile launchers.
"Impressive show, gramps," the larger Decepticon muttered. "But I think it's by time they retired ya."
Kup scowled. Kids and their witty one-liners these days.
Just as he was prepared to face Dropshot's missiles, the launcher on the Combaticon's right arm suddenly unfurled and morphed into a cannon barrel. Before Kup could react in time, Dropshot fired the cannon, hitting the old Wrecker square in the chest.
The veteran landed hard on his back. As he struggled to get back up, a glint in the hazed sky caught his optic. He narrowed his eyes to discern it before widening them.
It was Lugnut, descending from an incredibly high jump to deliver his so-called "Punch of Kill Everything."
The last thing to cross Kup's mind before everything went dark was Frag.
* * *
"Lugnut, you idiot!" Nightracer shrieked once the dust resulting from Lugnut's attack had settled. "You could have killed us all!"
"Well, it is called a 'Punch of Kill Everything,'" Oil Slick muttered as he helped her and Treadshot up. "Luckily, it did nothing more than injure our opponents and knock them out cold."
Lugnut snarled as he straightened up and retracted his arm from its atomic punch configuration. "I still don't see why we need them all alive."
Oil Slick raised an eyebrow at him. "You want to take it up with Thunderwing? Be my guest."
The Decepticon brute growled but did not protest any further. As he and the rest of the Mayhem Squad began to round up the defeated Wreckers, Thunderwing himself emerged from the base, slowly clapping his hands.
"Well done, my friends! Now then, why don't you bring our valuable foes into the base? Place them in the main lab while I figure out what to do with them."
While Lugnut, Oil Slick, Treadshot, Nightracer, and Dropshot complied with his orders, Bombshock approached Thunderwing with a puzzled expression, though still wincing from his fight with Kup.
"Permission to be blunt with you, sir?"
Thunderwing smirked. "You're a Combaticon. I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
"I'll take that as a yes," Bombshock murmured. "Anyway, let me just say that I honestly have no slagging clue on what your blasted plan is."
The general laughed. "Of course you don't! I've never laid it out to you, have I?"
Bombshock frowned. "No, but seeing that I am technically your lieutenant... care to clue me in?"
Thunderwing grinned. "Think about it. Here on Styx, I am holding multiple labs for various experiments. In one, Airachnid works on her hive of Insecticons. In another, we have our gestalt project. And in yet another, we have a small group of captured Mini-Cons ready to be converted into weapons. What could it all possibly mean?"
"I cannot even begin to imagine."
"Evolution, Bombshock. I want to find out what is the endpoint of our race. At first, we were mere robots. Then, we developed the ability to transform. Then, for a brief time, we could combine. Where does it all end?"
Figuring the last part was a rhetorical question, Bombshock said, "Does Lord Megatron know of your endeavors?"
The general's face became unemotive. "No," he said quietly. "Not yet. In due time, of course."
"Why must he be left in the dark?"
A hint of ire flickered in Thunderwing's optic. "If you are so loyal to our lord and master, then how can I trust you to keep your mouth shut?"
Bombshock did not answer, casting his gaze to the ground.
"Know your place, Combaticon," the general hissed. "While Megatron may rule over the Decepticons as a whole, only I have any command here. You would do well to remember that."
Bombshock said nothing, instead following his teammates back to the base.
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