CHAPTER EIGHT
--Cybertron--
"How long has he been gone?"
Knock Out checked the chronometer built into his arm. "Nearly a megacycle now."
Skywarp frowned. "Think we should check on him?"
The Decepticon medic snorted. "No way am I bothering him. If you want a fusion cannon to the face, be my guest. I'm not leaving."
"Wait a nanoklik." Barricade abruptly shot to his feet, having been sitting in silence ever since Megatron had left them. "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?"
All of the Decepticons looked up to see a trio of fighter ships flying in the dark sky above. Two of the fighters were identical-- being blue and white jets-- while the third had a sleeker design and had gold in place of white.
The alt mode was different, but the Decepticons all recognized who the stealth bomber was.
"Soundwave," Blackout growled.
In unison, the planes transformed and descended to the ground, their landing bringing up clouds of dust. While the all-identical Sweeps at the ready, Soundwave was unarmed. The Decepticon stepped forward to address his former comrades.
"Where is Megatron?"
"You do not deserve to know, traitor!" Lugnut bellowed, stomping forward to confront Soundwave. "You betrayed us for someone who is not deserving of the name 'Decepticon!'"
"I did not betray anyone," Soundwave replied icily. "I have been loyal to Galvatron since the beginning. I was merely lying in wait until the order came to begin the endgame."
"So why are you here, huh?" Barricade said, unfurling his flail. "Why have you come back to us?"
"I was given the order to kill you."
"Well, let's have at it then," Skywarp growled, aiming his null rays. "Let's see if you can fight as well as you can... whatever."
"But I'm not going to."
"Ha! Just what I thought! You--" Skywarp paused, blinking. "Wait, what?"
Soundwave drew two guns and fired both at the Sweeps, killing them.
"I need to speak with Megatron," he said. "Where is he?"
The Decepticons glanced amongst themselves for a moment. Lugnut looked about ready to burst again but Barricade signaled him to calm down before stepping up to the communications officer.
"I'll take you to him." With that, he converted into his police car form and drove into Kaon's ruins, with Soundwave close behind.
--Earth--
"--Robots attacking Tampa, Florida. Ten have been reported dead, twenty mortally wounded--"
The news report had been enough for the Autobots at either base. Within minutes, two Groundbridge portals were transporting two groups of Autobots to the ransacked streets of Tampa. Emerging from one were Bulkhead, Hot Rod, and Mirage, while Jazz, Trailbreaker, and Cliffjumper emerged from the other.
Jazz was the first to spot the Machination drones shooting at terrified humans. "These guys again, huh?"
"It would appear so," Mirage muttered, readying his gun. "I'm all for making sure it's the last time we see them."
"You've got an aye from me," Bulkhead said as he deployed a wrecking ball from his arm.
Jazz smirked as he cocked his own gun. "Then let's roll."
* * *
Drift quickly moved away in time just as Stinger fired its gun. Bringing out his swords, he charged towards the Machination drone, evading subsequent shots. Just as he prepared to dive and slice the drone, Stinger reached behind its back and hurled a throwing star at the Autobot.
As Drift was sent falling onto his back, two of the Trax drones moved in to finish him off. They never got the chance, for a series of gunshots saw to their end.
Drift looked up to see Lockdown standing over him. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
"'Fraid not," Lockdown grunted. "You're lucky Scorponok forgot my payment. Otherwise I'd be light-years away from here, and you'd be dead."
Drift glared at him as he got back to his feet. "What does Scorponok, of all people, want with me?"
Lockdown opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when another throwing star zipped past his head. The bounty hunter lifted his arm blaster at Stinger and blew the drone's head to smithereens.
"How 'bout we wait to ask him yourself?"
* * *
And so the Autobots enter the field. Scorponok smirked to himself as he watched his drones-- his Decepticons-- battle the recently-arrived Autobots. If only they knew what fate had in store for them.
A shadow fell next to him and he turned to see what he considered to be one of the greatest of his creations: a two-headed monstrous copy of Shockwave, which he liked to call "Dual-Shock."
Grinning cruelly, Scorponok nodded towards the Autobots. "Handle them as you see fit."
* * *
"Hey, Jazz?"
"What is it, Bulkhead?" Jazz said as he finished off a Trax drone.
"Since when did Shockwave have two heads?"
Jazz turned to see the most abominable thing his optics had ever borne witness to. Hulking and massive, the Machination drone was of more alien design than its brothers, lacking identifiable alt mode parts. Jutting out from its bulky torso were two heads reminiscent of Shockwave, though they had more pronounced heads and something of a mouth. As if it didn't look fearsome enough, it had a large blade attached to each arm.
"Remind me to never drink Nightmare Fuel again," Trailbreaker murmured.
Before Jazz could give out any orders, Bulkhead charged towards the two-headed Shockwave with a battle cry. The large green Autobot swung his wrecking ball at the drone, only for Dual-Shock to grab it and use it to yank him to the ground.
Just as the two-headed drone raised one of its blade arms to skewer Bulkhead, Mirage moved in and fired his gun at one of the head's single eye. As Dual-Shock recoiled, Bulkhead got back to his feet and threw himself at the drone, knocking it to the ground.
Rewinding his wrecking ball back into his arm to serve as a mace instead, Bulkhead raised his arm to pummel Dual-Shock... only for twin laser blasts to hit him square in the chest.
As the big green Autobot staggered back, all optics turned to see the new player on the field. Large, purple and green, with massive claws and a stinger tail, Jazz knew immediately who it was.
"Scorponok."
The Decepticon chuckled. "In the metal. Your efforts hare are valiant yet futile. Allow me to reward your heroism... with death."
Folding down from his chest plate were two laser cannons while another two flipped out from his stinger tail. As the barrels glowed, the Autobots readied their weapons....
"Tally-ho!"
At the sound of the voice, suddenly coming out of nowhere, both Autobot and Decepticon alike looked up to see a large shape moving in the sky. Colored in white, blue, and red, it resembled a space shuttle with a crawler-transport attached to its underbelly.
Mirage blinked at the vessel. "Sky Lynx?"
A hatch opened in the transport and the Autobots could see Arcee, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Hound, and the twins in the opening... and all six of them were atop giant metal dinosaurs....
"What the slag...?" Cliffjumper muttered.
One of the robot dinosaurs-- a Tyrannosaurus rex-- opened its maw and released a tremendous roar. "Dinobots... crash and burn!"
Then, as one, the dinosaurs jumped off of the transport and descended towards the ground below....
Next chapter preview:
"This planet is just full of surprises, isn't it?"
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