CHAPTER FOUR
"Bugs. Why did it have to be bugs?"
Crosswise watched on as the swarm marched through the streets of London. People fled in terror but the Insecticons made no move to pursue or do them any harm. At most, some of the stag beetle units would snack on an automobile or two but otherwise did not terrorize any of the humans.
Not that it improved the situation any.
"You know, we can't just stand here and let them go on through," said Downshift, parked right next to him. "The humans are still in danger."
"Yeah, but if we provoke them now, it would put them in even more danger," Crosswise replied. "Besides, we have to know where they're headed."
"Do we?" Downshift revved his engine impatiently. "What good would that even do?"
Before Crosswise could answer, the roar of jet engines heralded the arrival of Stormshot. The jet bot transformed and landed in front of the other two Autobots. Drawing both of her guns, she aimed them at the swarm.
"Don't!" Crosswise transformed and grabbed Stormshot by the shoulder. "You'll provoke them!"
She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Um, hello? They're terrorizing the city."
"Yes, but they're not hurting anyone. They seem to be on a set path."
"So? They still need to be stopped. Seriously, isn't that what we Autobots do? Stop the bad guys?" She looked over to Downshift, now in robot mode as well. "Help me out here. I could have sworn I had this Autobot gig down."
Downshift sighed. "I'll try radioing Jetfire. He and Evac are still searching for Overhaul."
"If you want to make yourself useful, Stormshot, then go scout ahead and try to determine their destination," Crosswise said to the ex-Decepticon. "Just don't do anything stupid."
Stormshot glared at him. "Okay, sure. And while I do that, how about you make yourself useful and shove your self-righteous scrap right up your--"
"Both of you, shut up!" Downshift snapped. He then raised a hand to his comm. "Say that again, Jetfire?"
"I said there's a two-headed dragon heading towards you."
"Right. Thought so."
* * *
"You know, this takes me back to Eltar, Cycle 9319. Countless armies of metal animals swarming the Temple of--"
"Sky Lynx!" Jetfire cried as he fired his guns at the twin-headed black and purple dragon. "Focus! Now is not the time for--"
He was cut off by a stream of fire coming his way, scorching his white armor. Before he could retaliate, the dragon deployed a pair of guns from its back and shot him in the chest.
"I don't have time for either of you," the beast snarled.
Sky Lynx shot forward and swung his tail, knocking the dragon back. "Tell me, Gigatron, how is that leg of yours mending? I recall giving it a rather good looking gash back at Venom Point of Huizenga. How long ago was that? 450 years ago? Plenty of time for it to heal, I'd say."
The dragon gnashed both sets of teeth as it oriented itself. "You made a mistake in defecting, Sky Lynx. The Decepticons could have easily won the war had you been with us at Iacon."
Sky Lynx sniffed. "Please. You were undeserving of my magnificence."
With a roar, Gigatron shot at the massive Autobot, breathing fire from both mouths. At that moment, Jetfire had recovered and deployed a set of shoulder cannons from his booster pack. He unloaded on Gigatron, taking out the dragon's wings and sending him plummeting toward. The ground, falling from thousands of feet up in the air.
As he watched the Decepticon's descent, Sky Lynx took the time to calculate where he was going to land. He then looked to Jetfire with a worried look. "He's going to land--"
"In the city," Jetfire finished, already in jet mode and flying after the dragon.
* * *
Join me, Deathsaurus had said. An alliance would be beneficial for both of us, he had said.
So far, Gigatron was failing to see the benefits in coming to this wretched organic planet.
At the time, Gigatron had seen Deathsaurus' offer as the only wise course of action. With the return of Megatron and the disarray the Secret Order had brought, Gigatron had been unable to lay the foundations for a new empire. The Chimeracons had abandoned him, save for the three imbeciles that had been under his command for as long as he could remember.
The united forces of Deathsaurus and the D.J.D. were indeed the only active Decepticon power base. If he was to get anywhere with his plans for conquest, an alliance would indeed by beneficial for him.
Now, he was beginning to have second thoughts....
Gigatron groaned as he forcibly transformed and rose up. Asphalt fell around him as he crawled out of the building he had crashed into. He couldn't help but snort in derision; Earth craftsmanship was clearly inferior to Cybertronian.
Looking up, he was greeted with the sight of an entire swarm of bug-like robots marching past him, paying him little to no heed. Among them, he spotted countless Insecticons -- inventions of the spider witch Airachnid -- as well as what appeared to be Eukarian-born insects.
"Hurry, hurry, Gigatron! Wouldn't want to miss the ascension now, would we?"
Gigatron stiffened at the familiar cackle of Tarantulas. He scanned the swarm but found no sign of the purple arachnid. Rising fully to his feet, he was about to follow the swarm when he noticed five Autobots pointing guns at him.
"Gig is up, Gigatron," Jetfire said, part of his white armor still charred black. "Hands where I can see them."
Gigatron broke into a wicked grin. "As you wish."
With that, he shot up in the air and transformed into a giant hand. Splaying all five 'fingers', he came back down like a rock and flattened himself into the ground, creating a blast that sent all five Autobots flying.
Converting back into his dragon mode, Gigatron was about to attack again when he heard Tarantulas speak again.
"Leave them. There are more important matters to attend to."
Gigatron snarled. "Where are you, you loathsome arachnid?"
"Follow my voice."
With a guttural growl, Gigatron turned in the same direction as the swarm and went after them.
* * *
"How is your tea, sir?"
Sir Edmund Burton only grunted as he continued to peruse the newspaper. Cogman bowed in respect as he dutifully stood by, hands clapsed in front of him.
Outside, Bulldog fired from his turret. Probably a bird, Cogman thought.
A few minutes of silence ticked by. Burton turned the page of his paper and proceeded to read the editorials.
"Sir," Cogman began, careful not to startle his sire. "About those Autobots that visited us last night."
"What about them?" Burton snapped, sipping from his tea.
Outside, Bulldog fired again.
"Do you think, perhaps, maybe you should have told them about...." Cogman shifted slightly. "Your recent acquisition?"
Burton scowled at him. "You mean the artifact from Blackrock? As if! I won it fair and square! No chance in hell am I giving it up now!"
"Yes, but, sir--"
Outside, Bulldog fired again.
"--I feel that it might be of interest to them."
"So is Madame Dent, yet you don't see me trying to wrest her from Graham."
Outside, Bulldog fired again. And again.
"Good heavens!" Burton exclaimed, throwing his newspaper down. "Can't those bloody rascals take a doggone hint?"
"Sir," Cogman said quietly. "I think they're here for the artifact."
Realization seemed to dawn on Burton just as a giant hand tore the roof asunder, revealing a massive swarm of insects as they descended upon Folgan Castle...
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