CHAPTER SIX
--Autobot City--
"Scrap."
Windblade glanced at Brainstorm, who was staring in the space where the GroundBridge portal had once been before it dissipated without warning. Nearby, Perceptor was working frantically to bring it back.
"This is bad," the Cityspeaker said.
"Yeah," Brainstorm muttered. "I kinda came to that conclusion on my own."
"We should probably have Sky Lynx take someone to--"
"Take who? We've practically sent everyone! All that's left is you, me, Perceptor, Magnus, and Sky Lynx. And Rung. We don't exactly have that many heavy hitters left."
"You're forgetting someone," Windblade said.
Brainstorm looked at her quizzically. "Who? I already said Rung, didn't I? And between you and me, he's not exactly--"
Windblade shook her head, beginning to smile slightly. "Metrotitan."
"Metrotitan? No way. You're not suggesting... Magnus would never... I mean, I'm sure Prime would have--"
"Magnus and Prime aren't Cityspeakers. They don't have a say either way." Windblade grabbed an alarmed Brainstorm's arm. "Come on, genius. We're going to fight fire with fire."
"Oh, I really don't like the sound of that," Brainstorm groaned as he was dragged away.
--Stonehenge--
"Rhinox! Heel! I-- oh, that was a poor choice of words, wasn't it?"
Skids let out a yell as the Maximal rhino bucked, sending him flying into the oncoming Bighorn. The bull proceeded to trample over him as it set its sights on Ironhide.
"Aw, come on!" the red-plated Autobot exclaimed as Bighorn barreled into him.
Groaning, Skids got back to his feet in time to see a giant green wasp advancing towards him. Unlike with Rhinox, Skids had absolutely no qualms in shooting down the Predacon, watching with some appraisal as the wasp exploded in pieces.
"Nooo," the battered Predacon whined as he fell uselessly to the ground. "Why universe hate Waspinator?"
Before Skids could take in the triumph of his (admittedly easy) victory, he was attacked from behind by Rhinox once more, the rhinoceros' horn hitting a particularly sensitive spot in his rear armature.
I feel ya, pal...
* * *
"On your tail!"
Slipstream flipped away in time as a red pteranodon shot past her. Terrorsaur's angered squawk was cut shot as Stormshot quickly gunned him down, sending the Predacon plummeting towards the ground.
"I had it handled," Slipstream said icily as Stormshot came to fly alongside her.
"Sure you did."
"Why did you even bother warning me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"You're an Autobot," Slipstream hissed, as if the word were an insult.
Stormshot was silent for a long time; it almost seemed as if she wasn't even aware of the swarm of Insecticons that were now headed their way. Finally, the Autobot jet said, "You watch my back, I watch yours. Deal?"
"Fine," Slipstream growled. "Whatever."
With that, the two jets flew straight ahead, firing their guns onto the oncoming swarm.
* * *
As much as it pained Ratchet to admit, Decepticons like Lugnut certainly packed a punch.
The explosion from Lugnut's fist had successfully eliminated the threat of the two dozen Insecticons that had swarmed Blitzwing. As Ratchet set to work on fixing the Triple Changer, Lugnut proceeded to take on a herd of equinoids with his mace.
"He's certainly an effective fighter, I'll give him that," Ratchet muttered to himself.
"You should have seen him at Derut Four," Blitzwing murmured, wincing as an exposed panel on his chest sparked. "He single-handedly slaughtered half of the 104th Battalion."
"I know," Ratchet grunted. "I was there."
"I'm sorry."
"Are you? Or are you being sarcastic?"
Blitzwing managed a shrug. "I don't know. With a mind like mine... it could very well be both."
A long silence passed between them as Ratchet continued to operate. Lugnut was already finished with the equinoids and had since moved onto a red tyrannosaurus. Other dinosaurs of various types had also joined the fight: an orange triceratops, a grey stegosaurus, a purple pteranodon....
Ratchet paused in his work, staring at the assortment of prehistoric creatures. Blitzwing craned his head to give him a confused look.
"Is everything all right?"
Ratchet shook his head. "Yeah. Just thought I saw--"
Without warning, he was hit from behind by a giant tail. Grunting as he hit the ground, Ratchet quickly turned on his back and aimed a gun at his assailant.
"Go back to the past you--!" His optics whirred as they registered the beast before him. "...bozo?"
"Me Grimlock no bozo!" the giant metal tyrannosaurus bellowed, fire glowing in the pits of its mouth. "Me king!"
"Oh," was all Ratchet could get out before the stream of flames started heading his way.
* * *
"Leo Prime, listen to me!"
The white lion was doing anything but as it pounced onto Optimus Prime, pinning him to the ground. The former Maximal leader's eyes glowed red as he released a deafening roar.
"I don't know what -- or who -- is controlling you," Optimus grunted as a claw slashed across his faceplate. "But you must resist it!"
Keeping his weight on the Autobot leader, Leo Prime transformed to his robot mode and drew out a massive sword, which he held against Optimus' neck.
"Resistance is a futile effort," Leo growled, optics glowing that same unnatural red. "The ascension is already at hand. Onyx shall reign supreme once more!"
"Onyx?" Optimus wrestled against the blade of the sword in an attempt to push it away. "You mean Onyx Prime?"
"You dare express ignorance of the First Beast! You are all that more deserving of--!"
The lion was silenced by an energy blast to the back. Snarling, Leo Prime whirled around to see Megatron standing before him, arm cannon pointed in his direction.
"Out of everyone in the Convoy Corps," Megatron muttered, "you were always the most insufferable."
Retracting his sword, Leo Prime returned to his lion form and charged towards the former Decepticon leader. Another blast from his cannon and a well-time punch was all it took to take out the Maximal.
As Optimus got back up, Megatron said, "We aren't getting anywhere with this fight. We need to get to Fortress Maximus."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Optimus asked.
"You said he's underground, correct?"
"Yes?"
At that moment, a battered flying squirrel dropped right next to them. Seconds later, a black and purple Seeker materialized, a laughing expression on his face.
"Oh man, that was golden! You should have seen it! Like pushing a roller unit down a flight of--"
Megatron grabbed Skywarp by the wing. "We require your services."
"You do?" Skywarp glanced between the two leaders. "What for?"
Megatron smirked. "You see, Skywarp, there's a Titan in this area."
"Yeah...?"
"And it's underground."
"Oh." Skywarp slowly nodded before it all finally clicked. "Oh."
Without another word, the Seeker grabbed onto both leaders and in an instant, the three were gone in a flash.
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