CHAPTER THREE
--Warworld--
The Fallen was no coward.
Not for the first time he told himself this as he paced on the bridge of Deathsaurus' Warworld. He could feel the eyes of Deathsaurus and his crew watching him, though no dared speak a word for fear of angering him and receiving a swift death.
Gemma, on the other hand, seemed to have no such qualms.
"We are wasting time here," the silver-haired human said, perched on Soundwave's shoulder. Several on the bridge continued to regard her with disgust, even those who knew she wasn't actually human.
The Fallen glared at her. "I don't need your--"
"You've found your Void Scepter. There's nothing left for us on this world." Before the Fallen could retort, Gemma then said, "Or is it this Thunderwing person that's got you bothered? Because so far, he doesn't seem to care much for us, so why don't we leave before he does start caring?"
"He has the Matrix," the Fallen growled.
Gemma rolled her eyes. "And? So did Optimus Prime and even Megatron for a time. You didn't seem to care then. Why now?"
The Fallen did not answer her, looking down on Earth through the vessel's viewport. "We are not leaving without it," he muttered, more to himself than anyone present.
"I'm sorry, my liege, but I find myself agreeing with the human," Shockwave said, stepping forward. "Once we find and reawaken Trypticon, Thunderwing will be a non-issue. Quintus Prime may also be of--"
"No!" the Fallen snapped, whirling around. "I refuse to let her take the glory! The Matrix shall be mine! We are not leaving until that... that... impostor is dead!"
"The Matrix is inconsequential. Thunderwing is inconsequential. He is one where we are many. And with Trypticon, we will be even stronger."
"Don't lecture me, you one-eyed lowtech," the Fallen snarled. "You are all under my command. You will obey me!"
Shockwave's single optic pulsed but he did not speak. Deathsaurus and several of his crew shifted but made nary a move. Gemma remained on Soundwave's shoulder, resting her chin on her hand.
"Talk about a tough crowd," she commented.
The Fallen returned his gaze to her, shaking with anger. "You. All of this started with you."
"Did it? I didn't even know about this Thunderwing until--"
Without warning, the Fallen charged his arm cannon and pointed it at Gemma, causing Soundwave to move with a start. Before the ancient Prime could fire, Shockwave stepped in between them and delivered a blast from his gun hand. It bounced harmlessly off the Fallen's chest, who did not so much as flinch.
"Was that intended to harm me?" he grunted.
"No, it was intended to get your attention," Shockwave said. "Do not act so rashly, Megatronus. Gemma can be a useful asset. It would be foolish to exterminate her."
"I am no fool!" the Fallen bellowed.
"Then cease acting like one."
Growling lowly, the Fallen swapped the Requiem Blaster for his Void Scepter, gripping it tightly as he aimed its pointed end at Shockwave.
"The last thing I need is someone telling me how to act. I am a Prime! First who was named! You are nothing to me!"
"Yet you fear Thunderwing," Shockwave said evenly. "Now why could that possibly be?"
"I fear nothing!"
"Only a fool lies to himself, Megatronus."
With a roar, the Fallen lunged at Shockwave, the tip of his scepter pointed at the Decepticon's spark. Before he could land the blow however, he was hit by a deafening sonic boom. Disoriented, he clutched his head, letting the Void Scepter clatter to the floor.
Through his scrambled senses, the Fallen saw that no one else was affected by Soundwave's assault. As the stoic Decepticon stepped closer to him, the Prime fell to his knees.
"H-how...?" he grunted. "How can you...?"
"Your processor is antiquated. Outdated." Soundwave's voice seemed to carry across the sonic waves he was attacking the Fallen with. "Subsequent generations have become immune to signals that you are still vulnerable to. You may have upgraded your armor upon your resurrection, Omega Trion, but not your internal systems."
The Fallen clenched his fists. "Don't call me that! I renounced that name after I was cast out of the House of Trion! It means nothing to me!"
"You're right. All your life you've been nothing but an outcast. Cast out by the Trions for your Darklander crusades, cast out by the Primes for murdering Solus, cast out from the Dead Universe for failing to prevent its destruction... you have no place, Fallen. You don't belong anywhere."
The Fallen glared at him. "And you, Logos? You were never one of us, never a true Prime. Just a pretender like Septimus and Regulus. Where do you belong?"
Soundwave was silent for a fleeting moment. "To be honest, I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Bending down, he retrieved the Void Scepter from the floor. "But one thing I know for sure..."
The Fallen's optics widened as he felt his body freeze up as Soundwave pointed the scepter at him, its pointed tip glowing.
"It's not with you."
The ancient Prime could only scream as the Void Scepter sent him phasing through the hull of the Warworld and plummeting towards the planet below....
* * *
"Impressive," Gemma murmured as she witnessed the Fallen's body light up as it entered Earth's atmosphere. "I didn't know it could do that."
Turning around, Soundwave inclined his head to Deathsaurus. "Set a course for Combatron. We will find Trypticon there."
Deathsaurus frowned at him. "And why should I do as you say? How do I know you won't turn on me the way you did the Fallen?"
"Megatronus was leading us on a path that would do us no good," Shockwave said. "It was only logical that he be removed. Now that we have the Void Scepter, we can carry on without him."
"But why Soundwave? What was it Megatronus was saying about him being a Prime?"
Soundwave said nothing as he handed Deathsaurus the Void Scepter. The warlord eyed him carefully for a moment before taking the device. He then turned to address his crew.
"You heard him. Set a course for Combatron. We're done here."
* * *
The Fallen was no fool.
Not for the first time he told himself this as the Warworld winked out of view, taking his army with it. Soundwave's words still rang in his mind as he lay in the crater he had made, unable to move any part of his body.
Outcast.
He rolled his hand into a fist, seething with rage. How could he have allowed himself to be bested like this -- by a pretender, no less? Countless Primes had fallen before him, real and not. How could someone like Logos possibly be able to defeat him?
How could he have possibly fallen so far?
Several hours passed before he was able to move again. His joints groaned as he pulled himself out of the crater, coming out into the cold, dark night. As he sat there, rubbing his helm, he failed to notice the approach of a pack of creatures until one of them spoke.
"Fancy seeing you here."
The Fallen's head snapped up at the blue luponoid standing before him. Although the creature's appearance was unfamiliar to him, it didn't take long for him to pinpoint the voice.
"Steel Jaw?" the Prime muttered. "What are you doing here? I thought you were--"
"Still on Deathsaurus' ship?" The wolf grinned, baring its fangs. "We've found an alternative opportunity. A better one."
Before the Fallen could speak, he was greeted with the appearance of several winged shapes in the starlit sky, silhouetted by the moon. The Fallen's mouth fell open as he regarded the flock of beasts with fear.
"No...." he murmured.
"The ascension has begun, Megatronus," Steel Jaw said. "Still want to be on the losing side?"
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