CHAPTER EIGHT
--Luna 1--
"So how do we know this is Luna One?" Impactor asked as the Lost Light approached the missing satellite.
Depth Charge glanced back at the Wrecker leader. "Because I said it was?"
Impactor frowned. "Yeah, but how do we know you're right?"
"As someone who has been to a Luna One, I say it's a dead ringer," Skids said. "Also, it looks like Luna Two, so... yeah."
Impactor waved a dismissive hand. "Fine. Forget I said anything."
Optimus Prime inclined his head towards Alpha Bravo. "Any life signs?"
"A considerable amount," the helicopter bot replied. "I'd say enough to make up a whole city."
"We're being hailed," Offroad said. "Shall I put them on visual?"
Optimus nodded. "Make it so."
In an instant, the viewscreen was filled by the grinning face of Wreck-Gar, known leader of the Junkions. "Calling occupants of interplanetary craft!" he greeted them cheerfully. "We are your friends!"
"Oh," Megatron said, running a hand down his face. "This should be good."
* * *
Delta Magnus watched as Wreck-Gar made contact with the Lost Light, unable to resist the grin threatening to cross her face. This was just too perfect: Optimus Prime and Megatron, leaders of both factions, here in one place. Her masters were going to love this when they finally got here. She couldn't even begin to imagine the reward she was no doubt due for.
Perhaps she would finally be made a Prime. "Magnus Prime" certainly had a nice ring to it. At least, she always thought so.
Behind her, the four captive Autobots wrestled against their restraints, reminding her of their presence. Turning to one of the Vehicon drones, she said, "Take them to the citadel. I'll be there shortly."
The drone obeyed her without comment and whisked Ginrai and the others away, leaving her to watch the Lost Light as it descended towards the ground.
--Autobot City--
"Rodimus! It's me, Mag--"
Ultra Magnus grunted as he collided with the wall, crashing through it and ending up outside, where the rest of the battle was taking place. As he struggled to his feet, the corrupted Rodimus sauntered towards him, his hands crackling with purple energy.
Grimacing, Magnus realized that there would be no time to try to pacify Rodimus, not with the Predacons wreaking havoc as they were. He knew he had no choice; of all the options, Arcee's suggestion was the only viable one.
On a comm line that was received by all, Ultra Magnus gave the order: "Evacuate the city."
He did not wait for any objections. Deploying his battle hammer, he assumed a defensive position as Rodimus charged towards him.
* * *
"Did I hear that right?"
"I can't hear anything over those guns of yours!" Rattrap cried over the sound of Rhinox's machine guns. "Not suggesting you should stop though," he added, firing at an oncoming swarm of Insecticons. "I don't want these guys to come any closer."
"Ultra Magnus has ordered an evacuation," Rhinox said. "I don't suppose you've seen Leo Prime, have you?"
"No. Should I have?"
"We should probably go find him." Putting away his guns, Rhinox converted to his rhinoceros form. "Grab on."
Rattrap gave him an incredulous look. "Are you--? ...Oh, forget it."
Without further comment, Rattrap jumped onto Rhinox and held on for dear life as they barreled into the swarm.
* * *
"Don't listen to the cowards! Stand and fight!"
Magmatron let out a battle cry as he drove his blade into an attacking Predacon. The lizard bot's eyes bulged as the sword stabbed his spark, ending his assault.
The Beast King grimaced as he extracted the blade. While he had little love for this Autobot City, he had even less for usurpers, and these Predacons were just that. The Maximals may have been led by a non-Eukarian, but at least their cause was just. He would accept their existence over the Predacons' any day.
Stepping over his recent kills, he scanned the battlefield for the one who called himself Gnashteeth, the current leader of the Predacons. It infuriated Magmatron to no end that the Autobots had allowed him and his followers to roam free. How foolish were they? He would see to it that their mistake was corrected.
Preoccupied in his search, he almost did not notice the gun-toting beast until it fired a warning shot past his head. Turning around, the Beast King faced the black and tan Predacon, tusks extending from their wide shoulders.
Magmatron blinked. He had seen this body type before; it had belonged to Domitius Major, his predecessor as ruler of Eukaris. Since then, Magmatron had known of only one other beast with that body type... and that was because he had given it to them.
"Ultra Trion?" he murmured.
The warrior snorted. "Here's a hint." He then transformed to beast mode and advanced towards Magmatron, tusks poised to gouge him.
Snarling, Magmatron raised his own blade and moved to strike the oncoming mammoth. His sword interlocked with the tusks and held them in place. As the Beast King pushed against his opponent, the mammoth's head suddenly split down the middle and unfurled into a large gun, pointed directly at Magmatron's face. Before he had time to react, the gun fired and Magmatron recoiled from the blast, lowering his guard... and allowing the mammoth's tusks to impale him in the chest.
As Magmatron cried out in pain, the mammoth fire again, then again, until it had blasted open a hole in the Beast King's chest. Falling to his knees, Magmatron could only watch as the mammoth transformed again and pointed the gun at his spark.
"By the way," the bot once known as Ultra Trion growled, "it's Nemesis Primal now."
He then fired the gun once more and the Beast King of Eukaris fell for the last time.
* * *
"Wheeljack, I want you to get the GroundBridge open! I don't care where to! Flatline, see to Bumblebee! Evac, go fetch Sky Lynx!"
While Red Alert continued to bark out orders behind her, Windblade pushed her way through the hordes of Autobots and Maximals rushing to evacuate. Doomshot sat perched on her shoulder, trying not to get knocked off.
"Are you sure this'll change anything?" the smaller robot asked. "I mean, if Metrotitan wanted to act, he would've done so by now."
"Right," Windblade muttered. "Which is exactly what I want to get to the bottom to."
Making her way through the crowded halls, the Cityspeaker eventually made it to the chamber that held Metrotitan's brain module. Two Autobots stood guard, though they quickly stepped aside to allow her entry.
Striding into the chamber, she saw that the Titan's module was already lit up, as if he had been expecting her. Not wasting any time, Windblade swiftly made her way over to him.
"Metrotitan," she spoke via city-speak. "Why haven't you acted yet? You are under attack!"
"The threat is being handled," Metrotitan calmly replied.
"What are you talking about? Ultra Magnus has just ordered an evacuation. We're being overwhelmed by powers we have never dealt with before!"
"The threat is being handled," the Titan repeated.
Windblade frowned. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Autobots are dying. I know it might not look like much to a Titan as powerful as yourself, but we need your help! We beg of you!"
"I answer only to the Prime."
"Well, the Prime isn't here, so I don't--"
"Wrong."
Suddenly, Windblade heard a pair of screams come from behind her. Turning around, she saw the two guards dead on the floor, smoke exiting from their backs. Standing over them was a massive, gold-faced robot with large, thunderous wings.
"The Prime is here."
No comments:
Post a Comment