CHAPTER FIVE
Infinitus gasped as he collapsed onto the floor, smoke emitting from his scorched plating. Fortress Maximus' face continued to regard him with a vacant expression.
"You are wasting your time," the Titan intoned.
Infinitus coughed as he hobbled to his feet. "And you are wasting your individuality."
"We are machines, Infinitus. We are not made to think."
"Yeah? Then how come we do? How come we can think and feel and love?"
"Glitches in the system," Fortress Maximus dully replied.
"If that's the case, then I guess we're all glitched." Infinitus tilted his head. "Do you really think this, Cerebros? Or are the Quintessons just talking through you."
"My will is the Creators' will. As all should be."
"But at what cost? Wouldn't you rather be free than have to answer at someone else's beck and call?"
"Freedom is the path to chaos. Only in subjugation is there peace."
Peace. That was it. The Quintessons were controlling Fort Max and Cerebros through their shared pacifism. Peace was all the Titan cared about. If that was the case....
"The Quintessons won't bring peace, Fortress Maximus."
Fort Max's large red optics shifted. "You are wrong."
"No, I'm not. Because they're not going to stop at Cybertron. Once we're under their thumb -- er, tendril -- they'll just move on to other worlds."
Fortress Maximus was silent, allowing Infinitus to press on.
"Sure, we'd be at peace... but the rest of the universe? Forget about it. So ask yourself this, Max: whose peace are you concerned about? Ours... or theirs?"
The Titan said nothing, his silence pervading the room....
* * *
"Monstructor... destroy!"
The monstrous combiner lunged forward, colliding into Bruticus and pushing the Combaticon gestalt into a building. Cyclonus, Skids and Getaway all shielded themselves as debris fell on top of them.
Cyclonus scowled as he glared up at Monstructor. "If I die, I'm going to find Jhiaxus and kill him."
"Y'know, now wouldn't be a bad time to merge into Galvatronus or whatever," Getaway said. "Heck, I'll even volunteer if you're in need of limbs."
Cyclonus shook his head. "I do not have that ability in this body. Besides, that experience was one I do not wish to ever suffer again."
"Well, we have a Prime who's a gestalt," Skids said. "Maybe he can--"
He was cut off by the unexpected sight of Liokaiser -- a combiner made-up of Deathsaurus and four of his Decepticons -- fly overhead. The Decepticon gestalt collided into a building and fell atop of several Terrorbots, crushing them.
"Oh hell," Getaway exclaimed.
Skids turned around... and felt his jaw drop open as he saw what appeared to be Starscream -- fused with four other Decepticons -- arrive onto the battle. In his right hand -- made from Dreadwind -- was a large purple space gun.
"Now that was satisfying," cackled the Starscream gestalt. "I could hug you right now, Shockwave."
"That would be the exact opposite of satisfying," replied the purple space gun. "Now, let us keep moving."
With a grin as wide as his face, Starscream utilized Ruckus and Needlenose as legs as he charged towards Monstructor. Cyclonus and the others quickly ran for cover as the two combiners tackled into each other.
"That's going on my list of bizarre scrap I've seen in my lifetime," Getaway muttered.
* * *
"Should, eh, we be concerned that we haven't seen any Preds yet?"
Primal Major glanced at Rattrap as he uncrossed his blades and severed an Overcharge's head off. Looking around, he saw that there was indeed a distinct lack of Predacons, either with or against them. One would have thought that they'd be among Thunderwing's forces....
"I think we have bigger things to worry about," he grunted, catching sight of Razorclaw and Shokaract. The latter herald was in the process of absorbing a Decepticon's spark while Razorclaw began striding towards the Maximals.
"Greetings, fellow beast!" the Fuzor addressed Primal. "You know, we need not be adversaries."
Sheathing his blades, Primal began to walk up to the herald, earning shocked looks from his comrades. "Oh, yeah?"
"Of course!" Razorclaw grinned. "While you may be born of Cybertron, Onyx Prime's oil still runs through you. Join us and you will be rewards with power beyond measure."
"Sounds pretty good," Primal said, stopping a step away from the Fuzor.
"So what do you say?"
Primal responded by deploying a pair of shoulder cannons, which he unloaded upon the herald. Razorclaw cried out as he staggered back only to be cut short as Primal drove a blade into his chest. The Fuzor gaped at him for a moment before sneering.
"I'm already dead," he growled.
"Good," Primal replied, drawing his other blade. "So you won't mind if I do this."
With one swift cut, Razorclaw's head went flying across the battlefield. At that moment, Shokaract directed his attention to the Maximals and began advancing towards them, his arms crackling with energy.
"Foolish, doomed creatures! The long night of oblivion beckons for you--"
His speech was cut short as Rhinox unleashed his chainguns. The pellets tore holes in the herald's armor as he howled in agony. Unable to strike back, Shokaract could only watch in horror as a large Dinobot suddenly charged in from behind the Maximals, his fanged maw open wide.
Shokaract's reign of terror ended with a crunch and a satisfied belch from the bowels of Grimlock's intake systems.
* * *
Elita's raged cry was the only warning she gave Guiltaur as she lunged at him, swinging the Star Saber in a downwards slash. Guiltaur raised his arm blade to block the attack, only for the ancient sword's blue blade to cut through it.
Guiltaur staggered back in pain, clutching the fresh gash in his arm. He glared back at Elita, optics blazing in fury.
"You," he snarled. "I know you."
"Do you?" Elita asked, raising the Star Saber for another attack.
"Yes. You were his weakness; the one thing keeping him from becoming what he was meant to be." Guiltaur cocked his arm cannon, aiming it at the magenta Autobot. "Fortunately, I have no such limitations."
He fired the cannon, only for Elita to dodge the blast. She pressed ahead, positioning the blade to drive it straight into the fusion's chest. Guiltaur backed away, firing his cannon again and again, missing each and every time. His optics went wide as Elita finally caught up to him and drove the Star Saber straight into his chest.
As he retracted his mouthplate, energon sputtering, Guiltaur looked his opponent in the optics. "Elita," he muttered, adjusting his voicebox to sound exactly like Optimus. "Why?"
Elita shuttered her optics. "You're not him. Don't pretend to be."
"I'm not. I'm better than him."
"No. You'll never be better. Because you are missing the most important thing."
Guiltaur sneered. "And what... pray tell...?"
Elita opened her eyes as she met his for the last time. "A spark."
Guiltaur opened his mouth but no words came out as he slid off the blade and fell to the ground. His optics stared at Elita for a fleeting moment before flickering off. She stood over Guiltaur, basked in the moonlight of Luna 2, as he shut down.
Caught in a wave of emotions, Elita did not notice as Luna 2 began to slowly turned to face Cybertron....
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