CHAPTER FIVE
Cheers of victory rang throughout the bridge of the Tidal Wave as the last vestiges of the Onyx tower were engulfed in a fiery explosion. Although Fowler couldn't tell from where he and Stakeout were confined, Tidal Wave had not been the cause of that last explosion... but that didn't seem to matter to these bots.
"Ah, it's been too long," Stockade said as he flexed triumphantly. "I had almost forgotten how good it was to win."
Carnivac glanced at him from where he stood, watching over injured Chimeracons. "Are you certain we've won? How do we know Scorponok was caught in the blast?"
"If he was, there was no way he could have survived it. If he wasn't, it doesn't matter now; we've destroyed his little operation." Stockade waved a dismissive hand. "Either way, we've won."
"So now what?" asked Smolder. "Do we pick up Leo Prime and leave or--"
"Leave?" Stockade let out a sharp laugh. "And throw away the position of power we're in? You have all seen what Tidal Wave is capable of; the humans will have no choice but to bow to us!"
"No!" Stakeout revved his engine in protest, still locked in his car mode. "Haven't you caused enough destruction? You've already made your mission statement; there's no need to--"
"Undertow, shut him up!" Stockade snapped. "The last thing I need is an Autobot raining on my parade."
"He has a point."
A deadly silence fell on the bridge as all eyes turned to Carnivac. The wolf-bot stepped up to a fuming Stockade, a defiant look in his eyes.
"We have done everything we set out to do. Anything pass this point would have been at Leo Prime's whim and, well, he's out of the picture now." Carnivac splayed his hands. "There's nothing left for us on this planet now. It's time to move on."
At first, Stockade said nothing, glaring at the Chimeracon through his dark visor. Smolder and the others looked between the two with a sense of unease and apprehension. Fowler wondered if any sides were going to be drawn.
Finally, Stockade rose from his seat and stepped over to Carnivac. "You're right, my friend," the former general said softly as he rested a hand on the wolf's shoulder. "It's time to move on."
Carnivac blinked before allowing himself to relax. A smile started to form on his face... only to be replaced with a silent howl of agony as Stockade punctured his chest with his fist, grabbing a hold of the Chimeracon's spark.
"...from your foolish idealism," Stockade finished with a snarl as he crushed the blue orb of energy.
Stakeout cried out his former comrade's name as Carnivac's deactivated corpse fell to the deck. Several of the Chimeracons reacted with shock, some even assuming combative positions. However, no one made a move as Stockade returned to his seat, taking command once more.
"Tidal Wave, set your sights on the Autobot ship," the general ordered. "Let us eliminate all resistance before we proceed with our conquest."
* * *
"So much for that little rescue operation," Springer muttered as he and the others emerged from the ruins of the collapsed tower, Guzzle and Roadbuster having blasted their way out. Most of the human workers seemed to have had already evacuated and Springer spotted the yellow bot that claimed to be Bumblebee parked nearby with his human allies.
"One thing he and the real 'Bee have in common," Kup muttered, "is not bein' good at followin' orders."
However, disobedience was currently the least of Springer's concerns. Up ahead, he could see the colossal Tidal Wave slowly turning where it stood, fixing its weapons on the inert Lost Light.
"We have to stop that thing," he said urgently. "Star Saber, can you raise Rodimus on your comm?"
Star Saber moved unsteadily on his feet, still shaken by what they had all deduced to be Getaway's demise. He started to raise a hand to his helmet only to stop when Tidal Wave unexpectedly froze mid-turn.
The Autobots all exchanged looks before readying their weapons and charging towards the giant.
* * *
"Get off of me!" Stockade roared as he grabbed a hold of Stampy and threw him off his back. This act was ultimately futile as he was subsequently rammed in the chest by a blue ibex.
"You overstep your bounds, Decepticon!" Longhorn bellowed. "This is not why Leo Prime brought us together; to kill one another in a grab for power!"
"Then you may join Prime and his dream in the Afterspark." Stockade then grabbed Longhorn by the horns and threw him into an oncoming bat Chimeracon.
It wasn't long before everyone on the bridge was at each other's throats, just as Fowler had expected. Monstercons against Chimeracons against Decepticons... it was true to their name: Complete and utter mayhem. And with him still trapped in a mode-locked Stakeout, there was nothing Fowler could do other than watch and pray that they didn't get killed in the midst of the chaos.
Still, at least the infighting kept them from causing any more destruction with Tidal Wave. But how long would that last?
"Don't suppose you have an escape plan, do ya?" he muttered to the police car.
"If I did, we would have been out of here already," Stakeout replied.
Fowler grunted. "So what exactly's got you trapped in your car form? Is it something I can get off for you?"
"It's a mode lock and no. Again, if it were that simple then--"
"Hold on." Fowler leaned forward in his seat, having noticed something outside Tidal Wave's viewport. "Are those flying cars out there or am I just--"
Before he could finish the thought, the two fliers unleashed a pair of rockets. The resulting explosion was enough to rock Tidal Wave and bring Mayhem's infighting to a stop.
"We're under attack!" Stockade cried, releasing his hold on a purple iguana Chimeracon. "Battle stations, everyone!"
"We are not taking orders from you!" Longhorn retorted. "We'd sooner die!"
"Then die you shall!" With a battle cry, Stockade lunged at the Chimeracon, only for the fliers to fire again. This time they blew an opening in the bridge, allowing countless robots of identical design to pour in. Following them were bots of more unique models, all wearing the same green insignia.
"It's one thing to take our ship," said a gray and yellow pteranodon, dropping into the room. "It's another to turn it against us."
"We were trying to destroy the Autobots!" Stockade protested. "You could have easily gotten out of the way!"
"And you could have easily not stolen our ship." Brimstone brandished his talons, malice gleaming in his optics. "We could be at this all day... so we'll make this quick."
With that, the Star Seekers proceeded to swarm onto the bridge, quickly overwhelming Stockade and the Mayhemers. Fowler's only regret as his vision became a sea of robots was that he was about to die trapped in a police car....
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