CHAPTER TEN
--Earth--
"We've got them, sir. We shot down their--"
"I can see that," Joshua Red grunted as he shoved past the other agent. He took several strides from his SUV towards the wreckage of the Axalon, which had crashed some ten miles away from the junkyard. Most of the Autobots had appeared to have survived the crash, but the presence of their two Decepticon assailants kept them from getting back up.
As he approached the wreck, a thought crossed his mind. Looking up at one of the Decepticons -- Shatter, he believed she was called -- he asked, "Did anyone perish?"
Shatter shook her head. "I believe everyone is accounted for."
"Even the humans?"
"Oh, I hadn't considered that." Shatter regarded the wreck with an uninterested look. "I highly doubt any of them survived the crash. Humans are very delicate, after all."
"Shame. I was hoping to at least kill Fowler myself for his betrayal," Joshua said, shrugging off the matter. "How quickly can we get them to Verenya?"
"It will take a few Transwarp trips," grunted Dropkick. "But do you really need all of them?"
"That is a good point," Shatter said. "I don't believe you need this many to test the Talisman's capabilities. Five at most would suffice."
"Fine," Joshua said. "Do what you will, so long as they never trouble us again."
"We trusted you, Director."
Joshua stopped and looked at one of the prone Autobots. With a magenta and white color scheme, she had to be the one they called Elita-One; their leader, in the absence of Optimus Prime. She was staring at Joshua with a disapproving glare.
"We trusted you," she repeated. "Why did you turn against us? What have we done to you to deserve this?"
Joshua sneered at the Autobot. "You brought your war to our world. Instead of returning to your planet and staying there, you kept coming back because you thought we couldn't look after ourselves."
"We had unfinished business," Elita protested. "Like it or not, our worlds were forever intertwined from the day the Decepticons started to threaten your safety. It was our duty to bring a stop to that."
"Oh, our worlds have been intertwined for much longer that. But I intend to end that today."
"Listen," Elita implored him. "I understand that you care for the safety of your world; anyone can relate to that. But siding with the Decepticons is not going to solve your problems; if anything, it'll only make things worse."
"I beg to differ; if anything, it's brought us results. By using the Talisman to turn you against the people of Verenya--"
"What?" Elita interjected. "Those people had been mutated. They were attacking us. Are you saying you--"
"--we have turned the whole world against you," Joshua went on. "The people of Earth now want nothing more than for you all to pay the price."
"Oh, but the Decepticons get a free pass?" Elita retorted. "After all the damage they've done?"
"I don't see things the way you do, Autobot. Your self-declared allegiances mean nothing to me; only the results of your actions." A nasty grin crossed the Director's face. "Believe me, what I do today will forever mark me as a hero. The history books will remember my name... but not yours."
Satisfied with his speech, Joshua shifted his attention to the two Decepticons. "Do what you will to them. Just leave enough for--"
The rest of his words caught in his throat as he found himself staring up the barrel of Dropkick's gun.
"A heart-wrenching performance, Director Red," said Shatter. "Unfortunately, there won't be much truth to it."
Joshua choked with fear as he tried to speak. "But... we had a deal!"
"The deal was for us to procure the Talisman in exchange for getting the Autobots out of your hair. You have given us access to the Talisman and the Autobots have been dealt with. Your usefulness to us is hereby null and void."
Joshua opened his mouth to speak just as Dropkick fired his gun. The director of Sector Seven exploded into a puddle of liquid which quickly soaked into the ground. Before the remaining operatives had a chance to react, Shatter fired upon them with her own weapon. What vehicles weren't immediately destroyed quickly decided an altercation was not worth their lives and fled from the scene.
"Let them go," Shatter said to her comrade. "We have more important matters."
"Wait," Dropkick said. "Are you getting a signal?"
Shatter frowned as she raised a hand to her helm. "Yes, actually. It's coming from--"
She and Dropkick looked up to the sky just as a large shadow fell over them. Elita and the other Autobots craned their heads as well to see a long rectangular shape blotting out the sun. Elita quickly recognized it for what it was... as did the Decepticons.
"This isn't in our field," Dropkick muttered.
"No," Shatter quietly agreed. "I believe this is for someone else to deal with."
With that, the two Decepticons hastily transformed and took off, quickly vanishing over the horizon. Not long after, the massive Titan touched down in front of the wreck of the Axalon. A green and yellow figure jumped down from the bow and landed before Elita.
"Never let it be said," Springer said with a cocky grin, "that Wreckers don't know how to make a timely arrival."
Elita smiled as she got back to her feet. "Springer, you have no idea how glad I am to see you."
"Save it. Let's get you guys on board before those 'Cons come back with their own surprises."
Elita nodded before suddenly frowning, turning back to the wreck. "The humans...!"
Without warning, the remains of the Axalon started to move... as one by one the pieces of the ship were pulled up into the air by an invisible force. Beneath the wreckage, completely unscathed, were Fowler, Jack, and the other human allies. And at the center of it all -- blue energy emitting from her body -- was Sari Sumdac, moving the Axalon's pieces with her hands. Once they were clear, she allowed the pieces to fall back down behind them while her eyes returned to their natural color.
Upon seeing all of the shocked looks aimed at her, Sari blinked and said, "What?" She then looked around, seeing the result of her unexpected display of power. "Did... did I do that?"
"Well," Springer said with mild amusement. "Looks like we both have a lot of news to share."
* * *
"This is a game changer."
"How so?" Shatter responded, flying alongside Dropkick across the ocean.
"How so? They have a freaking Titan, for crying out loud! I don't care what they say this Talisman thing can do, there's no way it can--"
"Calm yourself, comrade. While this certainly does change things, it's hardly a threat to our plans."
"How would you know?" Dropkick growled. "Are Ratbat and Banzai-Tron letting you in on their plans?"
"I've been told enough to know that everything will proceed as planned, Titan or no Titan," Shatter calmly replied.
"You know I hate it when you act like this," Dropkick muttered. "All vague and secretive."
"I know. That's why I do it."
They eventually made their way to Verenya, where the Ultracons had recently established operations in preparation for the arrival of their benefactors. With the city having been evacuated of humans, the Ultracons were allowed to roam freely with no disturbances.
After transforming to their robot modes and landing in the city, Shatter and Dropkick made their way down into the underground chamber in which the Talisman was being held. There they found their commanding officer Banzai-Tron speaking with a large purple and green bot with scorpion-like features. Dropkick stiffened, prompting Shatter to rest a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't say a word," she whispered.
"What is that traitor--"
"Silence." Removing her hand, Shatter proceeded to step over to the two Decepticons. She stood straight with her arms behind her back, awaiting acknowledgment.
Taking notice of her, Scorponok said wryly to his acquaintance, "You have a visitor."
Banzai-Tron sighed as he glanced at Shatter. "What is it?"
"The remaining Autobots are still active," Shatter reported. "We were forced to flee when they brought in a Titan for assistance."
"Of course. And Sector Seven?"
"Director Red has been eliminated, as promised."
"Good. At least something good came out of this." Banzai-Tron returned his attention to Scorponok. "What were you going to say?"
"I was going to say that something must be done about the Titan Masters," Scorponok replied.
"And what do you expect us to do about it?" Banzai-Tron retorted. "From what I've heard, you were the one who initially brought them into the fold."
"Yes, and I fully intend on fixing my mistake... but I require additional aid."
Banzai-Tron glared at him. "What kind of aid?"
"Your favorite kind: cyber warfare."
At this, even Shatter raised an optic ridge while Banzai-Tron rubbed his chin. "Go on."
"They have a part of the Underbase. We have the Magnificence. Both are bottomless wells of knowledge." Scorponok grinned savagely. "What say we use that knowledge against them?"
TO BE CONTINUED
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