Chapter 9: Transformer System Unlocked
What the ?! Isn't Megatron supposed to be in War Zone 9?
And Starscream was stationed in War Zone 6, wasn't he?
How the hell did he get here?
Did he teleport?!
Good grief… why did he show up now of all times? Damn hunk of metal!
Starscream cursed silently, though the expression on his face or rather, in his optics was one of ecstatic joy.
"Brother Megatron! What are you doing here? Weren't you in a battlefield far from mine?"
"Starscream, you fool! I thought that injury and recovery of yours might've made you smarter but I was wrong!"
Megatron's voice thundered through the comms.
"No matter what battlefield we're on, what's the ultimate mission of the Decepticons? As long as we kill Optimus Prime, all of Cybertron will fall under Decepticon control! We heard your transmission a moment ago and rushed here immediately!"
So, it turned out all of Starscream's "acting" earlier had worked a little too well it had even lured in Megatron himself.
The appearance of Optimus Prime, however, was the biggest shock of all. Judging from the situation, tonight's massive Autobot assault was clearly a diversion a ploy to let Optimus Prime and Ironhide escape the Decepticon siege.
But now, that plan had completely fallen apart.
Yet, the greatest danger wasn't to them it was to Elita, who still hadn't managed to reunite with Optimus Prime.
And between her and Optimus now stood a cold-blooded Decepticon Soundwave.
Unlike Starscream, every move Soundwave made was lethal.
"RoboVo! Laserbeak! Attack! Capture that Autobot!"
Soundwave himself wasn't particularly fearsome in one-on-one combat, but he could summon his internal battle drones vicious constructs that tore enemies apart.
The two he released, RoboVo and Laserbeak, were stored inside his body in the form of audio cassettes. Once deployed, they transformed into ferocious mechanical beasts.
But Elita was no easy prey.
Despite her delicate appearance, her specs and combat ability rivaled even Optimus Prime's. Seeing the two Decepticon beasts rushing toward her, she instantly transformed without hesitation.
Her sleek futuristic car form gleamed under the firelight, its titanium-alloy fenders glinting like armor. With a single acceleration burst, she rammed straight into the robotic hound, knocking it aside.
However, Laserbeak was far more dangerous. Unlike the clumsy ground hound, he ruled the skies raining down deadly laser fire from above, far deadlier than any claws or fangs.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Boom!"
Laserbeak was a relentless hunter. Even as Elita weaved and dodged across the battlefield, she couldn't shake the winged menace stalking her from above.
At this rate, the Autobot was in serious danger.
But they'd forgotten something Optimus Prime was still nearby!
Just because Elita was struggling didn't mean the Autobot commander would be as helpless.
"Bang!"
With a single well-aimed shot, Optimus Prime finally recognized Elita and blasted Laserbeak out of the sky.
In the presence of the Autobot leader, all but the highest-ranking Decepticons were mere scrap metal.
And yet, watching this unfold, Megatron the seasoned warlord didn't move a muscle. He merely stood and observed, confident that Optimus Prime was cornered, trapped like prey with no escape.
"Optimus Prime," Megatron growled, "you're surrounded. Decepticons are everywhere. Since we both once trained under the same master, I'll make this simple for you.
Surrender your Supreme Spark, and I won't execute your comrades before your very eyes."
Megatron's goal was crystal clear.
Optimus Prime was the last true Autobot super-soldier.
If Megatron could seize his Supreme Spark, he would become the most powerful being in the universe without exception.
The Transformers were already a supreme race, but even they were rivaled by ancient cosmic civilizations that had existed for millennia.
If Megatron could unite the power of the Autobots and Decepticons under his rule, Cybertron itself would become the foundation of his conquest of the cosmos.
Of course, Optimus Prime understood this all too well and he could never allow Megatron to succeed.
Otherwise, the entire universe would be plunged into chaos and endless war.
"Optimus Prime, don't listen to him!" Ironhide shouted, his voice ragged but defiant.
"Even if our Sparks are extinguished, we'll never kneel to these cosmic demons!"
Ironhide, Optimus's long-time comrade, stood his ground even while gravely wounded courtesy of one of Starscream's "accidental" missile barrages that had torn a massive hole through his chest.
Had it not been for that, the Autobots' strength would have been far greater.
"Stay calm, Ironhide," Optimus said firmly. "Even if our escape failed today, these Decepticons won't stop us."
But before he could finish, a deafening mechanical roar thundered from the dense fog behind them something colossal was approaching.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang! Clang!"
The earth trembled under the weight of the creature's steps.
Whatever it was, it was massive and terrifying.
Soundwave, the Decepticon intelligence officer, immediately activated his scanning systems. On his display, a huge red dot was rapidly approaching their position.
"What's this?! Where is that energy signal coming from?! This… this can't be "
"What is it, Soundwave? What do you see?" Megatron demanded.
"Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied, his voice glitching, "it appears to be… the Grand Commander! The Grand Commander is coming!"
"What?! How could you let that beast breach the defense line?! Where's the Dreadnought?! What the hell is that idiot doing?!"
Megatron's fury shook even the ground beneath them. He knew that a Transformer as powerful as the Mammoth the Grand Commander himself was no ordinary opponent.
And just as Megatron's mind raced, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed through Starscream's CPU.
(End of Chapter)