Taking the Metro: Part 3
A fanfic by Bill T. Taylor
a.k.a. RedStreak
Galvatron laughed with delight as he watched the carnage from Trypticon’s head. Below, as the mountain continued to crumble and quake, Trypticon held Ultra Magnus tightly in his powerful hand.
“Finally, an end has come to you, Ultra Magnus,” Galvatron gloated, “An end that I’ve long awaited!” The demented Decepticon charged up his weapon, pointing right between Ultra Magnus’ blue eyes.
“No!” Galvatron glanced to his right, a pair of huge feet crashing into his chin. As Galvatron fell hard on his back, Grimlock landed, his arms flexing. “Galvatron not destroy Ultra Magnus! Grimlock destroy you!” Grimlock eagerly leaped atop Galvatron, grappling the Decepticon with the grace of a pumped-up wrestler.
“Agh! Trypticon, get this Dinobot dimwit off me!” Galvatron yelled, struggling against Grimlock.
Trypticon paused for a moment, realizing his master was in danger. Trypticon completely forgot Ultra Magnus, letting go of him as he stretched out with his arms, reaching for Grimlock on his head.
Ultra Magnus fell toward the ground yelling, powerless against gravity. As he fell, a giant hand erupted from the mountain itself, catching him in midair. As the stray gravel and boulders fell away, Computron’s mighty form emerged.
“Thanks Computron,” Ultra Magnus panted gratefully.
“No need,” Computron stated, “It was a mere calculation of your mass against the Earth’s gravitational pull, coupled with the wind vector, humidity, magnetic field variation and….”
“Alright! Alright!” Ultra Magnus said, “That’s good and all, but right now we need to deal with Trypticon! Grimlock and the Dinobots can’t hold him off forever.” As Ultra Magnus strained his eyes on the black giant, his sight caught something slight but just noticeable. “Say Computron, look! Is that an open vent in Trypticon’s ventral shielding?”
Computron looked, scanning with his precise and scientific optics. “Most correct, Ultra Magnus. A small thermal shaft, right below the main one. A precise hit should set off a chain reaction….”
“Great!” Ultra Magnus interrupted, “Then target and fire on my mark! Three…two…mark!” Ultra Magnus fired his shoulder-mounted missiles, both flying right toward the miniscule vent. With his free hand, Computron aimed his gun and fired a large plasma mortar. All three projectiles flew straight into the tiny shaft, and then….
BOOM!
Trypticon’s stomach burst wide open, a red fireball erupting. Trypticon roared in anguish, flames belching out of his underside. In a frenzy he stomped and shook and cried out, smoke wafting from every vent, crack, and slit in his immense body.
Galvatron and Grimlock rolled to the side. Grimlock let go and jumped just as Galvatron fell. Flying in midair, Grimlock watched as Galvatron thudded against the hard rock below. “Ha! Grimlock won!” the Dinobot leader cheered as he hovered in place. Calling to his flying comrades, Grimlock yelled, “Dinobots return to Ultra Magnus!”
Swoop and Slag, flying parallel as they fired on Trypticon, heard Grimlock. “Aww!” Slag moaned, “Just when Slag having most fun!” Obedient, the pair joined their fellow Dinobots and flew off.
Galvatron groaned as he got back up. He quickly heard the roar of a half dozen engines around him. Arcee, Kup, Wheelie, Blur, and Ultra Magnus, all in vehicle mode, encircled him. “Bah! You have won this battle,” Galvatron admitted, leaping back into the air, “But there is yet a larger battle waging! As we speak, Scourge is using Metroplex to prepare the annihilation of both you and the entire human race! It is I, Galvatron, who shall win the war, not you!”
As Galvatron flew skyward, Trypticon, still billowing ash-laden clouds, watched. Instinctively, the injured robot followed, firing up his own thrusters and taking off like a rocket. He flew haphazardly, a thick trail of smoke trailing behind in a great arc in the sky.
The Autobots transformed, Grimlock and the other Dinobots landing beside Ultra Magnus. “Dinobots wallop Trypticon good,” slowly said Sludge, “But Magnus and Computron hit Trypticon better say Sludge.”
“Thanks, but we’ve got other concerns,” Ultra Magnus informed them.
“Daniel and RedStreak were still on the mountain when the landslide hit,” Arcee said, “They’re buried alive in that rubble somewhere!”
Raising up his arms, Grimlock yelled, “Then let us find! Dig out human and idiot-bot!”
Muffled, a familiar voice said, “Your words are most encouraging, Grimlock.”
“RedStreak!” Kup exclaimed.
A dozen arms, including two large ones loaned from Computron, pried away the heavy boulders and dust piled over. Ultra Magnus uncovered one last boulder…beneath with RedStreak’s head smiled with a “Hi!”
Grunting, RedStreak managed to lift his arms up from the rubble. “Here’s a little something I managed to grab before the crash.” In his hands stood up an unharmed, albeit dusty, human boy.
“Daniel!” Arcee cheered, gently grabbing him and hugging him to her chest.
“I’m okay Arcee,” Daniel coughed, “Thanks to RedStreak here. He actually saved my life.”
“Aw,” RedStreak said, unable to resist a grin, “Just part of my usual, run-of-the-mill Autobot duties. Now…err…can somebody dig me the rest of the way out?”
Miles away, a still-smoking Trypticon followed a bitter Galvatron east. Trypticon groaned, flying more and more slowly. Galvatron glanced back and took note, realizing more considerable damage had been done than suspected.
“Blast! His power cells are fading,” Galvatron muttered to himself, “I’ll need to radio Scourge and the other Decepticons for help!”
Still further away, on the Potomac, Metroplex stood watch as Bruticus, Menasor, and Predaking raided the Pentagon. Half the building was crumbled as dozens of U.S. tanks and men fired on the three Gestalts in a vain attempt to detain them.
Watching from behind Metroplex’s optics, Scourge received a transmission in his audio receptors. “Galvatron calling Scourge, come in! I need assistance!”
Scourge hesitated, then clicked on his transmitter. “Scourge reporting, what do you need Galvatron?”
“Trypticon was severely damaged by the Autobots. His fuel cells are leaking and his back-up generators are fading fast. Rendezvous immediately once your information gathering is completed! Galvatron out!”
Scourge shut off his transmitter and laughed. “Oh this is just too convenient! Galvatron stuck with a powerless Trypticon while I have Metroplex and half of the Decepticons under my command! This is just too good to be true….”
Outside, Menasor reached inside a deep portion of the ravaged building. Stretching out his hand, cables from his fingertips emerged and linked up with a pair of operational computers still wired into the Pentagon’s mainframe. In seconds, classified data was copied and downloaded right into Decepticon hands.
Radioing to Scourge, Menasor declared, “Menasor complete mission. Codes extracted from human computers.”
“Good! Disengage and return to Metroplex. I…we…have other plans to implement,” Scourge ordered.
Menasor turned about and ran towards Metroplex. As Metroplex opened his torso hatch, Menasor broke into the Stunticons, each flying inside as Bruticus and Predaking held off the human forces with ease. Metroplex then simply stormed away, each of his footsteps shaking the earth as he headed northwest.
Inside of Metroplex the Stunticons approached Scourge and Soundwave. Motormaster, leader of the Stunticons, told Scourge, “We each have the codes you asked for Scourge. What good are they to us?”
“Yeah,” agreed Dragstrip, “What’s a bunch of numbers and symbols good for us? I’m in the mood to raid the oil reserves and drink till I pass out!”
“Bah!” Scourge said, “These codes are more important than that! If they are what I expect them to be…then we’ll have a new weapon at our disposal. Now, each of you give those codes to Soundwave so he can decrypt them.”
The Stunticons grumbled a bit but complied. Soundwave opened a panel in the side of his chest, extracting five cables and hooking each to a Stunticon. Once connected, Soundwave began his work.
As green light emanated from the Stunticons’ eyes Soundwave uttered, “Extracting codes from Stunticon data files. Operation…assimilation.” On Soundwave’s chest, the same codes appeared; bit by bit lining up until a single set of numbers was revealed. “Code extraction…completed. Decryption of United States nuclear arsenal codes initiated.”
“Good. Now, my fellow Decepticons,” Scourge smugly said, “Let us prepare to rendezvous with Galvatron…and prepare for battle!”
“I hope this idea of yours works, Computron,” Ultra Magnus said.
The entire Autobot force was mobile and moving east on route eighty-four, just outside of Boise, Idaho. As Ultra Magnus lead the ground team, the Aerialbots, Dinobot, and Sky Lynx flew just a few hundred feet above. Computron and Defensor jogged not far behind, keeping up the rear.
“It is simple yet flawless,” Computron said, “The cinder and debris plume exiting through Trypticon’s damaged venting has created a marker for us to follow him and, presumably, Galvatron.”
Huffing beside his fellow Gestalt, Defensor bluntly surmised, “You mean that we can follow the smoke trail they’re leaving behind, right?”
“Err…yes,” replied Computron, “That…is what I said, correct?”
“Got me,” RedStreak said, driving behind Arcee in his Firebird car form.
Another mile ahead, a man watched as a strange pink and white car pulled into his tollbooth. Strangely…a little kid was sitting at the wheel. As they pulled up, the boy handed out a twenty dollar bill to him. “Kid, the toll is sixty cents. Why are you handing me a twenty?” he asked.
“Oh it’s not just for me…it’s for my friends, the Autobots,” said Daniel.
The man glanced out his window. Sure enough, close to a dozen assorted cars, planes, jets, even dinosaurs sat behind the toll, waiting politely and patiently. One of the Dinobots waved and even smiled. He looked back at the kid.
“A twenty should be enough for them all, right?” Daniel asked.
“Y….eah. Yeah. That would cover ‘em all.” He flipped a switch, the cross sign lifting up.
“Thank you!” Daniel said, the car driving itself through. In the following minutes, each passing car, truck, and plane said, “Thank you!”, “Thank you!”, “Thank you!” to him over and over again. Five robotic dinosaurs then scrunched their way through, also saying “Thank you!”, “Thank you!”, “Thank you!” as well.
The last one, a tyrannosaurus, paused and glanced at the man. With his tiny arm, he flung out a quarter, which the man managed to catch. “Me Grimlock tip nice man in funny box. Thank you!” He then walked off and joined the other Autobots.
“Right…thanks.” The man looked at the quarter, stowing it away in the register. Reaching under the register, he pulled out a bottle of liquor, sniffing the open end and looking it over. He then threw it out and passed out, content with his day.
In a speedy phrase, Blur suggested, “We-better-kick-it-into-turbo-right-away-Magnus-before-Galvatron-does-something-terrible-to-Rodimus-Pime-and Springer! Yes-we-better-hurry-right-away!”
Pulling alongside Arcee, RedStreak asked, “Does he always talk like that?”
“You should see it when someone dares him to say it five-times fast,” Daniel said.
“More like hear it,” corrected Ultra Magnus, “But Blur’s got a point. Sky Lynx, prepare to load up! We need your hypersonic speed to intercept Trypticon a.s.a.p. Technobots, Protectobots, disengage and climb aboard with us! Autobots, roll out!”
“Roger!” the bizarre shuttle said. He skimmed the roadway, his rear ramp opening to allow Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Kup, RedStreak, Blur, and Wheelie to drive inside. The Dinobots stormed in as well, Computron and Defensor separating with their component Autobots joining them in turn. “Hang on, Autobots!” said Sky Lynx, “I’m going past mach ten!” A giant blast emanated from his engines, sending Sky Lynx to the threshold of Earth’s atmosphere.
Hours later, Spike weakly groaned as he opened his eyes for the first time that day. “Oh…where am I?” To his surprise, he found himself enchained and hanging over ten feet above the floor with shackles around his wrists.
“Not a good morning welcome, is it man?” Springer said.
“Springer!” Spike cheered, “What’s going on?”
“It’s a nightmare come true, Spike,” Springer summed up in six words. As the two hung there beside Rodimus Prime, Scourge, Soundwave, and Motormaster stood before Metroplex’s core processing console, watching the outside environment through a huge monitor.
“We are approaching Galvatron’s coordinates, Scourge,” Soundwave said, “Minimal power readings from Trypticon detected.”
“So the old beast took one slag of a beating,” Motormaster spoke up, “We’ll just use Metroplex’s equipment to repair and recharge him.”
“Yes…except…we’re not going to help Trypticon,” Scourge said, “We are going to blast him…and Galvatron as well!”
Soundwave and Motormaster stepped back in disbelief. “T-That’s treason!” Motormaster decreed.
Leaping from Soundwave’s chest, Frenzy and Rumble both said, “Yeah! We can’t kill our own leader and our own base!”
“I say otherwise!” Scourge yelled, pulling out his blaster. In a split-second he shot Frenzy, knocking the red and black cassette into a wall with a smoking hole in his chest. Waving it before Motormaster, Rumble, and Soundwave, Scourge asked, “Any other disagreements? Good! Now you three ready Metroplex’s weapons! We are going into battle!”
Minutes later, giant Trypticon landed with a quake on a forested hill. He growled weakly, his systems drained of energy from the flight. Galvatron himself landed in front of Trypticon. He gazed out and spotted Metroplex climbing over the next hill.
“Ah, good! Scourge has arrived! Now we can get to repairing Trypticon and resuming our conquest!” Oddly, Metroplex stopped, just as he cleared the ridge. Galvatron’s brow cocked a little, bewildered by this behavior. “Scourge!” he yelled loudly, “We’re over here! Are you blind?”
Over Metroplex’s voice box, Scourge bluntly replied, “I know. Metroplex, OPEN FIRE!”
“WHAT?!” Galvatron screeched.
Metroplex fired simultaneously with his shoulder-mounted cannons and giant guns. The blast hit Trypticon unprepared, the Decepticon stumbling backwards. Weakened, he tried to fight back, unleashing his own arsenal against Metroplex.
Standing alongside his own titanic warrior, Galvatron yelled, “SCOURGE YOU TRAITOR! YOU WON’T LIVE THROUGH TODAY!”
As Scourge’s vile plan went underway, Sky Lynx landed a few miles away on an overlooking hill. Transforming to his gryphon-like form, he stretched his neck out and gazed upon the fight from afar.
“I don’t believe it! Ultra Magnus, Metroplex is actually firing on Trypticon! Could Rodimus have regained control of him?” Sky Lynx said.
Still inside Sky Lynx, observing what he saw through a wall console, Ultra Magnus shook his head. “Negative. He’s still wearing the Decepticon symbol; he’s still on of them.”
Snarl, grunting unintelligibly, muttered, “Then why he attacking other Decepticons?”
“Sounds to me like Scourge is going on a power trip!” Kup stated, “He’s pulled one hell of a ‘Starscream’ over on Galvatron.”
“Makes sense to me,” Airraid commented, “After all those Decepticons hold treachery as a fine art!”
Ultra Magnus looked towards the rear of Sky Lynx’s cargo bay, noting the Aerialbots and Technobots huddled over Silverbolt’s mangled frame. “What is Silverbolt’s prognosis?”
Nosecone sat up momentarily. “Not much better. Silverbolt’s still offline with a few vital systems scrambled. There’s a chance he’ll make it but no way by the Matrix or the Pit that he’ll fly today.”
“You’re going to have to change that then!” Ultra Magnus shook his fist, “For Prime’s sake, we need every Autobot up and online, and we may need Superion once again in addition to Computron and Defensor.”
“We’ll do what we can for our friend,” Skydive said.
Grimlock stomped his foot in dinosaur mode. “Me Grimlock say we fight now! Get Rodimus back and smash Decepticons into ground!”
“Hold your emoticons and conflict circuits back, Grimlock,” advised Ultra Magnus, “We’re in no position to take on both Trypticon and Metroplex at once. Let them fight it out and then we’ll strike.”
Nearby, Metroplex grabbed Trypticon, smothering his counterpart harshly. Trypticon opened his mouth, shooting Metroplex directly in the face as his tail and limbs struggled against the former Autobot’s powerful arms. Metroplex was not distracted; instead of flinching he hoisted Trypticon high into the air, flinging him right into the hillside, plowing over hundreds upon hundreds of trees in the process.
A small explosion erupted from Trypticon’s belly, sparks flickering from rows of snapped wires and exposed circuits. Trypticon growled weakly, his mouth dropping open with a metal tongue hanging out loosely. Inside of him, lights and consoles were flickering off, every system shutting down and switching to stasis lock.
As Trypticon faded, Galvatron yelled, “Get up Trypticon, get up! Get up you worthless piece of Char!”
Scourge’s laughter echoed through Metroplex’s speakers once again. “Heh heh! I’m afraid there’s no one to help you this time around, Galvatron! Your time is up and my reign over this planet and the whole galaxy shall begin!”
As Metroplex’s giant hand loomed over him, Galvatron warned, “Scourge, this time I will NOT spare you! You’ll share the same fate…AS STARSCREAM!”
“My fate is mine and mine alone to determine, Galvatron!” Scourge countered, Metroplex nearly upon Galvatron.
A golden blast struck at Metroplex’s hand, causing the giant to stop for a moment. The Decepticons looked towards the ravaged hillside. Ultra Magnus stood with a smoking blaster in hand, fixated upon his enemies. Then, stepping up behind him, the Autobots made their appearance.
“Hold it right there, Scourge!” Ultra Magnus shouted, “You can fight with Galvatron all you want, but do it back on your own turf, on Char!”
In a flash, Computron and Defensor jumped feet-first, delivering a double kick right at Metroplex’s head. The double-blow hit Metroplex good, the tremendous giant stumbling and then falling on his backside with thunder booming for miles around.
Galvatron watched from the base of the hill, saying to himself, “To think I’d ever be glad to see those accursed Autobots!” Bolting up to an apt escape, he further said, “With luck, Scourge and the Autobots will destroy each other…eliminating both my problems!”
Scourge was flung about inside Metroplex, staggering back to his feet from the blow dealt by the two Autobot Gestalts. “Oh yeah? Two can play at THAT game Autobots!” Picking up a microphone linked to one of Metroplex’s consoles, Scourge ordered, “Metroplex, transform to fortress mode! Combaticons, Stunticons, unleash Bruticus and Menasor and destroy Computron and Defensor! Decepticons…ATTACK!”
The fallen giant slowly transformed, his legs becoming flat platforms the length of aircraft carriers, his arms missile launchers. As Metroplex’s weapons powered up, the Stunticons and Combaticons flew out of open hatches. In the air, Onslaught, commander of the Combaticons, yelled to his comrades, “Decepticons! Unite and destroy the Autobots!”
Computron and Defensor stood watch as ten Decepticons began to transform, merging into warriors equal to them. “No sense in delaying the inevitable!” Defensor yelled. As the head of Bruticus emerged, Defensor’s fist slammed right into his broad faceplate. The Combaticon Gestalt stumbled backward, but only for a minute. Defensor jumped, this time tackling Bruticus to the ground.
“Well if logic serves,” Computron said, “That leaves me with Menasor to….”
Before Computron could finish, Menasor rammed his fist right at Computron. The Gestalts immediately proceeded to battle, dozens more of their Autobot comrades ready to join the fray.
“So much for logic,” RedStreak commented, watching Computron get the slag beaten out of him. “Let’s see what I can do in overdrive on them! RedStreak…trans….”
“Hold it Red!” Ultra Magnus stopped him, “Silverbolt is still in stasis lock. You and Sky Lynx need to remain behind to guard him.”
“But Ultra Magnus!” RedStreak protested.
“Also,” Ultra Magnus added, “We need someone to protect Daniel…should things come to worse.”
Inside Metroplex’s Brain Vault, a great deal of activity preoccupied Scourge and what few Decepticons there were available to assist him. Spike, Springer, and Rodimus Prime were left to themselves as the explosions of Metroplex’s weaponry echoed from outside.
“We can’t just hang around here and do nothing!” Spike said.
“I agree,” Springer said, pulling against his shackles, “We’ve gotta break free and help our friends!”
Scourge, standing beside the core processing console, overheard the human and Autobot. “Neither of you,” he said, his metal wings whooshing as he turned about, “will escape from my new fortress alive!”
Reaching back to the console, Scourge pressed a single square button. From the ceiling, a double-barreled security blaster descended before Springer and Spike. In an instant, it swiveled in their direction, the hum of its weapons charging loud.
“Metroplex,” Scourge commanded, “Switch auto-guns to lethal.” As the blaster’s barrels began to glow, Scourge smiled at Spike and Springer. “Rodimus I will spare for now, until I need to retrieve the Matrix. As for you two, heh, heh...you’re scrap! Metroplex, prepare to termin….”
The sound of Soundwave’s voice suddenly blared over the loudspeakers. “Scourge, intruder alert! Autobots engaged on artillery deck!”
“Damn!” Scourge returned to the console, activating the main monitor once again. On it he could see plain as day Ultra Magnus and several others driving right between Metroplex’s two giant guns, transforming and engaging the smaller Cassetticons with Soundwave providing additional backup.
Glancing back his prisoners, Scourge muttered, “Looks like we have bigger concerns than you for now. Metroplex, maintain weapons lock on prisoners three and two. Prep the surgical droids for operation.”
“What are you doing?” Spike demanded to know.
The Brain Vault doors reopened, two cone-shaped droids hovering their way inside. As one extended a menacing-looking scalpel, Scourge replied, “It looks like I’ll be retrieving the Matrix from Rodimus sooner than I expected. And then, once it’s mine again…I’ll be unstoppable.”
The battle outside was intense, but little more than a lightshow from Sky Lynx’s perch. RedStreak and Daniel could only watch atop his shoulders as Ultra Magnus’ team fought atop Metroplex’s deck.
“This sticks, being put out of action!” RedStreak grumbled.
“Ultra Magnus gave us our duty, and we must fulfill it RedStreak!” Sky Lynx reminded him, “It is a matter of honor!”
“But what about my dad?” Daniel raised a point.
RedStreak turned toward the small human sitting beside him. “Not to worry. I’m sure Magnus will bust his way in and….wait a minute….”
As Daniel said, “What for what?”, RedStreak stared up toward the sky with his telescopic eyes. His sensors detected something, a definite Decepticon presence beyond the battle. A giant gold and orange figure with broad falcon wings was zooming in, its shadow looming over the landscape.
“Sky Lynx! You see what I see?” RedStreak said, immediately standing to his feet.
Arching his neck up in the same direction, Sky Lynx said, “Yes! By the maker, Predaking is online again! Scourge must have called them in from another mission!”
On Metroplex, Ultra Magnus was firing his blaster at Soundwave hard until that same shadow passed over him. Predaking himself landed, his sixty-plus foot height looming over all else. Without hesitation he started firing, blackening everything around him as the Autobots desperately tried to find cover.
“The Predacons!” RedStreak exclaimed, “We’ve got to do something to help out! If only we….”
In a flash, RedStreak was suddenly ripped from his physical shell and transported into oblivion. Around him he saw the faces of Ultra Magnus, Springer, Arcee, Grimlock, Wheelie…all dead.
“NO!” RedStreak howled.
“The key,” a ghostly voice echoed, “Lies within the spark, the spark RedStreak.”
“RedStreak?” Daniel’s voice called. The Autobot shook his head and realized he blacked out again, not for long this time but long enough. Outside every minute in the battlefield counted. A few calculations went off in RedStreak’s mind…a plan.
“Sky Lynx, Daniel, we’ve got to even the battlefield for our friends!” he said, “We need…Silverbolt.”
Inside Sky Lynx himself RedStreak opened up Silverbolt’s torso. “They managed to restore most of his circuitry,” Sky Lynx reported, “But a few key circuits were damaged beyond recovery. Unless they’re replaced, Silverbolt will remain in a coma.”
“Then,” RedStreak said, opening his own chest up, “We’ll give it to them.”
As the Autobot began to pull out one circuit panel from his own body, Daniel yelled, “Wait! Don’t you need those same circuits to keep yourself alive?”
“I have back-ups, Daniel,” RedStreak explained, “Silverbolt doesn’t. I’ll live, but unless we can bring him and Superion online, we’re all doomed.” RedStreak yanked out the panel, then turned and looked down at the vacant slot inside Silverbolt, waiting for that spark of life….
With Predaking’s arrival the battle turned against Ultra Magnus’ team. The Dinobots charged the Decepticon Gestalt in one bold charge, but they were nothing against his sheer strength. With a swing of his arm, Swoop was knocked from the sky. With a kick, Snarl and Sludge were knocked off the platform. Slag roared, flames bursting from his mouth, but it did little to stop the giant.
With Blur at his side, Ultra Magnus took cover behind a large generator. A Decepticon shot ricocheted and hit him in his shoulder. “Ugh! This isn’t going good Blur! Arcee and the others are pinned down while Computron and Defensor have their own battle!”
“This-isn’t-going-good! Nope-nope-nope!” Blur speedily said, “We-need-some-kind-of-cover-or-assault-or….”
“Cover coming up!” a voice from above yelled.
“I don’t believe it!” Ultra Magnus said.
Silverbolt lead his squadron of Aerialbots from the sky directly against Predaking. Predaking held up his arms, shielding himself from the renewed Autobot firepower. He growled, looking around for something to hurl at his airborne assailants. Grimlock, already gnawing on his ankles, was in reach. Like a plush toy he grabbed the Dinobot, squeezing him in his grip.
“Me Grimlock no rock me….” The Decepticon hurling him into the air, Grimlock yelled, “Kiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnngggggggggg!”
The Aerialbots scattered, Grimlock flying past them. “Time to take this up a notch! Mono-e-mono!” Silverbolt declared, “Aerialbots…transform to…Superion!”
As Superion landed, his fists raised in readiness, the ground beneath him, Predaking, and both Autobot and Decepticon quaked. Turrets and panels began to retract and fold around them, their former battleground actually rising up! Metroplex was transforming!
Every transformer was flung off, Metroplex resuming his form of a titan. Everyone, even the Gestalts, froze as he gazed upon them all.
Near-by, Sky Lynx asked, “You sure you’re ready for this?”
“Ready Lynx,” RedStreak replied, “Daniel, you ready?”
Snapping his seat belt on, Daniel replied from RedStreak’s passenger seat, “Yeah, I’m ready! Let’s do it!”
Sky Lynx rocketed off in shuttle mode. On one wing a red firebird was parked, its motor revving up. Together they flung themselves at Metroplex, determined to bring the giant down once and for all.
“You know what you’re doing, right?” Daniel asked, “I mean…you’ve done this before, right?”
RedStreak hesitated to answer. “Um…Daniel, to be frank, I’ve never done this before. I’m only a week old.”
“WHAT?!”
“DO IT SKY LYNX!” RedStreak shouted as Daniel panicked inside of him. Sky Lynx blasted at Metroplex’s torso, a flare of fireworks bursting outwards. RedStreak drove off, flying by sheer velocity. For the longest six seconds in history, the firebird was airborne.
RedStreak plunged directly into the firestorm Sky Lynx created, punching his way through Metroplex’s armor. His tires screeched as he crashed inside, RedStreak spinning out. With a thunderous noise he flipped to the side and slammed into a wall, the very hubcaps on his wheels busting off and landing with a clank.
A side door opened. Daniel didn’t so much as climb out but flop out. He hobbled along on his hands and shins, and then stood up with a wobble as his head spun. “I…never wanna do that again. I’m just thankful you came with a seat belt!”
With a moan, RedStreak transformed. Leaning on his equally weak knees, RedStreak added, “I’m just thankful I cam equipped with airbags.” Something suddenly burst inside of the Autobot. Two white bags simultaneously blew out from around the base of his neck, smothering RedStreak’s face. He mumbled, “Not that they really helped any.”
In the Brain Vault, an alarm rang in Scourge’s ears. “Blast! Somehow they’ve breached Metroplex! But no matter….”
The two droids had reopened Rodimus Prime’s chest plate, the faint glow of the Matrix within it. Tentatively one reached for it with a probe, desperately trying. As it made contact, a bolt of energy shot out to it…
Scourge frowned as he watched the droid fly back into a wall, exploding in a burst of green light. “Bah! Useless droids! If they can’t remove it, I’ll do it myself!” Scourge said gruffly. With both hands, Scourge reached inside and yanked hard at the Matrix of Leadership, determined to have it as his own.
Rodimus’ eyes went wide, and he yelled louder than anyone could believe. An aura of pure white light radiated around him and Scourge, bolts of the Matrix’s energy flying out. Scourge yelled out as well, but he refused to relinquish his grip. A shockwave of energy tore lose, blowing everything not tied down in the Brain Vault to the walls.
The chains restraining Springer and Spike snapped, both thudding against the core processing console. “Springer! What’s…happening?!” Spike yelled, watching as the energy of the Matrix became a virtual maelstrom.
“I don’t know,” Springer said, eyeing Scourge’s device strapped to the console, “But I know one thing – we’re ending it here and now!” Now free, Springer pulled out his long sword, its blade as sharp as ever. He raised it above the console….
Scourge turned away, reaching out with one hand. “No! You fools don’t!”
The sword sliced into the parasitic mechanism, its wires flailing wildly with blue sparks blazing about. As Scourge and the Autobots watched, every console, monitor, and panel inside of the Brain Vault went haywire. RedStreak and Daniel witnessed the same thing from within Metroplex’s torso. Outside…Metroplex went crazy.
Enraged like never before, the giant started firing in all directions. A missile launcher built into his chest deployed, a dozen rockets firing off. The recovering Gestalts were struck down, fragmenting into their component transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon. In seconds the land became a cratered wasteland, every tree and blade of grass vaporized as Metroplex unleashed his entire arsenal.
Scourge, distracted for a second, didn’t see Rodimus Prime’s fist coming. He fell to the floor, knocked completely offline. Rodimus, with restraints still wrapped around his wrists, stood up, the chains broken. The light of the Matrix subsided, returning to its sole vessel.
“Good work, Springer,” said Rodimus, “Now, to get Metroplex back in order.”
Spike, standing atop a much larger chair, looked over on of the other consoles. “That ain’t gonna be easy!” he said, “We’ve got Decepticon programming still clogging his system!”
Springer turned toward the human with a look of surprise. “What? But I just slagged Scourge’s control device!”
Rodimus looked over Spike’s shoulder, double checking what he saw. “No, Spike’s right. There’s Decepticon programming right into his core memory! The device was only a means to direct it, control it….”
“Which means….” Spike spoke up.
“Metroplex is running mad!” Rodimus declared. He raised his arms up, firing on the security blaster that was aiming toward them.
“But how do we solve this problem without destroying Metroplex?” Spike asked, “Assuming Metroplex can be destroyed at all!”
“I don’t know!” Rodimus said, “But we’ve got to act fast! But if, necessary….” The Prime glanced down, looking at the Matrix within his still-open chest. It glittered like a star waiting to go nova. “I’ll unless the Matrix…but only as a last resort.”
The three of them rushed downstairs, deeper into Metroplex. Security blasters popped up around every corner, but Springer blasted each one. Security force fields and droids also emerged, but they too were dealt with. By the time they reached the heart of Metroplex, Springer, Rodimus, and Spike were taxed from the run.
“Prime!” one voice yelled. “Dad!” another, particularly cheerful one, exclaimed.
“RedStreak!” Rodimus Prime declared.
“Daniel!” Spike said, Daniel leaping into his arms joyfully.
“We’ve gotta can the reunion guys! Metroplex is a walking war machine!” Springer reminded them.
“W-Well? Can’t you shut him down?” Daniel inquired.
“Sorry Daniel, there’s none we can think of,” Spike told his son, “Right now we just have to get….”
“Wait,” RedStreak said, looking to Springer and Rodimus Prime, “There might be one way. Where is Metroplex’s spark chamber?”
Springer blasted a security panel, twin sets of twelve-foot thick armored doors opening. Blue-white light poured out from within, as bright as that of the Matrix. As they peered inside, a huge sphere of light, nestled between two sockets mounted to the floor and ceiling, pulsated with a drumming noise.
“Okay, now what?” Springer asked.
“The key,” RedStreak uttered to himself, “Is in the spark.”
“What was that?” Spike asked.
“Rodimus Prime,” RedStreak said to his commander, “Can you hurl the Matrix inside that thing?”
“What? Are you insane?” Springer said, grabbing RedStreak by the arm.
“No…wait. RedStreak might be right. The Matrix of Leadership might realign Metroplex…restore him back into an Autobot…hopefully.”
As Rodimus Prime removed the crystal-like Matrix, Daniel posed a question. “And if it doesn’t?”
Prime only said, “Heaven help us.” With an effortless fling, he sent the Matrix straight at Metroplex’s spark. The legendary device twirled about in slow motion, crossing the void toward the blue sphere. It made contact….
As Ultra Magnus and Arcee watched from outside, Metroplex suddenly started to scream in complete agony. He quivered and shook, blue tendrils of electricity slithering over his shaking frame. Something from within was destroying him! Metroplex’s spark reacted wildly. With the Matrix lodged in its center, it started to grow unearthly hot, energy blasting out of it in a frenzy.
“It’s no good! Without an intact mind to direct it,” Rodimus explained, “The Matrix can’t be controlled! It’ll obliterate Metroplex…maybe even the planet! I’ve got to…AGH!”
A bolt of mad energy struck Rodimus Prime, knocking him entirely out. Now completely robbed of the Matrix’s energy, he shrank, transforming to his prior form as Hot Rod. Springer went to his side, trying to get him up.
“This isn’t working! We’ve got to clear this place before it blows!” Spike yelled.
“No, didn’t you hear Prime?” RedStreak said, “Without a mind to direct it, it could destroy the planet!”
“But Rodimus Prime is offline!” Springer said, “There’s no one who...RedStreak, what are you doing?!”
RedStreak never even heard Springer’s words. All he heard in his mind was “The spark is the key” as he ran. He jumped straight into the spark of Metroplex, lunging at the Matrix itself.
“REDSTREAK!” Daniel yelled, watching the Autobot groan in agony as he was held suspended alongside the Matrix of Leadership. Lightning was flowing directly into him and yet he was unharmed. It was as if…he wasn’t himself.
Spike and Daniel both watched as the Autobot hovered in place, grabbing the Matrix in his hands. His eyes were not blue but white, glared in a mesmerized state. He raised up the Matrix and spoke in a strange…yet familiar voice.
“Metroplex, cast off what you are programmed to be…and become what your spark tells you you are,” the voice spoke out of RedStreak.
Spike widened his eyes. That voice! He knew that voice! “Optimus?!”
In that moment, the spark of Metroplex heeded the voice’s words. In the Brain Vault, the purple cybertronian text scrolling down vanished in a flash. Atop the core processing console, the remains of Scourge’s device melted, then vaporized completely. The gold plating seemed to revitalize, shine with a new finish. Finally, on Metroplex’s chest plate…the Autobot symbol returned.
“RedStreak! Get out of there!” Spike yelled. As Metroplex’s spark shifted and resumed its normal pulse, a flash of light enveloped both RedStreak and the Matrix. In that burst, both were cast out, crashing before the humans and Autobots. The Matrix shined as brilliant as ever…but the eyes of RedStreak were empty of life.
In the following weeks a great deal of work was done, on both sides of the Great War. Autobot City was restored and the Decepticons gone from Earth for the time, with little chance of them returning for quite some time, given Trypticon and the Gestalts extensive damage. There were other losses as well to take into account….
Silverbolt sat beside RedStreak’s lifeless frame sprawled out on the repair bay table, dozens of cables linked to him. He knew Rodimus Prime himself put his repair only second to that of Autobot City, made sure a lot of extensive work was put into the seemingly selfless Autobot…but there was no sign of life in RedStreak…nothing conscience. He was no different than a repair drone or base computer – without spark or a will – just a conglomeration of empty circuits and cylinders.
Silverbolt smiled as best he could. “Hey, buddy,” he said, grabbing RedStreak’s limp hand. He opened his chest, tapping on the circuit panel inside. “Still borrowing that board for now, at least until Pipes can get me a spare. Seems like a little of you is in me now.”
Still nothing from the wired-up mess before him, just static and silence.
“Thanks for all your help, Autobot. Take your time recovering; I’ll be right here by you, Red.” Silverbolt simply sat beside him, simply waiting. He knew getting your circuits scrambled and spark fried was a lot to get back up from. Not much chance of coming back online. However, if it was possible…it was always worth the wait.
Thousands of miles away in space, another awakened. Scourge found himself drifting in high orbit above the Earth, no doubt dumped there by the Autobots themselves. He couldn’t move – enchained around the arms, waist, and ankles.
“Curse those Autobots!” he swore. With a mere flex of his wings, Scourge broke the bonds that held him. He turned toward the Earth, a distant blue and white marble from his view. Pointing a claw-like finger toward the planet, Scourge swore, “You will pay for this, humans, you will pay.”
Scourge clicked on a panel built into his right arm, revealing a small computer monitor beneath. On its screen a series of text in the human language called ‘English’ appeared, beside it a circular, three-pronged symbol that flashed on and off.
Scourge laughed. “Humanity, your own weapons shall be my vengeance!” A wicked cackle echoed through space, Scourge transforming and descending toward Earth like a fallen angel.
To Be Continued…